>> that's it for us. "special report" is next. this is a fox news alert. i'm bret baier in washington. president obama says the uproar over a $400 million cash payment to iran as american hostages were being freed is "manufacturing outrage on an old story." the president says the only new element is that the u.s. paid in cash. he's also expressing satis satisfaction with the war against isis. the president chaired a national security council meeting today at the pentagon. kevin corke is at the white house with highlights. >> reporter: good evening, bret. it wasn't a secret, and this

wasn't some nefarious deal. that's what president obama had to say in describing that now infamous $400 million cash payment to the iranians about the same time of the release of four american hostages that had been held by the regime. i want you to listen carefully to how one of those hostages described that fateful evening. >> they told us you're going to be there for 20 minutes but it took hours and hours. when i asked them why you don't let us go, because the plane was there, pilot was there, everyone was ready that we leave the country. they said we are waiting for another plane. and until that plane doesn't come, we never let you go. >> it is not at all clear to me why it is that cash opposed to a check or a wire transfer has made this into a news story. maybe because it feels like some spy novel or, you know, some

crime novel, because cash was exchanged. >> reporter: so the president essentially says just because it was cash doesn't make it nefario nefarious. meanwhile, major disagreement within the administration about the timing of that payment. the justice department didn't want the cash delivered at that time, but they were overruled by the state department. that according to reporting from "the wall street journal." this as the pentagon released video of american warplanes attacking isis fighters in northern libya. and speaking of isis, the times in an interview with a man who claims to have been a member of the terror group, describes the group's ideas about europe. take a look at this quote. this is from a former isis fighter. he says, they always said they wanted to have something that is occurring in the same time. they wanted to have loads of attacks at the same time in

england, germany, and france. a window into the thinking of a group of mass killings who continue to wreak havoc all over the world. bret? >> kevin corke live on the north lawn. defense secretary ash carter is in charge of the military response to isis. i sat down with him to talk about the fight against the terror group and began by asking him about the expanding isis threat and footprint around the world. isis has had safe haven inside syria, expanded into iraq in 2014. and now it has 30 affiliates in 24 countries and five aspirational while developing this worldwide network inspiring followers to kill citizens. so i guess the question is, can you allow that safe haven to stay? >> no, no. >> and when does it get eliminated? >> you have to destroy safe havens for terrorist groups like

isil. and you're right, it started in iraq and syria. that's why we're waging the campaign that we're waging, and we've been waging here and the defense department, with the president's approval, now for a number of months, that has led to the taking of all the towns in iraq. so we're heading up towards mosul and over in syria, towards raqqah, which they say is the capital. so they have to be destroyed and defeated in iraq and syria. because that's where this whole ka cancer started. but it's not enough, because it spread to afghanistan. it has spread to libya. you noticed in recent days, we have begun air strikes in support of ground forces, local ground forces in libya, who were fighting isil there. we're obviously doing the same in afghanistan and we're going to need to do that anywhere the cancer spreads.

we've brought the difference ministers out to andrews air force base two weeks ago and i said look, we need you to do more. you know we're doing more. we're trying to accelerate what is the certain defeat of isis. we need to win as fast as we can. >> you mentioned libya. on monday, you launched five air strikes against isis in libya. today it was zero. when somebody looks at that, they say this is a limited, narrow, one-city approach. >> that's where isil is. it's a town called sert and that's where they're concentrated. the targets that we hit are when the libyan forces identify them. they'll do that, i'm certainly will be more. what you'll see is the libyan forces, with some of our

intelligence support, moving into a certain neighborhood. the isil guys will get in the truck or a tank to fight or to leave. we'll see where they are. that's the point at which we strike. so we strike when we find targets. obviously, we do that the precision way. the reason we're doing it in the town of sert, that's where isil is. >> they have between 5,000 to 8,000 fighters there. is that accurate? >> these estimates are always uncertain. >> are we limited to that city by the libyan government that we're working with? the strikes only been in sert? >> it's where they're fighting right now. that's where the greatest concentration is. but there are other places. if we were asked by the libyan government in the future, which may happen, to help them in other ways and other places, i'm sure we would be willing to consider that very favorably. libyans don't like foreigners in

their country. so libya has its own country. there's a civil war going on there. but if we can get them to stop fighting one another over who is going to run the place, they'll turn against isil. they're not a bad partner to have. >> afghanistan. it seems the pentagon is ramping up things there. does this mean the strategy over the past year has not worked? >> no. the strategy is to strengthen the afghan security forces so they can more and more do it themselves. this ask the fighting season there. so we want them to make as much progress as fast as we can. that's why we asked the president for some additional authority. that's why we asked him to keep additional forces there next year. but it's not that we're securing afghanistan. the whole point is to get the afghans to secure afghanistan. >> last week, a company of army rangers, some 150 american troops, fought this fierce

three-day battle against isis affiliated forces in eastern afghanistan. they killed hundreds of isis fighters, but five american troops shot. when you look at that, why is that not serious combat? >> i just talked to two of them this morning. i just got off the phone with the two guys who were there with their families. i told them this, and this is an answer to your question. first of all, i'm sorry that they got shot. we're going to take good care of them. but they ought to know how successful the mission was, that they were part of. this is important. this actually was a highly successful mission destroying terrorists that had come over across the pakistani border into that area. people shouldn't be in any doubt, bret, that when we're doing this, our people are in harm's way. there's no more serious responsibility for me as secretary of defense. that's why i called these guys, than taking care of people that we put at risk.

but make no mistake, they're at risk, and they did something that was heroic. but also very successful there. and absolutely necessary for our national security. >> i guess it's the semantics. combat operations, major come bass bat operations. >> i wouldn't get too hung up on the semantics. these guys are fighting, they're definitely in combat. that's how you get shot. their purpose is counterterrorism. they were after a group of terrorists coming in there. >> in iraq, mosul, you mentioned that before. will mosul be recaptured by the time you step down? >> i can't say that for sure, but i certainly hope so. we are positioning forces to make that possible. let me tell you how that's going to go. right now as we speak, forces are moving up that we have trained, these are iraqi army units, supported by us in all ways, with logistics, equipment, training, air power, advisers,

they're moving north to two towns that are on the southeast and southwest side of mosul. meanwhile, kurdish peshmerga units, also equipped, trained, and supported by the united states, are moving to the north. they will envelope mosul and collapse isil's control. we'll have to see what isil does and how hard they fight. one way or another, mosul will be taken. >> how many more troops can americans at home expect to be going to iraq? >> well, right now, there are about 3500 u.s. forces there. and about 3500 coalition forces. and their role is to enable tens of thousands of iraqi army units, because that's the number we train and equip to take back their country. so i can't predict that. the only thing i can say is we are prepared to do more wherever we see an opportunity to

accelerate this defeat. so if more is required, and i'm sure there will be additional authorities and additional capabilities that will be required, i will go to the president with the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, as he'll say go for it, because we need to get this done quickly. >> iran. were you consulted in any aspect of this deal with the $400 million? >> it's not a defense department matter, it's been a state department matter, so i can't add anything t you've heard. >> so the military didn't help? >> we are certainly -- we do things with respect to iran, not this. there was a nuclear deal done with iran, which was good in the sense that it took away, if it's implemented verifiably, the nuclear weapons danger from iran. but iran is still involved in activities, it threatens our

neighbors in the region. that's one of the reasons we have a big presence in that part of the world. deterring iranian aggression, countering iranian influence in the region is the other reason we have forces there. >> but you haven't seen any change from iran science the nuclear deal as far as giving money for terrorists, thumbing its nose at the world with the ballistic missile test, anything changing with iran? >> i think they continue to do things that are dangerous. that's why we need to protect ourselves. why we need missile defense. that's why we need aircraft carriers and other ships in the gulf. that's why we do all these things. >> the marines are taking a 24-hour pause, grounding essentially, because they've had some major problems. they've had a crash, one pilot was killed. should americans be worried about military aviation. >> you're talking about marine corps aviation readiness, which is an issue. it's the top priority for the

marine corps, for the commandant general miller, for me as defense secretary, we've been making special investments. we do have issues associated with the way our budget has been treated over the last several years. you know there's been gridlock in washington. there's been sequestration. there's been threats of shutting down the government. as secretary of defense, and all our folks here in the department of defense, this kind of budget turbulence and uncertainty makes it very difficult for us to do what we have to do, which is provide the best and total and adequate protection for the country. and spend the taxpayers money well. it's got to stop. the only way is people have to come together, both parties, both houses of congress, congress and the administration, behind something that's sensible and that people can agree to. and not have this herky jerky budgeting. >> the president is meeting with you today. your three predecessors told us

in interviews that they had interesting dynamics with this white house. and it was kind of hands on. they felt a little restrained in their job here. and each of them had a different take on it. >> it was the operational micromanagement that drove me nuts. >> too often people are second guessing where the president wants to go, and they try to then shade their views to please the president. >> i don't think there's one veteran on his senior staff at the white house, i don't believe there's one business person. i don't believe there's one person who has ever run anything. i think don't think he understae tremendous responsibility the united states has. >> your assessment of working with this president and how this national security apparatus is set up in the obama administration? >> two things. first of all, i've never had any

problem getting a hearing. we have private meetings with the president. every time we've come to him and said here is a way we can accelerate the defeat of isil, he says go for it. he's demanding that it be thought through, but we're good at that. and the other thing i would say, this would be true of any president late in their second term, after 7 1/2 years, president obama knows a lot. so if you're talking about some little town in syria, most americans have never heard of it, and i don't want them to have to. but he has. so by this time, he's got a lot of experience under his belt. so those are the two things that stand out most. i always get a hearing, and by this time, he's pretty knowledgeable. >> mr. secretary, thank force your time today. >> thanks, bret. good to have yo back here. >> up next, donald trump's people say he's back on message.

so can he turn the last three days around quickly? and this is the 226th birthday of the united states coast guard. it was originally the u.s. revenue cutter service, founded on august 4th, 1790. the service received its present name in 1915. it's operated as part of the homeland security department since 2003. >> they're laying mines, which can be detonated from shore by remote control. defense of the entrance of the chesapeake bay. overboard goes a mine. the coast guard places hundreds of charges of high explosives in the water and shows how these can blow up enemy warships.

donald trump is trying to stop hemorrhaging support from both the public and his republican partners. what even his own people call self-inflicted wounds have left him about six points down to hillary clinton in the average of recent polls. in the latest fox news poll released today has clinton with bad favorable unfavorable numbers, 44-55, but trump's are worse, 36 and 63. this afternoon, donald trump seemed to be embarking on a

course correction. >> the obama/clinton foreign policy has handed huge portions of iraq, libya, syria, and other areas to isis. huge portions. we don't know, is isis coming into our country? >> reporter: it was a donald trump far more on message in portland, maine today. the urgency of the shift driven home by now polls that show why republicans are in such a panic about the state of his campaign. in new hampshire, he trails hillary clinton 47-32. in pennsylvania, clinton is now ahead by 11 points. in michigan, trump trails 41-32. and in florida, clinton leads by six in a new poll. trump's campaign chairman insisted the panic is premature. >> we feel like in another week or so, the polls will even out. we had a bounce, we knew the democrats would. >> reporter: to the candidate, the polls are puzzling.

last month, trump pulled in $80 million in contributions. last night in jacksonville, florida, trump filled an arena with supporters. >> i hear we're leading by florida a little bit. i don't know why we're not winning by a lot. i don't know. and maybe crowds don't make the difference. >> reporter: republican leaders are similarly perplexed. even angered by trump's lack of support for paul ryan's bid for re-election. >> there's a conflict within the party and the trump campaign, and we've sort of had a rule of not -- >> reporter: yet in daytona beach, trump backed marco rubio. >> go for marco. >> reporter: in june, truand th differences between trump and mike pence were highlighted today when an 11-year-old boy

asked -- >> is this going to be your role in the administration? >> sometimes things don't always come out like you mean. but i'll tell you differences in style should never be confused with differences in conviction. >> reporter: sharp young man there. the trump campaign insist there is's still time to turn the numbers around and donald trump does have a rich history of defying the odds. a lot of people have been encouraging him to stay on message. in the last 24 hours at least, bret, it look s like he's heede their advice. hillary clinton took her campaign to a town that does plenty of business with her opponent. donald trump has a long history in las vegas. now, clinton is there rolling the dice that attacking trump nonstop will work. jennifer griffin reports tonight from las vegas. >> reporter: hillary clinton campaigned in las vegas today under a skyline with her opponent's name emblazoned on

the tallest skyscraper. she addressed the international brotherhood of electrical workers, a key union that recently endorsed her. but before she could start the secret service jump in to protect her from some animal rights protesters. >> apparently these people are here to protest trump, because trump and his kids have killed a lot of animals. so thank you for making that point. >> reporter: nevada has the second highest unemployment rate in the country after alaska. and thousands of unionized hotel and construction workers. real household income has fallen 19% since before the recession in 2008. economic recovery in nevada has been among the slowest in the country hid hard by the housing market crash. >> i'm sick and tired of leaders in this country trying to bust unions like donald trump did right here in las vegas. >> reporter: clinton was joined on stage by senate minor tie leader harry reid.

>> she needs a democratic senate. >> reporter: according to the latest poll, clinton is winning among the so-called obama coalition that secured his re-election. she's favored among women by 23 points, blacks by 83%, hispanics by 48%, and voters under 30 by 18 points. clinton again hit trump products that are made overseas, setting up a website showing how they could be made in america. on a visit to mohave electric, a company started by a republican business owner who supports her, not donald trump, she again accused her opponent of outsourcing. >> you run for president, you need to be judged by what you have done. and i think the evidence is pretty clear. everything he's made, he's made somewhere else. he's not put americans to work. he's imported foreign workers instead of hiring americans at his country clubs and his resorts. >> reporter: a new poll shows

clinton leading donald trump by 15 points. clinton made strong gains in two areas that are seen crucial to a republican victory. among two constituencies, whites and males according to the latest poll. >> jennifer griffin in las vegas. thank you. pentagon officials say they are -- there are now 41 confirmed cases of the zika virus among service members and seven among their dependents. one of those soldiers is pregnant. the pentagon says all of its personnel contracted zika overseas. they're beated treated at undisclosed locations. the number of infected troops has more than doubled in the past month. president obama at the pentagon today as you saw says congress needs to do its job and approve his funding request to fight the virus. stocks today were mixed. the dow lost three. the s&p 500 gained a half. the nasdaq up 6 1/2. charles krauthammer on the fight against isis and the administration's policy towards iran and what the president said today that's next on "special report."

it is not at all clear to me why it is that cash as opposed to a check or a wire transfer has made this into a news story. maybe because it kind of feels like some spy novel or, you know, some, you know, crime novel because cash was exchanged. the reason cash was exchanged is because we don't have a banking relationship with iran. which is precisely part of the pressure that we were able to apply to them. >> president obama today. let's talk more about what president obama had to say, especially about that iran deal, $400 million in cash. today after his national

security council meeting at the pentagon and the defense secretary's comments to me earlier. charles krauthammer is here tonight. charles, as the president is saying that, what he just said about this $400 million taken by unmarked cargo plane into tehran, as the hostages were getting ready to leave, one of the hostages on fox business today said that they were stuck on the tarmac for about two hours, and they asked why, what the delay was. and he said because we had to wait for another plane to land. >> because they had to wait for the ransom to arrive. that's what happens when you ransom a hostage. you wait until the cash arrives, and then the guy, in all the movies, is released to go across, you know, the field where he's being released. look, for them to try to pretend this was anything other than a ransom is laughable and i think it hurts their credibility. your argue it was the only way,

you can argue we were in negotiations and we thought what the heck, if we're going to give them $150 billion elsewhere, why not $1.7? it's not a lot. and then the president's defense of the use of cash, as if this is well, we couldn't wire the money. why wouldn't you wire it? he said because of sanctions. that means because they were actually going around the law, going around sanctions, and they had to do it illicitly, clandestinely, at night the way it's done by gangsters. that's because they were doing ransom. they didn't want anyone to know. and they had to go around the law and the congress. the congress didn't know. no, this is not old news. it's new news, and it's highly embarrassing. tanl and the president is rather good with nows and made it sound completely natural. >> and you heard from secretary carter how aggressive iran has been, still holding american hostages, firing ballistic

missiles against the u.n. treaties, and essentially funding terrorist operations across the middle east. >> what he's doing is he's sort of echoing the fundamental critique of obama's iraq policy. yes, you can argue that the agreement is held. it's been less than a year. there's no overt breakout. but the premise of the whole thing was, obama was going to redo relations with iran. this is going to be his nixon in china. he was going to engage. the moderates are going to take over. there are no moderates. they're all radicals and anti-american and all devoted to injuring us and destroying our m enemies. that's why there's been no change in behavior. that undermines the whole premise of the negotiations. in a year or who, a few more perhaps will be as a scot-free nuclear power with the same

anti-americanism. >> isis is expanding. 30 affiliates, 24 countries, five aspirational places. can the u.s. go after isis effectively in the middle east and not affect the balance of power with iran this that sim area, the hegemony that we've seen with iran? >> because of the disastrous evacuation of iraq, at a point where obama himself said iraq was stable and independent and had a chance to succeed, because of that, anything that we do to kick isis out of iraq, to weaken isis, to actually attack the sunnis who are supporting isis, is necessarily a gain for iran. iran is now the dominant power in iraq as a result of our withdrawal. that would not have happened had obama not made this terrible decision in 2011. so we have to choose our poisons right now. the more immediate one is isis.

but the long-range consequences are, as you suggest, that iran will become the dominant power, even more than it is today, and will have undone everything that we did in iraq in those terrible years where we actually won the war ending with the surge. >> charles, as always, thank you. should scientists be allowed to grow a human organ inside an animal? would you want that organ transplanted into your body? questions of science and ethics, when we come back.

researchers are preparing to take another big step toward a brave new world. they want to expand research into merging human tissue with that of animals. it has the potential for major medical breakthroughs. it also has the potential for ethical and animal rights issues.

correspondent rich enson takes a look. >> reporter: the lore of scientific progress. understanding and curing diseases. even growing human organs from life-saving transplants. the ethics of mixing human and animal cells, and the potential for troubling results. they are considering lifting a ban on funding research using human cells implanted into animals. in a statement, the nih says the research holds tremendous potential for drug testing, and perhaps organ transplants. some applaud the announcement, saying it is important to establish guidelines so researchers have a clear path in this very promising and fast-moving area. last year, the nih banned funding these experiments. officials say that's why they plan to create an oversight board, and create stronger guidelines for these experiments. though even some in the scientific community are concerned. dr. stewart newman says,

"constructing embryos by mixing human and animal cells will open the way to produce intermediate life storms with disturbing consequences. the history of this field shows that people will gradually get used to things they initially consider to be tabu. in some cases like this one, it might be best not to start down the road." then there are religious and ethical objections. >> it's reckless experimentation and defies human dignity. we don't know what's going to happen once this starts, once the ball gets rolling. >> reporter: the nih says for decades scientists have conducted similar research, given the example of human tumor cells grown in mice. the government is accepting comments from the public before officially lifting the ban on funding this type of research. bret? >> rich, thank you. police in phoenix say a suspected serial killer is responsible for a non-fatal shooting last month.

national correspondent has the story. >> reporter: a serial killer on the loose in phoenix. nine shootings. seven fatalities, but no suspect. >> at this point, we believe there is one person responsible. for these shootings. but we'll keep an open mind. >> reporter: police released this sketch of a male in his 20s, just under six feet. they believe he's driving a white cadillac or lincoln and a black five series bmw. >> it doesn't make me comfortable, but it doesn't matter where you go, anything can happen to you. >> reporter: police say the victims appear random, black, white, hispanic, old, young, male and female. no motive, no prior contact. >> it's occurring within a residential area, vehicle related in the sense that the people are in or near a vehicle.

>> reporter: the nine shootings span five months and 55 square miles. most happened in northwest phoenix, but several miles away in the central part of the city. shell casings suggest the suspect is using a 9 millimeter semiautomatic hand gun. >> always look around you, see what's behind you, what's beside you. that's all i can offer. me personally, i carry a stun gun. >> reporter: the one commonality here, all the shootings happened at night. police officials believe the suspect may lie low for a while because of the publicity. so they've increased the reward to $50,000. bret? >> william, thank you. a man with a knife went on a rampage in a london tourist area last night, killing an american woman and woulding five other people, including another american. police say the suspect is a 19-year-old norwegian of somali

origin. the teenager was subdued with a stun gun. the panel is next. we'll see if donald trump can stop the bleeding in maine and whether hillary clinton can cash in, in vegas.

test. test. a

well, what you see in this situation, in two weeks we think it's going to even out, if we're on our message, which we will be. the framework of this election favors donald trump. if we run the campaign we're planning on running, we plan on winning. we don't plan on winning in august, we plan on winning in november. that will become evident. >> paul manafort, the trump campaign chairman, talking about the situation over the past couple of days, as you look at the average of polls. hillary clinton is now up 5.8. this is an average of the recent polls, that has shifted pretty dramatically in recent days. take a look at the swing state polls. these are averages again of the most recent polls. florida, michigan, new hampshire, pennsylvania, all shifting in the average of polls clinton's way. with that, let's bring in our panel. charles lane, opinion writer for

"the washington post." fox news analyst, january andrew napolitano, and charlie hurd, political columnist for "the washington times." your thoughts on what we've seen transpire? >> my thoughts are >> my thoughts are is the merck hq is running a -- if the public perception is the main issue is donald trump's worthiness to be president, mrs. clinton will win. on the other hand if the issue is, do we really want a third therm of barack obama in the presence of a president hillary clinton, donald trump has a very strong chance to win. so he has to control the message. if he has another week like he endured when he attacked the judge born in india, he doesn't like the rulings in the trump university case, or when he attacked the khan family, i think the country will become

sick and tired of him. >> two other interestingports, fox news poll -- satisfied with how things are going in the country? it changed a bit, but still no, 55%, again upsidedown. you can see where it was in april, 58%. the other one is fox news poll 14, who does a better job on each one of these things? the economy, donald trump at 50%, hillary clinton at 45, tied on terrorism, and then the rest go into clinton's category. if, charlie -- and this race is dealt with on the economy, it seems like still in every poll donald trump has a bit of an advantage. >> sure. i think both of those lines you just mentioned are the most important in term of the general atmosphere. it is an outsider's year. the wind should be at his back, considering he is the ultimate outsider, or at least he's portrayed himself as that, and people believe he is that, and

people believe he's the ultimate insider, but in the past he's had the advantage with terrorism and illegal immigration. he's lost ground in both those categories. that's terrible for him. that means he's not on message. he needs to get back on message. the judge is exactly right. if this is a referendum on donald trump, he's not going to do well. if this is a referendum on the economy, illegal immigration and fighting terrorism, he will win. it's a bit strange for me to be analyzing this, because i'm used to analyzing what's going on in politi politics, but we've gotten into personality and behavior. as my colleagues here are saying, it's basically all about his erratic performance of the last couple weeks where an ordinary sensible person would

have just laid low after the khans burst out and would have sat on the good bounce off convention. what about the supporters that supported him through the primary, and the reason we are so focused is because there's not primaries. i would say he was bulletproof in the primaries, but this isn't a primary. he can't within with 35, 40, 45% of that vote but -- hold on a second, charlie. the thing we haven't talked about is the war he's involved in with his own party. he is -- especially per verse situation of forcing other republicans to take a position, pro or con, and that's disastrous. >> to that point it's the paul

ryan back-and-forth, whether he's going to endorse him, a bit of a walk back on that. let's listen to trump and his campaign. >> paul ryan -- no, he's a good guy. mike called me and he said yesterday, would you mind if i endorsed? i won't do that if it's going to call any complications. i want mike, you like him, go ahead and do it 100%, and he endorsed him. >> he's going to support paul ryan. he sell head's going to work with paul ryan, so there's no issue about that. he didn't take a position in the primary. he's not taken a position in many primaries. that's not the news. >> the only endorsements i'm worried did -- not worried about, but the only endorsements i said of my own employer. that's my focus.

>> this goes far beyond paul ryan. this is whether the republicans can keep the senate, where donald trump will endorse such a icon as john mccain or kelly ayotte. >> i think it's now coincidence that the press has gone nuclear on him. because that's the thing that matters most. >> that's it for the panel. stay tuned for an interesting statement from ted cruz.

timely tonight, the speech ted cruz gave at the republican convention was not well we have had by some voters, but maybe they missed this part of bad lipreading. >> what bother me the most are the hair puppets, not the

hairballs. i love those. they're wonderful. please don't go eat them. i call dibs. i like hair. anyhoo, last summer i was with trump, and we were by the pool, and he was feisty, so he called for a happy child race, then i punched his rib. [ laughter ] >> i don't know. i don't know. thanks for inviting us into your home tonight. that's it for this special report, fair, balanced and

protesters and what does she do? blame donald trump, of course. >> apparently these people are here to protest trump because trump and his kids have killed a lot of animals. >> trump back on track taking aim at clinton. we are live in washington. it is the video of the morning. the surprise of a lifetime. if this is not pure happiness, we don't know what it is. "fox and friends first" starts right now.

♪ good morning, you are watching "fox and friends first" on this friday morning. >> always good to be with you. thank you for starting your friday with us. breaking overnight, a dangerous mechanical failure on an airplane days after a plane exploded in dubai. >> passengers forced to evacuate after the nose gear collapsed as the southwest plane pushed away from the gate. you can see it tilting forward. no one was luckily hurt and passengers were put on another flight to atlanta. dubai's airport gets back to normal from that crash landing earlier this week caused by a landing gear failure. new data shows the plane may have tried to abort the landing, but it was too late. investigators are trying to figure out if the