neil: is wednesday, april 18th and this is "fox and friends first". happening at 4:00 remembering barbara bush. >> it is supposed to be fun. i love reliving the most exciting life i have ever known. >> remarkable life, tributes pouring in for one of the most iconic first ladies of our time. we have team coverage for you.

>> is the plane was going down, the engines totally died. heather: midair catastrophe, plane engine explodes and a woman nearly sucked through a cabin window. investigators descending on the southwest jet to figure out how that happened. >> what do you say to victims of criminal illegal aliens? >> you don't care about victims. heather: fox news exclusive, griff jenkins confronts california's governor in a sanctuary city showdown you have to see. "fox and friends first" starts now. ♪ heather: thank you for joining

us on wednesday morning, a busy morning and we start with this top story, prayers from across the country, morning barbara bush, the former first lady passed away in her houston home surrounded by family at the age of 92. she was battling heart failure and lung disease and decided not to seek additional medical treatment. brett bear takes a look at her incredible life. >> reporter: she developed a love for language early in life. the daughter of a career magazine publisher, her mother and father read to her beginning of the day she was born in 1925 in queens, new york. she met george herbert walker bush at christmas dance when she was 17. >> i don't know anyone funnier than he is. >> reporter: they were engaged within a year and a half and married in 1945 when george

returned home from the war. the couple moved 2 dozen times during their marriage and settled in midland, texas in 1950. george built a business in the oil industry, barbara raised their 5 children, george, jeb, neil, marvin and dorothy. little robin died from leukemia before her fourth birthday. >> all 5 are very different but in our case all 5 are very close. it is wonderful and it makes george and me, my husband and i feel great. >> reporter: family moved to houston and barbara began the first of a lifetime of political campaigns. george lost his senate bid but was elected to congress in 1966.

he was named ambassador to the united nations in 1971 and served as chairman of the republican national committee, moves on to china and director of the cia in 1976. her return to washington during this time was said to be difficult and barbara suffered from depression. george was elected vice president serving under ronald reagan in 1980. neil's diagnosis as dyslexic many years before renewed barbara's interest in language and reading skills and made it her platform to confront child and adult literacy. >> i decided i wanted to do something that would help george that would help the most americans possible without costing the government huge amounts of money. >> reporter: she became the first government spouse at the convention when her husband was nominated for president in 1988. she was the key asset to the campaign. appearing in ads emphasizing her domestic and motherly roles she

had a reputation for being outspoken and was said to be actively involved in campaign strategy but she kept out of political discussions and controversies. as first lady barbara remained committed to veterans literacy group which she called the most important issue america has and founded the barbara bush foundation for family literacy. she made callous appearances on national radio program stressing the importance of reading aloud to children and children's books. she was a strong advocate of volunteerism and work to eradicate homelessness and the spread of aids. some say she took the long road, the reelection bid to bill clinton, she dove into public service supporting the leukemia society, boys and girls club, ronald mcdonald house and many more. >> i love reliving the most exciting life i have ever known. >> reporter: barbara bush saw two of her sons, jeb and george w become two term governors in florida and texas and george w became the first president since

john quincy adams to follow his father to the white house. what we are about to see, her synapse presidential library and museum opened in dallas in 2013, historic moment with all 5 living presidents and first ladies sharing one stage. around that time there were rumors of her son jeb making a run and his mom said in the press we had enough bushes in the white house. she switched her position saying she was initially hesitant of the idea, changed her mind because our problems are so profound that america needs a leader who can renew the promise of this great nation. with his mom's blessing jeb announces candidacy in 2015. in her later years mrs. bush suffered a handful of health problems and hospitalizations. looking back at her extraordinary life you first ladies have been embraced by the american people like barbara pierce bush, the matriarch of a modern-day political dynasty. >> george bush has brought to my

life the most exciting times. george has made my life saying. >> reporter: that love story many will remember them for. george and barbara were devoted to each other in marriage for 73 years. >> it wasn't even dramatic but i almost fainted. that was it. and still can't tell you how much i love it. >> reporter: brett bear, fox news. ♪ >> the passing of the former first lady, adam owsley continues coverage live outside the bush home in houston. very sad morning. >> people close to the bush family, remarkable lives, the

woman who lived in the beginning the way she wanted to end and control of herself to the ferry end coming back to houston, to her home, the last moments of her life. and we heard from the former president, held her hand through the day into the evening and was there when she passed. 73 years, far and away the longest presidential marriage, surviving by 5 children, their spouses, 17 grandchildren, 7 great-grandchildren and her brother, scott pierce. and the second child, robin bush died at 4 years old. and at the same church followed

by her burial at the bush presidential library in texas which will be her final resting place next to her daughter robin. from the 43rd president, her son george w. bush, leaders across the globe, this one says laura, barbara, jenna and i i said that souls are settled because we know hers was. a woman unlike any other who brought levity, love and literacy to millions, to what she was so much more. we are hearing from people who used to work for the bushes, the former chief of staff, the office of george hw bush, how is 41 doing? he is brokenhearted to lose his beloved, his wife of 73 years. we expect more from leaders around the globe. >> married over 73 years, 17 grandchildren. thank you so much. for more on barbara bush's

legacy, presidential historian doug lee. thank you for coming in this morning, you were able to meet the bushes multiple times, share with us one of your favorite stories about barbara bush. >> i worked with the bushes. one of my favorite stories, she would use her humor, she had catty humor but she would use it for good purpose and i was chairman of the washington charity dinner and she was honorary chairman so we sat next to each other. i was in english over the fact we had all the celebrities that had things they were auctioning off. the blue lagoon, the brooke shields -- he was auctioning off his loincloth and i was afraid she was going to rummage through the papers and find it and sure enough as soon as we sat down she went right for it. i was humiliated. she looks around at christopher atkins, he is a fine looking young man. i just might place a bid on his

loincloth. that took all the tension out of the experience. >> did she bid on it? >> know but that is typical barbara bush humor, she could push the envelope a little bit. heather: she was talking about geraldine ferraro. >> that is the only time, reminds me of, i can't say it but it rhymes with rich. there was an occasion shortly after they won the white house, they gave a tour for the catholic cardinals, upstairs, i was along as a staff member, she was describing the furnishings and paintings on the wall. when we got to the queen mom's room she was momentarily stumped, looked on the wall and there was a beautiful young lady and she turned to the cardinals and said i don't know who she is

but we cannot figure out how she got up there. there was a moment of silence and uproarious laughter. heather: in terms of her place in history, what will that be? what will we remember most about her? >> i thought all along she will be one of the greatest figures in history or one of the luckiest because of the success all around her. historians compare her to abigail adams but there is a big difference. abigail adams died in 1818. her son became president in 1825. she never saw it happen, she married 3 children, one an alcoholic, barbara bush was surrounded by success and that is not an accident. she reacted to some of the pain her mother pauline went through and decided i'm not going to ruin my life. not going to be bitter, not going to let defeat or hurt

weight me down and she became the fountainhead, the source and inspiration for the success of the family. heather: i look at the images of her coming out with pearls, i wish i had worn pearls today in her honor. thank you so much for joining us, appreciate it. the public is invited to pay their respects to former first lady barbara bush this friday between 12:00 pm and midnight at st. martin's up this couple church in houston was a private funeral service will be held saturday before she laid to rest at george bush presidential library. barbara bush passing away at the age of 92.

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heather: investigators getting a first look at the chemical attacks in syria after a week of being blocked from the scene.

what are russia and syria trying to hide? here is dan hoffman. great to have you with us to talk about this. 5 days of delay, 11 days since the attack. what time can that amount of time due to the investigation? >> this is a crime scene, time is of the essence. it is not like fine wine which gets better with age. there are three forms of evidence, the victims of the attack, those helping the victims of the attack and the means of the attack with sarah and chlorine gas and those dissipate quickly and the fact that syrians were able to get into this area and apply their security means those who witnessed it are gone by now. it is going to be a challenge for the team to find evidence

and that was part of bashar al-assad's calculus. >> what will they be looking for first? >> they will look for traces of chemical weapons but that will be hard after the attack. they will be looking for any evidence they can find. they are trained experts, and one last push against the rebel stronghold, that russia has provided significant military help, russia would deter an attack from the west that would end bashar al-assad's regime and provide diplomatic cover. this is a real tragedy. part of the syria tragedy, 500,000 plus people killed, international refugee crisis, a petri dish of threat to the region and the world. >> russia and theory denying

allegations saying they use chlorine and stair and gas in the attack. remarkable you news yesterday, donald trump's pick for cia director, mike pompeo, has met with .20, did over easter. what do you think of that? >> it is not much of a surprise. mike pompeo has been the president's consul on intelligence matters, he is absolutely the right guy to do this, he has been reading intelligence on north korea during his tenure and everyone where the weather pompeo is worthy of being tipper secretary of state diplomatic initiative, taking the lead with expertise. heather: should donald trump get credit for this? >> it is an excellent decision on his part. this, there was a lot of concern

when the decision for a summit was announced, there would not be the planning that needs to take place for this to go off without a hitch. we had discussions where the summit will take place, 5 different locations being considered and all the issues that need to be discussed. mike pompeo carries a lot of weight in this administration but equally important with our allies in the region, south korea, japan, he is a known entity, trusted among our foreign allies and a very strong leader from our administration to take hold of this discussion before the summit. of the 20 a remarkable time in history, thank you for joining us, we appreciate it. the time is 20 minutes after the top of the hour. every traveler's first nightmare, a plane engine exploding at 30,000 feet killing a mother after she was nearly

sucked out the window. the catastrophe leaving everyone to ask how did this happen in this day and age? the latest on the investigation. you know what's awesome? gig-speed internet.

you know what's not awesome? when only certain people can get it. let's fix that. let's give this guy gig- really? and these kids, and these guys, him, ah. oh hello.

that lady, these houses! yes, yes and yes. and don't forget about them. uh huh, sure. still yes! xfinity delivers gig speed to more homes than anyone. now you can get it, too. welcome to the party. heather: horrendous panic when an engine explodes minutes after takeoff was one woman sucked out of broken window is dead this morning. the ntsb tried to figure out how this happened. jackie ibanez with a horrifying first-hand account. >> reporter: this is absolutely horrifying, investigators pouring over the blown engine, tragedy striking after takeoff, the plane heading to dallas when the engine.

sending debris smashing into a window, passengers trying to stop a woman from getting sucked on his pilot made an emergency landing in philadelphia. >> lots of fuel. >> part of the aircraft. >> the woman identified as jennifer riordan of albuquerque, new mexico did not survive, was the mother of two and executive at wells fargo. 150 passengers and crew members shaken and the tarmac. >> falling from the sky, went to the left and the engine was totally done. >> reporter: ntsb political every examination shows evidence of metal fatigue on the engine and that was missing. the engine was recovered west of philadelphia. jamie joe sure is being called a hero for safely landing the

plane, one of the first female fighter privates, the first of the commercial airline accident in the us since 2009. heather: lucky she was behind the wheel. thank you so much. some newly uncovered documents showing a concerning level of coordination between the fbi and doj. the house oversight committee to take a closer look at emails and text messages between fbi official peter stzrok and lisa page including a discussion of the timing of former fbi director james comey's july 2016 recommendation that clinton not be charged, contradicting statements by comey who claimed there was no coordination on that decision. in the meantime james comey's

trump crashing tour making a stop on the late show, the of director comparing the ex-president to an abscess ex-boyfriend. >> the tweet me 50 times, i have been gone for a year and like a breakup he can't get over. he wakes up in the morning and tweets at me. heather: the book a higher loyalty spiked major criticism from the presidents. and one tweet donald trump calling him a slimeball, suggesting he should be in jail. half past the top of the hour, capital punishment for cop killers, that was the proposal for massachusetts lawmaker, her state is weak on crime. a stern message to criminals. >> which of the stages was his mom, grandma, what has been satisfying? all of them. heather: we remember barbara

bush this morning, we are opening the vault. a rare sitdown. ♪ whoooo.

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>> we love to barbara. she was an amazing woman. >> americans coast-to-coast remembering the life and legacy of barbara bush. the former first lady surrounded by family and love after a battle with heart failure and copd. carly shimkus joins us with tributes pouring on social media. began immediately. >> reporter: thousands of people from everyday americans to the commander-in-chief sharing memories of heartfelt

condolences online. donald trump and the first lady sending thoughts and prayers in a joint statement, as a wife, mother, grandmother and former first lady mrs. bush was an advocate of the american family. she will be long remembered for her strong devotion to country and family, both of which she served unfailingly well. texas governor greg abbott released a statement saying barbara bush dedicated her life to helping others. her impact on texas internation will forever be treasured. nancy pelosi tweeting barbara bush will be remembered for the debility -- civility and spirit she brought to all but most saw her love for and pride in her family. our viewers sharing their thoughts and prayers. renée writing on facebook in my mind she was like america's grandma. not just a first lady, we lost it through criminal class act. always a crazy lady, my sincere condolences to the bush family. houston, texas, jj watt sharing touching photos tweet searching rest in peace barbara bush, you were a beautiful light in the

world and i'm thankful for your friendship. barbara bush is one of the top trends on twitter this morning. >> lots of people passing their prayers and thoughts to that family and what a huge family it was. >> all 5 living former presidents made statements honoring her. at the time we need role models so much. heather: everyone is reaching out. barbara bush leaves behind a lasting legacy most notably on literacy. four years ago steve ducey sat down to talk about teaching americans to read and politics and much more. >> if you talk about literacy. >> if you don't mind i would like to do my impersonation of your husband george herbert

walker bush. >> go on. i love it. >> i did get an extra pair if you would like to give him these for later. tell them they are the fox socks. long before you were first lady, you were jogging in memorial park in houston, what can i do to make a difference? and you came up with a reason. >> literacy. i still feel the same way. we changed our focus from adult literacy which is what we originally did to family literacy, if the mother and child learned together it makes such a difference. now that jeb and dario are heading my foundation, delicately pushed me out. >> in the last 25 years what is the greatest satisfaction for you personally?

>> we are in 50 states and were in one state when we started. there were no programs before and now we are in 50 states. and $60 million. >> which of the stages have been mom, grandma. what is really satisfying? >> all of them. we have babies so early i can play golf with george w. we are very close georgia and i. we did a lot of things together as a young mother. we went through tough times too. it hurts when people criticize george w and don't ever dare do it in front of me or behind me. >> you are one of the most widely admired women in the world. >> why?

don't answer. >> i will tell you why. you are a straight shooter. you say what is on your mind. >> i have given that up for lent. heather: we heard a lot of personal stories. dr. mark siegel, a family friend of the bushes, you have some insight into her final days, the last two days, what was going on. >> the day before yesterday taking phone calls all day, jim and susie visiting her, jim baker, president bush 41's chief of staff, secretary of state record tumbler, yesterday she was sitting with the former president holding hands -- heather: the past year, some insight into the health issues.

>> looking at diseases like cancer that is terminal, and more crime diseases we need to talk about. copd, emphysema, heart failure, she kept having recurring visits to the hospital and she needed antibiotics, and a lot of that lung damage is not reversible, very progressive. this involved a lot of hospitalization while he was being hospitalized as well. heather: tough for anyone to make. comfort care, and she was going to stay at home, explain to people what comfort care is and how her decision can help others make this decision. >> comfort care, you're not going to go on a ventilator or

respirator or have emergency cpr, bring you back in an emergency but doesn't mean withdrawing from medication or oxygen. heather: in her case bourbon. >> she loved her bourbon and she was on oxygen until the end. it doesn't mean withdrawing all care but something to be thinking about your 90s, if you have a progressive condition that doesn't get better, you think about it with dementia or stroke or cancer but think about it with more pervasive diseases so she becomes a role model for that. a pioneer for something i am dealing with everyday which is what is my quality of life? her personal decisions that should be made on a 1-on-1 basis. nobody should tell you what to do but as a patient, is this what i want? heather: does it surprise you she has become a role model in this way? >> she was a role model for

literacy, hiv-aids, volunteerism, a women's advocate, she has been a force throughout her life. very sad she is gone. heather: the public is invited to pay their respects to barbara bush this friday between 12:00 pm and midnight in houston. a private funeral service will be held saturday before she's laid to rest at the george hw bush presidential library. barbara bush passing away at the age of 92.

>> 225 illegal immigrants under arrest and a major ice bust in new york, the 6-day operation debit operation keep safe, 180

of those convicted criminals with charges pending for serious or violent offenses. 80 failed to leave voluntarily or had been previously removed. they face deportation or prosecution. to illinois, illinois county declaring itself a sanctuary not for illegal immigrants but gunowners. the board passing a resolution that directs employees not to enforce new state laws that would unconstitutionally restrict the second amendment. the new policy comes as a chicago suburb goes the other way banning sean o'connell and it comes as a local officer is laid to rest after he was killed serving a search warrant last week, oh,

says her state is getting soft on crime and sean gannon deserves justice. the massachusetts lawmaker joins me live. thank you for joining us, appreciate it. as we begin our conversation take a look at the facts, the numbers in this, 39 officer fatalities in line of duty, in 2018, in the line of duty in 2017. why is this not happening in terms of people getting the death penalty if they kill those people out there trying to protect you and i. >> great question and that is what we would like to see happen in massachusetts, 31 other states have the death penalty and when it comes to cop killers we need to send a clear message we stand with law enforcement, people who put their lives on the line every day and protect

us and we need to protect them as well. what we have seen in massachusetts and are seeing across the country as well is we have career criminals in this revolving door of the justice system who commit violent crimes and allowed back out on the streets. it puts families and neighborhoods in danger. we need to send a message that we are tough on crime. if you kill a police officer you will get the same treatment. of the 20 we have a map of states you mentioned, those with and without the death penalty, states like california and massachusetts, passing criminal justice reform and you say it coddles the criminals at the expense of the victims. >> there was criminal justice reform passed in massachusetts

and there are a few good things in the bill, goes too far in reverse and protecting criminals, taking tools away from law enforcement officers to keep themselves safe and bring criminals to justice. we need to put the lives of victims in greater regard than those of criminals and we see the opposite happening in some states including mine. >> this particular suspect charged in killing officer gannon, arrested numerous times, the charges come many of them later dismissed, what you are talking about. >> attorneys sometimes shop around for the best judges, they give bench trials, several bench trials in which charges were dismissed, he violated his parole three times and was not put back in jail because of that and we have judges here coddling the criminals and not putting

them in jail where they belong and you have people, life without parole, they are heroes when they go to jail and that would support of correction officers in danger each and every day because they would have nothing to lose. heather: the governor of massachusetts supports the death penalty when an officer is killed. let us know what happens next on this. >> i will and i will be working with legislators on the case where this incident happens and a lot of input in this as well. heather: our prayers with his family and colleagues. >> thank you. heather: 10 minutes until the top of the hour. jerry brown accused of favoring the rights of criminal illegal immigrants over his own citizens. griff jenkins is calling him out. >> you had a dozen communities,

for you to say we don't care about victims - heather: griff joins us with the confrontation you have to see. you know what's awesome? gig-speed internet.

you know what's not awesome? when only certain people can get it.

let's fix that. let's give this guy gig- really? and these kids, and these guys, him, ah. oh hello. that lady, these houses! yes, yes and yes. and don't forget about them. uh huh, sure. still yes! xfinity delivers gig speed to more homes than anyone. now you can get it, too. welcome to the party.

heather: a major california county joining the fight against sanctuary cities. san diego county board of supervisors voting to support the trunk administration. griff jenkins live in dc with his face off with the governor. >> governor brown made the case for his controversial sanctuary

law in san diego county, 3 million californians made their case, the administration's lawsuit, they are the latest behind orange county in a dozen cities rejecting the law that prohibits cooperation between local and federal law enforcement. the governor was feeling the pressure when i questioned him about it. >> leaders of local communities saying your law favors the rights of criminal illegal aliens over the rights and safety of the communities. >> absolutely false. i would like to see us until evidence that would support such an outlandish box proposition. >> david maren said the 6-year-old girl in february who was killed in fullerton, before your law would have been prevented, had previous the uis,

would have been handed over that might not have happened? >> they could not honor -- they had to that the individual go in 3 years later he kills this poor little girl, california politician allowed them -- we can prevent these types of crimes. >> that is a lie. i don't know if you have an open mind here but nothing stops any local official from notifying ice people are about to be released. >> what you say to families of victims of criminal illegal aliens who say had the law not been in place? >> fox news exploits this issue. criminals do horrible things all the time. we have a strong law enforcement community and to scapegoat immigrants by these biased stories. >> you have a dozen communities.

>> i went to protect people and for you to say we don't care about victims - nonsense. >> reporter: i was getting the finger in the chest. this is certainly an issue that is going to grow across california as this law has crossed the line keeping them safe and a lot more to come. of the 20 he never answered your question. what would he say to the families impacted? >> a moment he missed by not reaching out to his citizens who feel they have been wrong get and the families of those victims see this as a problem not being addressed properly. of the 20 he addressed fox news. great job, good job, knowing your facts. we will be right back, stay with us.

neil: the country reflects on barbara bush's life and legacy we remember her love story with former pres. george w. bush, handwritten letter, from 1943, is going viral, bush writing to his fiancée while serving as a navy pilot in world war ii ii saying i love you, precious,

with all my heart and to know you love me means my life. how lucky our children will be to have a mother like you. the two met at a christmas dance in 1941. i love these pictures. she was 17 years old at the time, he was 18, they were married for 73 years, longer than any other presidential couple, longer than a lot of couples these days. you can honor mrs. bush's memory through contributions to the barbara bush foundation for family literacy and stay with fox news all day for continuing coverage on the life, legacy of barbara bush. "fox and friends first" continues right now. neil: fox news alert. america has lost the first lady,

the country morning everybody's grandmother, barbara bush passes away at the age of 92, tributes pouring in overnight. >> direct talks at very high levels with north korea. mary mack mike pompeo meeting with kim jong un. what that means for the peace talks with north korea. >> trying to articulate what i wanted my final words to be. rob: pure panic at 32,000 feet, investigators try to figure out how a passenger jet engine exploded nearly sucking a woman out of a shattered window. "fox and friends first" continues right now.