"special report" is next. the revolving door at trump tower just keeps spinning as the businessman turned president-elect continues the most important hiring process of his life. this is "special report." good evening. welcome to washington. donald trump says he has agreements to fill major spots in his administration. the stream of traffic into and out of trump's headquarters in new york continues unabated. many are names would you recognize. let's get the latest on the comings and goings tonight. peter is outside trump tower. >> reporter: good evening. today nearly a dozen republicans and one democrat took elevator

rides up to see the president-elect for a chance to work down in d.c. with him in a month and a half. nine prominent political figures visited the 26th floor of trump tower today. many to interview for posts in a trump administration. some shared their pitch to the president-elect with the press, like scott brown who wants to run the v.a. >> i'm not competing with anybody. i think i'm the best person. >> reporter: some others came just to hear the president-elect out, like oklahoma's governor who trump adviser kellyanne conway says the team likes for interior secretary. >> i wasn't offered a position. an initial meeting. a wide range of topics. >> reporter: rick perry under consideration for jobs in the defense or energy department was here, too. so was congresswoman gabbert, a democrat who endorsed bernie sanders and who has been critical of president obama and

secretary clinton for refusing to address certain enemies abroad as radical islamic terrorists. she said, while the rule of political expediency would say i should have refused to meet with president-elect trump, i never have and never will play politics with american and syrian lives. there were more sit downs in new jersey this weekend. kansas's secretary of state brought his plan to for the homeland security job. even mitt romney, who spent months imploring republican voters to pick anyone but trump got an invite to talk about perhaps the crown jewel of cabinet jobs. >> governor mitt romney came in. they had a good meeting. it was a warm and a substantive exchange. and i know he is under active consideration to be the secretary of state of the united states along with some other very distinguished americans. >> reporter: as for the president-elect's own

transition, advisers are deflecting concerns that a recent meeting with indian businessmen represents an issue separating his own interests from national interests. >> i'm confident he is not breaking any laws. he has lawyers, accountants and advisers who tell him what he must do and what he can do. he is a businessman. he is working a transition. he is the president-elect. we're in unprecedented times. >> reporter: trump wasn't just working on plans to shape the government today. he was also sitting down with executives in charge of how his first term will be covered, meeting with the bosses from five big news networks, including fox news channel. kellyanne conway says it was a reset meeting. she thinks it went well. >> thank you, peter. let's take a closer look now at one of the contenders for defense secretary. trump calls james mad dog mattis

a general's general. is he the right fit? jennifer griffin has that story tonight. >> reporter: general james mattis was known by his marines as mad dog when he oversaw them during the invasion of iraq in 2003. he then led them into fallujah. he served in the first gulf war and let task force 58 into afghanistan after 9/11. his nicknames stemmed from what his troops said he had on the enemy. he was known for his blunt talk. >> go into afghanistan. >> reporter: the general is on the short list to be named defense secretary. >> the general is leaving. fantastic. >> reporter: after the meeting, mr. trump tweeted --

be polite, be professional but have a plan to kill everybody you meet. i don't lose any sleep at night over the potential for failure. i cannot even spell the word. most relevant today, no war is over until the enemy says it's over. we may think it over, we may declare it over, but in fact, the enemy gets a vote. >> when you have gone through the horrors of war like most senior military people have, normally we want our policy makers to exhaust all the options short of war before the decision is made to go to war. and that is where jim mattis is coming from. >> reporter: he would be the first general to be secretary of defense since george c. marshal at the start of the korean war. the tradition of civilian control of the military dates back to george washington and the 1947 national security act which instituted a seven-year cooling off period for generals. before retiring in 2013, he

served as the head of u.s. central command for three years. his opposition to the iran nuclear deal raised eyebrows in the west wing. >> it's an arms krog s control agreement that fell short. >> reporter: he never made any secret about who he believed posted the greatest risk to the u.s. >> iran presents the most significant regional threat to stability and security. >> reporter: general mattis was told to retire through months early. he was never given the courtesy of a phone call from president owe pa baa obama. he was handed a note informing him of the decision. >> reporter: what role would president obama play if any in whether or not mattis gets the job? >> general mattis would need a law passed by congress to make an exception to the seven-year cooling off period that bars military officers from serving in civilian rolls at the pentagon. it could originate in the senate armed services committee where senator john mccain as chairman

has expressed support publically for general mattis. the law must be passed before the nomination can be sent to congress. and would be subject to a veto from president obama if congress decides to act before january 20th. in other words, president obama fired general mattis from his position because he was seen as too hawkish on iran. now he holds his fate in his hands. >> jennifer griffin, good to have you in washington. >> thank you. nsa director mike rogers finds himself in a precarious position tonight. his boss may be trying to get rid of him. but he has interviewed with the man who could be his next boss. catherine herridge tells us what's going on. >> reporter: admiral mike rogers took the helm in u.s. cyber command in april 2014. not to be confused with a former congressman mike rogers who left the transition team, the nsa director avoided reporters thursday at trump tower where he met with the president-elect to

reportedly discuss leading the 16 intelligence agencies. less than 48 hours later, anonymous sources told the washington post that the current director of national intelligence and defense secretary had told the white house they wanted rogers out. carter reportedly had concerns about rogers' nsa performance. clapper supported a new structure that would divide the nsa and cyber command with rogers no longer in charge. national security experts said the public airing of this is highly unusual. >> the timing is odd. obviously, he visited with president-elect trump who has every right to interview anyone he wants for any senior position. i think it's unprecedented. it's really unfortunate. >> reporter: republican senator john mccain who leads the armed services committee said -- the republican chairman of the house intelligence committee

went further sending a letter to clapper and carter demanding their immediate testimony to answer questions about the timing of the post story. he spoke to fox by phone. >> there are people with vested interests who are trying to kill admiral rogers' chances. it's quite clear to me that's the case. it's really petty and really sad that they would stoop to this level to attack a military officer. >> reporter: at a security conference in canada, rogers responded. >> i'm not going down this road. i'm not going to comment on anything that's in the media. i'm accountable for my actions. i understand that. >> reporter: in october, nsa contractor harold martin the third was charged with stealing government secrets. rogers is credited with uncovering that. by contrast, when snowden leaked documents, general keith alexander kept his job. >> thank you. ohio congressman tim ryan says democrats cannot retake the

house under the current leadership. ryan is challenging minority leader nancy pelosi. the election is set for a week from wednesday. ryan says he is, quote, putting the fire alarm because the house is burning down. a major change tonight in the catholic church relating to one of its most delicate subjects. the pope is giving priests the authority to absolve women of the sin of abortion. lauren green tells us why this is such a big move. >> reporter: it's an historic announcement coming from the vatican today as pope francis grants from now on that priests can absolve any woman who confesses to having an abortion. he made the declaration as he concluded the extraordinary holy year of mercy that extends indefinitely, what had been a year long act of grace for what the church calls a grave sin and that rank and file priests can extend the act of forgiveness. is there no sin that god's mercy cannot reach and wipe away when it finds a repentant heart.

>> it's not a get out of jail free card. you have to do penance. you have to confess. it's not easy for many people. the pope is trying to make it more easy by saying, you will come in. the sin will be forgiven. you can continue your life. >> reporter: the pope's letter makes clear that the church has not lessened its view on the sacredness of life. >> translator: i thought about the habit of getting rid of babies before they are born. this horrendous crime. they get rid of them because it's better like that, because it's convenient. it's a huge responsibility. that is a grave sin. no? a huge responsibility. >> reporter: the catholic church has been on the front lines in the fight against to abortion.

in past writings, the pope acknowledged that for some women, the decision to have an abortion is agonizing and painful. this grace is extended to the women who have had abortions but to their partners and medical staff who may regret participating in the procedures. >> translator: it helps everyone. the sin aftof abortion includesl the people who are involved in an abortion. >> reporter: the move entrenches his vision of a merciful church. it carries the judgment of excommunication. now the hand of mercy will be standing on equal footing. >> lauren green, thank you. another potential clash between dakota access protesters and law officers over a disputed bridge in southern north dakota has now eased. the go sides clashed oversight with officers using tear gas and water spray against protests who they say assaulted officers with rocks and burning logs. protesters and police were at

the bridge again. they went to the campus at the request of elders after reports of firearms in the crowd. it was a very tough weekend for law enforcement officers in a number of communities. one was killed and several injured. loretta lynch called it disturbing. it cannot be tolerated. we have the latest tonight from dallas. >> reporter: hello. we're following breaking news right now out of san antonio. multiple reports that the person of interest police have been searching for connected to this shooting is in custody. we're working to get confirmation on that. a news conference is scheduled, which we will be monitoring. the texas officer, if you have not heard this story, who was shot and killed was a 20-year veteran of the san antonio

police department. leaves behind two adult children. investigators say the detective was sitting in his police cruiser yesterday morning right outside police headquarters. he was writing a traffic ticket when authorities say a car pulled up behind his, a man jumped out of it, ran up to the squad car, then shot and killed the 50-year-old officer. what's more, police believe the gunman visited the police station hours before the crime and was caught on surveillance video. the police chief says the man was upset about something. although, the chief would not elaborate only saying that the gunman seemed to be on a mission. >> i think that the uniform was the target. anyone who happened to -- the first person who happened along was the person that he targeted. again, we consider this suspect to be extremely dangerous both

to the police and to the public. >> reporter: a suspect by the way who may be in custody at this hour. we're monitoring. in missouri, two different officers from different two departments in that state were also shot yesterday. one near kansas city in gladstone where a policeman was shot during a traffic stop. he is expected to survive. the suspect was killed by responding officers. then over in st. louis, a cop managed to radio for help after being shot in the face. investigators say that officer was just sitting in traffic at the time when his windows were blown out. the teen shooter was tracked down and also shot and killed in a standoff. there is no apparent motive in either of the cases in missouri. but in florida, sunday evening, an officer was also shot and it was also following a traffic

stop. officials say the man who pulled the trigger was actually caught and is now behind bars. the injured officer treated and released from a local authorities say they do not believe these four separate shooting incidents in three states are connected in any way. according to the officer down memorial page, 127 members of law enforcement have been killed in the line of duty so far this year. >> thank you. keep us posted on any new developments tonight. executives from the maker of the anti allergy pen epipen are refusing to testify. that's because their settlement over allegations it overcharged is still pending. prices have increased by more than 500% since the year 2007. all three major indexes closed at record highs today.

president obama meets one final time with the thorn in his side. first, here is what some of our affiliates are covering tonight. charlotte, as wildfires are causing problems in western north carolina. weather forecasters are not offering hope for help. dry conditions are continuing and no rain is forecast in that area. smoke is causing air quality issues in many counties. fox 32 in chicago, 500 workers at o'hare airport say they will go on strike after the holiday weekend. the group of baggage handlers, janitors and wheelchair attendants is seeking union representation. but they say they will wait until a week from tomorrow to walk off the job. and this is a live look at orlando from fox 35. one of the big stories there tonight, the launch of a billion dollar weather satellite that's supposed to revolutionize forecasting. the satellite will aim for a 22,000 mile hire orbit where it

will churn out the sharpest and fastest pictures of weather phenomenon. we'll be right back.

this is a fox news alert. a tragedy tonight in chattanooga, tennessee. fox 17 in nashville is reporting multiple fatalities in a horrible school bus accident. police chief fred fletcher says 35 students were on the bus from an elementary when it crashed. 23 have been transported and rescue efforts are ongoing. counselors are coming in from across the state. police say the bus driver is cooperating in the investigation. a second new alert. donald trump says he will issue an executive action on his first

day in office withdrawing the u.s. from the transpacific partnership trade deal. the statement comes hours after shinzo abe said the tpp would be meaningless without u.s. participation, rejecting the tpp was one of trump's promises. a 6.9 earthquake rocked japan two hours ago. a tsunami warning for waves up to ten feet have been issued. it could affect the same area where a nuclear power plant was destroyed by a huge tsunami following an offshore quake in the year 2011. the french interior minister says anti terrorism police have foiled a terror plot that has been in the works for several months. seven perm weople were arrested. they are believed to have originally targeted the euro 2016 soccer tournament but changed their plans. authorities in new york are charging a u.s. resident from

yemen with plotting a terror attack similar to the one in nice, france. a terrorist drove through a bastille day crowd. authorities say he wanted to use a large garbage truck to attack pedestrians in times square. he was arrested this morning in new york. turkey wants the u.s. to reconsider owe proposal for a no-fly zone in northern syria. government forces pounded aleppo for a seventh day. air strikes hit most of the hospitals in the area over the weekend. the humanitarian chief for the u.n. says conditions have gone to terrifying and barely survivable. one thing that president obama likely will not miss after he leaves office is the thorn in his side known as vladimir putin. many obama critics say the russian president has outmaneuver and outsmarted his american counterpart. they met one last time over the weekend.

mike emanuel has details from the white house tonight. >> it was a candid and courteous meeting. but very clear about the strong differences that we have on policy. >> reporter: on his likely final foreign trip in office, president obama spoke with russian president vladimir putin. while putin said he thanked mr. obama, it was clear the relat n relationship wasn't easy. >> translator: the dialogue between us was not simple. it was complicated, you can even say, to work with each other. >> reporter: mr. obama said among the most difficult issues with moscow is syria. >> we are still deeply concerned about the bloodshed and chaos that's being sewn by constant bombing attacks by assad and the russian military against populations in aleppo. >> reporter: today the russians announced plans to deploy state-of-the-art missiles into russia's western most baltic

region in response to u.s. missile defense plans, a move the state department calls destabilizing. the baltics remain a troubling issue. >> i urged him to instruct his negotiators to work with ourselves, with france, with germany, with ukraine to see if we can get that done before my term is up. >> reporter: president-elect trump spoke with putin by phone a week ago when aides say mr. trump said he is looking forward to a strong and enduring relationship with russia. >> translator: the newly elected president of the united states reaffirmed his intent to normalize united states/russia services. >> reporter: john mccain sounds alarmed about a potential fall with moscow saying, at the very least, the price of another reset would be complicity. that is an unacceptable price for a great nation. lindsey graham warns on russia, he intends to be, quote, a bit

of a hard ass. john kirby didn't want to preach to the trump team. >> the degree to which or how the incoming administration will look at that is up to them to decide. relations with russia remain critical. >> reporter: the president suggested people should take a wait and see approach to see how mr. trump will handle some of these issues. he said the reality of world events will likely force the president-elect to adjust some of his thinking. >> mike emanuel at the white house. thank you. the u.s. navy has come to the rescue of some iranian fishermen. lucas tomlinson tells us when an american military helicopter came upon folks from a not too friendly country in need of assistance. >> reporter: a u.s. navy helicopter flying off uss eisenhower, spotted a small iranian vessel dead in the water friday. they waved a light to get the

attention signaling they were in distress. they directed a destroyer to render assistance. a month ago, they fired into yemen destroys three iranian-backed radar installations believed responsible for firing missiles at u.s. navy war ships in the red sea. sailors offered the iranians a battery and water. u.s. navy ships like all vessels at sea are required to respond to distress calls. >> it's not a foreign policy requirement. it is, however, a common practice of all sea going nations. that you help mariners in distress. >> reporter: it was not the first time the u.s. navy helped mariners. it said, ships deployed to u.s. naval forces central command assisted mariners in more than 30 occasions. less than a year ago, iran was not as generous.

capturing ten american sailors at gun point and holding them for 15 hours after one of their vessels became disabled. over the summer, fox news traveled off the coast of iran with the head of u.s. central command responsible for american forces in the middle east. these iranians need to be held accountable for capturing your sailors. >> i think they should be held accountable. it's kind of accepted maritime professionalism. i think they should be held accountable. >> reporter: last week on capitol hill, the director of national init witelligence says iran's behavior has gotten better. >> kiit has continued aggressiv missile development and missile fielding. >> reporter: u.s. navy says in the first half of 2016, iranian harassment of its warships in the persian golf doubled when compared to the same time in 2015. forces are helping surround

aleppo where hundreds of thousands of syrian civilians remain trapped. >> lucas tomlinson at the pentagon, thank you. aqi forces are going house to house now in the outskirts of mosul. their advance on the city is complicated by suicide car bombings and human shields. benjamin hall has our update tonight. >> reporter: progress to retake mosul has slowed to almost a crawl despite fierce fighting. today iraqi troops regrouped. but are still six miles from the city center. isis showed its fighters engaging. it's a look at the battle through the terror group's eyes. small bands of fighters and snipers holed up in houses holding back armies. that's in part because of a reluctance by the u.s. and its allies to use overwhelming fire power as they seek to avoid civili iaian casualties. families are fleeing from the

battle. these people were lucky but on serves say there are over a million others in the city ahead. the iraqi government sent food into liberated areas. most worry about a looming humanitarian disaster. iraq's foreign minister talked about donald trump's election and its affect on the fight. he expected no change in u.s. policy. >> translator: when it comes to other countries, we proceed on the basis of democracy and the cop sti institution. the strategies do not change with each president. agreements are made and are binding for everyone. >> reporter: while progress slows in mosul, to the west there have been successes. by iranian backed shia militia who captured an air base. they have continued their move to cut off the supply route between mosul and syria raising concerns about future sectarianism.

one terror group by the u.s. meaning that iranian-backed militia move in the west. it's a constant reminder of how complex this battle really is. >> benjamin hall in london. thank you. israel's prime minister is in a tough spot tonight. it involves land upon which some of his people have built their homes. it might actually belong to the palestinians. connor powell explains from jerusalem. >> reporter: in the same week the prime minister benjamin netanyahu celebrated becoming the longest serving leader, the long time american ally is facing one of his most serious political crises. he is battling his own political supporters in parliament over israel's settlement policy in the west bank. after years of legal wrangling, israel's supreme court ruled the settlement must be dismantled by december 25. the community of 40 families was built on privately owned palestinian land according to

the findings of the israeli supreme court. jewish settlers have call on netanyahu to stop the destruction insisting the small outpost is legally theirs. >> we are the sons of israel. we came back to our birth right, to our homeland. >> reporter: in an effort to save it, israel's conservative coalition passed legislation that retroactively legalized it and thousands of other homes build on private palestinian land. critics call the move legalized theft. israel's attorney general said the bill was contrary to israeli and international law. netanyahu warned leaving it in place would draw international scrutiny. netanyahu voted in favor of the bill, fearing a backlash from his conservative political rivals. in 2006, similar efforts to

dismantle israeli settlements led to clashes, the site of soldiers fighting with citizens sent shock waves through israel. officials and the international community have criticized israeli settlements, arguing many are built on stolen palestinian property. settlements undermine an u independent statement. >> all israeli settlement activities are illegal. >> reporter: settlers have vowed to resist the dismantling, raising the possibility that violent clashes could break out between israeli citizens and israeli security forces. >> connor powell tonight. thank you very much. the transition process continues. we are waiting for some of the glamour positions to be filled. we will talk about it with the panel when we come back.

the president-elect and his extraordinary talented family are going to work with the best legal minds in this country and create the proper separation from their business enterprise during his duties as president of the united states. what i can assure you and all of your viewers is that all of the laws pertaining to his business dealings and his service as president of the united states will be strictly adhered to. >> that comment from mike pence coming in the aftermath of a report in an argentinean paper that said during a phone call with the president of argentina trump brought up the issue of a high-rise he is building that, asking the president to expedite some of the process of bringing that construction to a finish. after that report, the newspaper as well as the president of argentina and the trump

transition team denied the conversation ever took place. it produced a ed a heated excha today. let's listen to that. >> mr. tmp continues to transact business while he conducts -- is that appropriate? >> very confident he is not breaking any laws. he has lawyers, accountants and advisors who tell him what he must do and what he can do. he is a businessman. he is working a transition. he is the president-elect. we're in unprecedented times. we have someone who is very successful. >> you ask people how long they're going to play golf and do the transition? >> let's bring in our panel. daniel halper, susan page and

charles krauthammer. when does he cease becoming a businessman, if he still is, and becoming a president? >> probably should have happened yesterday. or when he got elected. what was the knock against hillary clinton is that she was crooked, she benefitted off of the state, off of her service in government and her family. that was crooked hillary. that's what donald trump called her throughout the campaign. and he obviously was very successful in doing so. he needs to be careful now going forward that any appearance of conflict of interest will be held against him, will be questioned. reporters will ask, what is going on if this is not dealt with properly in the next -- during the transition period. this is a very pivotal time for him and his business. it will really shape -- there's a few blocks from here and from the white house, there's a trump hotel. there was a report over the weekend that diplomats are staying -- have been -- feel

pressure to stay at that hotel. those things could dog him throughout his presidency if he's not able to deal with it at this moment. >> this is all complicated by the fact that his children are -- the trump business partners as well. it's virtually impossible for them to not know who he is negotiating with as president. how does he extricate himself from this relationship? >> i think it's so complicated, it's so unprecedented. we have never had a president this wealthy or one with this kind of empire, an empire that bears his name and his children are going to run it. the possibility of the kind of blind trust that past presidents have done is not an option here. i think it's going to be a continuing issue that he will need to address day by day, week by week. it's not as though he is going to stop being trump. the trump industry, the trump network, the empire is not going to go away. they're going to have to figure out ways to proceed with the family business that his kids are going to run in a way that

reassures americans that he is not mixing that with the public. >> charles? >> i don't tli hink it can be d. this is an insoluable problem. we have never had a president withholding so widespread around the world. second, as he has said in many of the depositions he has done over the years, the value of his company fluctuates according to perception. the main element of the values of a lot of his properties have to do with his name. many of them are not his. they're just -- they slap his name on and the value increases and he gets a payment. the idea -- what would yyou wou normally do is you sell everything. you can't have a blind trust for a business that's so visible. you have to sell everything. that would impact the value. he would never do that. he spent his life constructing this extremely closely held empire. it all revolves around him and

reflects him. it would require him to basically look back on the 30 years of his life he built this and to say, that's over forever. i'm not going to liquidate my holding and from now on i'm president only. unless he does that, there is no answer to this. every time he makes a phone call to a head of state where he has business interests, there will be questions. >> the chances of that actually happening? >> close to zero. then again, i said that about his chances of winning the presidency. >> right. >> take that with a grain of salt. >> okay. another development just within the half hour. donald trump released his executive action plan for day one. let's take a look at some of the bullet points here. trade, he plans to issue a notification of intend to withdraw from the tpp and negotiate fair bilateral trade deals.

reaction? >> i think it must be a heartening sign if you are a trump supporter. it shows he is organized, he has thought about his administration at this point and he is looking -- we see this very public process of him bringing people up to trump tower. he is interviewing people for cabinet positions. they said something to the

affect that he has basically 100 or 200 days, until july, in order to enact what he wants to get done. if he comes in organized and doesn't fight and he doesn't lead unnecessary fights over his cabinet, he will be able to get a lot of things done that he promised on immigration, on tpp, on trade, on all of these things. if he comes -- if he comes disorganized and fights unnecessarily so over appointments of people he might name, then he won't be able to get those things done. it has to be a heartening sign if you are a trump fan. >> not surprised the proposals, things he enumerated at gettysburg before the election. the idea he is backing out of tpp on day one, that's new. there's some supporters of the trade deal that held out hopes that they could convince him it was a good idea. that is not going to happen. i think also the lobbying ban is interesting. one of the most powerful things for president obama when he came in was to try to address some of

the culture of washington stuff that alarms a lot of voters. it's interesting if trump really tackles that in a serious way. not letting people who serve in his administration ever lobby for a foreign government, banning them for lobbying for five years after they leave government employment, that's a serious restriction. >> charles? >> i think it's a good list. it shows -- i agree how serious he is about some of the things he campaigned on. i think the tpp is a little regrettable. it's like obama's guantanamo. it's a fixed idea. it's not going to change. there's no way he would be in favor of the tpp. but i think we're going to see the cost of that rise as those allies of ours, including australia, are now going to seek their own deals with china as a result. we may live to regret that. >> it empowers china? >> absolutely. the chinese are the ones who are the biggest beneficiaries of the death of a tpp.

lastly, what's not on the list? what's interesting is i would have expected the executive order obama signed to legalize the 5 million illegal aliens that are being held up in court. there's no real urgency. if you want to show decisiveness, you would cancel that on day one. i think he will eventually. i'm just surprised it wasn't on list. it would be -- it would send a real statement had he did it -- were he to do it in the very first hour. >> next up, the pope makes a big change to church doctrine on abortion. (my hero zero by lemonheads)

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>> translator: i thought about the habit of getting rid of

babies before they are born, this horrendous crime. they get rid of them because it's better like that, because it's convenient. it's a huge responsibility. that's a grave sin. no? a huge responsibility. >> in a letter following up on what you heard the pope say right there, he wrote in the same way, however, i can and must state there's no sin that god's mercy cannot reach and wipe away when it finds a repentant heart seeking to be reconciled with the father. back with the panel now. >> who am i to question the pope? he made it clear that the catholic church doesn't view abortion in any way different. it's not such a departure i think from catholic tradition and catholic ethics as some are making this out to believe in the mainstream media.

here he is, this perceived liberal pope who is really able to reach out, i think, to new people and to really trans -- not transform his religion but the way his religion is perceived. it's an odd paradox where you have this nationalism that's not religious, contrasted with this catholicism which is very liberal. i think he is in a way -- i don't know if intentional or not, but in a way he is able to reach more people by sort of shifting the tone and by allowing forgiveness where some ideologies are not. >> senator tim kaine is opposed to oabortion himself. >> that's right.

we are about to get to a point, a pivot pointcomes to abortion with donald trump. if he gets a second nomination to the supreme court to replace one of the five justices who have supported abortion rights, then we might very well see an overturning of the roe versus wade decision. congress voted to ban all funding for planned parenthood. that was prevented only by a veto by president obama. that's about to expire. >> charles? >> i think church is doing outside the the context of american politics. the church is likely a more venable institution than the united states. i think he's done something

wonderful and it's not a radical step. we've already had a year, the year of mercy, in which the pope allowed this to happen, meaning allowed this to be done by priests. before that it could only be done by bishops and the pope himself to grant forgiveness. the pope is extending that delegation of power as a way to make it easier. i think it is an act of mercy but it showed the lack of indicativeness of the church in imposing its will but the will remains unchanged. they're rock rib committed to the idea that this is a terrible thing to do and it should not be done. and i think, you know, years from now and decades, people are going to look back on the issue and commend the catholic church for having held its own very unpopularly when there was a sweep and wave of legalizing abortion and to make it like an

appen detective me. i think our country is going to come to some accomodation ultimately and we'll thank the church for holding up that end and preventing sort of a radical legalization and radical widespread use of abortion. >> might we see some sort of a split as a result of this in the catholic church in the same way that we've seen a split in the presbyterian church or epmiss c pp church? >> i think not. over the last 40 years the majority of the flock don't hold the official view of the church itself, but nonetheless, i think there's a deep respect for the fact that it is a matter of principle in the same way that the church opposes the death penalty and is pretty tough on

war as well. it fits into this same category, so it's not an act of prejudice. it's a it's an application of the value of life and even among those who believe in some circumstances abortion should be legal. >> he didn't change policy or opposition toward abortion. he changed the way in which people can seek mercy if they choose to and it's hard to imagine that's going to cause a schism. up next, searching for the ultimate safe space. we may have just the answer for you.

finally tonight, for those who joked about moving to canada after president-elect donald trump takes office, "saturday night live" offers an alternative. >> who knows what the hell is happening outside in their america. the bubble will be a fully functioning city state. >> with things everybody loves, like hybrid cars, used book stores, and small farms with the rawest milk you've ever tasted. >> that's more like it. even though you're in the bubble, you'll still stay fully connected to the world outside. >> we stream our high speed internet with only the good sites like netflix documentaries about sushi rice. need entertainment? the bubble has so much to do. >> go to a bar and engage with a

wide array of diverse viewpoints. >> yes, yes. >> exactly. >> totally. >> right. >> the bubble is a diverse community and safe space for everyone. we don't see color here, but we celebrate it. >> it already exists in brooklyn. thanks for watching "special report." tune in to hannity at 10:00 p.m. for an exclusive interview with mike pence. tucker carlson coming up next. >> it is tuesday, november 22nd. this is a fox news alert. tragedy days before thanksgiving as a packed school bus packed with elementary students

crashes. >> school bus flipped off the road way. they believe there's ejections. >> at least 6 children are dead and the bus driver arrested overnight. we are live with the breaking details. >> targeting times square. trucks full of crowds of people foiled. >> donald trump outlines the agenda for the first 100 days in the office. it will be based on putting america first. >> what cuz america first entail? we are live in tv. fox & friends first starts right now. >> good morning everyone. you are watching "it have of on this tuesday morning. >> i am clayton morris. >> thank you for starting with

us. tragedy is going to see at least 6 children dead after a a horrific school bus crash in chattanooga. >> the driver anthony walker charged overnight with vehicular homicide. the majored bus wrapped around a tree with dozens of elementary students inside. >> i need a unit to come up here stand by the kids so they don't walk off the ones that are injured. >> kelly wright is here with breaking developments for us this morning. >> good morning. the school bus was packed with children when it crashed. sadly multiple children lost their lives in this horrific crash. 25 children were wood morrell elementary school was on the bus when it veered off the road flipped over and wrapped around a tree. 6 children were -- five children were killed at the scene. district attorney said another died at a local hospital. it took hours to remove