>> good morning. you are watching "fox & friends first" on this monday morning. >> thank you for starting your day after christmas with us. i hope you are having a good one. >> we start with a fox news alert and the shocking death of 80's and 90's pop icon george michael. >> the front man's manager said he passed a way peacefully on christmas day due to heart failure. the grammy winner sold more than 100 million albums like wake me up before you go go which you heard before the show here it was over a span of four decades. he went on to a sky rocketing solo career with hits like

careless whisper and faith. ♪ >> tributes pouring in for the music legend overnight. elton john writing, quote, i am in deep shock. i lost a beloved friend, the kindest most generous soul and a great artist. former wham bam mate andrew ridgely writing this heartbroken at the loss of my beloved friend. he, his loved ones the world at large forever loved. >> boy george writing, he was so loved and i hope he knew it because the sadness today is beyond words. devastating. what a beautiful voice he had. his music will live on. as a testament to his talent, i can't believe he's gone. >> a live look outside of michael's home in london where he passed a way. somber scene. you can see people are going to gather a little bit later. michael was 53 years old.

>> russia says pilot error or technical assault is likely to blame for a military plane crashing into the sea. 94 people are confirmed dead in the christmas tragedy. they searched for the plane through the night. they had a vigil last night. the plane was carrying military personnel a well-known army choir and reporters to a russian air base to syria. >> it was a white christmas for many but with it comes bitter, cold harsh winds and dangerous driving conditions. blizzard warnings north and south dakota expecting 15 inches of snow and 55 mile per hour winds. the blast of sleet, snow and rain making holiday travel extremely treacherous. large stretches of highways shut down in certain states because they are too dangerous to

travel. millions of travelers heading home for tafter the holidays. be sure to check your flight before you head to the airport. >> president obama slammed at the national lighting of the menor menorah. this as tensions grow between the president and israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu. kristin fisher is live in dc with the latest. tensions have been rising ever since they refussed to block the resolution condemning in the west bank. even more when the rabbi charged with the national menorah lighting outside of the white house used the ceremony to criticize the obama administration's actions. >> i know that some of us are so sad at what happened there with regard to israel. we must remember that the way to counter any darkness, any

disappointment is not with harsh rhetoric, not with anger, but by creating light. >> now yesterday israel's government accused the obama administration of not only refusing to block the u.n. resolution but also creating and campaigning for its passage. >> we have rather ironclad information from sources in the arab world and internationally that this was a deliberate push by the united states and in fact they helped create the resolution in the first place. so it is deeply disappointing this has been surpassed of president obama. >> the israelis say we have ironclad information the u.s. was behind it but the white house is countering that. they are firing back saying the u.s. did not draft this resolution nor did the u.s. introduce the resolution the egyptians are the ones that began circulating an earlier craft of the resolution.

at the same time the u.s. refused to use the veto power after the u.n. council vote. the big loss for israel and the united nations made it harder to negotiate peace. a change ushered in by a change is exactly what the prime minister is banking on. president elect donald trump shut down his charity to avoid any possible conflicts of interest. it's not enough for some democrats. kelly wright also live in our nation's capital this morning with all of the new drama. kelly, good morning. >> president elect trump is attempting to distance himself away from what ethics experts say could become a potential ethical conflict. they have a christmas eve announcement that shows the announcement to untangle his presidency from his charitable donald trump foundation. in a statement because i will be

devoting so much time and energy to the presidency and solving the many problems facing our country and the world, i don't want to allow good work to be associated with a possible conflict of interest. but democrats are very critical of mr. trump's effort eric walker of the dnc states there trump's foundation is a welted figure leaf to cover up the remaining conflicts of interest and pitiful record of charitable giving. he slams the trump foundation citing how they are using the report as a slush fund, attacking political enemies and ak is a i gccusations of attemp prescribe officials. he said this the foundation has done enormous good works in contributing millions of dollars to countless worthy groups including support can veterans law enforcement officers and children. in the wall street journal richard pahner applauds

mr. trump's move and says it's a step in the right direction. >> kelly wright live in our studios this morning. thank you. his last time talking to troops as commander-in-chief. >> i want all of you to know it has been a privilege of my life to serve as your commander-in-chief. >> the president going on to say as a citizen he will remain grateful for them and jokingly reminded them he still has access to the golf course at the hawaiian marine corps base. you can see him less than riveted to the final talk to the troops. >> a prayer after sending a wish of peace in his annual christmas day mass. close to 40 people lining up for the pontiff's service. he urged people around the globe

to remind migrants and refugees. he pressed a negotiated solution to the syrian war. >> prince george stealing the show as the royal family heads to christmas mass such a cutie dressed in his sunday best enjoying a candy cane as only a royal would. he walks beside princess charlotte and his parents. still sending out his annual christmas message saying small acts of goodness inspire people. great message. the first time the queen has missed christmas mass in nearly 30 years. we wish her well. >> a merry christmas from the bush family. jenna bush haguer sending out this sweet photo from the family's texas ranch. she captioned my whole career love christmas. george bush wife laura and barbara joined the clan on christmas eve. the time is now 8 after the hour. he harassed ivanka trump until

they kicked him right off the plane. >> was it a bad idea to do it in front of everyone's kids. >> you got hillary supporters. >> i love how he had a lot to say on the plane but not a lot to the media. karma strikes. a professor angry about the election. >> kerry fisher suffering a massive heart attack right before christmas. the huge update on her overnight condition. >> what happens when you refuse to shave until your team wins a game. looks a little something like this. not for long. the big victory for the weather man and his cleveland browns. >> first as we head to a break, a look at some of your christmas pictures. >> give santa her list. >> hopefully he is checking it twice.

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>> in mid town manhattan on a manic monday. a lot of returns i am sure on this day after christmas. 14 after the hour. school shootings are becoming a disturbing reality. they are helping stop an active shooter and a sheriff's department is helping make it all happen. police officers in polk county, florida will train faculty at southeastern university to carry concealed weapons. it thus completing 100 hours of firearms safety. they need to pass background checks and drug tests. >> the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. our idea is to give them shock and awe before they can deliver shock and awe. >> coming up on "fox & friends"

dr. ken eagle will tell us more about this. >> he is selling this controversial black lives sweatshirt even after the first police union has changed the black lyes matter splashed across the front the fraternal order of police condemning it last week. as of this morning it is still available on the web site. wal-mart has pulled the shirt after the officers complained. >> he was kicked off of a jetblue plane for harassing ivanka trump. >> was this a bad idea to do it in front of everyone's kids? >> jackie might have the tables turned. matthew laugh ner's book is getting one star reviews by fans of president elect trump's daughter. the author seemed angry, bitter and probably received participation medals through out life and never learned how to

deal with failure. her husband daniel goldstein told ivanka her father was rueening the country and she should be flying private. >> there is someone who needs a miracle sunday. jessica scott is fighting a gruelling up year battle as her 12 year struggle rages on. she is fighting kidney failure from her second double lung transplants after doctors found a hole in her heart. you can donate to her go fund me page. search for jessica scott's road to recovery. >> prayers for her. >> the time is 5:16 on the east coast. after josh earnest biggest beef for the last eight years. we are going to get to that next. >> given the fact that president obama has been the most transparent president in american history and given the fact that he has not gotten much if any credit for that.

>> we haven't been giving president obama enough credit. what do you think? >> christmas may be over but starbucks is still giving. how to give your coffee for free this morning. >> first a look at some of the christmas pk tours over the weekend.

>> the most transparent

president in history? that's what the white house thinks of president obama. mr. obama has responded to hundreds of thousands of freedom of information act request. he hasn't gotten any credit. he questions how transparent president elect donald trump will be. >> given the fact that president obama has been the most transparent in american history and given the fact that he has not gotten much if any credit for that from journalists, what incentive does a guy like donald trump who has a predisposition against transparency when you consider the way he handled his tax returns, what incentive, what argument does anybody have that there is a benefit for him to be more transparent. >> the interviewer here is questioning that claim saying mr. obama has denied countless requests. >> the times refusing republicans of stealing a seat on the supreme court. saying it should have been

filled by president obama. the column says in part it was stolen by top senate republicans who broke with long standing tradition and wouldn't accept a nominee. they wanted to preserve the conservative majority. >> it is 22 after the hour. they say it is the thought that counts, right? some presidents they miss the mark. >> why don't you show everybody? >> i don't want to. >> that face does not lie. i love "a christmas story." here with tips on returning unwanted holiday gifts is lauren lions cole. >> thank you for being here. let's chat about what to do and not to do when returning a gift this morning. do you open up the gift say you

got a pair of something you don't love. >> here's the thing when you are returning the gift you want to make sure the packaging looks as if you never touched it. even better don't open it but if you have put it back together. if the repaler can't put it back on the shelf immediately they could charge you a restocking fee of up to 15 percent. >> when you are returning it what do you need a gift receipt, license or what? >> depends a lot on the retarryl. bring in the receipt if you have it. you are more likely to get the credit to get the refunds right away. a lot of stores are requiring your id as well because they don't want you to be fraudulently returning any item. you want your id have the receipt with you. smile. always helps to come in with a bad attitude. >> i usually try to spark up a conversation, how was your christmas? i like your dress.

>> they probably see it coming but it is nice. in today's hustle and bustle people can be nasty. >> let's talk about some of the retailers that are easier to return than others. costco is really easy. >> we have a full screen here. they don't inquiry seats. most items make it easy. j.c. penney, kohl's. >> with costco you can return anything. they give you a full refund. that goes a long way. >> that way you are more likely to stop there. >> a lot of places that are hard? >> barnes & noble you only have two weeks to return your item and get a full refund. forever 21 if you are buying cute gift this is holiday season. sears, kmart. game stop if you receive add gift from there head out to the stores today it will be crowded

but you might as well get a jump start on it. >> the best advice is to be heading out as soon as you can. you have two weeks some have 60 days. >> if you are not sure if you have the receipt flip it over a lot of the times policies are on the back. if not give the retailer a call. you want to make sure you don't lose out on the return. >> i hope everybody doesn't have a lot to return today. >> apparently everybody has great presents. >> it is 25 after the hour. president obama making his last stand. >> president obama is begin to go figure out his legacy is like one of the dolls that as the air comes out of it it drinks. he's in this desperate frenzy. >> the midnight special he has been working on and the fears now being raised of last minute regulations. up next on fox & friends first. don't go away.

>> it is monday december 26th and it is a fox news alert. smoking news breaking overnight. pop superstar george michael has died. >> the 53-year-old grammy award winner dying on christmas day. the reaction from hollywood is pouring in. a tsa alert for you. the rules are changing where your license will no longer be accepted as a valid form of id. >> i thought it would be funny to pull her over. she is kind of a nervous person. >> a police officer making christmas one that his girlfriend will never forget. the traffic stop that will make your morning. "fox & friends first" continues rate now.

♪ >> good morning. you are watching fox & friends first. i am jackie ibanez on this day after christmas. thank you for being with us. >> i am lisa booth. it is 5:30 on the east coast. >> we are back with a fox news alert and the shocking death of 80's and 90's pop icon george michael. the front man's manager saying overnight he passed away peacefully on christmas day due to heart failure. he sold more than 1 million albums over a career spanning hits like wake me up before you go go. ♪

>> you will be singing that all morning long. very catchy. he went on to a sky rocketing solo career like careless whisper and faith. ♪ >> tributes pouring in for the music legend overnight. one of his closest friend jerry holloway so so sad rip george gather friend. the kindest most talented person. paul mac writing this year can't finish fast enough george michael with a talented generous warm hearted mind we will never forget. james corden adding i have loved george michael for as long as i can remember. absolute inspiration ahead of his time always. >> outside of michael's home in london where he passed a way there are flowers and people preparing to say good-bye to him. michael was 53 years old.

>> just 53. so sad. >> star wars actor kerry fisher is in stable condition. debbie reynolds tweeting the news on christmas saying he was update fans if fisher has a change of condition. the actress having a reported heart attack on a flight home from london to la. >> turning to politics. president obama slammed at the national menorah lighting ceremony furious over not stopping a u.n. vote over israeli settlements. this as tensions grow between obama and benjamin netanyahu. good morning, kristin. >> the israeli government is accusing of tthe obama administration not only refusing to block that u.n. resolution but also creating and campaigning for the passage.

that propt presidea prompted sa not draft the resolution nor did they introduce the resolution. the egyptians in partnership with the palestinians are beginning to circulating a earlier draft. refused to use the veto power at the council vote condemning israeli settlements on the west bank. they prompted benjamin netanyahu to recall saying friends don't take friends to the security council. >> over the decades american administrations and israeli government disagreed about settlements. but we agreed the security council is not the place to resolve this issue. we knew going there going there would make negotiations harder and drive peace further away. tensions between the u.s. and israel escalated when the rabbi

in charge of the hanukkah menorah lighting ceremony he used the ceremony to publically criticize the obama administration's actions. >> i know that some of us are so sad with what happened there regarding israel we must remember the way to counter any darkness or disappointment is not are harsh rhetoric or anger gu by creating light. >> or perhaps through a new administration. the israeli prime minister said he is looking forward to working with president elect trump which is now inauguration day just 25 days away. >> i can't believe this year is over. >> kristin fisher live from the capitol. a fury of last minute legislative moves by president obama rekindling republican concerns. he blocked future oil and gas projects granted a record number

of pardons, and scrapped a muslim registry. former house speaker newt gingrich slamming these midnight regulations on fox news sunday. >> president obama is beginning to figure out his legacy is like one of those dogs that as the air comes out of it shrinks and shrinks and shrinks and that six years, 70 percent of his legacy of executive orders almost all of which will be repudiateed by trump. the things he has done could be turned around. it takes legalized smart lawyers but they will turn it around. he's in this desperate frenzy. >> the administration is considering pushing through more than 40 billion in executive orders before the president elect tooifshgs. something president obama warned mr. trump would not do while in office. the men and women who ensure our safety and freedom every day celebrating the holidays away from friends and family. our country's finest served warm

christmas meals including 90,000 pounds of turkey and a thousand gallons of egg nog. a lot of egg nog. kelly pickler bringing holiday cheer performing for troops in iraq and bagram air base in afghanistan. they duke it out in a ginger bread house competition. good for them. merry christmas. >> going viral this morning, a whirlwind of devastation at president trump's vacation home in florida. donald trump tweeting before and after pictures of christmas morning. look at that, guys. beautiful tree. >> his kids really got in there. >> in the first picture you will see presidents piled high and the next a mess of wrapping paper and already neglected toys. >> trump junior and his family are spending the who will days with mr. and mrs. trump at their mar-a-lago home in florida. >> that is a gorgeous tree. >> so beautiful. >> the time is 5:36 on the east

coast. what do millionaires, state senators and drug dealers have in common? they are accused of misusing food stamps. >> president elect donald trump vowing to dissolve his charitable company. the new draum that you in morning. another look at viewer's pictures. >> oh, it's beautiful. ♪

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get a 4 week trial, plus $100 in extras including postage and a digital scale. go to stamps.com/tv and never go to the post office again. >> a gorgeous shot of the skyline on this day after christmas december 26th. president elect donald trump taking steps to shut down his charity to avoid a conflict of interest. >> jackie, apparently it is not enough for democrats. >> no. >> president elect trump is trying to distance himself from

what ethics say it could be a conflict of interest. it shows his effort to untaping el his presidency with any conflict with his charityable donald trump foundation. because i will be devoting so much time and energy to president presidency and solving many of the problems in the country of our world i don't want good work to be associated with a possible conflict of interest. democrats are critical of his efforts. they slammed the numerous reports of him using the fond dags as slush fund, buying portraits of himself attacking political enemies and attempting to tribe local officials. >> we are glad he is shutting down the corrupt enterprise but questions remain how this shut down will accommodate the investigation into the foundation. mr. trump defending his charity saying this, the foundation has

done enormous good works over the years contributing millions of dollars to countless worthy groups. in the wall street journal richard boehner who served as chief white house lawyer under president george w. bush applauds his move saying it is a quote step in the right direction. lisa and jackie back to you. >> i like the bow tie. looking sharp there, kelly. >> christmas not a cheerful one for last year's super bowl champion. denver broncos eliminated from post season contention. >> jarrett marks from sirius xm115 with 15 highlights you need to know. jared, good morning. >> jackie, lisa, neither team who played in super bowl 50 this past february will be part of the envelope season. chiefs knew they won a playoff spot. still a kc masterpiece followed.

three touchdowns in the first quarter. hill goes 70 yards for the score. the chiefs had no trouble earning their 11th win of the season. they started to have some fun in the 4th quarter. 350 pound defensive tackle for the chiefs is going to line up the quarterback and then throws this fake lumpy pass. a bloated tebow pass. sealed a 33-10 win. they dropped to 8 and 7. in the only knocks them off in playoff contention but knocks them or for the first time in eight years. a nail biter between the steelers and pittsburgh still enough time for big ben roth less burger. he found antonio brown.

brown looks short of the end zone. he did extend his arm put the ball across the play at the goal line. second division title in 3 years. the ravens eliminated from playoff contention. what a game it was. >> the cleveland browns win their first deem of the season this weekend. >> they won. they won. what does it mean for the friend at fox 8 cleveland? >> no beard. >> time to shave the playoff beard. scott sable made a vow to not shave until the cleveland browns won a game. this he won saturday. scott will be shaving his beard this morning after 109 days. >> i bet his wife or girlfriend is happy. you can hear jared max on fox news headlines 24/7 on sirius xm 115. >> can you imagine after that many days. >> it has to be uncomfortable.

>> thank god we don't have to worry about that. >> it is 45 after the hour. we will be right back on "fox & friends first." with right at home, it doesn't. right at home's professional team thoughtfully selects caregivers to help with personal care, housekeeping, meals - and most of all, staying engaged - in life. oh, thank you, thank you. you're welcome, are you ready to go? oh, i sure am. we can provide the right care, right at home.

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the engineer who fell asleep at the controls of a speeding trail causing a derailment will receive a lifetime disability pension. the journal news records william rockefeller will receive $3200 a month from metro north railroad. in secht, his union said he was seeking the disability for ptsd brought on by the december 2013 incident. prosecutors say he fell asleep at the controls but they declined to prosecute him. meant to keep americans traveling safe, millions will need more than a driver's license to get through tsa security. people in nine states, including pennsylvania and south carolina need a passport, military i.d. or resident card. they recommended the real i.d. act making it harder for terrorists to use fake i.d.s to

switch starting in 2018. they're worth millions. why are they collecting food stamps. drug dealers, senators and a millionaire with ties to iranian war royalty are facing charges. each month in food stamps and welfare. the government reports about $70 million of our money was likely wasted this past year on fraud. and christmas may be over, but it's not too late to cash in on holiday treats from starbucks. the coffee offering free espresso drinks for one hour every day through january 2nd. 100 starbucks stores a day are holding the pop-up cheer parties from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. mark your calendar. locations, they change each day. you have to be lucky. check out starbucks.com for a long list of where you can get that free espresso. the rush to return kicks off this morning. americans are expected to return $60 billion worth of unwant d

christmas presents this year. oh, no. >> all right. we're live at walmart in secaucus new jersey with the calm before the rush on the people. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to both of you. the last few weeks is about buying gifts, spending, being in the holiday cheer. today, retailers are preparing for the calm before the storm of a lot of people coming to spend the gift cards as well as to return the items that they got they might not really like. starting today for the first two weeks of january, a huge rush for retailers. americans returned $260 billion of merchandise that is 66% up from five years ago. more than 20% of all returns happened during the holiday season, roughly $60 billion according to the national retail federation. an interesting fact, not all things that you return make it back to shelf. total returns lead to billions of pounds of excess inventory. that would fill 220,000 garbage

trucks. many brick and mortar stores are welcoming a leers return policy. they hope you spend more when you come into the store, more so than online. you should probably check to look and see if the return policy is a little more lenient. amazon is offering leniency in their return policies. i also read that macy's is offering a 365-day return policy. so these are things that you should look into before going into the store. it's going to be a rush. a lot of people will be coming in, spending gift cards, returning what they want. also something to note, the most commonly returned items are clothing. after that, is electronics. they're suggesting, if you were looking for the electronic that you couldn't find, the fire stick which is a hot item this year, you might be able to go to the store this morning and be able to find t back to the studio. >> the most commonly returned is clothes and then electronics. 365 days to return something? i would lose it at that point. >> i won't be returning

anything. thank you, family. i have a good family. >> very good. >> thanks melissa. the time is 5:53 on the east coast. a mall brawls. so much for the holiday spirit. the rowdy fights erupting across the country during last-minute shopping sprees. >> it's christmas. this is a better story. the giant mammal who broke out for a holiday stroll and got on top of a car and we'll get to the rest of the story. first a look at more christmas pictures. i accept i'm not the hiker i was.

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time for the good, the bad and the ugly. first, the good. a traffic stop surprise. look at this. >> i thought it would be funny to pull her over. she's kind of a nervous person. >> a cop pulls over his girlfriend on christmas. instead of giving her a ticket, he got down on hundred knee and proposed. of course, she said yes. next, the bad. brawls breaking out during last minute christmas shopping across the country. security guards struggling to hold back fighting shoppers in newport new jersey. they were punched in the process. it was quickly broken up by security guards. finally, what's wrong with people. the ugly. a police search for a seal on the loose.

you don't hear that much. they found the big guy on top of this car. he's hard to miss. even dented the hood. he's been released back into the pacific ocean. what a christmas present that mubs have been. "fox and friends" starts right now. have a great day, guys. good morning. it's monday, december 26th. i'm abby huntsman in for ainsley earhardt this morning. a music icon, the world mourning. ♪ >> george michael dies at the age of 53. tributes from across the world are pouring in. two allies at odds. tensions escalating between the white house and israel. benjamin netanyahu now accuses president obama of organizing a "shameful ambush. the shocking fallout straight ahead. you can't make this up. george w