>> all right. i've got that. >> you asked, neil. neil: i asked. guys, happy new year to all of you, david asman continues our cost of freedom block. you're watching business, you're watching fox. david: iranian hardliners are holding rallies of their own and the trump administration is saying that it's proof that the obama deal was flawed. i'm david asman and let's focus with more with steve forbes, sabrina schaeffer, john tamny and capri. next friday is the deadline to certify or decertify iranian compliance with the deal? should we decertify the deal? >> yes, it's the biggest source of terrorism in the worrell. they've suppressed their own

people and financing hezbollah, which is killing thousands of people in the middle east. you have that scandal, the politico revealed and the drug deal. it's a rotten regime spreading terror, this is a way to get rid of it. david: president trump says the iran deal empowered the government and didn't empower at all the iranian people and that's apparently what the iranian people are now saying. let me just put on the screen, donald trump's tweet earlier. the people of iran finally acting against the brutal and corrupt iranian regime. all of the money that president obama foolishly gave them went into terrorism and into their pockets. the people have little food, big inflation and no human rights. the u.s. is watching. what do you think? >> well, i don't think the protests have anything to do with the iran deal.

my problem with the iran deal is that it elevates a regime that's not legitimate. every time democrats and republicans make a big story out of iran, they empower really bad people and so to me, the answer is not to enter into deals that are going to be broken in the first place, but to ignore that which is illegitimate and that's what will drive them from power not the paper that it's printed on. david: e-mack, the deal gave them so much money which they have used to expand their sphere of influence. you look at a map of middle east, in all kinds of places, iraq, syria, lebanon, yemen and that's what the protesters are chanting, death to hezbollah, no to syria, no to yemen. the protesters want them out and so do we. >> and the courage and bravery of and heroism of the protesters, it's truly breath taking and stunning and you're right. the protesters are pointing out in iran the sphere of influence,

this corrupt, brutal regime has around the world and i'll tell you something, david, when you owe press half of your economy, meaning women, you're going to be in the stone ages. that's what's happening and that money went to the iran regime, the revolutionary guard, the military and the government, and the eayatollahs, they don't pay any taxes, they squash small businesses. that's what the people on the streets of iran are saying, enough! this theocracy is much younger than the old country. the country is like thousands of years old. the people have had it. they're saying get rid of the brutal dictators, they don't want an anymore and they don't deserve the way the democrats and obama administration are i go energy-- ignoring them to this day. david: and steve mnuchin says we

will not hesitate to call out the diversion of significant resources to fund threatening missile systems at the expense of its citizenry. >> right. david: he thinks and i think, frankly, that we have a lot in common with the protesters here. >> we obviously do. i mean, obviously, these protesters in iran, you know, want to see democracy, they want to see freedom, they want to be empowered and that's what they're fighting to do and it does seem to me, from my understanding and i don't climb to be a middle east expert, i've focused more of my academic works on the former soviet republic, but it's my understanding a huge impetus behind the protest in iran is because of very high unemployment, high inflation and high prices. the lack of economic opportunity that is brought these folks to the street and no question about it, the mismanagement and handling of funds and including any of the assets that were available to them post iran deal, and i'm not weighing in on whether or not the iran deal is good or bad, but it's clear that

the government in iran is not directing any of that towards the people of iran to help them. david: and rich, president obama said that one of the reasons for the iran deal was bringing iran out of the dark ages, which had it sunk into. but, in fact, it was empowering the people that wanted to keep it in the dark ages, no? >> that's correct. and i think that secretary of state john kerry and president obama were so concerned about their legacy, that all along the way, they made compromises that kept the government in power. i love the point that e-mack made. you know, there are so many bright, ambitious, accomplished iranians in the united states, they tend to call themselves persians. you know? and all we have to do is remove this crafty government and this economy in iran will boom because it's full of ambitious, bright, entrepreneurial people. david: well, and sabrina, let's be specific how much money the mullahs came into as a result of

the iran deal. at least $100 billion that had been held by the united states, accumulated interest, we released $100 billion, plus there was all of that trading going on with europe, and in spite of all of that new money, the people are still suffering. so, it's clear that the mullahs are stuffing their pockets with the cash and using it to expand in countries where they don't belong. >> i think it's that juxtaposition for the idea we were injecting $100 billion in the economy that would somehow help working iranians and instead it went to places like yemen and gaza and syria which is killing its own people. it's hard to imagine not wanting to take to the streets for this. of course, i think this is also an interesting opportunity for the trump administration to use human rights as a leverage here when they go back to the negotiating table next week. david: john, let me just put up that map again, if i can, the spheres of influence that iran

has gone into with new-found wealth. you look where we are now and how they're expanding particularly in iraq where we spent thousands of our own lives, and trillions of our own money trying to secure that country, that's where the iranians are going right now. don't we have a role to play when they are going into places that we've spent so much of our treasure on? >> well, i suppose, but i would argue that we shouldn't have spent so much treasure there in the first place. i don't see the advantage we get from being over there, but i'm hearing these $100 billion arguments. what if the government had distributed them to the people. that sounds like something that democrats make when they want-- they say that we need to redistribute the wealth. rich. the reality is the country is backwards economically. when you don't move the country forward economically dealing with a regime that's illegitimate. you move them forward by ignoring them so they're forced out of power. david: steve, the point is it's tough to ignore people expanding their ways not only in places

where we've spilled our own blood, american blood, but places where we're trying to help our allies with more democratic ways. >> that's right, david. and that's why they are developing nuclear missiles, and a full fledged program in north korea to blackmail and hit the united states. these are corrupt ideologues who want us out. if we ignore us, they'll ignore us, and if we do, they'll go away. tell that to cuba and they tend to stick around. david: this is apparently much more wide-spread than the protests in 2009. gang, good discussion. thank you very much. coming up next, and suing over a new tax bill. should a new report have new york governor cuomo cutting

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>> live from america's news headquarters in washington, good saturday morning to you, i'm leland vittert. glad you're inside and warm with us as bone chilling temperatures are gripping the entire east coast, follow that fierce winter storm. the mercury, single digits from philadelphia to boston, wind chills making it feel like minus 20 degrees. tonight, the temperature could plunge to zero in some places. forecasters say you have to wait until next week for it to warm up. someone in the sunshine state now living on easy street after a winning ticket in the mega millions lottery was sold in florida. that one ticket hits the jackpot of 450 million dollars.

meanwhile, the powerball drawing tonight, well, it's not a slouch either. you can still get your tickets, $570 million. as they say you can't win if you don't play. i'm leland vittert, now, back to forbes on fox. david: it you can't beat them then sue them. new york governor andrew cuomo announcing his state will sue over the federal tax overhaul signed by president trump, cuomo calling it unconstitutional and an assault on new york. and a mass exodus of folks from high tax states like new york. sabrina you say cuomo should stop talking about suing and start talking about cutting his state taxes. >> i listened to the governor rant and rave, and it was laughable. and the states not only in the east coast, a lot of states that have really high taxes and are

spending a tremendous amount on public schools, on public pensions and people are sort of blind to it because they're able to write this off. well, no longer, that's going to be the case. i think that governor cuomo realizes his head could be on the chopping block if they don't make some really changes. instead of digging deep and saying how are we going to reverse this, he said we're going to sue. i think it's absurd. david: rich, i tend to agree with sabrina, on the other hand, there are people who are going to suffer from this and particularly some millennials, right? >> yeah, if you make a w-2 paycheck, that is you're employed by somebody and you make a high salary, and you're trying to buy a house, and houses are very expensive in these very states like new york and california, that happen to have high income tax rates, you know, it's an impossible situation. and so, i think the republicans kind of made an unforced error here. they listened to the budget hawks and they took away the

deduction of state and local income taxes. i think that's a mistake for them. i think the millennials will hold that against them for a long time. david: steve, a mistake. >> it was in a sense unforced error, phased it in or slashed income tax rates. i wanted to get rid of the deductions and slash rates instead of the 39, 40%. they got one part right and the other part they left out that makes it palatable. if terms of andrew cuomo suing, he is that's a publicity stunt. he's running for president or thinks he is. he's got compare from deblasio and gillibrand, the chameleon, and new york state. it's a stunt. the republicans did do unnecessary harm. they should have phased it in, david, or stashed the rates so people say i don't get deductions, but paying a lower rate. david: capri, you're one of the few moderate democrats, you're

kind of a dying breed. >> i am, sadly. david: maybe there's a way to bring your breed back into prominence. people, however, are voting with their feet and folks from high tax states are moving out. we have a map, illinois, new york, new jersey, connecticut, i mean, these are places that have very high taxes in their own states, whereas they're moving in-- people are moving into states like texas and florida that have no state taxes, so, why doesn't cuomo and other democratic politicians get with it? >> you're referring, for example, with florida, there's no state income tax. david: correct. >> in the state of florida, but that doesn't speak to anything to do with property taxes. david: that's true. >> there has to be a balance here. i was a state legislator for ten years served on the ways and means committee and we went through significant tax reform and incremental tax reductions in the state of ohio particularly on the income tax side. it transferred that burden to the property taxes for local

communities who still needed to provide for police and fire and public schools, at least in our context. so, we do need to be able to find some kind of a balance here, but no question about it, with more money in people's pockets. that means the economy is going to be stimulated from the middle out, not from the top down or the bottom up. david: e-mack, you and i live in new york city, which we're crazy for living in new york city. if the money just went to teachers and cops, i'd be happy and doubling their salaries, but the fact is it goes to so much waste and fraud. >> i agree with you. it's stunning through the housing crash, the housing collapse, that property taxes still stayed high. you know what? governor cuomo, to your point, this is what i'm about to tell you is union, cuomo overseas the mta, hundreds of workers in the subway system getting hundreds of thousands of dollars for doing zero, for nothing. it's about big government democrat spending and union

patronage, that's a problem. david: john, why don't these democrats-- there's room for moderate democrats, why don't they cut their own taxes? >> i'd love to cut their own taxes. i'd love to go back to what steve and rich say, i'm all for rid of getting rid of deductions, but loathe the republican plan that says to the genius, the really wise people on the coast that because you're rich and because you live in california and new york and new jersey, that you owe more. so, the unforced error as steve points out, they should have substantially reduced tax rates on the most productive while also getting rid of the deduction. david: a plague on all of your houses from john. thanks very much. cashin' in gang getting ready to roll at the bottom of the hour. liz, what have you got? >> hey, david, i know, another milestone smashed as the market keeps soaring. you think that's what the mainstream media would be covering, but think again. get ready for the fire and fury over the "fire and fury" coverage. plus, the brutal deep freeze

across much of the country exposing the dangers to our antiquated power grid. what's it going to take to finally update it? stay warm, david, i'll see you. david: thank you, we'll be watching. a new report revealing tens of thousands of federal workers making more than three times what the average private sector employee earns. is that fair? we debate it coming next. i'm a fuzzy, yellow tennis ball dangling from a string to help you park safely in your garage. it's part of my new year's resolution: no more mayhem. making sure your car is pulled in far enough... but not too far. ♪

>> is it fair to tens of thousands of federal workers are getting three time more than the average private sector worker? a new report how taxpayers may be getting a raw deal.

♪ we know life can be hectic. that's why, at xfinity, we've been working hard to simplify your experiences with us. now, with instant text and email updates, you'll always be up to date. you can easily add premium channels, so you don't miss your favorite show. and with just a single word, find all the answers you're looking for - because getting what you need should be simple, fast, and easy. download the xfinity my account app or go online today. >> you may want to take a deep breath before hearing this one, a new report showing around 30,000 federal workers are

earning nearly $200,000 a year. that's more than three times what the average private sector worker makes, so, john, you say it's time for taxpayers to demand that we clean up this costly swamp? >> yeah, this is terrible for taxpayers because every dollar the federal government spends is more control over the economy. but it's also bad for federal workers. working for the federal government is about doing a job that never involves being fired and so you lack the stresses and strains that cause you to evolve and also, it's supposed to be sacraficial public service, this is not about sacrifice. david: there's nothing sacraficial making $200,000. >> no. david: you know how many governors make that much? >> zero. >> i know. david: zero governors make as much as some federal employees. >> anytime the tax dollars are at stake. the american people deserve answers and transparency how

they're spent. in order to attract quality individuals within the government, you know, at the end of the day, people need to make money. they need to earn a living and you know, in places like washington d.c., the cost of living is incredibly high, and i think what we really need to look at, what are the positions that are getting this kind of money. david: right. >> do they warrant that kind of money? is it the head of an agency that has, you know, hundreds of employees that are answering to an individual or is it something that is obscure that may be a position that needs to be eliminat eliminated. we have to remember if we want government to act like business, they need to act like business in order to get the talent in the government. david: it's not just the cream of the crop federal workers are paid that. average federal workers, 43 days off, eight and a half weeks paid time off. you don't get that anywhere in the private sector. >> we talking about france here? just kidding. eight years ago i may have said

something about trickle down government where our government is too big, too many people working there doing nothing and people that have the time off it doesn't count the people sitting on their couches working for the federal government at home. working from home on union duty full-time. that's a problem, too. david: steve, i know we need to get the best people working in the public sector, but at the same time, even when we do, and pay them all this much money, the public sector doesn't seem to be working all that well, does it? >> of course not, david. there's no market discipline. when you're in market sector and have that kind of behavior, you go out of business. the reforms they put in, we're going to run it like a business, won't work, and each year they evaluate employees and if you don't give them the highest rating, you have a union fight. there's no accountability. david: and rich, bonuses, we haven't talked about bonuses, $350 million a year for federal bonuses, including lois lerner, focusing on all of the political

and conservative political groups she could, quickly. >> well, i think the issue is, you can't fire the mediocre ones or the crafty ones, but when it comes to cyber security and instances like that, we probably should be paying more to attract the talent that would otherwise go to amazon or google. david: sabrina, ten seconds, go ahead, quickly. >> and steve took the word out of my mouth. you don't want people with great talent, the public sector no market there. david: good way to button it up. thank you very much. it's not just crossing a new milestone, the nasdaq crossing through 7,000 this week and our informers say they have the picks that will keep it going. my experience with usaa has been excellent. they always refer to me as master sergeant. they really appreciate the military family, and it really shows. we've got auto insurance, homeowners insurance. had an accident with a vehicle, i actually called usaa before

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david: liz, you like the big companies. >> the index fund and it's cheap. david: thank you, gang. have a wonderful weekend. thank you for watching. it's time for cashin' in. stay tuned. liz: the dow firing on all cylinders, hitting 25,000 for the first time in history. it's the 7th 1,000-point milestone since the president's election. where is the media coverage? hi, i'm liz claman, welcome to cashin' in. and everybody seems to be focused on this book with steve bannon "fire and fury", welcome, everybody. gary i'm going to start with you. you're saying we're seeing a double standard here, why? >> well, we spent the week