jillian: wednesday, september 12th, this is "fox and friends first". happening right now at 4:00 at 4:00 am a fox news alert mandatory evacuations, the clock ticking to an 8:00 deadline for people to pack up and leave before hurricane florence unleashes fury but many refusing to leave home. >> we were going to evacuated we decided to stay it out. >> this is everything we have. >> i don't want to get stuck on the interstate. heather: brand-new warnings millions of americans need to hear.

job dropping update to a kidnapping case that captivated america. one of elizabeth warren's captors is being set free six years early. smart herself has something to say. donald trump honors the heroes of 9/11 one of his biggest media critics taking sides with the terrorists. you won't believe this one. "fox and friends first" starts right now. good morning, you are watching "fox and friends first" on wednesday morning. thank you for starting your day with us. let's get to the fox news alert. an increasing threat of hurricane florence continues to churn along out there in the ocean, category 4 storm right now on a crash course towards the carolinas where millions are being urged to leave. catastrophic flooding expected along the coastline with the decision to stay could mean the difference between life and death. live fox news team coverage with

griff jenkins, todd pyro and jonathan siri live from the impact zone but janice dean is tracking the latest path. >> a new advisory in less than an hour that will give us a new track and new coordinates. i'm concerned because as of the last advisor at 11:00 pm last night it showed forward speeds slow down and a stall along the coast. south carolina and georgia need to be prepared as well. 48 hours in advance looking at potential of hurricane force winds all along the carolina coastline, virginia needs to watch this as well as our friends in georgia. storm surge, the wall of water that will come on sure as the hurricane makes landfall and we could get 6 to 12, maybe 15 feet

of storm surge depending on where the eye comes ashore and we have that right front quadrant where we get the worst of the storm surge and hurricane force winds and the worst of the rainfall as it makes impact and landfall. 140 mile-per-hour sustained winds, still shot of getting to a category 5 today but expecting a 4 and look what happens, stalling along the coast and perhaps moving down towards south carolina and another style as we get towards the tennessee river valley so this will be a major flooding event along with major hurricane making landfall. the legacy of the storm will be massive amounts of water. that is the concern. he'd the warnings if you are asked to evacuate. could be one of the worst hurricanes to the east coast in a lifetime. heather: people think massive flooding, katrina comes to mind. >> the same scale as katrina or

harvey or the worst storm they've experienced. we will talk about this for years to come. heather: people along north carolina's shoreline are facing an evacuation deadline to escape florence's fury. let's get to griff jenkins in atlantic beach. i was in north carolina and lived through hugo. a lot of people remember that. people listening to the warnings this time around. >> reporter: they are listening and remember matthew coming through causing major flooding like janice is talking about. they have been told the evacuation order started yesterday but you have got to be gone by 8:00 tonight. the bridge to atlantic beach closes at 7:00 :00 am tomorrow otherwise you cannot get out. richard porter is a lifelong resident, had this message for residents.

>> we are asking people to leave. those that choose to stay have to understand they may not have emergency services available to them to rescue them. that is the purpose of the mandatory evacuation. get out of town. it is dangerous, a huge storm. >> reporter: this is likely a life-threatening weather event. there are four components that make it up. one is the hurricane wind, should you survive it, 140 mile-per-hour. in 1954, the storm surge 9 to 13 feet, the flooding and rainfall are the two components, if you have the inland areas like this, four rivers, newport, there is nowhere for the water to go. those communities still recovering. you are talking two to four days of rainfall on top of storm surge in excess of 15 feet, you

have a deadly situation. residents need to know no one is coming to get you. one of the residents. is not to leave. >> we were going to evacuate but we decided to stay it out, don't want to get trapped in the gridlock. we got generators and all that type stuff. it was about boarding up the windows. >> reporter: the message is get out now and get out quickly. otherwise you're putting your life in danger. heather: people have learned that lesson before. let's go over south carolina, highway crews working to clear people from coastal areas amid the new warning that shelters are not strong enough to stand hurricane florence's wrath.

many refusing to leave. todd pyro is live in myrtle beach. >> reporter: take a look. this is what so many buildings look like, boarded up as far as the eye can see. the street is a ghost town. you could say that is because it is 4:00 in the morning but we have been here for a while and only seen a handful of vehicles and most of them trucks delivering supplies. despite warnings about the storm of a lifetime a lot of people saying we are not leaving. >> i'm going to stay with my dad and see what happens. this is where i feel comfortable and i don't see a reason to leave. >> we are staying. we stayed during matthew and had a ball. i think it will go up north further than down here.

we will stay here, we are not scared to leave. >> reporter: those that heeded the advice to leave hit the road yesterday leading to major backups on the south carolina coast. at noon the state reverse the direction of many of those roads allowing all traffic to move out of the area. and area from middle beach past charleston is in the crosshairs and look at the sheer size of florence, the reason why. besides hurricane force winds, life-threatening storm surge ranging two to tween 9 feet is a huge concern. with the exact path still in certain people say people need to stay on high alert. >> the information about the storm changes hourly and daily and we will continue to track that in the emergency management centers. >> reporter: people in charleston county hoping to go to shelters are in for a rude awakening because those shelters

according to engineers are only slated to withstand a category 3 storm. florence, projected to be a category 4 storm meaning a lot of those individuals need to go to shelters and neighboring counties. another level of concern on top of the concerning situation. heather: the calm before the storm. other headlines to tell you about. the new mexico compound suspects facing a judge today, muslim extremist accused of transporting firearms from georgia to new mexico in 2017. all five were arrested in early august but briefly released after prosecutors missed deadlines to present evidence, the group is accused of training, starving children and starving them to carry out school shootings. the remains of a 3-year-old boy were found in the compound. peter stzrok striking back, his

lawyer insisting the fbi was trying to stop leaks and not coordinate them. his text message to lisa page coming under fire, quote, i had literally just gone to find this phone to tell you i want to talk to you about media leak strategy, donald trump tweeting his frustration, quote, so terrible nothing is being done at doj or fbi but the world is watching and they get it completely. donald trump and the first lady attended a ceremony in shanksville, pennsylvania to honor victims of the terror attacks on september 11th. it is believed 40 passengers and crew on flight 93 prevented an attack on the white house. >> this memorial is a message to the world. america will never ever submit to tierney. >> reporter: mike pence

presiding over us money at the pentagon where one plane crashed into the building. >> in the moment after the attack, character, resilience and courage of the people here shown fourth in stories of heroism. shannon: at ground 000 gathering for the annual reading of the nearly 3000 victims names at the world trade center memorial and overnight the 20 our beams lighting the night sky over manhattan signaling where the towers once stood. 11 minutes after the top of the hour, russia launching its largest wargames since the fall of the soviet union, what does vladimir putin hope to gain? in moscow, he joins us live up next. member this billboard hitting crab lovers in baltimore? one restaurant it back and things are getting fishy.

>> russia launching its largest wargames since the fall of the soviet union in this massive weeklong display of military might being condemned by nato as rehearsal for a large-scale conflict. what should we make of this? thank you so much for joining us, always appreciate having you here. this is historic what they are doing. russia has 300,000 troops, 36,000 military vehicles, 80 warships, 1000 aircraft along with russia, china participating. >> these are very expensive wargames. russia has been serious about

developing a strategic partnership with china for the economic forum. making pancakes with vladimir putin. >> a bizarre image. >> make a lot of us uncomfortable. russia and china have an interest in projecting their military might, to reduce or eliminate altogether the military presence in the korean peninsula. china would like to learn about russia's experiences in syria, enhancing their intelligence sharing and military compatibility designed to counter us for away in the region. one thing to watch for is vladimir putin likes to play to his domestic audience and portray russia as a precedent fortress only he can save, hence the need for military exercises

but his people are protesting in the streets because russia decided to raise the retirement age and they are concerned about the cost of military exercises and that could backfire on vladimir putin. >> let's talk about russia being suspected on mystery attacks on diplomats in cuba and china. we heard what is happening with the sonic weapons causing injuries. russia was perhaps responsible, 26 different government workers mysteriously injured since 2016. >> in china as well. preliminary reporting indicates intercepted signals indicate russia was the culprit but the state department is not ready to make a definitive statement. the russians used microwaves which scientists suspect reused

against diplomats in cuba, through the 50s to the 70s against our official presence in moscow. they used a nerve agent to attack sergey steipol in the uk. they are all about using these practices against their enemy so stay tuned for additional information from the intelligence community but this shows vladimir putin will take it as far as he can. heather: what we do about it? >> make him pay a price, defend ourselves and that means collecting intelligence on their plans and intentions. i'm sure the cia is collecting as much intelligence as possible on the kremlin's plan to target us if it is russia and we need to counter russia and make them pay a price to deter them from future action.

heather: great insight, really appreciate it. the time is 18 minutes after the top of the hour. on 9/11 hundreds of firefighters rushed up 110 flight of stairs at the world trade center. firefighters across the country did something incredible to pay tribute. carly shimkus joins us next with that incredible video that is going viral. [ upbeat music ]

i'm ready to crush ap english. i'm ready to do what no one on my block has done before. forget that. what no one in the world has done before. all i need access, tools, connections. high-speed connections. is the world ready for me? through internet essentials, comcast has connected more than six-million low-income people to low-cost, high-speed internet at home. i'm trying to do some homework here. so they're ready for anything. todd: 1 back. did you hear about joe scarborough getting blasted for using the anniversary of 9/11 to take a cheap shot at donald trump, the host an op-ed, trump

is harming the dream of america more than any foreign adversary ever could. listen. >> what a stupid comment. 9/11 is the greatest tragedy in the history of this country, 3000 innocent people perished that day to absolute savages. compare that to a man who gave up his life to run for commander-in-chief. heather: he backtracked saying he should have shown more care in the wording of the op-ed. historic trial for impeach supreme court justices set for next month. west virginia's entire high court under fire for renovation costs in their offices. the statehouse voted for impeachment last month pushing their faith to the hands of the senate. one of the justices has retired.

a fifth re-signed before impeachment. proof the challenging times can bring out the best in people prompting facebook to open their doors to strangers who might be stranded by hurricane florence. carly shimkus with serious xm 115 with the heartwarming helping hand. >> reporter: thousands of people are scrambling to prepare their homes to get out before hurricane florence makes landfall and amazingly total strangers are stepping in to help out. there are two facebook groups offering people places to stay and folks are getting creative little get this facebook post, we are willing to host in our home, pets welcome. there is one electrical cup available in our garage and a

trampoline car if people need a place to lay their heads. they are pretty comfortable. there are plans circulating on social media for pets. camp bow wow says we will take evacuees affected by hurricane florence, no deposit required, call us to save your spot. there is a lot of advice in other facebook posts like take pictures of each room in your home for insurance purposes and store valuables in the dishwasher. all of this going viral on social media. kindness is universal. maxine says thanks and god bless each of you. one last thing, this is the america i know. >> we forget about these stories, we should remember it year-round. let's talk about firefighters around the nation, walking up 110 flight.

>> and big buildings and gyms across the country firefighters suited up and walked 110 flight of stairs, the firefighters who died on 9/11, the 110 flight climb symbolizes the dissent they had to go in the world trade center. this tradition started in 2005 with a group of colorado firefighters and just like these we are seeing are going viral on social media. >> when they are fully suited up it adds about 345 pounds. thank you so much. 26 minutes after the top of the hour, get out now, dire warnings as hurricane florence, look at that video, churning toward the carolinas. >> this storm is a monster. it is big and vicious.

heather: millions told to pack up and leave their home ahead of hurricane florence. evacuation orders in place as the storm surges toward the east coast. it is a life-threatening situation, we can't stress that enough for those in the past, some taking the dire warning seriously while others say they will ride it out. we are tracking the storm's path which is expected to bring devastating winds and rainfall soon. we are watching the reports in wrightsville beach, north carolina. are you seeing anything yet? >> just as you mentioned, rainfall began sprinkling and a little thunder but things are relatively calm giving people there last couple hours before the mandatory evacuation takes effect. governor lawrence hooper of

north carolina urging people to take these warnings seriously. >> reporter: >> the storm is a monster. it is big and vicious. it is an extremely dangerous, life-threatening, historic hurricane. >> reporter: the silent community is no stranger to severe storms such as matthew which struck in 2016 but residents are comparing this to hurricane hazel which devastated this town in 1954 and required significant rebuilding. >> hurricane hazel the wave action destroyed those beachfront houses. two feet of sand, we had sand in our house. everybody, heading straight for us, taking it seriously. >> reporter: mandatory

evacuation of wrightsville beach takes effect at 8:00 this morning and late today things are going to get primitive to protect the water system. the town plans to begin shutting it down. they anticipate the power will go out during the storm so the few people staying on the island will have to fend for themselves once the sustained winds go above 50 miles an hour. first responders will no longer be able to conduct service calls. heather: you put those first responders in jeopardy and put their lives in jeopardy when you stay behind. joining me now to talk about that is police chief joseph hill. thank you for joining us. i know you have some busy days ahead. >> he is we do, thank you for having me on. heather: we were talking about that, you are there, myrtle beach, south carolina, people along the coast being told they

have to get out. do you expect everyone to heed those warnings? what is the theme so far with people leaving? >> our evacuation order from the governor, this is the first time in our history we evacuated all three zones. that is a lot of people. yesterday we reversed the lanes at noon and folks heeded the warning and getting out as fast as they could. they cleared pretty quickly. so now we are 72 hours out, 48 hours out from the path of the storm and hoping folks get out. we expect anywhere from 15 to 25% compliance rate. >> i covered hurricane in south carolina where they did not reverse lanes. they learned that lesson and are doing utterly to get those people out. those that do remain behind what is your message to them? >> if you are in one of the

zones and remain behind which we do not suggest you do, it is a mandatory evacuation, there will be problems you will incur. we will stop and evaluate our response and shutdown all public safety response at 60 miles an hour. if you're in trouble don't -- we will not be able to get to you. heather: when you say when the winds gust, wind speeds are up to that level? >> sustained wind gusts from 40 to 60 miles an hour, yes. what we are telling people is if you are going to stay you are staying at your own risk. take a magic marker or a permanent marker and writes on your left arm your name and next of kin. it is that serious, so we can identify the body in the event tragedy strikes. heather: that says it all when you warn people they have to do that. get out, listen.

if you can. i want to talk about these storm shelters. i was shocked to hear in charleston county, one of south carolina counties hit by multiple hurricanes have shelters that are not strong enough to withstand a category for storm. what about shelters in your area? convey withstand category 4? what people do in terms of shelters? >> hard to predict that. the roof on the emergency operations center we had an injury evaluation, sustained winds of 100 miles an hour if we lose the emergency operations center. we have a plan b to relocate. we are using a lot of schools as shelters. these schools are built to hurricane standards but we never encountered in the last 30 years a category 4 or possible category 5. hard to predict. heather: let's hope it doesn't go to category 5. a lot of unknowns at this point.

chief hill, thank you for joining us. we know you will be busy but we invite you to call back in as the storm approaches and more information you need to get out. >> keep us in your prayers. heather: bsafe. the leader of al qaeda calls for new terror attacks on the 17th anniversary of 9/11. the man who took over after usama bin laden was killed, calling on g hardys around the world to wage war on the united states. in a 30 minute speech he named the us the number one enemy of muslims and criticize donald trump's decision to move our embassy in israel from tel aviv to jerusalem. safety first, the house and senate agree to spend 1 million additional dollars on their own additional security minutes after a politically motivated shooting last year at the congressional baseball game where steve scalise was

seriously injured. the funds will be included in a spending package up for approval by the end of the month. bush 43 looking for w in november, the former president will have the campaign trail today to rally support for gop candidates. he will be in texas stumping for congressman will heard who is seeking reelection and he will head to florida, to governor rick scott's been for the u.s. senate. weather permitting, that is. 20 minutes until the top of the hour. a jaw-dropping update to kidnapping case the captivated america. one of elizabeth smart's captors being set free six years early. here what smart has to say about it. an exclusive by the secret bomb lab. how this team is working to make americans safe.

>> "fox and friends first," incomprehensible, sentencing? how could this happen? >> a shocking mistake allowing 72-year-old wanda to be released from state prison 6 years early, not until she served 6 years in federal prison, the last two years in state prison that authorities realized this mixup. >> unfortunately we had it calculated consecutively and on further review and legal advice realized she has to have credit

for the time she spent in the federal system. that does accelerate her release. >> will get out next wednesday despite not showing up for her parole hearing in july, refusing psychiatric treatment, she will be under federal supervision for 60 months. she and her husband were convicted of objecting smart from her home in 2002. she was 14 years old at the time. the couple was arrested a year later after holding her captive for 9 months. mitchell was sentenced to life in prison. it was a before, now a mother of two releasing a statement, quote, it is incomprehensible how someone who is not cooperated with mental health evaluations or risk assessments and did not show up to her own parole hearing can be released into our community. she plans to speak more about it publicly in coming days. >> refusing psychiatric treatment and letting her out. really unreal. new york governor andrew cuomo and cynthia nixon making a final push for votes ahead of

tomorrow's primary days after cuomo helped open a new bridge that the new york times says was no coincidence, the ministration push the contractor to speed construction and said it would not be responsible for accidents or damage. cuomo denies the claim saying nothing happened. a foxbusiness alert, more winning and the president is delivering. >> we are going to win so much you may get tired of winning and say please, please, it is too much winning. >> job openings reached 6.9 million in july and small business owners are more optimistic than ever before. economic indicators, results of donald trump's tax cuts and deregulation. good news. time is 15 until the top of the iran top democrats blasted for politicizing 9/11.

>> when we had 911 and the commission -- >> the closest i will ever have to and i product is moment. heather: wait until you hear how one victim is calling them out on the national stage. a great

heather: welcome back. in the fight against terror secret fbi bomb lab taking on the most notable cases. fox news has been given unprecedented access to the elite forensic team. the unit is playing a critical role in national and global security.

>> kurt yeager is the fbi chief explosive scientists come the closest analytical center in huntsville, alabama, with unprecedented access to the fbi lab, fox news obtained exclusive evidence photos including the 2001 device worden by richard reid. >> the shoe bomb was a game changer which is why we take shoes off airports. when you cut it open you have the explosive stuffed in the actual waffle. >> reporter: alice eisenberg who oversees the fbi lab analyzed the shoe bomb 17 years ago. >> that told us that device was built by someone other than richard reid. >> reporter: the field to light the detonator, the fbi changed the explosive potential. >> we took a sheet of aluminum, the exact amount of explosives

on that, detonated it. >> reporter: yeager explained forensics on the al qaeda influenced boston marathon bombing. >> a pressure cooker, these little thin things are small nails increasing potential to be lethal. >> the warehouse is home to 1 million pieces of bomb evidence. it is like a historical archive allowing investigators to identify trends and pursue criminal prosecution. >> reporter: were investigators some cases never seem finished like the 2003 plot the killed alleged co-conspirator brian wells. the bomb lobbed around his neck. >> will stick in my memory because it took 7 years of my life. it is a bank robbery plot by a sociopath. one piece out of hundreds that looked like probably part of the bomb. not going to hunt me until i retire. >> reporter: with the fbi in huntsville, alabama, catherine herridge, fox news. >> reporter: top congressional democrats being called out by the sun of a 9/11 victim for

comments like these about the attacks. >> when we had 9/11 and the commission was formed and they made the recommendations, they made recommendations to protect america. >> i'm going to release the email about racial profiling. i understand that is the penalty ousting from the senate. the closest i will ever have in my life to and i product this moment. >> reporter: did these democrats go too far? here to debate is are in c spokesperson kaylee mcinerney. thank you very much, i will start with you. did they go too far? >> no doubt about it. that 9/11 victim at another example, msnbc commentator said the helsinki press conference was worse than 9/11. angus king said russian meddling is worse than 9/11 and joe

scarborough in a breathtaking moment on the eve of 9/11 said that donald trump was more of a threat to the country than 9/11. the firefighter running into safe his fellow new yorker and the dad making the phone call from a burning building, last uncle he would ever make to his kids would not tell you helsinki, russia meddling and donald trump are worse than 9/11. those are critical comparisons from cory booker, nancy pelosi and others. >> you mentioned the victims and their families, what they had to say. nicholas lost his mother in the attack. he included this comment in his speech at the 9/11 memorial. >> this year a representative of the house referred to this as another incident and last week a senator attacked a supreme court nominee calling him a racist for alleged comments after 9/11.

stop, stop, please stop using the bones and ashes of our loved ones as props in your political theater. live, sacrifices and death are worth more. >> just stopped. >> no amount of pain and suffering anyone can imagine these amazing american heroes sacrificed in their family lived there every day, politicians should never politicize. people will think it is horrible, people like me think it is okay and people in the middle worry about an election in 60 days. i was on capitol hill working for a national veterans organization trying to pass the 9/11 recovery act and i watched republicans tell me they couldn't vote for that because they didn't want to blow up the budget. when it comes down to it when we need more than words is funding for victims and families and firefighters, when republicans obstruct this at every turn on capitol hill so they don't blow up the budget. heather: nice smile but you did

say you are okay with these comments. >> i said we should have to remember. that is what i said. we shouldn't politicize people who are doing this work. i also said if you're on the right or left, at the end of the day nobody should the using this horrific stuff for political gain. it is whether you hear this statement as that or not. heather: do you think this will backfire against democrats if they continue? >> no doubt. most individuals, nancy pelosi calling 911 an incident, a truly remarkable out of touch statement, it was the worst attack on our soil, 3000 people lost. it was not an incident but a terrorist attack. for cory booker to use documents against brett kavanaugh that backfired on him, it is political theater at its best. thank goodness for that family member calling it out.

we have to remember these heroes and hold 9/11 as a doctor in our history that should be shrouded in respect and not used on the political stage. heather: final word. >> today if you are democrat or republican, anything about sacrifices people have made and hold certain things out of politics. heather: 3000 people lost their lives so let's think about that. thank you for joining us, appreciate it and we will be right back, stay with us. a hotel can make or break a trip. and at expedia, we don't think you should be rushed into booking one. that's why we created expedia's add-on advantage. now after booking your flight, you unlock discounts on select hotels right until the day you leave. ♪ add-on advantage. discounted hotel rates when you add on to your trip. only when you book with expedia.

heather: time for the good, the bad and the ugly. first let's begin with the good. a soldier surprising his kids at school after a 9-month deployment. [applause] >> reporter: john torres embracing 3 of his kids one by one at their fort worth, texas, school. he was just deployed to cuba with the army national guard. up next the bad. in oklahoma woman startled awake by an animal in her bedroom that was not her dog. >> i have a coyote in my bedroom. >> reporter: animal control officers safely removed the coyote and released it back to the woods. finally the ugly. peter firing back in the battle of the billboard. this will soon be going up reading why so crabby? letting others live might save

your life. it is in response to a maryland seafood restaurant which put up its own anti-peter billboard. that after the group blasted the state's signature seafood dish. thanks for joining this hour of "fox and friends first". i was looking for the latest on hurricane florence and we have that now as "fox and friends first" continues, see you tomorrow, goodbye. rob: wednesday, september 12th, get out now, mandatory evacuations at this hour as hurricane florence inches closer to the east coast that many who are urged to leave before it is too late stay they are not going anywhere. >> we are going to ride it out, see what happens and hope everybody is okay. jillian: fox team coverage with brand-new warnings millions of americans need to hear. >> stop, stop. please stop using the bones -es

of our loved ones as props in a political theater. jillian: an eye-opening schooling for democrats from the son of a 9/11 victim. rob: using the tragedy to win political points and bringing back paddling as punishment in schools. jillian: a good idea or going too far? parents are weighing in. "fox and friends first" continues. good morning, you are watching "fox and friends first" wednesday morning. rob: thanks for getting up early with us and a lot to talk about. category 4 hurricane on a crash course toward the carolinas when millions are urged to flee. jillian: catastrophic flooding all along the coastline where the decision to stay could mean the difference between life and death. rob: we have live fox news team coverage with griff jenkins, jonathan pyro and jonathan's theory.