>> are you okay? are you sure? >> that's going to do it for today. say "so long," everybody! 366 days to go. >> sandra: tensions running high in the iraqi capital of baghdad. irani-backed militia members have withdrawn after attacking and breaching the compound in protest of u.s. air strikes. good morning, i'm sandra smith. >> nice to be with you, i believe in vineyard and for bill hemmer. this is printing the pentagon to send hundreds of additional troops to the region. this is some of the action in baghdad, secretary pompeo delaying a trip to deal with the crisis. speed coming up, mark esper will be joining us live on it update with how the u.s. plans to respond. let's begin with trey yingst, following all of this for us from jordan this morning.

trey? >> sandra, good morning. both the united states and iran do appear to be repairing for the possibility of a direct military confrontation. as we speak, hundreds of u.s. service members are headed to an american base in kuwait. these are members of the 82nd airborne division. there were italian has thousands of more soldiers on standby. there also continuing rhetoric of their own. a top commander in the revolutionary guard since his country was not moving toward war but isn't afraid of conflict. that commander adding iran has the power to break america several times. all of this after the u.s. embassy in baghdad came under siege for two days earlier this week. iranian-backed militiamen destroyed parts of the embassy compound. in response to b.s. rocket attacks on day, they killed 25 e iranian-backed group kataib hezbollah. the ayatollah khamenei, iran's supreme leader, said he is open to talks with the united states if the trump administration

returns to agreements. back when you look at the nuclear deal in 2015, the united states has been very clear that they are going to stick to their plan of a maximum pressure campaign. president trump has reiterated the fact he does not believe lifting sanctions will change iran's behavior, thus a stalemate between the united states and iran does continue as tensions here in the middle east continue to rise. sandra? >> sandra: trey yingst and jordan, thank you. during his now, adam kinzinger, member of the foreign affairs committee, congressman. good morning to you. as we wait to hear from the defense secretary himself on this program the short time from now, how do you expect the best to respond? >> i think proportionately. i think with strength. very assured of who we are and what we can do. i think iran is trying to do one of two things, and probably both is beneficial to them. they either want the u.s. do not react to provocation, which makes us look weak -- provocation, when he directly target americans -- or they want us to overreact, and that way

they can use the "blame america first" crowd. ben rhodes, the first thing he does is get on twitter and out this is donald trump's fault and not the shia militia. i think a proportional response, like we've been seeing so far, is exactly what wa iran doesn't want to see. it doesn't give ammo to the "blame america" crowd and it does impact their standing. >> sandra: how would you describe the current threat level in the region today? >> you know, it's interesting -- i would say we were at yellow and not read yet. it's certainly an interesting story, something not to be aware of and focused on, but i'm not sure this is quite yet rising to the level of "we are on the brink of an impending battle with iran." both of us are kind of reacting measured on this. iran is overreacting, we are reacting in a measured way. keep in mind in the rest of the region, iraq, lebanon, syria,

everywhere, people are protesting against iranian expansion into the middle east. right now they're on the decline and we are in a much better position to see this thing through. speed to "the new york times" editorial board this morning argues shock waves from the air strikes in iraq may have just begun. i will read a piece from it for you. "the president conceivabl couldy lessen tensions, by withdrawing from the nuclear deal and painting iran is the premier evildoer in the middle east mr. trump and his lieutenants have left little room for dialogue. for more likely is another provocation by iran, and more intractable entanglement for the united states." how much to be risk escalating the tensions there and seeing a whole new war? >> well, to the "blame america crowd, who it sounds like realle the editorial, we never got involved with iraq until -- you

look since 1979, the many attacks iraq has taken against the united states, despite the fact we have never invaded iran. and yet somehow this is our fault. to those in the prior administration, it was under barack obama when we started the fight against isis, when they were as concerned as we were about the fact that these iranian militias, these shia militias, would be reenergized once the fight was over. this is a problem they always knew about. this isn't a donald trump issue, it's a fact that they want to destroy the united states. they say "death to america." we have to take them seriously. >> sandra: they are obviously options on the table for the president, as he is vowing in a tweet that they will pay a very big price. this is not a warning, the present route. this is a threat. a happy new year note on new year's eve. there are options including of a president strike back hard, the option that he could do nothing at all. axios writes, "don't leave out a third possibility that he could withdraw troops altogether in

iraq." how much do you see the president in line with his security team on the next move here? >> i think we will have to see what the next move is. this initial reaction, hitting the shia militia areas, was actually perfect and proportional. keep in mind, by the way, israelites these guys all the time. they hit iran all the time, and syria, no story. when we do but, of course, it's a big story. a withdrawal from iraq would have terrible shock waves through the world. it would be a terrible mistake. i don't think the president will do that, he is smarter than that. in overreaction to be a bad mistake. but i think a proportional response. the cost to iran is going to be more than any benefit they gain and they aren't going to allow us to be seen as weak. we also don't overreact. we have a lot of tools we can use and they ought to be fearful of that. >> sandra: we know hundreds of troops are on their way over in a deployment that has already begun. there will be multiple days of that. the president says thousands more are prepared to go over.

that is a possibility. what do you see in the days and weeks to come as this escalates? >> i think every day will be that we might be marching a little closer to a little action, maybe further away. it's been like this, frankly, for the last year. basically since 1979. keep in mind, the men and women of the military i really for his people 90% of america's unwilling to do that. that's a little the military. they are volunteers that want to go defend this country. we praise him every day for what they do. they are going to be our shield, our sort if we need it. iran will deftly be on the receiving end of that and it'll feel good for them. >> sandra: we think you for your service, by the way. congressman adam kinzinger from illinois. appreciate it. for more on this, today's headliner, defense secretary mark esper. he will join us and be our guest, top of the next hour, lives reaction to what's going

on. >> leland: a lot of news to be made. fox news alert now on the stabbing death of a new york city college student. we've been following this vivaldi weeks. the 13-year-old accused of killing us a majors is due back in court today. david lee miller picks of our coverage from here in new york. hi, david b speak of the 13-year-old we are not identifying because he is charge in family court is a juvenile faces multiple accounts. among them, robbery, criminal possession of a weapon, and felony murder. he faces that murder charge, although he is actually not accused of wielding the knife that killed 18-year-old tessa majors during previous court hearings they testify that the team admitted to his role in a robbery that turned deadly. they also say he implicated 214-year-olds at a hearing scheduled for 2:00 this afternoon. lawyers for the 13-year-old are expected to argue that the judge

should toss the purported confession. they say it's not admissible. the lawyers have already said even though the 13 years old was with an uncle during questioning, he did not have an attorney present. they will also likely complained the police battered and yelled at the client. as of this moment, the 13-year-old is the only alleged attacker that is in custody. a 14-year-old was questioned and released by investigators pending the results of forensic tests. another 14-year-old was also questioned and later set free. the college freshman, tessa majors, was stabbed to death last month just off her campus in new york's morningside park. her death shook not only the school but much of new york city. for many new yorkers, it has served as a reminder of the city's troubled past, high crime rates. many are closely watching what will happen outside family court later today. back to you. >> leland: watching so much of

the investigation, other possible suspects, as he pointed out. david lee miller, we will catch back up with you when the judge gets everything in. thank you, sir. >> sandra: 2020 democrats and feeling their fourth-quarter fund-raising numbers. one candidate raking in more than $34 million. who that is, and what it means, heading into the iowa caucuses. >> leland: at australia's deadly brushfires prompting a seven-day state of emergency. we will show you some of the devastating conditions the crews are facing. [radio chatter] need with liberty mutual. con liberty mutual solo pagas lo que necesitas. only pay for what you need... only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ our mission is to provide complete, balanced nutrition...

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>> sandra: fox news alert now on the out-of-control fires in australia. a state of emergency being declared in new south wales. destructive wildfires are raging on and expected to get worse.

the flames even overtaking and destroying fire trucks. one fire crew forced to evacuate their vehicle in a hurry. >> when we were in there, in the thick of it, we thought, "this could be it." because we got to a point where it was too dangerous to remain in the vehicle. >> it was right on my window. >> sandra: at least 18 people have died and those fires, and 1200 homes have been destroyed since september. the emergency declaration kicking off tomorrow with weather conditions existed to get worse. visitors being told to evacuate the southeast coast before the weekend. >> leland: top 2020 democrats posting their latest fund-raising numbers. here it is -- bernie sanders coming out on top, raking in a whopping $34.5 million, while other candidates also saw a solid fourth quarter. the primary's frontrunner, joe biden, interestingly enough trails both on that list.

bill mcgurn, former chief speechwriter for president george w. bush, fox news contributor, good to see you as always. we know that money does not always translate to votes, but does this at least question the theory that sanders has this high floor, no ceiling to be the nominee? >> it could. as you pointed out, every debate features democrats complaining about billionaires trying to buy the election. there at the end is poor old tom steyer, desperately trying to buy make the election. >> leland: [laughs] >> he can't break up of 2%. was interesting about that is if you look at the joe biden and pete buttigieg, they are almost mirror opposites in the sense that biden has managed to hold onto the lead even though everyone sort of expect him to tumble. but he can't attract the fund-raisers, maybe because they don't think he can do it for the long haul. whereas buttigieg can do great with the fund-raisers, but he's got a real problem with african-american voters. >> leland: mainstream candidates, the young guard, the

old guard, that you point out. back to that issue about billionaires buying the election, bernie sanders' is truly astounding is $34 million. it talked to that issue. here's what he wrote. "teacher was the most common occupation of his donors. the five most common employees for amazon, starbucks, walmart, the u.s. postal service, and target. the average donation was $18.53." amazon, walmart, starbucks, target. some of his favorite targets on the stump. >> i don't have the animosity to billionaires that seems to be driving the modern democratic party, even though they have two billionaires among their candidates. look, i think billy sanders is still a formidable candidate. if you look -- he's not going anywhere. he has no incentive to drop out. assuming that elizabeth warren may exit the race later, i think there's a lot of progressive votes for him to pick up. his problem is they are blocking

each other from kind of uniting those votes against joe biden. joe biden floats on top. >> we look at the real clear politics average right now, biden on top, 28.3. this is the national average, so it doesn't speak to iowa and new hampshire. sanders, then warren, that you pointed out. would you make of the fact that war and sort of had this rise? and they were all these headlines that went after warren and all her plans, "the wall street journal" has a view beds and editorials about that. a couple on the cause of her plans. then she drops a little bit, we saw these headlines, "bernie could be for real this time." >> with elizabeth warren, this is politics. there are always people look really good as a candidate on paper. i think kamala harris was one. >> leland: i will add one more to that, julian castro just dropped out of the reese, greece >> i would have thought kamala harris did a lot better. and elizabeth warren's problem, with all her plans, is not that

people like me oppose her. which, of course, we do, because we think it is nutty and spends too much money. it raises red flags even with people in her own party that might otherwise be amenable to her goals. they worry she's too extreme. she had a second question, and this is where bernie has an advantage. he admits the unsavory parts of his plan. in other words, taxes, "yes, your taxes will go up because of my plan. but overall you will be better." warren was saying, "magical you will do this without raising taxes." nobody believed it, so she added it to her -- also about credibility. is she being honest with us? >> leland: you bring up honesty and credibility and transparency about a different subject in your latest piece. this is bill mcgurn in the december 30th "wall street journal." "amy klobuchar 'a secret list.

when will the democrats say who they nominate to the supreme court?" is there for fear of the unknown for democratic voters, or do not want to put those names out because they can't run in the center? >> i think it's more the latter. this is another norm that donald trump shattered. he did it because he was sort of post to do it. ted cruz was running ads right after justice scalia died, that you can't trust donald trump with the supreme court. at the end of may, he released a list and then he released another one in conjunction with the philadelphia -- north of philadelphia, "the federalist" society. the heritage foundation. in other words, with they would like. i think it was a tremendous asset because he campaigned on it. i don't think democrats can do the same. if we knew who they really wanted put on the core, that might be a turnoff voters. trump of the votes of people who

rank to the supreme court picks as among their -- >> leland: jim alberta in his book made that same point about the supreme court and how important the list president trump put out -- go ahead. >> also for democrats the supreme court as their preferred legislature. it's more important for them, because that's where they want to get their stuff done. not to the elected representatives. >> leland: great summary of your peace in the journal, although it doesn't do it justice. mr. mcgurn, thank you, sir. >> sandra: chief justice john roberts warning americans may be taking democracy for granted. anything to look into their as we head into a senate impeachment trial? will discuss. >> leland: plus, women arrested for assaulting a jewish man in new york. we go live with the latest on the strand of anti-semitic attacks. i love rakuten, it's basically free money. it's an easy way to earn cashback on the stuff i'm already buying. when you have a child and they're constantly growing out of clothing, earning cashback from rakuten just makes everything easier. sometimes it's 3% sometimes it's 8% but you're

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>> leland: welcome back. sports fans are remembering and mourning the loss of two legendary figures, especially in new york. don larsen, the only player to pitch a perfect game in the world series, died last night. that legendary performance came in 1956 for the new york yankees. you can see the celebration right there, game 5 against the then brooklyn dodgers. as you can see the picture there, from the dugout with the yankees, he was 90 years old when he passed away. you're also remembering former

nba commissioner david stern. he ran the league for three decades and helped it blossom into a $5 billion a year industry. the nba says he died after suffering a brain hemorrhage last month. mr. stern passed away at 77 years old. >> sandra: now for the latest in a string of anti-semitic attacks in new york state. two women arrested yesterday, accused of assaulting a jewish man after taunting him with anti-semitic slayers. we are learning more about the suspect and the hanukkah stabbing rampage. jacqui heinrich of more details. >> the victim in this last attack, a 20-year-old hasidic man. he was punched in the throat in brooklyn. police say the women fold i'm camille slayers, and one of them through his onto the ground. she was charged with a felony. the alarming uptick in anti-semitic crimes in saturday's machete attack in monsey added hasidic rabbis home. in less than two weeks there have been nearly a dozen anti-semitic incidents around

the new york area, prompting insecurity around orthodox communities and big events, like a religious gathering with 92,000 attendees at metlife stadium not far from where many of those attacks happen. one of the five victims from the monsey stabbing is still in very critical condition. it is simply saying the knife directly penetrated his brain, and the 71-year-old may never regain consciousness. meanwhile, attorneys for that suspect deny that his motive was rooted in anti-semitism, saying he developed schizophrenia and bipolar disorder after serving in the marines. but military officials confirmed grafton thomas was removed from the marines due to a fraudulent enlistment. about a month after he began boot camp. there are new questions about whether he should have been on the street at all after reports reveal a 2018 arrested for allegedly menacing a police officer with a knife. a judge dismissed that case and would not comment on why, but thomas' mother said she called 911 asking for help for mental health workers come up but officer showed up.

facing federal hate crime charges and murder charge that the state level, he is due in court tomorrow. >> sandra: jacqui heinrich, thank you. we will have more coming up on all of the stories were you this morning. congressman lee zeldin will be our guest. leavitt 10:30 eastern with his reaction. >> leland: he's been very outspoken on the anti-semitism issue. we are also just moments away from the first market open of the year. when the bell rings, what can we expect? >> sandra: looking like more records. plus a new op-ed says the current house is so irresponsible, it would have impeached lincoln. who is making that claim? >> impeachment, i call it "impeachment light." it's a disgrace. nancy pelosi should be ashamed of herself. uh there a problem h? uh there a problem h? you're in a no parking zone. oh, i... i didn't know. you didn't see the sign? that... that wasn't there when i was here earlier. (whimper) really? you know, in italy, they let you park anywhere.

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>> sandra: let's take a look at markets here, on a thursday morning. the first official trading day of the year, and another record

today. almost a minute into trading, leland, and that that was up 123 points. major averages are on track to begin the new year and record territory. we've got a big close today and a new record to start off the new year. >> leland: a new record, unless you're almost being a record year in terms of how you saw the major indices rise, double digits for most, 20 plus, high 20s for the s&p 500, et cetera. what will be fascinating is if the energy we see that's in the markets right now follows through into the earnings season, where we get the retail numbers, in terms of what happened in the fourth quarter. >> sandra: the trade deal was a big uncertainty for markets in the final quarter of the year another is some certainty on that front as phase one is expected to be signed january 15th. if the dow closes above 106 points up today, that's a new record for the dow jones industrial average. so there you have it, first day of trading. >> leland: we will watch as the volume continues.

if fox news alert as julian castro, who at one point served in president obama's cabinet, has now dropped out of the presidential race. the tweet came out a couple minutes ago, saying he was grateful to all of his supporters. he is suspending his campaign for president, "proud of everything we do compass. i will keep fighting for an america where everyone counts. i hope you will join me in that." interesting, sandra. he was compared in many ways to the chris christie of the 2016 republicans. and that he went out very hard, almost in a suicide torpedo mission, against joe biden. and now he is the one who is out. >> sandra: day one, it's a new year, and he is out of the race. he has suspended his campaign. and an op-ed from a prison cell. former illinois government rod blagojevich writing an article blessing democrats of their impeachment process. they hathe headline reading thay would have impeached lincoln.

currently blagojevich is serving a prison sentence for corruption. joining us now, jim trusty, a former department of justice good morning to you. first i had to get reaction to that from you. what do you think? >> [laughs] any time you see an op-ed pen from a jail cell you have to ask yourself, "what exactly is going on here?" the good governor has been quiet about an awful lot of legal issues for a long time since he got sentenced. this is probably not a coincidence that he picks up on this one. i think the bottom line is he's hoping for a pardon. it's not an illogical leap to think he's hoping to getting on the map as being in favor of president trump that somehow that will translate into a reduction, a commutation, or a pardon of his sentence. >> sandra: he says they would have clambered for a robert mueller type figure to look into lincoln. the services of somebody who became a and the president's personal attorney says he would be

reeling to testify at the impeachment trial. he told reporters, jim, he would love to try the case and that he has learned a vast corruption involving democrats and ukraine. what about that happening in the new year? could it? >> rudy could be the only good part of televised events that we have when it comes to this impeachment. it would be incredibly exciting. he would be an absolute bomb-thrower. i don't think for a minute that rudy would follow the core more procedure, he would be all over the place. the problem is he's a wild card, he's a witness that scares both sides. so it's a little bit of "be careful what you ask for." if you are in the white house, you've seen what he does in the public when it comes interviews and public statement. he's a little hard to predict and he could do damage on both sides. >> sandra: he says he is still meeting from witnesses, has returned from ukraine and is looking for the right forum to air what he has gathered on all of that. i believe this is some of rudy giuliani on new year's eve saying he would testify in the

senate trial in his own words. >> i would testify, i would do demonstrations, i would give lectures and summations, or i do what i do best. i try the case. i would love to try the case. >> sandra: meanwhile, moving on from that, i will ask you about chief justice john roberts saying americans may take democracy for granted. a bit of a warning that he is putting out there. i will ask you about the timing of it. first, here's what he said. "we have come to take democracy for granted, and civic education has fallen by the wayside," he says. "in our age, when social media can instantly spread rumor and false information on a grand scale, the public needs to understand our government and the protections it provides is ever more vital." what is the message that he is sending there, and putting out for americans to see? >> i think he is focusing heavily on the independence of the judiciary. i think it's a cause that is near to his heart and it makes

sense, he's right about civic lessons. i've got three kids that went through the public school system around here, i felt like they didn't learn anything when it comes to civics or history. he has a right to make the point that you have to have an independent judiciary, although it's a little bit naive. presidents pick up justices and judges based on judicial philosophies, which do tend to track political philosophies. you got justice ginsburg a couple years ago trashing the president. to the kind of undercuts justice roberts saying how independent and how apolitical this branch must be, when one of his own nine has gone on record saying some pretty negative things about the president. >> sandra: in an x use peace, they suggest that this reads as a "mission statement" ahead of president trump's son impeachment trial, over which the justice will preside. could that be the case when you look at the time and all this? final thoughts? >> i think he's making the point, that the trial is nothing like any sort of case would

normally have. what is actual rule is as presiding supreme court justice, while route don't like rudy giuliani prosecutes, defense, speeches, testifies, it's really hard to tell what his role would be on any litera. he's trying to make the point he's not just a bagman, not just a conservative, not a republican. he's an independent judge. that's a fair point. >> sandra: is an important message. he says we should decide each matter with humility, integrity. as the new year begins returned to the task before us. we should each resolve, he said, to do our best to maintain the public trust. an important message from the chief justice this morning, his annual message he has put out. jim trusty, thank you for your time. happy new year. >> thank you. you, too. >> leland: this could end up at the supreme court maybe. driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants. this is under review, in terms of the driver's license laws. acting alexa cutie secretaries going for a study, hoping to see how it affects federal

enforcement capabilities. doug mckelway, a controversial topic perhaps on the campaign trail. >> sure will be, leland. it's long been known that the trump administration as opposed to state policies that allow illegal aliens to legally obtain driver's licenses. now it appears that affirmative homeland security is laying the groundwork to challenge this practice. 13 states currently allow undocumented immigrants to obtain driver's licenses, most reagan recently knew her, where it's believed as many as 265,000 illegal aliens -- most in the new york city area -- may seek driver's license. most troubling, the restriction of data sharing the federal agencies. after neighboring new jersey passed a similar law in decemb december, secretary chattel spoke out against it. >> there is a provision of this law which is very troubling. it restricts dhs's access to that data.

so this is homeland security investigations and cbp officers investigating crimes, building cases, looking at suspects that are not going to have needed to do their jobs. >> in an internal memo said on tuesday, wolf called for a department-wide study of how these state laws may impede federal enforcement capabilities. the ♪ ♪ recipients included customs and border protection and the department of transportation security administration. in the memo, wolf warned the department that new state laws needed to be "prepared to deal with and counter these impacts as we protect the homeland." new york's laws, like others, still requires applicants to pass a road test. proponents of the state laws say they will improve traffic safety by reducing the number of uninsured motorists on the road. leland? >> leland: we will wait for the report and the political fallout. doug mckelway in washington, thanks. >> sandra: the rose bowl coming down to the wire in pasadena, oregon going up 28-27.

the fourth quarter on the 30-yard touchdown. i was watching it live. wisconsin charges a controversial pass interference call that forces them to then punt. oregon hangs onto the win for a 28-27 battle. it was quite a game, were you watching? >> leland: i was not, but i'm surprised you wear. i thought this was a perfect moment to give you the opportunity to know that really normally lsu plays on new year's day. but they aren't playing. >> sandra: not this year, buddy. go tigers. at the battle of tigers, as you know. comes in. thank you for that! will be watching. you got the purple on today. >> leland: go tigers, i agree. it has been an epic holiday shopping season. accumulating in a boat load of returned gifts. if you are sending anything back, you are not alone. the postal service is expecting nearly 2 million packages today.

charles kane breaking down what that means. >> sandra: and we are looking back on the decade where social media changed journalism as we know it today. was that a good thing or a bad thing? we will ask howie kurtz. >> leland: there he is. suffered. ...for so long. it was kind of a shock after i started cosentyx... ...i wasn't covered anymore. i'm not constantly thinking about it. i'm still clear five years now. see me. cosentyx works fast to give you clear skin that can last. real people with psoriasis... ...look and feel better with cosentyx. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. before starting... ...get checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections and lowered ability... ...to fight them may occur. tell your doctor about an infection or symptoms,... ...if your inflammatory bowel disease symptoms develop... ...or worsen... ...of if you've had a vaccine, or plan to.

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>> sandra: kicking up 2020 with a bonus. each of them receiving a $2,020 tip. after donnie wahlberg and his wife, jenny mccarthy come at an ihop in st. charles illinois. i grew up a couple miles from there. meanwhile, witter northeast michigan getting a big 2020 tip, as well. she plans to use the money to reinstate her driver's license. [laughs] we won't ask! >> leland: we won't ask him about boy, does this reaffirm your faith in humanity can make everything we see in washington that is wrong, you look at this and say, "hey, there is still gd out there." >> sandra: tip will around the holidays, goes a long way. >> leland: you can see their

smile and how much they appreciate it. let's look back for a second i take stock of the past year's biggest headlines. those reporting that impeachment inquiry tops americans lists of the most important news stories of 2019. posted media buzz, howard kurtz. how much should we consider the source, how we? you think about the hill and people reading it clicking on the link and sing impeachment is the most important thing. you think back to two and 18 about the most googled news stories, it was the world cup and a couple of hurricanes. politics didn't hit until four or five. >> if you look at the most and won't don't like import between american right now with nancy pelosi sitting on the articles and how it's turned into a whole debate about process, it doesn't mean people unnecessarily following that closely. a recent survey say for more people paid close attention to the clinton impeachment than the

trump impeachment. i think that's because it's been such a party line effort, zero republican votes in the house and everyone feels they know the outcome in the senate. >> leland: in terms of the ark of the story, if you think back to 1998 during the clinton impeachment, twitter didn't exist. you didn't have really up-to-the-minute news. we didn't have smartphones. you write this about technology just in the past decade. "i'm intrigued by the notion that this unnamed decade has actually been pretty good. the felt awful because of the political polarization and nasty social media warfare, but on to the '20s. happy new year!" for those who cover the next 98 -- i wasn't among them but i followed it -- people said this was the most part us we've ever been. how could the republic lasted mere this divided? that looks like pleasant time compared to now. >> it has dominated all of the available media channels.

but now you have millions of people who can weigh in on twitter, facebook, instagram. to some extent that is healthy, it breaks a media monopoly and gives a voice to all these folks. at the same time, as you know, it can also be a very toxic set of neighborhoods with lots of misinformation, propaganda, hate speech, bullying. so that is the mixed blessing that we can now carry around that around the headlines on our phones. >> leland: there was a speech in which it was said, "when everybody's a publisher like on twitter and instagram, nobody is an editor. therefore the desire to shock and be disingenuous in the information and the incentives for that, goes up. it brings up a question about usa today, and they've gotten a lot of flak over an op-ed that was published as it related to the shooting down at that texas church. talking about that it was going to give pro-gun folks good talking points and it was good news for them, lamenting that fact, when you had this retired

fbi agent he was a volunteer shoot and kill the gunman before he was able to go on a rampage. for criticism of "usa today"? >> i think it is a fair criticism and also underscores how twitter has become like the world's chief media critic, because people could talk back after a story like this. if "usa today" was going to do a new story about the sky, train firearms instructor who took out that church shooter and saved many, many lives, maybe you should stop there. if you want to frame it as part of the gun control debate, then wilson is an example of the argument for people being able to carry guns in self-defense. to say, "yeah, but these other people had guns and they were necessarily trained," it sound like you're going from journalism to advocacy in the new story. >> leland: media buzz sunday at 11:00 a.m., question for you. how much more difficult, if you look back in the decade he talked about, does having twitter the job of a journalist? we know it's great because we can get statements and suit

people are saying, but doesn't make it difficult? does it actually hurt the idea of good, long-form, in-depth journalism? >> it hurts and two ways. one, too many of us spent too much time -- probably me included -- spewing on social media and likes time for actual reporting, which takes time. secondly, the new cycle, we used to talk about a 24-hour news cycle. now every 5 minutes it changes, especially with the commander-in-chief using his twitter feed. >> leland: amazing how is treat all my tweets don't seem to drive the new cycle like they did in 2017 where it was such a novelty to have instant response from the president. howie, great conversation. we sum it up in the words of one of our friends who says twitter is not relaxed. important to remember. happy new year. >> sandra: the fda expected to ban the sale of liberty cigarettes as soon as tomorrow. will this curb the spike in teenage vaping? >> leland: and then, hundreds of people lining up. we will tell you what it's for. well, we will tell you in the

tees. illinois has become the largest state that legalized pot. just how high our sales? ♪

>> sandra: illinois is the latest state to legalize marijuana. hundreds of people lining up at the start of the year to be the

first to purchase now legal pot. mike tobin is live in chicago with more on that. hey, mike! bigelow, sandra. there's not hundreds, thousands as illinois became the 11th state in the nation to legalize recreational marijuana. evidenced by the fact people are lining up by me now before the dispenser open for the second day. there is certainly no problem with demand. hundreds of people lined up, they started camping on new year's eve. they braved the cold. some say they waited in line and got high so they could get high. the line stretched around city blocks. one of the first people in line, at least into one of the stores, was lieutenant governor giuliani stratton. she and the governor have campaigned that marijuana cases have disproportionately impacted people of color. as the law went into effect, governor pritzker pardoned 11,000 position cases. >> the war on cannabis has destroyed families. it has filled jails. and prisons, with nonviolent of.

it has disproportionately affected black and brown communities. >> the big motivator is revenue. pot can't solve all the problems in illinois, the shortfall on the land of lincoln is in the billions. pot is expected to generate around $500 million. the city of chicago comes out about a $8 million short. for those waiting in line, they just want their weed. >> how does it feel to be the first buyer? >> it's better than christmas when i got my barbie dream house. [laughter] this is really exciting. it's wonderful. >> it is still illegal to transport your pot over state lines, so the people driving here from wisconsin cap stock up and go back home. sandra? >> sandra: mike tobin in chicago, thank you. >> leland: here's the question, what will the lines be like at 7-eleven and the quick stop next week for pringles, doritos, goldfish? good time to on those convenient stores. i couldn't resist.

>> sandra: we will see long lines there. >> leland: a fox news alert as we go back to our top story, tensions high in baghdad. that's a u.s. apache helicopter over the embassy. iranian-back to melissa rivers have withdrawn over clashes that the embassy. what happened now? mark esper is next. plus, a sanders surge. how much money bernie sanders' presidential campaign have raised in the final months of 2019. >> i'm just enormously proud of it. we have come up to this point, received more campaign contributions from more people than any candidate in the history of american politics. ane whatever monday has in store and tackle four things at once. so when her car got hit, she didn't worry. she simply filed a claim on her usaa app and said... i got this. usaa insurance is made the way kate needs it - easy.

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>> sandra: fox news alert, american forces on alert in the middle east following days of tensions there is iranian-backed protesters try to infiltrate the u.s. embassy in baghdad. and just moments, we will be speaking with defense secretary mark esper about the u.s. response and the growing tensions with iran. stay tuned for that. meanwhile, 2020 democrats reporting their fourth-quarter fund-raising numbers. senator bernie sanders taking in a massive hall during the final three months of 2019. welcome to a brand-new hour of "america's newsroom." it's the first day of the new year. i'm sandra smith. >> leland: second day of the new year, first day of work for you! >> sandra: [laughs] perfect! >> leland: i've been here. i'm leland vittert in for bill hemmer.

sanders raising more than $35.5 million, making him the top fund-raiser for the fourth quarter so far. we do await reports from the full field of contenders. that field shrinking by one. julian castro has announced he is dropping out of the race. remember, sandra, he had that one moment where he went up against joe biden on the issue of age and experience, the torch needs to be passed to the new generation, et cetera. he had a blip, a lot of google ratings, a little fund-raising blood, than out. >> sandra: that's a develop meant we watch. as we mentioned, we are waiting on mark esper, defense secretary, to do an s moments from now. he has just announced a troop withdrawal, but that has already begun. as we begin to seek tensions escalated in the middle east, leland. a good time to have him on. >> leland: fort bragg, north carolina. members of the 82nd airborne there, the rapid ready action for us, headed out there to the middle east.

the pictures, the aftermath of the u.s. embassy in baghdad after those iranian-back to moshe's attack defense secretary mark esper. thank you for being here this morning. >> good morning, thank you. >> sandra: how would you describe the current level of tension and threat in the middle east as we speak? >> they are obviously high. we have had iran-sponsored motion groups attacking u.s. forces now for several months. it culminated in the death of americans last week and the wounding of several soldiers. we responded with attacks, strikes on multiple sites of kataib hezbollah, and iran-sponsored terrorist group. the president, quite forcefully. it was a very bold and decisive move.

it asserted our right of self-defense and the fact that we will act in order to defend our personnel and our interests in the region. >> sandra: could you provide some clarity on the troop deployment that has been announced so far? 750 going over, thousands more prepared to go. what does the time i look like and what does the possibility look like that more are sent? >> priority for us is always a safety and security of our people, whether it's diplomats, american citizens, or forces in the region. we feel very sure that our embassy as well-secured, and it has sufficient capability there to deter anything that happens. just the same, it is prudent based on lessons learned over the past that we deploy additional forces to either reinforce that site or other sites in iraq, or frankly any other location in the middle east, as this thing escalates, if it does indeed escalate. >> leland: mr. secretary, he put the words "iran" and "embassy" together, we think

about the siege in tehran and the lessons learned from there. protesters made it into the compound and took over. what are the rules of engagement for our soldiers now at the embassy? anybody comes over the wall gets shot? anybody tries to break in a window in the interior gets shot? how much leeway do they have and what are the red lines for the use of force? >> clearly we always have the right of self-defense and we have more than sufficient capability on the ground at the embassy, and we are poised nearby to respond to anything. but it's born to back up and understand a few things. first of all, the embassy situated in a compound over 100 acres large. it was built in the wake of 9/11 and other things, so it's a very strong and capable facility that would be very hard to breach. it would be a bad day for anybody who tried to do that. all that has happened so far is that these militia groups who were directed by iran to go out and do this demonstration, if you will, this show, they got

access to the outer compound that was supposed to be defended by iraqi security forces. as we know at this time, they have retreated. but we are prepared just the same for anything else that could happen. >> leland: you make an interesting point, it was supposed to be defended by iraqi security forces. you also make the point that the embassies in the green zone. the only way for these militias to get there was through multiple checkpoints, the most secure part of baghdad, et cetera. and come over a bridge. are you worried that if this was not coordinated, aided and abetted by the iraqi government, that there are elements of the iraqi government so aligned with iran that it is a wink and a nod for this kind of behavior? >> the iranian government is coolly done not clearly trying to work its interludes also in iraq and baghdad in particular. i think it's one of the reasons you've seen thousands of normal, average iraqis over the last several months protesting either corruption in their government or the maligned influence of

tehran into their government. it's something we watch carefully. we of course support a strong, prosperous, and independent iraq. we respect iraq's sovereignty. at the same time we will defend ourselves and our interests of our people in baghdad. >> sandra: the president tweeted out they will pay a big price. he said this is not a warning, it's a threat, in a new year's message. your secretary, what is president trump's willingness to further engage there? >> look, the president has been very engaged. the national security team has been on the phone with him or has met with him daily, if not every few hours. he wants to make sure that our forces are well taken care of, that we are capable of, pushing our mission on the ground, and he is absolutely correct. if anybody challenges us, they will be met with a severe response, a strong response by u.s. forces. >> sandra: what does that response look like? >> i'm not going to telegraph we are going to do. people know we have vast

capability to do any number of things. we will act in response to actions by iran or its proxies, and we will act to preempt any attacks on her forces, our personnel, by iran over its proxies. >> sandra: are president trump's views on how to proceed in line with that of the security team? >> absolutely. we all agree on the importance of asserting our right of self-defense, of protecting our forces, defending our interests in the region. again, you've got to remember that we are in iraq working with our iraqi partners to ensure the enduring defeat of isis. that something we work closely on, with the president's direction we were able to physically defeat the caliphate that remains physically defeated, if you will. and now our aim is to deter further iranian bad behavior that has been going on now for over 40 years. it's time that iran started acting like a normal country. >> leland: it's a long list of bad behavior, and i'm glad you brought that up. you and i both have spent a lot of time in the middle east, sir.

in your time during the gulf war. it's like a sandbox in grade school. sometimes bullies don't understand sanctions, tough talk, deployment, air strikes against proxies. bullies understand a punch in the nose. is there a time the iranian bullies and the ayatollahs needed punch in the nose to their leadership, that goes beyond merely sanctions and rhetoric? >> again, i'm not going to speculate with regard to next steps. i would just reiterate that we retain the right of self-defense, of our forces, our interests, our partners in the region. we said that very clearly going since my time in office now, and at the time or the iranian-sponsored attacks on the saudi oil facilities, as well. we need to stand up to iran and we need them to behave like a normal country. that means ending their nuclear program, ending their long-range ballistic missile program, the stopping of hostage-taking, and of course there maligned behavior where they are inspiring terrorist groups, resourcing and directing them

all the way from africa across the middle east and into afghanistan. >> leland: i get the demand, sir, but it appears the iranian regime is not really listening. they still have robert levinson. as you noted, they attacked the saudi oil facilities and there was not a military response. they shutdown the u.s. drone, and there was not unti a militay response rate so far there's only been a military response against their militia in iraq. is the idea here that only the loss of u.s. life will result in a u.s. military response? >> well, what needs to happen is the international community needs to come together once and for all and condemn iran's bad behavior. to help us with a maximum pressure campaign, and to tell iraq -- i'm sorry, to tell iran that it's time to sit down, behave like a normal country, and come up with a plan with regard to their various aspirations that addresses everybody's concerned. it will take the international community to do that.

that's what we call on them all to do. in the meantime, again, we will continue to defend our interests, support of friends and allies, and defend principles such as the right of commerce and navigation into the strait of hormuz. >> sandra: to that point about the international community, what's the coordinated response for the international community to respond? >> because it was from a friend and partners both in the region and in europe and elsewhere condemning the attacks on the embassy, we've had private shows of support as well with regard to our actions. again, i think it is time for the international community to come together and stand up to iran and tell them that they need to stop this once and for all. >> sandra: obviously there's a lot of options on the table that could further escalate the situation there, or not. president trump is going to respond. he could respond forcefully, he could respond i do nothing. he also could withdraw -- shock everyone and withdraw troops altogether from iraq. is he considering all of those

options? >> again, i'm not going to talk about what the president is or is not considering, but he is committed to defending her interests, our personnel, our friends in the region, and of course standing up to iran and deterring iranian bad behavior. we will either respond or take preemptive action as necessary to make sure that we defend those interests. >> leland: he made an interesting point, that it's time for them to act like a normal country. they have it for four decades. there were four times, one was operation praying mantis. another is something you know about well, after the second gulf war when they suspended their nuclear program after george w. bush invaded iraq. those two times are times of his proportional u.s. military response to an adversary, and the iranians back down. are you worried that the only way they will back down this time and act like a normal

country is with an overwhelming u.s. military action? >> well, it's up to them to decide. we told them what they need to do on multiple occasions, and we are prepared again to defend ourselves and defend our interests. we have shown a willingness to exercise and use the military to do so, and we remain prepared to do so in the region. >> sandra: as we discussed exploiting don't like escalating tensions in the middle east, what is next for north korea? how does the president and his defense team plan to respond to the situation there? >> we think the best path forward with a garden of korea is a political agreement that to nuclearizes the peninsula. we are on that path, we are going to remain on that path, and be obviously will urge kim jong un and his leadership team to sit back down at the negotiating table to do that. with that said, from a military perspective, we remain ready to fight tonight as maybe. but as importantly, enable our diplomats to get an agreement

done. we would urge restraint by kim jong un, and at the same time we work closely with our partners in south korea to ensure the readiness of our forces on the korean peninsula. >> leland: nuclear blackmail is a game plan the kim family knows pretty well. we don't need to tell you that. to the issue of military deterrence, john bolton, former national security advisor and north korean hawk, he tweeted yesterday there needs to be congressional hearings on whether or not our forces are indeed ready to fight tonight. can you give us anything beyond the assurance, some hard facts that the kim regime needs to understand in terms of what "ready to fight tonight" means? >> we have a full array of forces, they are ready. they are air and naval, marine, army forces. we have our south korean partners with us, and we have a broader set of allies and partners out there, as well. i am confident in the readiness of our forces to deter north korean bad behavior, should that fail to fight and

win as necessary. >> sandra: if you could just lay out a timeline of what is next in the middle east, as far as u.s. response and coordinated response, international response? what can we look forward in the hours and days to come here? >> my crystal ball doesn't work that well, but i will say that we will continue to reinforce our presence from a military perspective in the region. to protect our personnel, whether they are diplomats or american citizens were military personnel. we will ensure the readiness of our forces throughout the region to every respond or preempt any type of attacks on u.s. forces. at the same time, i know secretary pompeo is working aggressively to talk to our allies and partners, wherever they are. in the immediate region or beyond, to build political support for what we're doing. i would call on the international community to say it's time finally for iran to start behaving like a normal country. >> sandra: we know secretary pompeo postponed his

planned trip to ukraine because of all of this. the 750 troops that have been deployed, what will they be should be? where are they going first? >> they are deploying to the region. i would give specific locations, but their immediate mission will be to prepare to reinforce our sites in iraq first. more broadly, as need be, to make sure again we have sufficient force protection on the ground. >> sandra: mark esper, we appreciate you coming on "america's newsroom." thank you. >> leland: you point out they have a busy couple weeks, even the best couple of days and hours over there. we appreciate your time, sir. thank you. we will have a lot more on this, not only with the political a-team but congressman lee zeldin, who serves on the house foreign affairs committee. his thoughts on this. he just came back from the region over the christmas holiday. >> sandra: plus, the 2020 money money race. which candidates are working in the cash? as he roll on toward iowa. the a-team is on deck to discuss what that could mean in the race for the white house. >> our campaign has done wit

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♪ >> sandra: the numbers are in pre2020 democrats are porting their fourth-quarter numbers. senator bernie sanders leading the way in fund-raising, raising more than $34.5 million, followed by pete buttigieg, andrew yang, and tulsi gabbard. we are waiting for some of the final tallies from elizabeth warren and joe biden. all this coming as the democratic field is shrinking by one today, just about an hour ago we got word that julian castro is suspending his campaign. let's bring in the a-team. james freeman, assistant editor for "the wall street journal." happy new year. he's also fox news contributor. matt gorman is a former nrcc

communications director, and genies in it was a professor of political science at iona college and a senior advisor at applied economics. no we got out of the way that this is the second day of the year -- [laughter] good of you to be here. we are well on our way to the 2020 election paid what do you think >> this democratic fight will go on a long time. for people who have been rooting for a contested convention, it might actually happen. you mentioned the four reports that are in, two more in terms of war and end biden who are probably raising 20 million plus. they've got the two billionaires, tom steyer and michael bloomberg, then you got john delaney, who's a successful business men out in the political arena. steve got maybe ten or more people or close to it who can go a very long time in this race if they want to. >> absolutely. bernie sanders has no reason to drop out anytime soon. his poll is a very steady, right around 20%.

he's kind of like billy joel. you know what you're going to get, he plays the hits, you go see him, he hits the same thing every time. he has a clear message. i also think now is the time where you got to focus on cash on hand, as well. it's time to spend the money you've raised. joe biden had a very high burn, spending great last time. the only reason he dropped out is you don't have any more mone. >> interesting question on this point. the general consensus on bernie sanders as he has a high floor. but a pretty low ceiling. there's not a lot of appetite beyond the people who already like him. do these fund-raising numbers call that theory into question? >> i think they do. i think anyone who thought that heart attack had slowed him down it all has to take a second look at this. he has an amazing ability to fund raise in small amounts. let's not forget, he nearly would have taken this thing from hillary clinton in 2016.

he is, i think, a lot more staying power. an important message out of all of these numbers that we are getting in is what james was talking about, who can withstand the first four states? i think we are seeing is, unlike in previous cycles, you've got five, maybe 7-who could well be in there through super tuesday. we are not even talking about the billionaires that are out there. i would really say that the person to pay attention to is mike bloomberg and a lot of this, because he is running a disruptive campaign against the president. >> both of these guys were nodding at that. >> bloomberg has got, unlike mayor pete, who is now leading in iowa and among the top contenders in new hampshire, mike bloomberg has a real record of achievement and he has got that record in the biggest city in the country. not the 299th largest city. to the extent that people are talking about pete buttigieg, i think the bloomberg alternative gets more compelling. >> sandra: interesting. what about unions and bernie sanders? he got the sport in 2016, here's

the politico headline this morning. "we are busy." [>> i think the unions are playing it smart this time. there are so many candidates in the race. we haven't seen a lot of the big unions go with candidates beyond biden. i think they are trying to take a "wait and see" attitude this time. they don't want to jump into quickly. this isn't hurting somebody like a bernie sanders that much, if they do get behind him, which they may well do. you have even more money than he has on hand, and more support. >> the person who has a lot of money on hand right now is president trump. he reported 25 plus million dollars, he's the incumbent, and more than $100 million on hand. on one, it's listen the combined >> everything president trump raises, he is going to lie in wait for the general. a lot of credit has to go not only to president trump, but the

rnc. they were a week or two from shutting the lights off at the place. reince priebus followed by president trump and ronna mcdaniel, they have a new payment processor, they have all really taken this fund-raising now in the new stratosphere. it will only go down that group as we get later in the year. >> sandra: what about susan collins connect this is a "washington times" headline. when it comes to the impeachment vote, it makes senator susan collins a target for democrats. here we are kicking off the new year. "washington times" writes this, "she has raised $5.6 million for a campaign and has been running campaign ads were full-year from the election." they believe she's more vulnerable than in previous election cycles, saying "she has shown that when push comes to shove, she is just another partisan in the age of mr. trump." james? >> i think there may be reasons why susan collins in particular wants to demand a longer trial were more expensive one. i think generally there is not a lot of pressure on republican

politicians. the impeachment fervor looks like it peaked in october in terms of the public appetite. when you have less than half the country favoring less, i really don't see it going anywhere. >> absolutely. lets her member, too, the vote that gave us brett kavanaugh, very influential with that. with that also means is you have democrats going after her and that's where it essentially started. she activates conservatives. republicans have done a very good job drawing a straight line between our republican senate and republican judges. democrats cannot do that. someone who votes for judges and is a consistent vote for judges, like susan collins, can be helpful obviously when the time comes. >> sandra: jeanne? >> i think a big question, how much room does mitch mcconnell give her to make the kind of statements she made over the last few days about the impeachment? he cannot afford to lose. they have to be careful --

>> what about cory gardner? >> i think he is another really interesting -- he is in a similarly difficult position here. mitt romney, lisa murkowski, collins, gardner, these are the people we are watching. mitch mcconnell has to hold at least some of them so they don't get in bed with the democrats. >> sandra: she made a lot of headlines in that radio interview which she said she was open to witnesses. >> even if she persuades about of colleagues, mitch mcconnell will had to seed the request, i'm not sure that's better republicans. i don't think the democrats are necessarily going to enjoy a deep discussion, and witnesses involving burisma and the biden family adventures. >> sandra: thanks to the a-team, happy new year. >> leland: fox news alert, there's a little bit of de-escalation in iraq. protesters are pulling back from the american embassy following a violent attack. but the united states, as we just heard, is not letting his

guard down. >> sandra: plus, a recent string of anti-semitic attacks sparking outrage and calls for action. he's been outspoken on the issue, congressman lee zeldin will be left to join us on both of those topics, next. >> it so important to santa given solitary. we are grateful today to be the recipients of solitary. the recipients of solidarity from people across different communities, across all backgrounds, we want to stand with their jewish brothers and sisters in our time of need. . ...that is certain. but history tells us that economies don't live in a vacuum. we need to prepare for uncertainty. and you can... with rosland capital - a trusted leader in helping people acquire precious metals. call rosland capital today at 800-630-8900 to get started. gold bullion, lady liberty gold and silver proofs, and our premium coins, can help you preserve your wealth. call rosland capital at 800-630-8900

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>> we need to stand up to iran, and we need them to behave like a normal country. that means ending the nuclear program, ending their long range ballistic missile program, the stopping of hostage-taking, and of course their maligned behavior where they are inspiring terrorist groups, resourcing and directing them all the way from africa across the middle east and into afghanistan. >> sandra: that was defense secretary mark esper a few moments ago on this program talking about the 2-day crisis at the u.s. embassy in baghdad,

the seat outside the compound ending after pro-iran militia men clear the area they are. u.s. officials remain on high alert with the pentagon sending in hundreds of troops. congressman lee zeldin, serving on the house foreign affairs committee, drags us out. congressman, good morning to you. welcome back to "america's newsroom." first, your thoughts on what you heard from the defense secretary a few minutes ago? >> his words were appropriate. the actions have been appropriate and proportional. we saw marines immediately deploying to help solidify the embassy in baghdad. we also saw the gelling from the 82nd airborne division at overseas. in the middle of these, there were images of 82nd airborne division paratroopers leaving fort bragg and c17s over the atlantic heading to the region. it's important to send a message to an adversary, to let them know what options we have.

as we've seen over the course of not just years but decades and generations in our country, look at normandy over 75 years ago. there was that first unit, that first wave. they were effective, and there also was a message, a powerful message that ends up getting sent, where it was unit after unit after unit after unit, wave after wave after wave after wave of options, where for the united states of america losing isn't an option. you have that threat being placed, not just to u.s. troops inside of an embassy, but also to u.s. diplomats inside that embassy, which is sovereign territory of the united states. we are absolutely going to defend them at all costs. v7 congressman, it's an interesting point that both the secretary made and you are making in terms of this buildup that is going to happen here, an issue show of force, et cetera. look back in history over the past 40 years. iran has never really acted like a normal country. the couple of times they have was not because of a show of

force, but because of an act of force by the united states. when is it time to stop talking, as if he but he seems to be doing, and start acting against the people who have tried to take over the u.s. embassy? who shut down our drones? who are mining takers? >> the maximum pressure campaign, we have primarily four and sermons of national power. diplomacy, information, military, economics. for there to be changed within iran, this is not something the united states wants to -- or necessarily should -- shoulder that burden on her own. secretary esper spoke earlier about the international community stepping up more. that's important. but it's also important for those millions of iranians inside their country want a better future for their nation to take control of their own destiny, on their own. it is their nation, not ours. but we are going to protect our troops. we are going to protect our

people. just lets me come as you mentioned earlier the program, throughout the centcom area of operations, we have troops not just in iraq but elsewhere focus on the iranian threat. a threat on land, a threat at sea, its shipping routes, making sure that the streets of former's are open for shipping. what's going on in yemen, with the huthis. the iranian threat, they are financing assad in syria, propping up hezbollah in leban lebanon. so our actions toward iran is not just making sure messages being sent as far as what that military option looks like, conventional to unconventional. in real time, what we are doing to be able to help other middle eastern countries protect against destabilizing the region. one country to the next and one threat to the next, ensuring that the good guys are winning. because there really is a new

sheriff in town. more than just withdrawing from a fatally flawed iran nuclear deal, jcpoa. but it's one that needs to be multifaceted. at the end of the day, to the first point that i made, the best-case scenario was for millions of iranians to take control of their own destiny and not expect the united states to do it for them. >> sandra: we will see what happens in the hours and days to come. we want to move on to what we've been seeing here back at home in new york city, a wave of anti-semitic attacks. almost every day leading up to the end of the year. a man assaulted by another man using anti-semitic slurs, everything up until yesterday. a man verbally and physically assaulted by two women here in new york city. "the new york times" editorial board take this on an headline this morning, "march against anti-semitism." they write, "jews are being attacked in the streets of new york. new yorkers can't stand for that. what's called for now is a mass stand of solidarity against anti-semitism. we need to march in the streets

together." as a new york congressman i know met with the president on this. he spoke to president trump about how to identify this problem and what to do about it. with the answer? >> what we saw a couple weeks ago with the president, he signed an important executive order to combat anti-semitism. there are so many different options. i think what is important for any elected official, for any community leader, especially those who were in and around new york city, it's not just about identifying what one option is that they can do to help. but identifying what all the options are that need to be done in order to assist. first off, you have some elected officials and community leaders inside of new york city who are still silent. that is problem number one. wherever there is anyone who can be speaking up to help stand up and crush what's going on, to identify the threat in order to eliminate it, that's important. you have some elected officials who will associate with the likes of anti-semitic activists

such as linda sarsour, tamika mallory. there were two women's marches in the beginning 2019. there was the one that associates with anti-semites and the one that doesn't. it's important with some of those relationships that you have with the officials. come back in bds -- >> leland: do you think the reaction of the lawmakers you are talking about would be differencdifferent if the perpef these anti-semitic attacks were members of the white nationalist movement rather than members of groups that they are? >> there is a 100% likelihood that if the attackers were wearing "make america great again" hats instead you would see a much more robust vocal -- not just local, but national response, flipping out over what's going on. right now you are seeing more of a targeted response, and some people are silent. that's a problem.

in order to crush these threats with anti-semitism you have to be willing to identify it. that's why opposing bds is an issue, not just on college campuses. you have young kids who aren't able to get to school safely. you have people who aren't able to worship safely, protecting religious freedom is important. what happened just north of new york city in don my toward the end of hanukkah, people celebrating, observing a hanukkah party inside of a home. individuals having the right to protect themselves. also to shame these people who are committing these acts. let's put their mug shots up and set an example, so people know that if it's just an attack on one jewish person on a street that they are going to become nationally known for all of the wrong reasons. i'm just starting to brainstorm what really are 1,000 options, that all should be pursued as opposed to just trying to find one and check a box. >> sandra: congressman lee zeldin, we will have you back soon. thank you very much. happy new year to you. >> thank you.

>> leland: it's a second day of the year but the first day of the markets. they are soaring at the open. the first trading day of the year, wall street close the books on a blockbuster 2019. how long do the gains last? moneyman charles payne in white sneakers walking out! >> sandra: yes! good to see you. whoa, this is awful, try it. oh no, that looks gross what is that? you gotta try it, it's terrible. i don't wanna tray it if it's terrible. it's like mango chutney and burnt hair. no thank you, i have a very sensitive palate. just try it! hey guys, i think we should hurry up. if you taste something bad, you want someone else to try it. it's what you do. i can't get it out of my mouth! if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. it's what you do. dog, dog, dog.

>> markets are open for the first time in 2020, and they are opening a bang. dow right now up 128 points, hitting an all-time high. optimism over a trade deal with china, usmca, all of the above. charles payne is here with us, making money. so this is the record now in the first two hours of trading. first hour and a half for the dow, the s&p, and the nasdaq, charles. is this the way the year is going to go? >> i think so, i think it'll be

remarkable. i really do. the trade stuff is intriguing because beneath the surface we still have tariffs on $300 billion with of items, which ironically two years ago all the experts said would sink our economy. but you think about the momentum we've got going in, i think some of the things that were sort of headwinds glass you will become tailwinds. two things in particular, looking for business amendments to pickup, structures are going be tough. particularly oil wells in those kind of things paid but business investments will pick up household formations. i see the residential area picking up. those things, with the momentum we've already got, i think you have a great year. the thing that always worries me the most is the federal reserve. the good news is that you've got the two hawks on the federal reserve, it's a man and woman, who wanted to knock down cut rates. they are out, they don't get a vote. the most dovish guy, neel kashkari, comes in and get the vote. so we get a more dovish

federal reserve. some good with that. then there's the so-called black swans, we don't know who they are. if they did, they would be black swans. >> leland: this time last year after we watch the nosedive, he made an argument of the markets were talking themselves into a recession. as you noted, not much fundamental has changed. earnings are still going along about the same way. are we talking ourselves into a rally? >> there were two things last december. it was the media on the federal reserve. that's why said the fed is he only that can hurt us. i thought it almost tilted us into a recession, and then when the day we found out december, one of the largest month over month wage increases in the history of our country, and one of the biggest month over month stops and spending. we were afraid, but the rates, we didn't know why they were going to keep hiking rates. we were in a real ugly predicament. that change january 2nd when jay powell had his own epiphany. speed let's finish up with a couple things here.

the market rally, we will keep watching that. small business employees are seeing wage booths. is this happening naturally as a result of the booming economy? >> it is, it's wonderful. let me tell you how to get this 4.1% thing. hourly wages are up a little more than 3%. a lot of folks have been saying over the last few years that we desire find if they are going up, but i need my hours to go up. well, ours are also up. that's what gets you to a total of four co. you are making more money and they are giving you more hours. >> sandra: what is also up? package return. [laughter] everybody goes, "i don't want that." and they head over and return their packages. it's supposed to be up 20% year-over-year? >> that's just the ups number. brick-and-mortar will be 10%, holiday e-commerce sales. >> sandra: good luck in those lines! [laughter] >> after you told everyone how much you loved the gift. ["i loved it!" piece of it feels like charles hess and extremes in this category.

speech nobody returns gives that charles gives them! charles, thank you. >> you got it. >> leland: one thing you will perhaps not be able to bind the coming year? flavored e-cigarettes. disappear from store shelves. federal officials prepared to announce a new strategy to tackle underage meeting. what to expect, and next. y! but right now, is not the time to talk about it. so when you're ready, search 'my denture care'. poligrip and polident. fixed. fresh. and just between us. if you don't get it will be a massacre. good luck.

>> leland: this breaking over the holidays, the fda cracking down on underage vaping. federal officials expected to announce a soon as tomorrow a ban on most flavored e-cigarette pods. evidently teenagers commonly use the flavored ones. joining us now, dr. marc siegel, professor at nyu. fox news contributor. good to see you. does banning these flavored pods, fruit flavored, et cetera -- will actually change whether teenagers the vp? where does that make it a little more inconvenient? >> it is certainly making it more inconvenient and it will decrease the numbers. teens are clever and they find other ways around this. for example, right now, to give you an idea, juul has 70% of the market. there are no flavors on the market from juul other than menthol and tobacco flavor, which kids hate. they don't want that. they want mint. they want mango. they don't want creme brulee they don't want the ones that

taste like cigarettes. guess what? other manufacturers are still making this stuff. they are still on the market. here is the rub -- something called puff pods are replaceable cartridges not made by juul that you can plug into a juul. so that's one way around it. then there is something called pulse bars, which are disposable flavored e-cigarette cartridge-like pods, which i don't know if the ban is going to cover this. in other words, juul took a lap and they said, "okay, we're pulling this out of the stores," but other manufacturers didn't. these puff bars are becoming a huge craze among teens. it's huge on social media. i'm hoping that the fda ban covers this. >> sandra: in the board to point out when you look at the statistics, 5 million middle and high school students using e-cigarettes. that's a national youth tobacco survey. you hear about this all over the country. middle schoolers, high schoolers, warning them about the dangers of doing just

this. but you often point out that you would still prefer a patient do this rather than traditional tobacco. and you say that was the original intent of these kinds of products? >> sandra, that is well said. exactly what i would say. initially we thought, "whoa, i wonder if this would work as a tool to get my patience off cigarettes." you know what? it does work. a new study in "the new england journal of medicine" this past year shows is the best will have. i like to use the nicotine patch and e-cigarette -- >> sandra: but these products are bringing other customers into the realm that they wouldn't have ordinarily been? >> wasn't supposed to be there. it's disingenuous marketing. twice as many high schoolers are vaping e-cigarettes this year than last year. you know what else they've made? a vaping culture's they are vaping marijuana type products. that's also what leads to those illnesses, the lung illnesses. it's better lungs and very good

that they are at -- >> harris: we appreciate your time. a lot more on breaking news and baghdad, pro-iranian militias pulling back from the u.s. embassy in iraq. tensions remain high. we are alive in the middle east, top of a brand-new hour. long. i felt gross. people were afraid i was contagious. i was covered from head to toe. i was afraid to show my skin. it was kind of a shock after... i started cosentyx. i wasn't covered anymore. four years clear. five years now. i just look and feel better. see me. cosentyx works fast to give you clear skin that can last. real people with psoriasis look and feel better with cosentyx. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. before starting get checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor about an infection or symptoms, if your inflammatory bowel disease symptoms develop or worsen, or if you've had a vaccine... ...or plan to. serious allergic reactions may occur. i look and feel better with cosentyx.

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>> sandra: fox news alert on tensions running are in the middle east, more u.s. troops now deployed in the wake of the violence each of the u.s. embassy in iraq. welcome to a brand-new hour of "america's newsroom" on this thursday morning. i'm sandra smith. >> leland: a lot from defense secretary mark esper about that interesting details in terms of what's happening right on the ground. i'm leaving the dirt in for bill hemmer. two days of clashes and now the iran-backed militia men withdrawn from the american embassy in baghdad. questions about who ordered that and why. the situation is still volatile, we are told. a top commander is made clear that his country is not afraid of conflict. here's defense secretary mark esper on "america's newsroom" last hour. >> i'm not going to speculate with regard to next steps.

i would just reiterate that we retain the right of self-defense, of our forces, our interests, our partners in the region. we said that very clearly. going since my time in office now and at the time or the iranian-sponsored attacks on the saudi oil facilities, as well. see h trey yingst is following this from jordan this morning. trey? >> sandra, good morning. with the united states and iran appeared to be preparing for the possibility of a direct military confrontation. as we speak, there are hundreds of u.s. service members flying to an american base in kuwait. those service members come from the 82nd airborne division. their battalion has thousands of more soldiers, according to reports, on standby. the iranians today also saying they are prepared. a top commander in iran's revolutionary guard said his country was not moving toward war, but is not afraid of conflict. that commander adding iran has the power to break america several times. all of this after the u.s. embassy in baghdad came under siege for two days earlier

this week. orion-backed militia men and protesters destroyed parts of the embassies setting fire to other areas of the compound. this, in response to bus attack on sunday that killed 25 fighters in the group kataib hezbollah, a group backed by iran. the leader ayatollah khamenei did say today he's up in the confrontations with the united states if the trump administration goes back to agreements related to the 2015 nuclear agreement. they made very clear they intend to keep up the maximum pressure campaign to try and cripple iran's economy and get them to change their behavior. one point to note here, or during your interview earlier today with u.s. defense secretary mark esper, i think the largest online to look at out of this morning, the defense secretary telling you and leland that the u.s. is not ruling out taking preemptive action. that is a huge turn of events here, because originally this was all pitched to the american public as a simply defensive action. right now we may see u.s. forces

taking more proactive steps in the middle east, to counter those iranian threats in the region. >> sandra: trey yingst and jordan, thank you. more on that coming up. now to the race for the white house. with a little more than one month before the iowa caucus, vice president joe biden picking up the first endorsement from a member of iowa's congressional delegation. during this that was bret baier. bret, good morning to you. >> good morning, happy new year. >> sandra: happy new year to you. here's a statement from them, endorsing biden. we need a president who reflects the same values and will make as their top priority. joe biden's character, record, and commitment to rebuilding the backbone of the country, the middle class, is what iowa and this country needs." we have certainly seen in recent days leading up to all this joe biden pitching himself to the middle class. your thoughts as we begin the brand-new year? the election year? >> this is a significant

endorsement for biden. any endorsement in iowa is really good, because you get some power behind it. but biden has been trailing, as we've seen polls in iowa and close in on that february 3rd iowa caucus date. abby thinking power comes from a district that president trump won in 2016. she then won in 2018. vice president biden campaigned with her during that effort in 2018. not surprising she is returning the favor and endorsing him. what it comes dominic was to tell you is that biden is tapping in to some of the people who are concerned about the party going too far left, and that they think it needs to be sort of toward the middle like a biden, amy klobuchar, and v pete buttigieg all competing for the same votes. >> sandra: very interesting. is a political headline, speaking of amy klobuchar looking for an edge. talking about her strategy, the militants don't like minnesota senator spoke to at towns who

voted for obama. might that give her a leg up in some momentum in the new year? >> she is trying to find an end dominic engel , an avenue. that is good one for her. if you look at this in buckets. progressive vote is being split between elizabeth warren and bernie sanders. pretty significantly. you have this other bucket, as i mentioned, pete buttigieg, klobuchar, biden, fighting for the same voters. she's going to places that voted for president obama in 2008 and two dominic 2012 but voted for president trump in 2016. claremont, new hampshire, one of them. she spent a lot of time there over the past days. she is looking to pick some of those voters up and surprise in both iowa and new hampshire. >> sandra: from that article, "klobuchar's director said they are focusing on places others have avoided, especially towns that went to obama in '08 and up on voted for trump in 2016." we will see how that works out

for her. meanwhile, fund-raising numbers for q4 are in, bret, they are impressive. bernie sanders, $34.5 million for the quarter. pete buttigieg, $24.7 million. elizabeth warren, $17 million. the joe biden, $15 million. i'm sure you've got some analysis on that, but you have to put that against the trump campaign reeking in ranking in $46 million as well. >> its hand over fist, really. some $10 million in the days after the impeachment. they have really tapped into the anger about that, and made a campaign issue. so they are bringing in a lot of money. the overall war chest to something like $125 million on hand, cash on hand. that is a big, big pot to play from. you have to give bernie sanders credit. remember, he is raising money with a big field that at one time was 20 candidates. he has $34.5 million for this quarter, and the key part is that they are all small donors. it's about $18, the average

donation to bernie sanders. all of those people have a lot more they could do, as he continues to raise money. bernie sanders is not slowing down at all grade in fact, i think he is speeding up as you get closer and closer to the iowa caucus peerless and the new hampshire primary. don't be surprised if bernie sanders is right there at the end. for the democratic party, there are some of that party you are really concerned. >> sandra: very interesting. it's all opening so fast, there is the state of the union, new hampshire, all of your given super bowl done, of course. >> and the impeachment trial in between. speed and that image would come of force. julian castro, the race is her changing. dropping out officially, suspending his campaign. we got word about this morning. he's out of the race, brett. >> he ran a campaign that was a long shot but he did have some big moments, especially on the debate stage. he was the biggest antagonist

for his fellow texan, beto o'rourke. he essentially, he deep-sixed the campaign with an exchange about guns and immigration and two send it on my consecutive debates. beto o'rourke was considered top tier after exchanging with julian castro. he fell off the map quickly. i would expect him to go away. he will be a significant part of the democratic party process. i'm sure you will be looked at as a potential vice presidential nominee. >> sandra: we look forward to seeing you back in the anchor chair tonight, special report at 6:00 p.m. happy new year to you. >> leland: fox news alert as we are learning new details about the man suspected of a stabbing at a hanukkah celebration, and there are no questions about whether he should have been out on the streets in the first place. meanwhile, an attack on a jewish man in brooklyn adding to the rush of anti-semitic violence in new york. jacqui heinrich joining us with more on that, and also the

reaction to it from local politicians. hi, jacqui. >> hi, leland. the victim is a 22-year-old hasidic man. he was punched in the fruit in brooklyn. police arrested two women, charging one with a felony. police say she yelled slurs, through the victim's cell phone to the ground, and assaulted him. in less than two weeks they've been about a dozen anti-semitic incidents around the new york area, prompting increased security around orthodox communities and events. one of the five victims in the multi-stabbing is still an particle condition. his family released a photo, and we want to warn you, it is very graphic. they fear the 72-year-old may never regain consciousness, saying the machete went through his skull and penetrated his brain. >> josef is not good. he sustained multiple injuries. he has a fractured skull. he has been sliced, through his

neck. he has a shattered arm. >> they say he's not an anti-semitic person i developed schizophrenia and bipolar disorder after joining the marines. her mother claims she tried to get him in a mental institution. grafton thomas was removed from the marines just a month after boot camp for fraudulent enlistment. an investigator says after his arrest on saturday they found his journals referring to adolph hitler and. there are also questions about whether he should have been on the street at all. he allegedly met us a police officer with a knife. that case was conditionally dismissed. attempted murder charges at the state level, and he is due back in court tomorrow. leland? >> leland: lees on earlier , if these were white that nationalists. jacqui heinrich, thanks so much. speed now to the teenager accused of the stabbing death of

a new york city college student, back in court. what we could expect from the hearing today. >> leland: some new information surfacing about real estate tycoon robert durst. he is awaiting trial on a murder charge from 20 years ago. we are learning about an anonymous note that is now a key piece of evidence. >> bob durst did not kill susan berman. he does not know who did. team at newday usa droppiy is helping more veterans refinance than ever. the newday va streamline refi is the reason why. it lets you shortcut the loan process and refinance with no income verification, no appraisal, and no out of pocket costs. one call can save you $2000 every year. call my team at newday usa right now. $@'0a[óñ4hx40y@zx2x - in the last year, of cybercrime every second. when a criminal has your personal information,

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go to xfinity.com/moving to get started. >> sandra: dramatic footage showing a potential kidnapping in las vegas, take a look. a woman sprinting up to a door and moments later a man catches up to her. they struggle for a few moments before he then drags her way. police say the woman is between 20 and 30 years old. they have not identified the suspect or the alleged victim. >> leland: andy fox news

alert, as the 13-year-old boy accused in the murder of a new york city college student is back in court today. david lee miller was reporting on this earlier. the nypd said tessa majors was stabbed to death while walking and in upper manhattan park. police think there are as many as three suspects involved. criminal defense attorney bob bianchi is here. wow, this case has taken so many twists and turns. at one point the 13-year-old said, "i give the knife to somebody else." the 14-year-old was on the run, the police arrest him finally, and the 14-year-old is out of jail now. how do we follow this? speak with the strange thing. from a prosecutorial standpoint, this is the only thing i could read in the tea leaves paid the 13 euro gives a detailed confession, which will be argued today as whether that is admissible. he gives information with respect to these other two teens. one of which they bring to the police station, question m, and then they released him. if he had given information they felt was credible, they probably

would have been -- >> leland: when you say "he" -- they have the 13-year-old saying that's the guy, though. >> this is what's strange about it. that could mean the 13-year-old 'statement is not completely accurate, which is better for prosecutors. they need that 13-year-old right now because they have no other evidence. somewhere down the line they have to make a deal to testify against the other two. >> leland: conceivably if his confession is kept in, he gets a worse deal than if his confession is thrown out. if it gets thrown out, his defense lawyers have a lot more leverage after today. >> the weird physics of this case, if the confession goes income he becomes a cooperating witness. the prosecutors need to be able to use his confession. they need to use him to be able to tell the story, because they don't believe he is the stab her. they believe he went there to rob, he picked up the knife and give it to the kids, the other 14-year-old stabbed her because she bit his finger during the course of this incident. so they need that 13-year-old on

this they can develop some really significant independent evidence. right now it doesn't seem like they have it. >> leland: in the meantime, the family of tessa majors mourns her death. brings up an interesting point is you look at how the police investigated this. there's a lot of discussion that the beginning of this investigation was handled pretty sloppily by the nypd. it harks back to the central park five, some other issues. as a former prosecutor, do you believe this was done by the book? >> listen, i've been involved in so many homicide investigations where the media was printing certain things i knew were absolutely not accurate. by the same token, the s prosecutors and police we try to keep that information tight because we are in the middle of the investigation. i can't say right now whether they had botched lead the station. they got videotapes, they have somebody to give a statement, they brought in the other person who is a potential suspect. i can't really say right now -- 's piece of an interesting point, everyone can be out there attacking and saying they've done a terrible job and it turns out they're just holding their cards. that's a very good point. onto this, with this murder investigation and saga that has lasted years.

robert durst, real estate developer and the subject of an hbo show. take a wash of a clip of the show and see if it jogs your memory. >> so, what do you think about this note? does this note mean anything to you? >> that's your address, block letters, somebody is hiding their signature. and they spelled beverly wrong. >> can you think of a reason why somebody might right a note like that? >> i can't imagine. can't imagine. >> leland: he can't imagine why somebody would right a note like that in the hbo special. that is the note that told police where the body of this murder victim was. now, his lawyer says he did right the note. >> profound change of course. as a defense lawyer, as a prosecutor even, i'm trying to figure out why they would have said that he wrote that note. the judge admitted, handwriting experts. i can tell you, especially when

you're dealing -- they are easy to discredit. what has been done now, now that they've admitted that, they put durst at the location where all the time he said, "i was nowhere near that." especially the misspelling of the word "beverly." in the middle of the interview, durst says the person who wrote it had to be the murderer. now they are saying, "i wrote it." they are admitting it. for the life of me when i read it, unless the client is forcing you to do something that come as a lawyer, you're giving them advice not to do, i can't imagine why they would do this. the prosecutors will get that out, it puts durst there. don't forget, susan berman was about to speak to law enforcement about the murder of his wife and a couple of days. so you have motive, means, and no opportunity that's been presented. in addition to that, you've got to now say "my client is a liar." >> leland: this has been going on a long time. as you noticed, his first wife was found in 1982. that's 37 years ago.

i'm 37. berman was shot now 19 years ago, as we put up the pictures. these are two women's murderers who have effectively gone unsolved, and the killer not brought to justice. durst goes on trial. it's not going to change? >> is going to change in terms of what will happen to him? in my mind he will be convicted. don't forget, after he was confronted in the jinx with the envelope that showed beverly spelled wrong, he goes on a hot mic into the bathroom and says, "you are caught." this is what he saying on the microphone. "what the hell did i do cannot kill them all, of course." >> leland: we watch the trail. bob bianchi, thank you. sandra? >> sandra: me know the battle over impeachment will be one of the big fights awaiting congress in 2020, but there are others. what those are, coming up. plus, new danger in the australian wildfires as thousands of tourists are not affected.

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yeah? yeah. turn questions you've always had into stories you can't wait to share; with ancestry. >> but i've got to the point where it's too dangerous to remain in the vehicle. >> sandra: firefighters in australia describing the moment they were surrounded by a major wildfire in new south wales new south wales. brushfires continue to rage in the southeast, thousands of tourists and locals are being ordered to leave and head of conditions there. more on this developing story with us, benjamin. >> hi, sandra. these fires have become what are known as mega-fires. dozens of brushfires and forest fires merging into one to create effectively a furnace, all up and down southeast australia. 12 million acres have burned. that's an area twice the size of connecticut, a at least 17 peope

have been killed and these are not the worst fires on record , caused by extreme heat waves and droughts. it's the lowest rental since 1900. it's the worst in the world on thursday. more than 1400 homes have been destroyed and the state of emergency has not been called, giving authorities more control, more power to move people out, and the military has been called in. in one remote region, and eb troop carrier is preparing to evacuate up to 4,000 people trapped on a beach by the advancing wildfires. prime minister scott morrison has been heavily criticized for vacationing in hawaii during the fires, and also for insisting the responsibility belongs to state rather than federal governments. serious firefighters had refused to shake his hand, refused to talk to him. the fires have been burned for months and they are expected to continue for months, at least until rain arrives. the fires are so hot they are melting fire trucks. up to 100 degrees fahrenheit.

smoke reduced visibility on the road, down to 6 feet in places, making drives highly dangerous. a contingent of u.s. and canada firefighters arrived, to offer their expertise. nevertheless, because of the worsening conditions, it's feared these will continue for some time now. sandra? >> sandra: benjamin hall, thank you. >> leland: it's 2020. brand-new numbers from a key battleground state for the 2020 general election. new pull back from former vice president biden with a narrow lead over the president had to head, 47 to 45. he is the only one of the democrats polled who won. we bring in jehmu greene, former candidate, fox news contributor, and former press secretary to house republican whip. noted alabama fan, we are glad you didn't celebrate too hard yesterday.

thank you, sir. >> thank you, leland. >> leland: here's the question, jehmu. should they take a poll like this into account that shows biden is the only had to had victor in florida [laughs] should voters take polls into account? i would say in my gut no. i would hope that the voters are looking at the ideas these candidates are putting forward. certainly, leland, we are hearing from democratic voters that electability is their top concern. these polls do provide some indication, but i think we have seen many polls where our entire lineup, even when you are looking at 20 different candidates, beating chubb in different ways. >> leland: hold on, important note, though -- most of those are national polls. they are not state-by-state. especially in key battleground states.

pennsylvania, michigan, wisconsin, florida. it shows consistently that biden is not the only one is almost always one that will be the president. >> and that's great for vice president biden, and that's good for democrats. we have a lot of time left. i know the media and the folks that have different skin in this game want this to progress faster than the voters have a chance to weigh in on, and that's just not the american way. but i do have to say one -- >> leland: but what do we have to talk about all the time? it always reminds me that polls don't matter unless you are the one in the lead, right? [laughs] let's think about time for a second. the democratic convention is taking place this summer. we've got six months between now and when the democrats have decided who they believe can be president trump. as a republican come out when i hear you electability argument, i like it. if biden is going to be the front-runner, i don't believe

joe biden can keep up with donald trump in a general election. we saw was in 2016 as trump rent john mike with her and picked up several different primary candidates because he would go and get up early, and sometimes outwork them. i don't see how biden and his team can compete on that level. >> leland: amos, i didn't to the research, but i think if we pulled some sound bites from you at this time in 2016, i don't think you were saying donald trump was going to the next president of the united states. we've been writing the headline, "the demise of biden," jehmu, since before he got in the race. and yet he has consistently come a pillar to post, been on top of the national polls. is it time to stop writing the demise headline under the working assumption that he very well might be the nominee? >> look, i certainly never wrote that headline. he was the vice president to one of the most and still most popular people in this country. they accomplished amazing

things. there is no surprise that he is the front runner. speaking of demise, i have to give props to secretary julian castro, who dropped out today. i think he ran an incredible campaign, and he is the future of the democratic party. the ideas he was putting on the table are still going to be a part of this debate. that's why, who cares about the polls? these candidates are going to have to reach voters' hearts and minds. instead of a debate of insults. >> leland: conceivably the voters are talking about who is in their hearts and minds in the poll. julian castro succeeded in taking one person out of the race, that's beto o'rourke, the opponent bret baier mentioned earlier. he didn't succeed in taking joe biden out of the race or even damaging. you can see the head-to-head matchups as it stands. biden beats trump by 2% in florida, which would be a huge electoral win. trump beats warren by nine,

trump beats sanders by five, pete buttigieg by four. what is interesting in all of those, jehmu, we look through the cross tabs, that is the breakdown of who supports who and why. biden gets 92% of the black vo vote, pete buttigieg only get 77%. does that disqualify him in terms of an electability argument back >> there is no question that mayor pete has an incredible amount of work to dot with black voters, to answer questions about some lack of leadership that we saw in south bend around issues. of concern to black voters. again, these candidates aren't in a general election against president trump right now. they are competing democratic votes, we are going through this process, we are not going to get ahead of it or let the media decide who the candidate is. which, you know, has played to republican's benefit, and now we have president trump. i think we have to do this

differently as democrats. i'm hoping that y'all, us in the media, will allow that to happen, we went. >> leland: the conversation continues. people don't seem to mind normally when you talk about them if it's good news. amos, talking about the look at 2020, if you look at everything in the prism of the presidential race -- which is what it has become and with the conversation has become -- what happens on capitol hill? you got a divided hill, and yet there are some things that seem to have bipartisan support. does usmca get passed by the senate? are they able to do anything other than just try and put up partisan points and play to the base? >> i think you bring up a really good point. you are about to lose them on the productivity in the united states senate because of impeachment. that leaves you three or four months to really get things done until we start having democratic presidential conventions and are public and president conventions of the summer. you look at usmca, you look at

the surveillance, you look at perception drug prices. i think anything that's going to get done, all the members on capitol hill right and i will have to go explain this between now and november. there are some must have in past packages and legislative proposals that will move, but everything else is going to be really slow. once we hit june and july, this turned straight into presidential politics until november. >> leland: jehmu, you talk about the double digits of 2018, house democratic freshman who won districts that president trump also won. how worried should they be that they had back to their districts in places, in battleground states, like iowa, like michigan, like pennsylvania, where impeachment is not popular? even with democratic voters were swing voters. they are going to have to explain that congress didn't get much done except agreed to spend more money and impeach the president. >> maybe amos did celebrate a little bit too much, because democrats in the house have gotten a lot done. the d-nothing approach to

congress is all about mitch mcconnell. if you look at the lower drug cost act, the elijah cummings act that was passed, if you look at background checks, legislation that was passed, if you look at all of the work that nancy pelosi has been doing around voting rights, they have been passing legislation and mitch mcconnell has been sitting in the senate literally boasting about doing nothing. i think he has been doing that since 2008 when president obama came into office. this is malpractice, what we see happening in the senate. >> leland: mitch mcconnell is -- >> it's not impeachment that's going to stop them. it's a fact that they are lazy and they haven't been doing -- >> leland: let's stop with the name-calling. unquestionably, the facts hold off for it, that mitch mcconnell has not brought up a number of pieces of legislation that have passed out of the house. >> proudly.

>> leland: in fact, he has not brought up more than he has brought up, amos. does this open those swing state senators? republicans. i'm talking particularly about somebody like cory gardner or susan collins. to an attack of, "hey, you don't like congress is doing? at this and it isn't bring up anything." >> you will see the texan went to that. if you are talking to you- nothing congress, nancy pelosi stood in the house and said we must impeach immediately, we can no longer deny. as soon as it passes the house there's a delay coming over to the senate. you have to imagine, all of these members of congress, all these elected officials, went back over the break and had to explain that. why is there that delay? why have we not move forward on this? would need to be done? >> leland: we are getting the wrap, which i'm sure some people probably thought about during that new year's and christmas celebration when the political conversations at the table went a little long. amos, jehmu, i appreciate you both being here. thanks so much. >> didn't happen at my house. did that happen in yours, leland? >> leland: i was here working,

you are the one that had it off! [laughter] >> regardless, there's a growins resolutions that has a lot of people skipping alcohol for the entire month. >> leland: why would you do that? >> sandra: who should or who is, raise of hands, taking place done my part and died january? next. that we've ever offered. at newday, veterans can refinance their mortgage with no income verification, no appraisal and no out of pocket expenses. and we've extended our call center hours so that every veteran can take advantage of these near record low rates.

♪ >> sandra: beyond the headlines, today we are digging into a viral online challenge called dry in january. probably familiar with it by now. challenging people to go without alcohol for the entire month. for some it's a bigger feat than others. doing this now, tom shillue, comedian, fox's radio host, and fox news contributor. he is going to do dry january or not? >> i'm against it! [laughter] >> sandra: why? >> i'm catholic, we have something called lent. that's what i do my giving up of things. by the way, it's 40 days. so we have the january people

beat already. we tend to wait until lent. i don't tell me what i'm doing. "what did you give up?" i keep it secret. >> sandra: if you are doing dry january you have to announce it everyone, in every new donna grimm you walk into. >> come to my house, i offer you a drink and you are doing dry january, just say "no, i'll have a ginger ale." don't say come up to go by the way, i'm doing dry january. want to join my instagram feed commit" no. >> sandra: it's no fun if you're not telling anybody you're doing it! or else this will happen when you walk in the room. in the most at brunch during the first week of dry january, these are some instances that were provided, people going through this. and what do you do? "just one more before i begin." do you send it back? >> it's not that strong of a drink. >> sandra: [laughs] >> don't be rude, go ahead and drink it. mimosas and buddy mary, i don't think these things count. how about you give up the hard liquor? no straight stuff. >> sandra: i suppose who's

making the drink. >> you know who gives us up? >> sandra: can we say it on tv? >> he calls them quitters. [>> sandra: these are the other people engaging in dry january, they make it clear to everybody who is not participating. when you are the only one in the friend group who is not participating in dry january, more for us. i guess people go, "you know it? a bottle of wine goes to me then." >> when it comes time to split the check, right? we are still splitting it five ways. you have your multiple drinks, and this is the time you get away with it. >> sandra: and if you're at an all you can drink mimosa bar, i guess just keep sending them to that one person who is not engaging! wine versus wind, those were not drinking the wine are going to be whining when it special in my day and you have to substitute wine with whine in dry january. >> their life revolves too much around alcohol. in all seriousness, if you had

too much over the holidays and you have to take a break, take a break. i'm sick of sharing everything prayed everything has to be viral challenge, they're dumping water on their heads. i know that's a couple years ago. but i don't like these challenges. it makes me want to not participate. like when they grow a mustache in november? no, i'm going to grow my 'stache in august. i do want to be part of your stupid viral challenge. >> sandra: are you going to have a mustache? >> maybe. i will start mustache august. >> sandra: so, dry january. here's to those who will engage in dry january. no alcohol, good for them. those who are not going to participate, cheers. drink responsibly. >> how about this, though? give it up for january, why don't you give up social media, too connect to a twofer and i don't have to talk about your stupid january. >> sandra: [laughs] we leave it there. nice to be on the headlines a few. we will see you on "the five" tonight? thank you. leland? >> leland: want to discuss

there, politics, and also something we've been tracking throughout the holiday week. two missing ido sibling spare the mother and her husband still refusing to cooperate with police, no suspicions are rising over the stepfather's former wife's recent death. plus this, one homeowner starting the year and we might call a little note. her michigan lake house ended up in pieces at the bottom of the cliff. how this happened, when we get back. >> i looked up, and it was like this drone just pulling away from the foundation. in a big boon. as a struggling actor,

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>> house tingling over the edge of the shoreline rock, all along lake michigan, for months now. finally collapsing. it had been new year's eve in white river township, michigan in an area plagued by beach erosion. the homeowners have been trying to fix the problem with the help of contractors but it was too late. luckily she was at another property when the house fell. >> leland: we've been following this now for a couple of weeks through the holidays, and now idaho police fear that two children missing for one don't knock months are in grave danger. the suspect and suspect, their mother, knows where they are what has happened to them. meanwhile questions are being raised around the recent death of her new husband's former

wife. marianne rafferty digging into this mother and what police think. >> hi, we went. still no sign of lori vallow's missing children and no word from her husband, chad daybell. another bizarre twist in this case, ten days before daybell's former wife, tammy, died in october, she filed a police report seeing a man in a mask approached her in her driveway and dry-fired a paintball gun as at her as she was unloading groceries. she died in her sleep on octobe. a coroner's dominic initially said she died of natural causes, but police have more questions. >> the more we looked, the more it looks like something that needed to be investigated further. >> investigators say weeks after tammy's death, chad daybell married lori vallow. also contact donna contact my word family members tammy's buddy was exhumed in

utah for an autopsy, then lori's brother died mysteriously. he shot and killed lori's former husband, charles vallow, in july. the brother claim self-defense. police are investigating that case, as well. >> it's hard to come up with evidence that is necessary to take care of this, and one way or the other come to conclusion. >> the search continues for lori vallow's children, 7-year-old joshua and 17-year-old tylee ryan. some experts believe the kids make space might be with members of their religious group, an offshoot of lds that focuses on the end of the world. >> we will go get them. just let us know where they're at. >> so far lori and chad daybell have only communicated with police through their attorney, saying they resent recent "speculation and rumors." leland? >> leland: the attorney still won't say where they are. marianne rafferty in los angeles, thanks. >> sandra: the siege may be

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>> leland: fox news alert as the coast guard has now suspended its search for the five remaining crew members of the crabbing ship that sunk in the gulf of alaska. following the latest on this from our seattle be real. i met, dan. >> very sad ending to this drama that unfolded at 10:00 when they called a made a call into the coast guard, saying that it was taking on water. this happened in the gulf of alaska. in the ship was heading out for the beginning of caught season, of those long crawlers that goes out for crabs. at 10:00 p.m. on tuesday, that made a call went out.

they whipped into action, sending four helicopters, two planes, and a cutter that way. four hours after the initial mayday call came in, they spotted the light. and it turned out to be a couple of the crewmembers and a raft. they got to them, rescue them in survival suits. they had been in the water for a few hours, and they were taken to safety. the wind was horrible. it was 45 to 60 miles per hour. it was 10 degrees out, and wave swells -- get this. 30 feet high. it is really amazing that they were amazing to rescue those too. but the search continued for another 20 hours, but then they did finally call of the search this morning after 20 hours. this is the first real disaster in alaska and the fishing industry since 2017 when the destination went down, killing all six crewmembers. alaska's fishing industry has gotten a lot safer in recent

years, but it is still considered by the federal government to be the second most dangerous job in the u.s. leland. >> leland: we learned that by watching "deadliest catch." was this one of those types of books, to put it in perspective? >> this was exactly the type of boat. it goes out not only for crabs, but for the cod season, which begins in january. with that type of wind and that type of cold, it can freeze up very quickly and get very dangerous out there. 30 seconds to a minute if you don't have a survival suit on. thank you, dan. >> sandra: well, it is musical flashback. ♪ ♪ that is the andrew sisters recording on this day back in

1941. the song became number 46 on u.s. top charts, but it soon became an iconic tune. it was recorded 79 years ago today. love that looked back. >> leland: good to have you. the lady is on "outnumbered" have it. >> president trump ordering more troops to the middle east after the violent to each of the u.s. embassy in baghdad. thousands of iranian setting fires and smashing through bulletproof windows. the ap releasing new images of destruction from inside the u.s. embassy. windows blown out, and of the charred remains of paper, office furniture, and shelving inside the baghdad complex. and while they have withdrawn, tensions remain high. u.s. citizens advise not to go anywhere near the