fnc. that's it for the show, thanks whether it's a community that's for my panel thanks all for next to fort worth or in fort listening, happy new year end hope to see you all here back next week. worth itself. our hearts and prayers go out to all the families affected by this incidentful we'll continue to pray for them and continue to do everything we can for them. ♪ ♪ eric: on this sunday, two >> reporter: governor greg violent attacks both targeting abbott releasing a statement, worshipers as millions of quote: places of worship are americans celebrate the winter meant to be sacred, and i'm holidays. we're right now ace waiting an grateful to the church members update from officials in fort who acted quickly to prevent worth, texas, at that deadly further loss of life. shooting at a baptist church as of today, there's been at there. you see the officials gathering. least 13 shootingsing in places of worship in the u.s. since the shooting at a church in we're told the gunman is dead. charleston, south carolina, back he killed one person, perhaps a in june of 2015. security guard at the church, eric and laura? and critically injured another. laura: all right. this coming, sadly, just hours christina coleman in our west after that terrifying ambush at coast bureau, thank you. a hanukkah celebration that eric: and now to that violent stabbing attack in monsey, new targeted orthodox jews in new york state. this is "america's news york, just wests of new york city. that attack left five people headquarters. injured as they were celebrating ". laura: and i'm laura ingle. the seventh night of hanukkah. one person opened fire this the suspect pleading not guilty morning at west freeway church to five counts of attempted

of christ in white settlement, murder as new york state leaders texas, a suburb call in the latest incident a string the past few months of suspect accused of stabbing five domestic terrorism. people inside a rabbi's home is fox news team coverage continues now being charged with attempted with jacqui heinrich who's live at the scene with more. murder. we have live fox team coverage. >> reporter: yeah, eric, christina coleman is following the texas church shooting, governor andrew cuomo came out and said call it what it is, an jacqui heinrich in monsey, new act of nest ific terrorism, and this afternoon the president is york, with the latest on the responding. he tweeted: the anti-semitic stabbing there. hi, christina. attack in monsey, new york, on >> reporter: well, the fbi is now on scene. two people, the suspect and a the seventh night of hanukkah is victim, have both died. the third person who was shot is horrific. we must all come together to fight, confront and eradicate fighting for his life at this hour, he's listed in critical the evil scourge of condition, and he also suffered cardiac arrest. anti-semitism. melania and i wish the victims a white settlement police got the call about this deadly shooting quick and full recovery. at west freeway church of christ the suspect is now facing five counts of attempted murder and just before 10 a.m. central time, that would have been about a half hour into the morning bible study according to the burglary. grafton thomas pleaded not church's schedule posted online. guilty, at least 60 people were multiple reports indicate that inside the home, 5 were injured, shooter was taken down by that

armed security officer at the church. officials don't believe there's 2 critical with one person reportedly stabbed six times. any additional threat to the community, but they still had worshipers threw tables and chairs at the suspect, and at whom-sniffing -- bomb-sniffing least one man chased him out of dogs check out the church after the home and got his license the shooting to make sure the plate. >> throwing tables and and grounds were safe and secure. police are now interviewing chairs that he should get out of witnesses and trying to pin down here, and the injured guy was a motive. again, they can't question the suspect who has succumbed to his bleeding here, bleeding on his injury withs. there were also two people who hands, all over. i ran into the other room sumped minor injuries. they were t our community suffes because i tried to save my life. >> reporter: police tracked thomas down in manhattan. prosecutors pointing out he went to the city after the incident, not to his home. thomas has no criminal history. eric? eric: jacqui, this happens to, sadly, be the latest in a series of antisemitic attack in and around new york city, about nine so far. what have officials said they're going to do about this? >> reporter: yeah. and the governor also saying there have been 13 in the last several weeks. the governor said he wants a law on the books to be able to

prosecute these cases of anti-semitism as domestic terrorism. he wants new york state to be the first in the country with that law. this december 23rd there's been one anti-semitic attack around new york city including one incident christmas day when a man in traditional clothing was punched in the face in brooklyn. the next day a jewish woman walking with her child said someone beat her head with a bag, the day after that three women were slapped in the face at a jewish site. plus earlier this month four people killed at a grocery store in jersey city, police called that domestic terrortism as well. eric? eric: all right, thank you. laura: a fox news alert, texas authorities giving an update on the deadly church shooting at the west freeway church of christ near fort worth, texas, that left two people dead. let's listen in. >> this will be the first press conference, we anticipate having another around 4:30, but in this first one the chief is going to

give you a statement, and there'll be no questions this first press conference. so, chief? >> good afternoon. i'm chief -- [inaudible] white settlement police department. first of all, i want to give my condolences out for all the parishioners and the parishioners at the church and our community. prayers for everybody at this time. today will just be a briat thiso tell the community there's no ongoin 11:15

a.m., a gunman entered the church of christ during the church service. preliminary reports indicated the man fired a weapon.

a couple of members of the church returned fire, striking the suspect who died at the scene. tragically, the person shot by the suspect died at a local hospital, and a second parishioner has life-threatening injuries. as we stated, the suspect is deceased, and the threat has stopped thanks to the heroic actions of those parishioners at the church. with the resources available with the texas rangers and dps, they will be leading this investigation. if we have additional information, we'll release it to the media and the public. in the meantime, like i said, we just ask for your thoughtses and prayers for our community and the parishioners of the west freeway church of christ. this is agenting desarto with the fbi, and he'll make a couple statements. >> good afternoon. thank you, chief. i would like to echo the chief's comments for the entire community of west freeway church of christ, we're very sorry about this incident.

the fbi has dedicated significant resources to aid in this investigation. those are investigative resources and technical resources. we are working very hard to find motive, get to the bottom of what happened. we're working very closely with the victims of this to provide partnership and resource support throughout this. as you see from the group assembled behind me, an incident like this doesn't get, does not get solved and we don't get to the bottom of it without with significant partnership with the fort worth police department, white settlement police department, obviously, the texas dps and the fbi working together in concert to find justice for these victims. so i'd like to introduce jeff williams, the regional directer of texas dps from north texas. >> good afternoon. my name is jeff williams, i'm the regional director at texas dps. like the chief and special agent in charge said, i'd like to echo those sentiments that our hearts

go out to the victims and their families. i'd ask everyone to take a moment today just to lift them up in prayer. we have an enormous response here today to get to the bottom of what occurred. the resources that are represented behind me and the men and women who are inside the church working this crime scene. unfortunately, this country has seen so many of these that we've actually gotten used to it to this point. and it's tragic and it's terrible situation couple of hec parishioners who stopped short of just anything that you could even imagine, saved countless lives, and our hearts are going out to them and their families as well. this is an ongoing investigation. we don't is all the answers -- have all the answers. i'm sure there are a bunch of

them out there right now. we will continue to turn over every rock to get to the bottom of who a -- of what occurred. i want to thank you for your support and getting the message out that there is no threat to public. we're doing our best to get to the bottom of this, and as soon as possible we have more information, we'll pass that on. i'd like to introduce the -- [inaudible] >> just reiterating what you've already heard. it's a horrific day in the county, and our prayers and thoughts are with the folks over here at the church and the people that are lost. but today evil walked fully among us. let me remind you, good people raised up and stopped it before it got worse. no, we're not taking any questions. there'll be a further brief later, but we've got a lot of resources to bear. everybody's involved. we will get to the bottom of it. thank you. >> hi, folks, thanks. again, no questions now, but we'll be back around 4:30, 5 for

a follow-up. [inaudible conversations] eric: well, that is the end of the news conference, no questions as you saw officials saying the gunman entered that church at 3 11:5 -- 11:50 this morning. as you saw them say, evil walked in, but good people stopped it. two of the parishioners had their own guns, allowed in texas. fired back, shot that gunman to death and, sadly, another parishioner perhaps, we're told a security guard, also died at the shooting. we'll bring you more, the latest as we can. laura? laura: and we want to turn back now to that mass stabbing in new york. a lot to cover this weekend. since december 23rd there's been one anti-semitic attack each day including one incident christmas day when a man in traditional clothing punched a man in the face in brooklyn. the next day a jewish woman walking with her child said someone beat her held with a bag.

her head with a bag. michael masters, national director and ceo of secure community network, i want to thank you so much for being here. first, your organization works with protecting the american jewish community, and your expertise involves anti-semitic attack and hate crimes. first, just want to start with your take on what happened last night with the 13th anti-semitic attack in new york since december 8th. it's hard to believe we're at that number. >> it is hard to believe, but it is a reality of being jewish in this country today. and as we have seen in just the last few hours, a reality of being a member of the faith-based community. religious freedom in this country very much is under assault in a real way, which means that we have to stand up as law enforcement just said and rise up together to protect our institutions, our country, the faith-based community. that's what we're working to do every day with our partners in state, local and federal law enforcement and throughout the jewish community to put a stop to these events and make sure the community feels secure and

empowered. laura: over the weekend the nypd has beefed up patrols in brooklyn neighborhood zs with large jewish population, houses of worship and other place all over new york. and now we've heard that the group the guardian angels has said it's going to begin patrolling jewish neighborhoods as well trying to help out. what more can be done as we're trying to catch our breath over this latest news? what can be done to help the jewish community feel safe? >> first, i want to acknowledge the men and women of law enforcement. we have to recognize since the attack in pittsburgh in 2018, october of that year, federal law enforcement working with state and local law enforcement has disrupted more than a dozen plots aimed at synagogues around the country. the fbi said this summer they had over 850 domestic terrorism investigations ongoing in this country, so we have to recognize that a lost is being done right. but we have to stand up together with law enforcement and as a community. we saw in the attack last night

people taking chairs and tables to protect themselves. a simple device like a lock on the synagogue door which prevented the offender from reaching potentially dozens more victims. and as we saw today, individuals standing up in texas and protecting themselves. so we have to all come together. the rabbi in the orthodox community says a little bit of light dispels a lot of darkness. standing together as a country, we can be that light. laura: we do have to leave it there with so much news going on. michael masters, thank you for your time, or your expertise and for weighing in on these important topics. thank you. >> thank you. eric: the president, as we reported earlier, sounding off on that attack saying it is horrific. also dealing with politics in earlier tweets, this as the house impeachment effort for now remains in limbo. lawmakers in washington have been grappling over the rules for a potential trial in the senate. if and when house speaker nancy

pelosi actually sends over those articles of impeachment to the other chamber. rich edson is in west palm beach where the president is spending his holiday vacation. rich? >> reporter: good afternoon, eric. and president trump is a week into two weeks here in florida where he has settled into this routine of making sure to tweet about impeachment and house speaker nancy pelosi almost on a daily basis. today tweeting, quote: crazy nancy pelosi should spend more time in her decaying city and less time on the impeachment hoax. speaker pelosi still withholding those articles of impeachment the house passed earlier this month. that delays a trial in the senate. she's doing so because she wants senate republicans to allow witnesses in any senate impeachment trial. republicans say these tactics show the speaker is simply playing political games. >> for months she was saying how important it is they've got to remove this president immediately, he's a threat to their, you know, their whole way

of life. and once they passed impeachment, she opportunity want the senate to start the trial. they can't have it both ways. i think people see through this charade. >> reporter: democrats argue if the president did nothing wrong in suspending aid to ukraine, then white house officials should have no problems testifying in an impeachment trial. >> the meetings with the two leaders have produced very little in regards to the denuclearization of the korean peninsula. now we find that russia's starting to operate with iran, with china. these are people who are enemies of the united states. they're trying to bring down our system of government. we have to treat their threats very seriously and make sure that we protect our national security interests. >> reporter: a senate impeachment trial process is still unclear in the senate, and democrats and republicans are still arguing over it through twitter and through television interviews. and congress isn't back in

washington to handle this in person til january 7th. eric? eric: rich, thanks so much. laura? laura: the u.s. striking back after a deadly attack on an american contractor. live update from the middle east coming up next. in america, the zip code you're born in can determine your future. the y helps fill the opportunity gap with education programs for all. for a better us, donate to your local y today.

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laura: a fox news alert, the u.s. launches defensive airstrikes against iranian-backed militia forces in iraq and syria, and this move coming in retaliation after friday's attack on an iraqi coalition base that killed an american citizen. trey yingst is live in our mideast bureau with the very latest on this. hi, trey. >> reporter: hi there, laura, and good afternoon. we are getting more information this evening in the middle east about those u.s. strikes earlier today against five separate targets across iraq and syria, against a militant group linked to the iranian regime. that militant group is suspected of being behind a rocket attack on friday that left one american contractor dead and four service members injured as well as a number of injuries to iraqi security forces working alongside the americans to defeat the islamic state. we are getting new reports from the ground that indicate in these strikes tonight 15 militants were killed and more than 50 injured, that according

to reuters, and our lucas tomlinson over at the pentagon saying that he has spoken with defense officials who say u.s. f-15s were used in the strikes in iraq and syria. the big question now, how the iranians will respond to this retaliation by the united states in response to that friday rocket attack that did leave one american citizen dead. we are getting reports out of baghdad this evening that the iraqis and the iranians are meeting to determine the next steps in the region x there are also reports tonight that u.s. bases are on high alert fearing that active iranian response. laura? laura: trey yingst, thank you so much for that live report. eric? eric: and as the year comes to a close, you know there are a number of foreign policy challenges facing president trump in 2020. tensions continue to rise with iran as it begins conducting joint naval drills with china and russia, that in the indian ocean. in north korea, well, kim jong un sti given up his nuclear weapons, and those talks have stalled. >> the produced very

little -- have produced very little in regards to the denuclearization of the korean peninsula. now we find russia's starting to operate with iran, with states. they're trying to bring down our system of government. we have to treat their threats very seriously and make that we are protecting our national security interests. eric: for more, let's bring in dr. rebecca grant, president of irs independent research. dr. grant, good to see you. out with the old and in with the new, but let's start with north korea. the threat that continues. we still don't have that so-called christmas surprise that kim jong un threatened. do you see any progress with this regime in the new year? >> well, 2019 has been disappointing but, eric, we'll learn on new year's day or thereabouts when kim jong unking gives his big annual new year's

speech. last year he talked about u.s. and north korean relations bearing fruit, but we really have to see how he chooses his words this year. will he reaffirm his commitment to denuking and maybe take a real step like giving a weapons inventory, or is he going to go back to the harsh rhetoric. that's what we'll be listening for. eric: and what happens if he does go back to his harsh rhetoric, or what do you see potentially could be a breakthrough, if there is one? >> to me, the real wildcard here has got to be china. china has met a lot with kim jong un, and i am beginning to think that they have said something like, hey, cool it on the denuking while we sort out some of these trade issues. we know that china is really key here, we know that president trump and president xi of china discussed north korea in their december 20th phone call, so we're waiting, i think, partly to see what the china wildcard is and whether they are going to

continue to pressure north korea to denuclearize or not. eric: speaking of the china wildcard, i mean, you've got china, russia and iran now teaming up in the indian ocean with joint patrols. how troubling is that? >> i do not like these drills. not so much for what they are because they only have a few ships. they're doing mostly counter-piracy and relatively small scale operations. but it's a bad precedent. russia and china have operated together a lot in military exercises in the pacific, but i think that this is the first time we've seen them try this in another theater. now, they picked the gulf of oman, i think partly because it's deep. they won't run aground. and it's a great opportunity to see just how good they are. but it's a very, very dangerous political signal, and iran is eating it up and giving hostile comments, talking about getting the u.s. out of the region. on the whole, bad, bad, bad.

eric: yep. certainly. now speaking of iran, i mean, we've seen massive demonstrations. those demonstrations have continued on the streets of iran. the opposition, the national council of resistance of iran, or has about 1,000 protesters murdered, massacred in cold blood on the streets protesting against that regime. do you think this type of uprising against the mullahs in tehran and their policies, do you think that that will continue in the new year? >> such tragic reports, and it tells us that there really is an impact from the if maximum financial pressure, and it tells us that the iranians don't like this regime either in some cases. will it continue? it might. and, again, this is why it's so disappointing to see china giving iran a back door by purchasing oil and russia in there egging them on. they could be a lot more helpful as we continue front iran's -- con front iran's nuclear

ambitions. but, yes, i think we'll see turbulent developments in iran this year, for sure. eric: could there be a tipping point against that regime as the people fight against the power that oppresses them? >> and what's so tragic is that that regime loves the conflict and the turmoil. this is a regime that fought with iraq back in the '80s for eight long years in a very bloody war. it's hard to know where the tipping point is. but president trump and secretary pompeo have been very clear that they are ready to talk at any point in time. we see europe continuing to put pressure on both macron in france and even the germans, so hopefully there will be a little diplomatic breakthrough in 2020. i think there's at least some chance of that happening. eric: and finally, quickly, what would you like to see? one prediction on the international front. do you have one? >> i'd like to see china behave well and abide by those agreements and buy u.s. products and make a stride so that china can be a more trustworthy global

partner. that would be great. i'm not betting on it, but i'd like to see that happen and it might. eric: well, there's a new year's resolution. we'll see if beijing can keep it. happy new year. >> thank you, happy new year. laura: well, the country's homeless population is rising especially along the west coast. ahead, a new federal study showing where the crisis is getting worse and how some communities are making progress.

>> america has room for people of every race, of every religion, of every creed. but america has no room for hate. laura: south bend, indiana, mayor pete buttigieg on one of several democratic candidates expressing sport for the jewish community after that stabbing rampage just north of new york city that left five people injured as they celebrated hanukkah. ellison barber is live in milford, new hampshire, where

some of of 2020 hopefuls are making their plea to voters today. hi, ellison. >> reporter: hi, laura. every 2020 democratic hopeful has commented on the monsey attack, so far offering their sympathies and speaking out about the rise of anti-semitism in america. at least one candidate, tom steyer, has called it an act of domestic terrorism. senator amy klobuchar called it a horrific act of anti-semitic violence that does not belong in america. mayor michael bloomberg says i am shocked and shaddenned by last -- saddened by last night's attack and horrified by the rise of anti-semitism in this country. former vice president joe biden saying it is tearing apart the fabric of our communities and the soul of this nation. biden is speaking to voters here in new hampshire. he had a town hall event earlier this morning. we expect him to speak here at this middle school, talk with voters, take questions from them in a little over an hour.

laura? laura: and widen's comments on -- biden's comments on subpoenas are also raising eyebrowses over the weekend. how's he handling the pushback? >> reporter: biden now says if the senate were to subpoena him and say that he needed to appear in an impeachment trial, he would comply with that subpoena, though he says that he doesn't feel like there's any legal basis for him to appear as a witness. on friday "the des moines register" asked biden if he stood by statements he made earlier this month that he would not comply if he were subpoenaed to testify. biden said he stood by those remarks and that he would not comply with a subpoena news, in his view, it is designed to take the focus off president trump and the crimes he is accused of. failure to comply is part of the reason the house voted to impeach president trump. the former vice president tried to clarify his comments in a series of tweets before reversing his position at a new hampshire town hall last night. biden is a front-runner in this state. in a recent poll among

democratic 20 hopefuls, he was in second place just behind pete buttigieg by one percentage point. laura? laura: all right. ellison barber tracking it all, thank you so much. eric? eric: laura, homelessness is on the rise in our country for the third straight year in a row. the federal government reporting a 2.7% increase, that according to an annual with count that took place in january of this year. the report finds new mexico, california, indiana, west virginia and kentucky, that they have the highest rates of people who are living on the streets. but housing secretary ben carson is blaming one state in particular for that uptick. >> if you take the other 49 states, if you subtract california, the rate of homelessness is actually going down. but california is 16.4% increase. you have to ask yourself the question, why is that happening? eric: vice president of programs and policy for the national alliance to end homelessness, you know, steve, you see people

sleeping on the streets, they're under the freeway overpasses. you stop at a light, it is heartbreaking, it is sad, it is alarming, to some disturbing and even frightening. our fellow americans with no roof over their heads and more. why the recent increase? >> well, we think the recent increase is a lot, part of a longer term trend that's about really how much it costs to afford rental housing. there's too many people who just don't make enough money to afford housing that is available on the rental market. that's especially the case in some of our biggest cities, it's especially the case on the west coast. we made a lot of progress on homelessness. the overall results in the short term differ from sort of longer term results. there's a number of places that have succeeded in really reducing the number of homeless

people. new orleans is an example, houston is another example -- eric: what have they done to reduce the population? >> well, they've done what we, since the beginning of the george w. bush administration, that understood is the right way to deal with people who are homeless, and that's really to focus on getting them housing in the short term and then once they're housed, get the help they need to deal with other issues they have. and people have a whole range of different issues from very severe issues like mental illness or addiction to opioids to just having not very good job skills that need to be upgraded or needing help finding a job in the economy. but the, using this sort of approach of getting people into housing and then dealing with other issues has made a big difference. the problem is in some places the larger housing market is

overwhelming. the work of the homeless services groups who are trying to house homeless people as quickly as possible and are succeeding in that, but for every person they house, another person loses their house. eric: new york mayor with ed koch started a billion dollar housing program back in the early '80s and '90s, and mayor de blasio was on fox news channel earlier today saying he especially wants section eight vouchers from the federal government. do you think that can help, and to what extent does the deinstitutionalization wave that occurred decades ago contribute to this? >> yeah. section eight vouchers would definitely help. i mean, that's just money to pay rent, is what that is. people find an apartment, they need -- they don't make enough money to pay the rent in a city like new york. of i -- i mean, some of you all live in new york, you know what rents are like. it's not possible for people who are working minimum wage jobs or

living on disability benefits to afford that, so they need help, and that's what vouchers do. that's part of a solution. i think the issue of deinstitutionalization, deinstitutionalization was going to happen no matter what because for too long we had found that keeping people with mental illnesses locked up in institutions was not a humane way to deal with that. we have solutions for homelessness, even for people with the most severe mental illness. we can help them afford rent and help them with outpatient mental health treatment. places that are doing that, it's working really well. it's just the scale is such in a city like new york that they just need to get serious about investing the money that it's going to take. and everyone will be happier. eric: and finally, do you think that it will be able to be, basically, solved? >> i believe so. i mean, i work for an organization called the nati wot

think it was possible, and i do think it's possibl w york city, for example, there's veteran, u.s. veterans are homeless, have been home'sless at a higher rate than other people. new york city has reduced homelessness among veterans by 80% in the last six or seven years because they've put the money on the table through different v.a. programs to make sure people can afford rent and get the health services they need. we haven't done that for other peel. it just shows that it can work if the investment is there. eric: i just want to point out the families with kids, that's down 4%. those under 18%, down 4%. as you point out, that's 2.1% down, so there is hope and there can be good news. robert w. hayes founded the coalition for homeless here in new york in 1981. it's an ongoing problem in our country, has only gotten worse. steve burke, we thank you for your work and for coming on fox

news channel this afternoon. >> thank you for having me. eric: of course. laura: for states are looking to -- more states are looking to ban plastic bags in the new year, but the move could end up hitting your wallet. those details coming up next. big ink tanks. lots of ink. no more cartridges. incredible amount of ink. the epson ecotank. just fill and chill. introducing new vicks vapopatch easy to wear, with soothing vicks vapors for her, for you, for the whole family. new vicks vapopatch. breathe easy.

♪ ♪ laura: well, more states are now pushing to outlaw single-use plastic bags. while environmentalists argue it will help reduce pollution, some small business owners say they actually could take a pretty big hit. and new jersey are the latest to consider the ban joining eight other states that have already put measures on the books. >> reporter: john sullivan owns a hardware store in northern massachusetts. a plastic bag ban, he thinks, would be another blow to small business owners like himself. >> kind of like a water torture, it's just this drip, drip, drip of taxes.

>> reporter: massachusetts and new jersey are the latest to consider banning single-use plastic bags, the proposal in massachusetts would instead make business owners sell paper bags at 10 cents a pop. >> people need to be more careful about it. i don't need my government telling me that. diswhr while others say it's needed. >> it's affecting the environment, getting into our food, our bodies, so we really need to think twice about plastics. >> reporter: eight states are have some sort of -- already have some sort of ban on the books. the national federation of independent business is concerned. >> we have some of the highest health care costs in the nation, highest energy costs. this is just one more thing. it's almost becoming death by a thousand cuts for small businesses in massachusetts. >> reporter: but environmentalists in favor of the ban see it differently. >> i think it's false to think that this is going to impact business in any meaningful way. you know, plastic bags as a free thing at point of sale are not really free. they get wrapped into the cost

to the consumer anyway. >> reporter: sullivan says instead of forcing people's hands, the government should focus on recycling incentives similar to bottle deposits. >> want to go scoop up cans and bottles and get your money back. why not do that with plastic bags? >> reporter: if the bill is signed into law here in massachusetts, plastic bags will be essentially outlawed by 2021. in boston, fox news. ♪ beautiful dreamer ♪ wake unto me ♪ beautiful dreamer awake unto me ♪ there's a booking for every resolution. book yours, at booking.com and mine super soft? there's a booking for every resolution. yes. with the sleep number 360 smart bed, on sale now, you can both...

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♪ ♪ laura: and the u.s. economy finishing the year in strong shape. on thursday the nasdaq hit 9,000 for the first time ever. investor optimism appears high with the fed holding off on raising interest rates, and the u.s. and china working on a trade truce. so the big question, will the valuely hold strong into the -- rally hold strong into the new year? let's discuss with and cio of global advisers. thanks for being with us. >> good amp, laura. laura: all right. so, you know, they say investors can interpret but don't try to predict, but when you look back at this year, the market just feels like the start of 2020, it's looking pretty good. what to you say? >> -- what do you say? >> yeah. i think it's a continuation of

all these issues that got the market in trouble almost exactly a year ago. you mentioned some of them, the china trade war, the federal reserve was actually raising interest rates a year ago, they've now lowered interest rates. so a lot of these issues that came boot markets and really frightened the markets fourth quarter of last year have kind of resolved themselves. so i think we're going to go into a pretty good stage of recovery continuing into 2020. laura: you know, i went back and was listening to one of your interviews from august on fox business, and you said even in the summer you felt the u.s. consumer spending was healthy and confident. so it sounds like we might be on track for that at least to start with, but how are you feeling about where we are domestically compared to global economy? >> so is we were definitively in the no recession camp in august, and a lot of people really thought the possibility did exist for the economy to go into recession. we've maintained the consumer's been incredibly strong and healthy. earnings are positive, job growth is positive. it's been a terrific year for

anybody looking for a job. so i think if the consumer stays positive, the job situation stays well, we're still looking at about a 2% economy next year. if we get china to start buying american products, if we get europe to come off the floor, maybe they're selling more goods to china, maybe they're buying more goods from us, this could be the stimulus that brings the economy maybe into that 2.5, 3% growth rate. laura: overall, what is it that holds people back from spending and investing when the economy is so strong? obviously, many people want to keep their nest egg protected. we all do, right? but what else do you see as a common denominator when people hold back? >> honestly, it's fever. and, in fact -- it's fear. and, in fact, i saw a recent study that said 70% of investors say they wish they had done something differently with their money this past year n2019. and that's because the fourth quarter last year was brutal. the s&p was down about0% a you had market darlings like apple and netflix and amazon

that were down 25, 35, 45% in some cases of these stocks. fear comes along, people take on to their money, they hold on to it tightly, they don't want to lose it, they don't want to take risks. and, unfortunately, if you had gotten out of the market a year ago today, you would have missed one of the best bull markets we've had in 20 years. laura: wow. well, as we're about to round out this decade, when we look ahead to 20, what aside from the outcome of the 2020 election should we all be looking for? there could be a shift in tax policy, right? >> sure. depending on how the political winds go, we could have a very significant economy going forward into 2021. we saw that once we went from an obama economy to a trump economy, it was a big difference. now, we can argue it good or bad in terms of what the net effect was. there's no argument the economy in 2017 grew upwards of 3.5%. so depending what tax policies we have, what regulatory

policies we with the next elect, that could have a very dramatic effect on the overall economy and employment. just think about regulation, environment, tax policies, corporate tax -- laura: right. >> all these affect day-to-day lives. laura: dominic, thank you so much. can't wait to hear what you say in 2020. we'll be checking in with you next year. and we'll be right back. if your glasses aren't perfect, we'll fix them. so will we. no we won't. don't forget to use your vision benefits before they're gone. now in-network with vsp. visionworks. see the difference.

eric: christmas, a 12-year-old boy set his home front lawn on fire by using a magnifying glass he got as a present. the family ran outside in their matching christmas pjs and they put it out before the flames could spread over to the neighbor's. thank goodness nobody was hurt. the fire as you can see just damaged the grass and some of the christmas decorations. that's like one of those things in a movie. >> that is a grinch present, i guess. we want to ask you to tune in tonight for the fox news sunday power player hall of fame special with our own chris wallace. it will not disappoint. it airs at 7:00 p.m. eastern right here on the fox news channel. it's been great to be with you. eric, thank you very much. eric: i will see you tomorrow on america's newsroom here on the fox news channel. have a great day. >> there has never been and they will always correct me in the history of politics, in the history of our country, there

has never been anybody that drew crowds like we draw, and i don't have a guitar. i have no guitar. guitar. greg: imagine if he had a guitar. [cheers and applause] greg: stop it. stop it. all right. not a bad year. super low unemployment, super high stock market. your 401(k) is thicker than