here is something you don't see every day, jeffrey the camel visiting pet smart. they called ahead, we will see you back here tomorrow night for fox news at night. heather: is april 12th and this is "fox and friends first". "happening now" at 4:00 am wikileaks founder julian assange expected to fight a addition to the us after being dragged from the embassy in london. is he a cyber terrorist or a free-speech hero? the controversial question dividing washington this morning. from 2020 contenders and mainstream media favorites to facing 333 years in prison. >> michael avenatti who was treated as a hero by many in the media, should have been more responsible. >> reporter: michael avenatti,

36 new charges, the victims he is accused of stealing millions from. promises made promises kept. the owner donald trump shared with a world war ii hero. "fox and friends first" starts right now. ♪ ♪ rocket man ♪ rocket man. heather: live shot from new york city and you are watching "fox and friends first" friday morning. you made it to the weekend. thank you for starting the weekend with us. julian assange leading the newscast this morning. he's not going down without a fight. a legal battle expected over his

extradition to the us. the video they show yesterday, the doj accusing him of working with chelsea manning to hack classified information. with washington's reaction, good morning. >> lots of opinions about the wikileaks founder. some are plotting his arrest, others expressing concerns. the president seemingly staying in different. >> i know nothing about wikileaks. it's not my thing. it has to do with julian assange. i'm seeing what happened with assange and that will be a determination. i imagine mostly by the attorney general. heather: during the 2016 campaign he said he loved wikileaks. julian assange is facing a conspiracy to commit computer intrusion charge for allegedly trying to help chelsea manning

crack a passport to pentagon computer in 2010. some lawmakers are expressing concern about this arrest including alexandria ocasio cortez. she's worried about the journalism aspect of this and that is opening the door to punishing journalists who publish classified information. what is interesting here, the charge is not related to those leaks clinton emails yet hillary clinton among the loudest demanding assange must pay for what he has done. >> he has to answer for what he has done. >> i'm glad the wheels of justice are turning when it comes to julian assange. i think julian assange has to face justice here. i'm glad he is in custody. heather: opinions won't matter to the british judge his job is to decide whether or not julian assange should be extradited to the us, that hearing happens may 2nd. heather: thank you very much.

what do you think? is julian assange a cyber terrorist or free-speech hero? let us know on facebook, twitter, instagram or send us an email and we will share some responsive later in the show. we told you this was going to happen yesterday. a former obama white house counsel is doing court today. gregory craig accused of lying and hiding information about his lobbying work in ukraine during an interview with the russia probe. craig calls the charge is unjustified. he has paid $4 million in settlement for his work with ukraine. he faces 5 years in prison. congressman devon nunez is naming names. the top republican on the house intel committee sending criminal referrals for potential violations in the russia probe. >> referrals based on lying, obstruction of congressional investigation and leaking.

we had global leaks referral and conspiracy referrals based on manipulation of intelligence. the second one is based on fisa abuse and other matters. >> reporter: nunez notifying bill barr in a letter, the names could be secret to the public. federal prosecutors drop 36 charges on michael avenatti. the embattled attorney is accused of stealing settlement money from a paraplegic client and could face 333 years in prison if convicted on all charges. he says he is innocent and will plead not guilty tweeting for 20 years i represented david versus goliath and relied on due process in the system of justice. along the way i have made many powerful enemies. i'm entitled to a full production of innocence and am confident justice will be done

once all the facts are known. avenatti is accused of trying to extort nike for $20 million. michael avenatti saturated cable news coverage before being indicted with, charges. senior editor at the federalist molly hemingway says the media should have been more responsible. >> there are a lot of things attorneys can get away with but stealing from clients is very much from upon. stealing from a victim like this is particularly frowned upon but michael avenatti was treated as a hero by many in the media. last year someone at the federalist announced he was on msnbc and cnn 200 times prior to his arrest for domestic issue, someone who has been very much elevated in national reports. i think the media should have been more responsible throughout the kavanaugh hearings and otherwise. >> reporter: avenatti made 254 tv appearances in the year leading up to his legal troubles. the us officially cutting off

aid to three central american countries, the move coming as mike pence visits the border, reaffirming his support for agents on the frontline. griff jenkins live in washington as hundreds of migrants and closer to our country. >> reporter: the southern border, a second trip to arizona by mike pence, lawmakers get serious about addressing the crisis at the border. >> congress knows what needs to be done, democrats in congress have to step up and do it and it begins by recognizing we have a crisis on the southern border. >> reporter: talks between the deeply divided talks even a little own -- nancy pelosi may be singling a crack in the uniform opposition to working with this administration saying, quote, it is complicated but isn't hard to do if you have good intentions. i'm not giving up on the president on this. at issue any talks would have to

start with identifying the problems the assistant speaker places the blame squarely in the president's corner. >> i have said consistently there is a humanitarian crisis at the border caused by donald trump and his administration with their failed policies. we can find a bipartisan solution to this. >> reporter: the push for action, 92,000 apprehensions at the border most of which were central american families. secretary of state mike pompeo confirms the administration is coming off aid to those countries. another caravan making its way north in a long trek we made in january. the key to watch is how mexico will single them when they get to the southern border of guatemala. will they try to stop him as they did in january? that will be the key factor that will change things this time. shannon: we will watch it and we know you will too.

6 suspected ms 13 gang members are charged in connection with the gruesome murder of a teenager. the men allegedly shot harold and slashed his neck with a machete. they dumped his body in a playground on long island in new york. investigators believe gang members who him to the killing in december. five of the suspects were charged in connection to the killing of a 13-year-old girl. a sheriff's deputy's son charged in connection with a string of fires at historically black churches. investigators say a red gas can in louisiana, police have not revealed a motive for the fires but the naacp calls it domestic terrorism. matthew's facebook page shows he listens to black metal, a genre of music linked to fires a christian churches in norway in the 90s. for the next 400 days a vermont

high school will raise a black lives matter flag, approving a request from students to mark the 400th anniversary of the start of the slave trade. many vermont high schools raise the flag, critics claim the flag is controversial but supporters say it is about inclusion about politics. 26 groups pushing congress to investigate brett kavanaugh, the organization sending a letter to lawmakers urging them to re-examine sexual misconduct claims now the democrats control the house. brett kavanaugh denied claims from 3 women last year and testified along with one of the accusers before being confirmed to the high courts. how about a good story. donald trump making good on a promise to an american hero. >> i am going to be 95 years of age april 11th of next year. hopefully you will allow me to bring my family in.

shannon: the president hosting 95-year-old alan jones, 100-year-old sydney walton, 101-year-old floyd whitfield and 103-year-old paul kreiner tweeting beautiful afternoon in the oval office today, a few great american heroes and yes, they are, thank you for your service. the time is 11 minutes after the top of the hour and we culex out of julian assange arrested as the mueller report is about to be made public. is there a connection? what happens next? we will ask a former attorney and out of this world selfy, the story behind this picture snapped on the surface of the moon.

heather: julian assange charged with conspiracy by the us for his role in releasing sensitive us military secrets provided by chelsea manning, this happening just days from the mueller report, days before it is expected to be released. is there a connection or a coincidence? here to weigh in is the us attorney, thanks for joining us this morning. as we begin i want to bring up a breakdown of assange's charges, what we know, conspiracy, charges related to the release of classified military secrets provided by chelsea manning, a 5-year prison sentence, a fine of $250,000, not being charged for his role in the dnc hack, not facing charges under the espionage act. my question is, is he a criminal or a journalist? >> he is definitely a criminal.

the half 1 million the od and state department classified documents, reports, cables that were released endangered the lives of our military and intelligence personnel in iran and iraq and people cooperating in assisting us. i don't think he was a journalist. what he did was extremely dangerous. heather: he is accused of hacking a password, attempting to learn a password with chelsea manning. what you're speaking of in terms of the cables, nearly complete databases involving reports from the afghanistan war, the iraq war, the state department cables as well in 2010. >> you don't have reporters trying to hack into government computers, that's not what a journalist does. >> what about the timing of this. >> a lot of people questioning that right now.

and ecuadorians made it plain they were tired of their guest who was staying in the embassy. it is probably a coincidence that don't be surprised if he gets extradited to the us into the treaty we had, the additional charges related to the dnc and hillary clinton hacking he was involved in. >> he claimed the dnc emails, from russia so people don't have the answer to that. >> if he gets his eye for that, >> a maximum 5-year prison sentence, $250,000. is that it? >> remember that is for what he has been currently charged with.

if more hacking charges come and related to the dnc and hillary clinton he could be facing a lot more time after that. heather: you expect them to be extradited. >> we have a treaty with the united kingdom and i don't think there's anything to prevent him from getting extradited to the united states. >> i want to ask about this next topic. former aide of president obama indicted for lying to the doj in a case tied to the mueller investigation involving the ukraine. >> what is interesting about this case is craig was doing the same work paul manafort was, for the ukrainian government particularly the leadership of the ukrainian government was a russian ally. he was initially investigated for not registering under the foreign agent registration act which is what paul manafort didn't do but he has been charged with lying about the

work he did. he is contesting, it wasn't lobbying work and he didn't need a register. heather: why is he not getting as much coverage as the wall-to-wall coverage we saw with manafort? >> you would think there would be given it is the same kind of activity as manafort but he is a democrat and formerly worked for bill clinton so maybe the media doesn't think it is a story. heather: we will let people at home determine that for themselves. thank you for joining us, have a great weekend. see you later. the time is 19 after the top of the hour and 333 years behind bars, there's brand-new trouble for michael avenatti this morning. social media is lighting up. carly shimkus has it next.

heather: space x successfully launching the world's most powerful rockers, the updated falcon heavy blasting a satellite into space from saudi arabia on its first commercial flight. space x landing the three rocket boosters for the first time at florida's kennedy space center. always exciting to witness. 2020 contender to facing 333 years, michael avenatti faces

new criminal charges including claims he stole millions from his own clients. carly shimkus, 24/7 serious xm 115 with the online outrage. >> just got a lot worse. he's facing 36 indictments of embezzlement and fraud, faces 330 years in prison. prosecutors say he was stealing millions from his new client and using that money to support his lavish lifestyle. heather: including a paraplegic. >> he is accused of draining $4 million from a paraplegic manner using it to support his coffee business. is accused of stealing millions of dollars and four other clients, to pay for his private jet. he is vehemently denied these allegations saying for 20 years i represented david and goliath and green light onto process in the system of justice. along the way i made many powerful enemies. i'm entitled to a full perception of innocence and am confident justice will be done

once all the facts are known. court of public opinion not on his side. when twitter user says he is quickly becoming a case study what not to do with a law degree. another twitter user chiming and saying i was in your corner until i read how you held back the settlement proceeds for paraplegic and bought a jet. he is battling a separate legal case in new york where he is accused of trying to extort millions from nike. heather: the college groundskeeper wearing this am aga had on the job but the executive, the dean of the school is not having it. heather: this took place at suffolk community college in new york, groundskeeper said he wore make america great again hat and the executive dean said the hat doesn't have a political candidate's name or party logo, it is nevertheless reached the

level of being a clear political statement. he was told he couldn't wear it but this surprised him because he has seen other people wear clothing for liberal candidates and progressive causes. now the school is suggesting a miscommunication and say he should have been wearing a hat period, not a am aga hat. we have one tweet from a former student, i remember the man in the am aga hat. and you should have told the librarians, and how about that. >> if this was amazing, failed to the actual landing but they were able to do this. >> we are talking is real and nearly made history by attempting to land a small

spacecraft on the moon, didn't quite work out, it crashed right before it hit the moon's surface but they were able to send the picture you see. a little bit of history. technically it landed on the moon, just not the way it was designed. i think we give them 9 out of 10. we got a selfy. 27 after the top of the hour, donald trump looking to jumpstart denuclearization talks with north korea. >> sanctions are at a fair level, something significant is going to happen. heather: gordon chang says he knows what it will take for kim to give up his nukes. ♪ taking care of business. ♪

heather: a look at our top headlines, julian assange expected to fight extradition to the us, the doj accusing him of working with chelsea manning to lee classified information from the pentagon in 2010. he was arrested at the ecuadorian embassy in london where he has been hiding out for 7 years. a former obama white house counsel, gregory craig accused of lying and hiding information about his lobbying work in ukraine during an interview with russia probe. he faces 5 years in prison. the us cut off aid to three central american countries, guatemala, el salvador and honduras, it comes just as a new caravan from honduras is heading our way. mike pence, the vice president, visited the border, reaffirming his support for agents on the front line. donald trump looking to

jumpstart denuclearization talks with north korea. >> the option of significantly increasing, i didn't want to do that because of the relationship with kim jong un but it is at a fair level. i believe something significant is going to happen. heather: after he met with president moon what was accomplished? here's gordon chang, author of losing south korea. thanks for joining us. >> thank you so much. >> did we make significant progress? >> it is a great thing for the united states. president moon wanted to get further sanctions release for kim jong un, the ruler of north korea, donald trump says i'm not having it. the sanctions in greece but we are not giving into the south koreans.

heather: increasing sanctions, where would that get us? >> getting the chinese and the russians and south koreans out of the business of supporting rashida tlaib. since the middle of may or last you we have not been enforcing sanctions because donald trump wants to create a favorable atmosphere so kim jong un feel secure enough to give up his weapons. kim has not reciprocated. he has continued building ballistic missile program and new program and president moon at the same time has been undermining democracy in south korea. this is not a good story in the sense, love donald trump allowed this to see where it goes but trump was not going to be pushed around by moon and that was the big story from yesterday. heather: have we been in discussions with kim jong un? what has happened since the big meeting that took place that was cut short abruptly? there was the plan of meet and greet and this big unveiling or

signing and none of that happened. what has happened since then? >> two things are important. what is the united states is trying to start working level group discussions with north koreans, north koreans of not given a reply. the other thing going on, kim jong un is going on a separate path, some pretty belligerent language from him with a meeting of the workers party and he is talking about self-reliance and that means he has given up on a deal with the united states. heather: why the change in tone because of back channel from south korea, china and russia? >> maybe. that is perceptive. that is what is going on but at this time kim has been able to keep himself going without getting to a deal with the us. that means he's getting enough support from somewhere. heather: speaking of deals, any part of the negotiation we can

use to our advantage when it comes to north korea and denuclearization when looking to trade talks with china which are still going on? >> the chinese are trying to make that connection, the cooperation on north korea or concessions on trade, i don't think the administration is not buying that line. they have been doing this for decades and never help us. what they are doing is supporting north korea and not just with trade but also technology for the most advanced missiles, solid fuel ones and nuclear weapons programs. the chinese were playing a duplicitous game. heather: how concerned should we be in terms of countries moving up together? >> we have overwhelming leverage. when donald trump decides he has had enough of this he can go around and impose costs on moscow, beijing and seal --

soul. i can understand why we are giving them all this time but when donald trump decides he wants to change he will make those countries hurt. >> the north koreans, they wanted to close one facility. it is only one facility. they wanted entire sanctions, donald trump will agree to that. heather: we should do the exact opposite. james comey is puzzled by what bill barr meant when he said the government spied on the trump campaign. >> i don't know what he is talking about when he talks about spying on the campaign. i hear that kind of language

used and it is concerning because the fbi, department of justice conduct court ordered electronic surveillance. i have never thought of that as spying. heather: bar raised questions about inappropriate surveillance and whether the fbi followed its own rule during the senate hearings this week, comey denied knowing of any court ordered surveillance of the trump campaign, he says he accepts the special counsel's findings that there was no russia collusion. jussie smollett being sued by chicago. the city demanding the empire actor cover the cost of the investigation into his alleged hate crime hoax after jussie smollett failed to pay $130,000 requested by this week. prosecutors dropped all charges last month. he is reportedly on vacation in hawaii. what about this? tiger woods aiming to close a

four shot lead after a solid start at the masters golf tournament. >> this is up and over tiny amounts, just there. heather: he is tied for 11th pl. after shooting 200 par in the georgia contest four times. from agosto. the time is 20 minutes until the top of the hour and they both make well above 6 figures but continue to attack our free market system. how can bernie sanders and elizabeth warren continue to bash capitalism when they clearly profited from it? ♪

heather: elizabeth warren and

bernie sanders running anticorruption campaigns targeting the rich. >> markets without rules are theft. we need markets -- >> when i talk about democratic socialism what i talk about our human rights and economic rights. heather: both have become millionaires from the same capitalist system they are railing against. joining me to break down the hypocrisy is fox news contributor caldwell. thank you for joining us. >> good morning. >> capitalism works for them. >> it worked for them it is a system that works for everyone else as well. a person like bernie sanders who talks about taxing the rich more and government control, this is a guy who can be a leading example. he could take all the millions he has made and donated back to the government, the texas which is called give to the united

states established in 1843, for people to donate money to the government and that is what it should be, a leading example of what you preach. heather: let's break down how much wealth they had. let's begin with a list before's tax returns, joint income of $900,000 last year, about $200,000 in taxes, income of $176,000 or a little over. about $400,000 tax credit for solar equipment and you were discussing bernie sanders, $808,000, royalties and advances, he owns the path in virginia, good amount of real estate, this all coming from senate financial disclosure form but not doing enough to give back. >> i'm saying they should practice what they preach. i am an individual who worked and risked a lot to get to where

i am today and those individuals say i shouldn't be able to have what i have. you should be a leading example, donate all your money to the government if that is what you are suggesting everyone else do. heather: what are voters to think of this? democratic voters trying to reach out? >> there will be a lot of folks that push back. bernie sanders didn't want to supply his tax return saying he was not under audit but they weren't ready and his wife was preparing them and with that being the case a lot of hypocrisy on things about donald trump and republicans in general considering he has done that. we need to see the same thing he preaches. democratic socialism is what people should be doing, let's see you lead the charge on that in a way we haven't seen and i doubt he will do it because a lot of democrats are all talk and no action.

heather: it has been 100 days since democrats retook the house. they accomplished anything? we can bring up their priorities, what they said they were going to do. >> it is interesting because people say democrats haven't done anything and i beg to differ. democrats -- heather: i think we are having some technical issues. i believe we lost you. they have done some work to accomplish things, they tried to accomplish the new green deal and the work continues so we will discuss more on that as the days move on. the time is 15 minutes until the top of the, chick-fil-a is close to getting its links back in san antonio.

city officials caving to outrage after banning it from an airport, this year completely crushed, the car was crushed after a woman confronts her worst fear behind the wheel. can you guess what it was? the game doesn't end after a walk-off,

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heather: critics of the mandatory vaccination plan to sue today, days after bill diblasio announced people could be fined if they don't get measles shots. >> we will beat them.

the message got across that it penetrated very quickly and sounded the alarm and people take it seriously. heather: critic of vaccination order and overreach of authority, 285 measles cases in new york city since october, most of them in orthodox jewish communities. one of the strictest abortion laws in the nation is now in effect in ohio. governor republican mike dewine passing the heartbeat bill. if a fetal heartbeat is detected, the legislation makes no exceptions for sexual opposed. opponents are preparing a lawsuit. georgetown university students vote to pay for slavery reparations overnight, 66% approving a mandatory $27.20 fee on each student to pay for it. the amount refers to the 272 slaves the university sold in 1838. that money will go to descendents of those slaves, the first policy of its kind in a major american school. the measure needs university approval. after a huge the versions, under

chick-fil-a can be landing in san antonio airport. tracy carrasco from foxbusiness here with the change of heart. good morning. >> reporter: san antonio city council voted last month to ban chick-fil-a from its airport, they say they didn't agree with the restaurant views that they only wanted to work with businesses that were all inclusive. they may be reconsidering because the spirits of wants to be all-inclusive. here's what city councilmember greg abroadhouse had to say, we have a chance to correct the mistake by reinstating chick-fil-a and that the message that we are open for all, open for faith and open for business. back on the city council agenda, could be up for a final vote on may 2nd. heather: a lot of people happy about that. let's talk about what dodge is doing paying tribute to the

military. >> dodge is saluting armed forces, a new stars and stripes addition package upgrade for several of its dodge challengers and chargers. this would be a $2000 upgrade. it comes with a lot of cool features including american flag fender decal, black clock with embroidered stars and bronze details, bigger wheels and a number of other features. this is available to anyone but they do claim to have the highest number of active military customers of all the other automakers. maybe it is because they offer nice discounts to those who serve our country and currently serving. heather: a good looking car. thank you, appreciate it, have a great weekend. julian assange expected to fight extradition to the us after being arrested in london on computer hacking conspiracy charges.

is he a cyberterrorist or free-speech hero? your comments pouring in on this one. sean says you forget so soon, remember the soldiers killed in iraq thanks to this guy's leaks. kenneth on facebook times and with hero, he didn't steal the information, just published it and without that we wouldn't know how corrupt the democrats are or how our government has been lying to us. i think of him more than whistleblower and needs protection. leader on facebook says i think of him more as a whistleblower and needs protection as well. rich says on facebook whatever he is this man needs a membership to the dollar shave club. he is looking a little rough when he was brought out yesterday. different than he went in, 7 years in there. 8 minutes until the top of the hour. protested on campus yet again, this time it turned violent. what sparked the attack against michael knowles? the woman behind the middle of this car has eight reasons to be

thankful she wasn't seriously injured. the things she found in the drivers seat isn't one of them. ♪ these are difficult times for elderly holocaust survivors. with no food and no heat they get weaker and more die everyday. i want you to see their faces. look into their eyes that are haunted still by the memories of the past. they desperately need our help now. a simple blanket, food and medicine are life-saving during the holiday season.

these are people who often have to go for days without food. this woman would die in a matter of days or weeks without our help. cold, sick, weak; the jewish people have suffered so much pain in their lives. please call now and say that you will give a special gift of $25 that will help bring these lifesaving essentials to a holocaust survivor. are we going to hear the cries of the oppressed? or are we going to be silent to them? are we going to feed the hungry? to clothe the naked? and not avert our eyes from our fellow flesh and blood. the fellowship is faced with desperate pleas

for food blankets and medicine. for only $25 you can help save a life with the gift of food, a blanket and medicine to a holocaust survivor suffering all alone during this holiday season. i hope and pray you will do so before time is up and it is too late.

heather: man accused of taking college admission test expected to plead guilty in court today.

a private school counselor, already publicly apologized for his role in the massive college admission scandal. he could get 20 years in prison for fraud and money laundering. prosecutors say he secretly took act and sat test and correct answers for students. protesters tried to storm the stage to attack a conservative commentator. michael knowles giving a speech at the university of missouri when chaos broke out. it was originally reported that the masked protester tried spraying bleach on him but police say it was just a liquid that smell like the chemical. the protesters are under arrest. peta wants hockey fans band for life for participating in a team tradition. for years people apparently have

been throwing catfish onto the ice at national predators games as a spoof on a detroit team ritual. the animal rights groups is the fish deserve respect and people who abuse them should be punished with bands or fines of $5000. peta members handed out catfish shaped at the playoff game instead. time for the good, the bad and the ugly. a hearing impaired little girl burst into tears when she hears her mother for the first time in years. >> can you hear mommy? can you hear me? yes? i love you. heather: the 10-year-old totally overwhelmed when doctors turn on her new implant in texas, amazing is a woman totals her car when she spotted a spider and panics, the driver crashing in new york and hurting her leg. no word on the spider.

the ugly, not letting a dog do its job. >> sean murphy. heather: the crowd sticking up for fin the bad dog at a minor-league game. they picked it up anyway. that wraps up this hour of "fox and friends first" which have a great weekend, "fox and friends first" continues, goodbye. rob: happy friday, april 12th. julian assange says he's not going down without a fight after being dragged out of the ecuadorian embassy in london. how the wiki leaks found returned hacker permanent hopes to stop extradition to the united states. jillian: that is not the only legal bombshell. we will tell you what media darling michael avenatti says about th