have a great day. catch you tomorrow. >> thanks for joining us. >> it is friday. >> tomorrow, bill. >> jon: "happening now" now starts right now. bye. >> jon: we begin with a fox news alert on a rare appearance you might say by the former president george w. bush. he is about to make a speech in new york city. it will focus on freedom, free markets and global security. >> melisa: free markets, all right. i'm melissa francis. the speech getting underway shortly. we're learning he will address relations with russia and china as well as the nuclear stand-off with north korea. people who have fled the isolated country are attending today's event, as well as u.n. ambassador nikki haley and former secretary of state of state condoleezza rice and madeleine albright. we're live with more on this. >> good morning, melissa. as you said democracy, freedom and human rights are the themes

that former president george w. bush will sound here in just a few minutes from now with a special emphasis at this event on the crisis in north korea. let's take a live look inside the event. we expect the president to speak any moment now. the event is called freedom in the world and hope. the spirit of freedom. i'm told the president will address the crisis of north korea, china and russia and the special emphasis here on the north korean crisis because the former president met with north korean escapees earlier this morning. the bush institute happens to help fund the north korean freedom scholarship program that gives scholarships out the north korean escapees and refugees to attend colleges in the united states. some were honored this morning. the president met with several of them. among other officials who spoke besides condoleezza rice and madeleine albright was u.n. ambassador nikki haley. during her appearance she said

the threat of kim jong-un is at the top of the list. >> we do have a lot of threats but we also have to remember that leadership matters. so our biggest threats obviously north korea, iran, isis. those are the three because we have to always make sure we are doing everything we can to protect americans and our allies. >> also speaking here was north korean escapee grace jo. she is a 26-year-old u.s. citizen now and goes to college in maryland and able to escape north korea with her sister and mother. she told us her two brothers died from starvation. her father was tortured and killed by north korean police for bringing a bag of rice into the country. at one point the family survived on 10 days only on water and her mother caught field mice and had to make soup out of the mice for the family to simply survive. she said when she grew up she was told to always bow before the portrait of the north korean leader.

>> during new year's time on new year's day the government will give us little kids gift bag, cookies and candies in a bag and then we hold that bag in front of us and then bow to the portrait three times. >> grace also told us the only thing the regime understands in her words is tough talk. she hopes the international pressure will soon help topple that regime. we're standing by for the president's speech awaiting for that and the rest of the event. back to you, melissa. >> melisa: amazing story. eric shawn, thank you. >> jon: so rare you hear that stuff. president trump weighing in on reports that russian operatives used bribes and kickbacks during the obama administration to expand russia's atomic energy business in the u.s. the president tweeting uranium deal to russia with clinton help and obama administration knowledge is the biggest story that fake media doesn't want to

follow. according to another report a businessman who worked as an f.b.i. informant says the obama administration blocked him from testifying to congress about conversations he witnessed related to the russian deal. >> my client has some specific information about contributions and bribes to various entities and people in the united states but i can't go any further than that because he hasn't been released from his non-disclosure agreement, called an nda. when he started working for the f.b.i. it was undercover. in 2009 the f.b.i. made him sign this nda which said he would never reveal anything he learned during the course of this investigation. >> jon: those stories broke in the hill. joining us now is bob kusak, the editor of that organization. i want to read the first line from your article and it is absolutely stunning. it reads before the obama

administration approved a controversial deal in 2010 giving moscow control of a large swath of american uranium the f.b.i. gathered substantial evidence that russian nuclear industry officials were engaged in bribery, kickbacks, extortion and money laundering designed to give vladimir putin's atomic energy business inside the united states. it is an absolutely stunning opening line and the story actually gets worse from there. >> my colleague john solomon worked on this for weeks. this is a fascinating story where you had russians trying to exert themselves in the obama administration and this investigation which ended up leading to a russian official being sentenced in 2015 to 48 months in jail basically sources are telling us that this investigation was slow walked and then a government entity that hillary clinton sits on with other government officials approved this uranium

deal. now, it's unclear whether the f.b.i. and the justice department relayed they had this substantial evidence we reference in the story to this government entity that approved the uranium deal. hillary clinton's people say listen, she sits on the board but she wasn't involved in this decision. but that's why senator grassley wants to look into it and why he asked attorney general jeff sessions what was going on and to give us this information. >> jon: and the investigation into this russian who ultimately was convicted of bribey and some other things was slow walked according to your article. >> exactly. they had the evidence way back in 2010 but then the conviction and sentencing didn't happen until years later in december of 2015. also interestingly when they got this, when they got the conviction and they pressed charges they didn't make a big deal of it. one press release went out in the middle of august right before labor day.

and then the conviction was announced in december of 2015. so it wasn't a big press conference on this, which is a big deal. the russian went to jail and had to forfeit $2 million and the question are these dots connected of influence to the uranium deal as well as this government entity approving it, which had to be done. now other government agencies in the administration sit on this and it was unanimous. the question why was it slow walked and did the f.b.i. relay this to this government entity and what happened then? >> jon: this was at the time that the russians were paying bill clinton half a million for a speech. money that went to the clinton foundation? >> yes. there was money -- substantial money that went to the clinton foundation. that's why questions are being raised by this f.b.i. informant that you guys were just talking about. the lawyer talked to us as well and she says that her client

wants to speak to congress and this is a very interesting thing that she says that listen, the executive branch cannot block someone from talking to the legislative branch. this is a constitutional issue. i don't know how it will end up. >> jon: presumably if that person's testimony had been heard before now we'd know more about the story which was slow walked, the criminal case, and the conviction was even kind of dumped. >> yeah. that's why i think that senator grassley has just started this investigation, but this is a new administration. they can look back to what happened in the prior administration. and they want the documents and all the information. now, sessions yesterday testifying before congress and before grassley's committee said he can't talk about open investigations but that hasn't stopped grassley before. he is a very aggressive investigate for. i think he will get to the bottom of this. >> jon: at the time hillary

clinton's defense was as secretary of state i had one vote in approving this deal that gives russia control of 20% of the united states uranium processing ability but there were other people in the government who voted for it as well. >> that's true. it was a unanimous vote 9-0. she has said -- it came up on the campaign trail. it is something that then candidate trump raised repeatedly. she delegated her authority to a state department official and that secretary clinton never intervened. maybe this investigation will go into who that -- is asking that person about the state department. what did you do? did you have any communication with secretary clinton? a lot of unanswered questions here. >> jon: according to the secret witness, the russians were -- this is not a clean deal, put it that way. there was a lot of sub tra faouj getting the russian government to buy 20% of the

u.s. uranium. >> he went to jail because of kickbacks and corruption. no doubt about it that this guy was doing some bad stuff with russia influence on -- we've seen russia influence on elections and on the administrations they're trying to influence people and get contracts and interfere with elections. >> jon: when the president says that the media ought to be following the story more closely than they are, obviously your outlet has done some digging. it seems like a huge story that ought to be blaired from the mountain tops and hasn't gotten a lot of attention. >> it has gotten the attention of congress, though, this informant who was involved in an undercover operation, it is a fascinating story, jon.

i think it deserves more coverage. >> jon: people can read about it in "the hill." you're the executive editor of that news outlet. thanks very much for bringing us some of the details. >> melisa: why we let russia buy that much uranium >> jon: it is astounding. they have 20% of the u.s. uranium market. go figure. >> melisa: new concerns about those mysterious attacks on americans in cuba with nearly two doze en medically concerned cases, more fears about more victims. the firestorm heating up with the president refusing to back down and the media getting information about trump administration handling families of fallen soldiers. >> i think it is appalling what the congresswoman has done the

way she politicized this issue and trying to make it about something that it isn't.

>> jon: a fox news alert. not very often that you hear from president george w. bush. but he is in new york right now speaking on behalf of the bush institute all about threats around the world. let's listen into the former president. >> i wish you were still standing here. it's a face only a mother could love. it was a fabulous -- i love you, ramone. thank you for being here and grace jo thank you for your testimony, big tim. i got to get to know him a president scholars a program at the bush center along with the clinton center and with help from 41 and lbj's libraries. i want to -- i'm thrilled that friends of ours from afghanistan, china, north korea and venezuela are here as well.

these are people who have experienced the absence of freedom. they know what it's like. and they know there is a better alternative than tyranny. laura and i are thrilled that the bush center supporters are here. bernie, i thank you and your committee. i call him bernie. it is amazing to have secretary albright share the stage with condie and ambassador haley. for those of you who kind of take things for granted, that's a big deal. [applause] thank you. we are gathered in the cause of liberty. that's why we're here. this is a unique moment. the great democracies face new and serious threats, yet seem

to be losing confidence in their own calling and competence. economic, political and national security challenges proliferate and they are made worse by the tendency to turn inward. the hope of the democratic spirit itself is at issue and the renewal of that spirit is the urgent task at hand. since world war ii america has encouraged and benefited from the global advance of free markets, from the strength of democratic alliances and from the advance of free societies. at one level this has been a raw calculation of interest. the 20th century features some of the worst horrors of history because dictators commited them. free nations are less likely to threaten and fight each other. and free trade helped make america into a global economic

power. for more than 70 years the presidents of both parties believed that american security and prosperity were directly tied to the success of freedom in the world. they knew that the success depended in large part on u.s. leadership. the mission came naturally because it expressed the dna of american idealism. we know deep down that repression is not the wave of the future. we know that the desire for freedom is not confined to or owned by any culture. it is the inborn hope of our humanity. we know that free governments are the only way to assure that the strong are just and the weak are valued. and we know that when we lose sight of our ideals, it is not democracy that has failed, it is the failure of those charged with preserving and protecting

democracy. this is not to underestimate the historical obstacles to the development of democratic institution in a democratic culture. such problems nearly destroyed our country. it should encourage a spirit of humility and a patience with others. freedom is not merely a political menu option or a foreign policy fad. it should be the defining commitment of our country and the hope of the world. that appeal is proved not just by the content of people's hopes, but a noteworthy hypocrisy. no democracy pretends to be a tyranny. most tyrannys prevent they're democracy. democracy remains the definition of political legitimacy. that has not changed and that will not change. yet for years challenges have

been gathering to the principles we hold dear and we must take them seriously. some of these problems are external and obvious. here in new york city, you know the threat of terrorism all too well. it's being fought even now on distant frontiers and in the hidden world of intelligence and surveillance. there is the frightening evolving threat of nuclear proliferation and outlaw regimes. there is an aggressive challenge by russia and china to the norms and rules of global order. they propose revisions that always seem to involve less respect for the rights of free nations and less freedom for the individual. these matters will be difficult under any circumstances. they're further complicated by a trend in western countries away from global engagement and democratic confidence. parts of europe have developed

an identity crisis. we have seen insolvency, economic stag nation, youth unemployment, anger about immigration, resurgent ethnonationalism and questions about the meaning and durability of the european union. america is not immune. in recent decades public confidence in our institutions has declined. our governing class has often been paralyzed in the face of obvious and pressing needs. the american dream of upward mobility seems out of reach to some who feel left behind in a changing economy. discontent deepened and sharpened partisan conflicts. our politics seems more vulnerable to conspiracy theories and outright fabrication. there are some signs that the intensity of support for

democracy itself has waned especially among the young who never experienced the galvanizing moral clarity of the cold war or never focused on the ruin of entire nations by socialist central planning. some have called it democratic deconsolidation. it seems to be a combination of weariness, frayed tempers and forgetfulness. we've seen our discourse degraded by casual cruelty. at times it can seem like the forces pulling us apart are stronger than the forces binding us together. argument turns to easily into animosity. disagreement escalates into dehumanization. too often we judge other groups by their worst examples while judging ourselves by our best intentions. forgetting the image of god we should see in each other.

we've seen nationalism distorted into nativeism. forgotten the dynamism immigration has always brought to america. the fading value of trade. we've seen the return of isolationist sentiments forgetting that american security is directly threatened by the chaos and despair of distant places where threats such as terrorism, infectious disease, criminal gangs and drug trafficking tend to emerge. in all these ways we need to recall and recover our own identity. americans have great advantage to renew our country we only need to remember our values. it's part of the reason we meet here today. how do we begin to encourage a new 21st century american consensus on behalf of democratic freedom and free

markets? that's the question i pose to scholars at the bush institute. that's why pete and tom are with us today and have answered with the spirit of liberty at home and in the world, the call to action paper. recommendations come in broad categories. here they are. first, america must harden its own defenses. our country must show resolve and resilience in the face of external attacks on our democracy. and that begins with confronting a new era of cyber threats. america has experienced a sustained attempt by a hostile power to exploit our country's divisions and feed them. according to intelligence services the russian government has made a project of turning americans against each other. this effort is broad, systemic and stealthy. it is conducted across a range of social media platforms.

ultimately this assault won't succeed. but foreign aggressions including cyberattacks, disinformation and financial influence should never be down played or tolerated. it's a clear case where the strength of our democracy begins at home. we must secure our electoral infrastructure and protect our electoral system from subversion. the second category recommendations concerns the projection of american leadership. maintaining america's role in sustaining and defending an international order rooted in freedom and free markets. our security and prosperity are only found in wise, sustained global engagement. in the cultivation of new markets for american goods. in the confrontation of security challenges before they fully materialize. and arrive on our shores. in the fostering of a global health and development as

alternatives to suffering and resentment. in the attraction of talent, energy and enterprise from all over the world. and serving as a shining hope for refugees and a voice for dissidents, human rights defenders, and the oppressed. we should not be blind to the economic and social dislocations caused by globalization. people are hurting. they are angry. and they are frustrated. we must hear and help them but we cannot wish globalization away any more than we could wish away the agricultural revolution or the industrial revolution. one strength of free societies is their ability to adapt to economic and social disruptions and that should be our goal. to prepare american workers for new opportunities, to care and practical and empowering ways for those who feel left behind. the first steps should be to

enact policies that encourage robust economic growth by unlocking the potential of the private sector. and for unleashing the creativity and compassion of this country. third focus of the document is strengthening democratic citizenship. and here we must put particular emphasis on the values and views of the young. our identity as a nation, unlike many other nations, is not determined by geography or ethnicity. by soil or blood. being american involves the embrace of high ideals and civic responsibility. we become the heirs of thomas jefferson by accepting the ideal of human dignity found in the declaration of independence and the words of james madison by understanding the genius and values of the u.s. constitution. we become a heirs of martin

luther king junior by recognizing one another not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. this means that people of every race, religion and ethnicity can be fully and equally american. it means that bigotry or white supremacy in any form is blasphemy against the american creed. [applause] and it means the very identity of our nation depends on the passing of civic ideals to the next generation. we need to renew emphasis on civic learning in schools and our young people need positive role models. bullying and prejudice in our public life sets a national tone. provides permission for cruelty and bigotry and compromises the moral education of children.

the only way to pass along civic values is to first live up to them. finally, the call to action calls on major institutions of our democracy, public and privately attend to the problem of declining trust. for example, our democracy needs a media that's transparent, accurate and fair. our democracy needs religious institutions that demonstrate integrity and champion civil discourse. our democracy needs institutions of higher learning that are examples of truth and free expression. in short, it is time for american institutions to step up and provide cultural and moral leadership for this nation. 10 years ago i attended a conference on democracy and security in prague. the goal was to put human rights and human freedom at the center of our relationships

with repressive governments. the prague charter signed by many people called for the isolation and us a tra sis many of regimes that oppress peaceful opponents by threets or violence. little did we know that a decade later a crisis of confidence would be developing within the core democracies. making the message of freedom more inhibited and waivering. little did we know that the repressive governments would be undertaking a major effort to encourage division in western societies and undermine the legitimacy of elections. repressive rivals along with skeptics at home misunderstand something important. it's the great advantage of free societies that we creatively adapt to challenges. without the direction of some central authority. self-correction is a secret

strength of freedom. we are a nation with a history of resilience and a genius for renewal. right now one of our worst national problems is a deficit of confidence but the cause of freedom justifies all our faith and effort. it still inspires men and women in the darkest corners of the world. it will inspire a rising generation. the american spirit does not say we shall manage or we shall make the best of it. it says we shall overcome. and that is exactly what we're going to do. with god's help. thank you. [applause] >> jon: wide ranging comments from the former president, bush 43. there at a bush institute event here in new york city. fascinating, he covered a lot of ground. the most fascinating line to me is when he said russians are

trying to turn americans against each other in a campaign of sub tra faouj. they say our politics have gotten polarized these days and it may be part of the reason why. more on "happening now" in just a moment. "grandma! grandpa!" ♪ thanks mom. here we are. look, right up to here. principal. we can help you plan for that. i'm in the kitchen. i need my blood sugar to stay in control. i need to shave my a1c i'm always on call. an insulin that fits my schedule is key. ♪ tresiba® ready ♪

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any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients. plus, there are no networks, and virtually no referrals needed. see why millions of people have already enrolled in the only medicare supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp. don't wait. call now. >> melisa: breaking news now on the gold star family firestorm and the controversy intensifying in wake of the president's comments after the death of four soldiers in niger where the president criticized his predecessors for not always calling the families of the troops and his administration taking aim at the press coverage. >> the sentiment of the president was clear. he took time to make a call to express his condolences, to thank the family for this individual's service and it is a disgrace of the media to try

to portray an act of kindness like that and that gesture and trying to make it into something that it isn't. >> melisa: joining us is howard kurtz. i feel like this story has sunk to a new low when i read about the press calling gold star families to check in on who was called and who wasn't. is that really going on? >> apparently it is. the whole episode is so sad. everyone is caught in this media crossfire. everything has become politicized and what has gotten overshadowed is the deaths of these brave american soldiers. i have to say, though, the president trump inadvertently opened the door to this after the answer he gave at the monday news conference. >> melisa: very few people are looking good in the story now. frederica wilson who herself is a reality star and someone who i found the real housewives of

atlanta, she is somebody who is attracted to cameras like so many politicians are and she is at the center of the story as well. >> you know, it's impossible to watch her on tv. she has made a number of appearances and not conclude she is trying to politicize it. she has a right to speak out. she was there for the phone call that the widow was unhappy with hearing from president trump but bashing the president in strong language. i can't blame the press for covering that and for talking to a father who lost his son who says the president, this is earlier said he was going to send a $25,000 check for charitable purposes and didn't send the check until yesterday. have we reached a point where this president is being held to a standard where every single family that unfortunately lost a son in combat or in a war theater is being called up? i don't recall that being applied to previous presidents. >> melisa: this quote from

media. everything about this condolence call news story is shameful. that was joseph wolfson. instead of honoring the heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice, both trump supporters and haters in both d.c. and the media will use their deaths as opportunities to push their own narrative that the president is either wonderful or a sociopath. everyone should let these grieving families alone. everything about this news cycle has been down right shameful. that captures it. >> it has become part of a media mail strom. i don't think president trump intended to go on the path when he made this off the cuff remark about president obama and other presidents didn't calm people. the question wasn't about that. the question was why hadn't he spoken out about the deaths of the four soldiers in niger. by the way, i didn't see a whole lot of coverage of those

four deaths in the days after it happened in a faraway place. most americans don't understand what we're doing there. now it's getting thousands of times more coverage because it's about trump and the media and partisans on both sides have made it into another trump controversy. that is depressing. >> melisa: charlie hurt has always supported the president vocly and he made a comment this morning that sometimes he starts to talk about something and he wants to -- charlie wants to hit the mute button saying don't go down this road. this isn't one to do. i know when he gets hit he wants to hit back. but it is just tough to watch the back and forth on this one and maybe some good can come of this in the sense that just like media said, the people on both sides pushing their agenda look bad. look at yourself for a minute and maybe it's time to kind of stop trying to make everything political. it is symbolic of what's going

on in all of our lives right now. it goes right to the politics and the division no matter what it is you're talking about. >> unfortunately melissa that feeds into the media culture and even though some people come on or write the focus should be here on the families and those who they lost fighting for the united states of america, any time there is a he said she said finger pointing blame game that goes on and now surrounding this -- which should be a sacred area it generates a lot of cable news segments and analysis. we're in the news business but it seems like we also are -- >> melisa: does it make us hypocrites now? >> i think the sniping that's going on and the efforts -- maybe president trump didn't handle that phone call to the widow in the best fashion but he was trying to do the right thing.

trying to comfort the wife of a soldier who was killed and i don't think he is getting any points for that at all as the piling on continues. >> melisa: howard kurtz. thank you, appreciate it. >> jon: just in, we are now hours away from a speech by white nationalist richard spencer at the university of florida. the university president is urging students to stay away from the controversial event saying the university could not legally prevent it. the school is spending about half a million dollars on extra security but some students are still worried. >> kind of generates this feeling of uneasiness. dangerous actually. i don't want anyone to get hurt. >> jon: phil keating is live for us in gainesville, florida with more on this. >> jon, extraordinary measures and extraordinary costs are being taken and spent in preparation for spencer's speech. he calls for a post america

white ethnostate after he says there will be peaceful ethnic cleansing. the speech at the phillips center. this is the free speech zone. supporters of spencer's get one half and hundreds of counter demonstrators can voice their speech rights on the other half. florida's governor has declared a state of emergency and the police presence today in gainesville is enormous are state troopers, sheriffs deputies and police all over the place between 500 and 1,000 of them and national guard troops are on stand by. campus is officially open but many students are simply skipping class, taking the day off and university president ken fox is urging everyone not to give, quote, hate speech the attention and oxygen on which spencer thrives. he shot to national notoriety from the university of virginia in charlottesville.

all of this happening in florida is a massive overreaction to his wait white america up speech. he said hurricane ricardo was coming to gainesville. in recent days students and locals have had a march but there remains an atmosphere of tension. >> i'm really scared. i know a lot of girls on my floor have already left and i don't have anywhere to go. >> there is a lengthy list of banned items and banners are hung across the street to let everybody know. no weapons, no bandanas, no masks or torches or backpacks or purchases, no one can bring bottles of water. the university denied the speech but under the threat of a lawsuit the university

realized it would most likely lose the argument so the speech goes on and whether you like it or not it's free speech in this country. whether you hate the speech, you can't violate it based on its content. >> jon: unfortunate it's costing half a million dollars for security for this one speech. >> yeah. >> jon: phil keating in gainesville. thank you. >> melisa: wall street marking 30 years since the worst single day losses in stock market history october 19th, 1987. better known as black monday. the dow jones fell more than 500 points. 22% at the time. in today's dow that would be more than 5,000 points. can you imagine that? analysts say a repeat of such a steep drop is unlikely now but according to mnuchin the market will take a sizeable hit if the congress doesn't get tax reform.

we'll bring in brad blakeman and julie is a former staff director for the house government reform committee. the question really is will this help the economy. do we need it? here is how president trump described what we are going to get. i'll ask you both if you agree with this description on the other side. let's listen. >> president trump: it will be the largest tax cut in the history of our country. here are some of the highlights from our framework. we are doubling the amount of income that is taxed at the 0 bracket. we're increasing the child tax credit. we will end the estate tax sometimes referred to as the death tax. we will cut the business tax rate. we are cutting taxes on small businesses to the lowest rate in more than 80 years. we'll go from being one of the highest-taxed nations in the world to one of the lowest-taxed. >> melisa: what's not to love?

>> exactly. that's why i think democrats are going to miss an opportunity if they don't join in in a bipartisan effort to have generational tax reform in our country. it's not only about rates but also about getting rid of a code that is absolutely convoluted. over 90% of filers need help doing their taxes. we aren't competitive both corporately and personal income with rates of developing nations around the world and developed nations. it is unfair and we need it. it is 31 years in the making. >> melisa: elizabeth warren said it's immoral to slash taxes for the rich while sticking it to everyone else. i don't know how she gets that from this only if she is trying to say the corporate tax deduction somehow only benefits the rich. that's the only way i can see her math saying it's all the rich people getting the cut. >> not just her, the tax policy center which is widely regarded as a nonpartisan tax expert group which says 80% of the benefits of this plan will go to the richest 1%.

>> melisa: they're saying the corporate tax cut is for rich people? is that how you see it? when you cut taxes for corporations they hire more people and invest and raise wages. that doesn't go to rich people but working people. >> that's a longer debate. there certainly could be benefit from streamlining and reducing the corporate tax rate. the actual rate is closer to 15%. still, when you look at the rate reduction from 39 to 35%, you look at the estate tax and the new provision that will allow rich people to characterize themselves as small businesses that's why the tax policy center says 80% of all the benefits of this go to the richest 1% of the country. that's one, two, this will blow a huge hole in our debt. >> melisa: brad, that people he said, rich people he is talking about small business owners. >> i'm talking about wall street buddies. >> look, this is about main street, not wall street. wall street is doing fine in anticipation of tax reform.

just think what main street will be able to do when they have more money in their pockets. democrats believe in sending our money to washington and having washington spend it for us, republicans believe let's put more money in individuals, changing money between themselves, the velocity of money is what makes the country great and grow. the same argument democrats made when reagan slashed the tax code which unleashed one of the greatest growth periods in our nation's history. >> melisa: isn't the moral argument how much of your hard earned money is the government allowed to seize? when is enough enough >> if you had a real tax reform that would cut taxes for working people in pennsylvania, michigan, wisconsin, oef owe, if you had a real tax reform. >> melisa: why do you think this isn't doing that? >> i just told you. all of the analysis shows that almost all of the benefits are going to trump's wall street buddies here. >> melisa: that's disingenuous.

>> it is not. other it's a fact that 08% of the benefits are going to the richest 1%. if you had cuts for working class people democrats would be for it. >> melisa: i look at the math and you are counting the corporate tax rate as going to individuals and saying it benefits individuals and not middle class people and how you get to that math and i do buy into that. >> you continue have to. cutting the corporate rate will mostly help people that are either corporate executives or have money parked in the market. the evidence that we are going to see a huge boom in employment is not really all that credible. i think you are making a stretch when you say having the corporate rate is a rate for middle income. >> i disagree. >> melisa: hang on, brad. >> it will unleash jobs, people are able to create their own businesses and julian, you have to admit the top 10% in our

country pay almost all the taxes anyway. when you talk about rich people, who do you think creates jobs? corporations are made up of people and retirement funds. so the more successful corporations are, the more successful main street is going to be. >> i think there is a fair amount of consensus around cutting the corporate tax rate so i think there is support and you would find democrats supporting a cut in the corporate tax rate. when you talk about cutting the personal income tax rate for the wealthiest 1%. when you talk about allowing exceedingly rich people to classify themselves as small businesses. how many people, brad, do you think in the state of wisconsin or the state of ohio or michigan, how many people benefit from an estate tax? maybe a couple hundred in each state. not many. this is for his wealthy buddies. >> melisa: thank you both. i know we'll do it again. thank you. >> jon: there is a serious flaw just uncovered involving wifi networks. how it could put your personal financial data at risk even if

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>> jon: some breaking developments on cybersecurity. researchers are finding your wifi password doesn't necessarily keep you safe. if cyber criminals are able to break into your network, they can see and manipulate your financial information and just about anything else as well. joining us now morgan wright a cybersecurity analyst and senior fellow at the center for digital government. this gets very deeply into the weeds. we're glad you're an expert of the most of us like to log onto a website and use our computer and figure if we have some kind

of encryption we're safe. tell us about the vulnerability that was recently uncovered. >> a lot of people will see something called wpa2. that's the encryption standard out for 12 or 13 years. what the researchers found. i was glad they did it this way. what they found is that if they could trick the router into reusing a set of keys, part of it is called the key recovery, it is regenerating the same keys it fools you into thinking you haven't used this particular encryption key before. if you have that's how they were able to break it. you think your blinds are down and your virtual blinds are up. we see the data because you think it's encrypted. >> jon: these are public networks if i go into a coffee shop that provides free wifi, am i vulnerable? >> if you're an free wifi and no protection you're vulnerable.

i'm here in the d.c. bureau now. congress is behind us, all the wifi access points out there supposed to be encrypted. if i could get close enough to the access point and i can see the data going across it. public wifi is its own issue. the ones that have encrypted the networks and you have to have a password to join. this exposes that. the equivalent of being on public wifi and having everybody see what you are doing. >> jon: how do you know whether your information is vulnerable or not? >> you will see a series of updates coming out from a lot of people to say update firmware. they will fix the problem and standard. operate under the assumption yr data is out there. there is a step you can take. a lot of people is called a virtual private network. you can go online and find a reputable one. there is a place in there. look at those things. it is $40 a year but cover your

computer, ipad, phone and what that does is regardless of what network you are on it en crypts it over any network. it protects your data and takes it all the way to the source. if you're concerned, that's one of the best ways to do it now. i would tell people the minute you see an update come in update your router to the latest firmware and they are fixing this problem in the standard right now. >> jon: good to know. it against pretty complicated for those of us who don't speak computer all that well. >> it is complicated. just update, update. use a vpn and stay off public wifi unless you want everybody seeing what you are doing. >> jon: good advice. thanks. >> melissa: massive security right now at the university of florida ahead of a speech by white nationalist richard spencer. the governor declaring a state of emergency there. we'll bring you any updates on

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>> that was a rollicking fast hour. >> it was. >> thank you for joining us. >> "outnumbered" starts right now. when we begin with the fox news alert. protesters are gathering in gainesville as white nationalist leader richard spencer is gearing up to give a speech at the university of florida this afternoon. florida governor rick scott has declared a state of emergency on monday morning the threat of potential emergency is imminent. you may recall violent clashes broke out during a white nationalist rally and start charlottesville, virginia, back in august. one person, one woman, died. we are are keeping updates on . fox news alert now, republicans taking a key step today to get tax reform done. they are voting on the budget. aiming for final passage by tomorrow. the g.o.p. has to get it done to