>> breaking this afternoon, presidt trump tweeting within the past hour that his attorney, rudy giuliani,s that tested positive for the coronavirus. his diagnosis coming after his son andrew tested positive late last month. welcome to "america's news headquarters," i'm arthel neville. eric? eric: hello, arthel, i'm eric shawn. we send our very best wishes, of course, to mayor giuliani who has been serving as the president's personal attorney during his legal battles over the presidential election. he has been for the past few weeks crisscrossing the country for those legislative hearings and the court cases, and was last seen not wearing a mask at a georgia state senate hearing

thursday. there he's wearing a mask outside. mark meredith lye at the white house with more -- live at the white house. rudy giuliani is a formidable presence. i first started covering anymore 1982 when he was the mob-busting u.s. attorney here in new york. he cut crime as new york city mayor two terms, changed the culture of this city, divided new york through 9/11, and he has put his heart and soul into everything he does, into his current mission, and-even on with maria bartiromo e this morning despite this diagnosis of coronavirus. what is the right newt the white house? >> reporter: eric, good afternoon. i'm sure the president also sending his egg wishes to rudy giuliani, somebody who is known nationwide as a hero of 9/11 and, of course, most lately as the president's strongest defender when it comes to the election and legal challenges. the president broke the news less than an hour ago on where else but twitter. this is what the president had to saw.

quote: rudy giuliani, who has been working tirelessly to expose the most corrupt election in the history of the u.s., has tested positive for the china virus. get better soon, rudy, we will carry on. as i mentioned, giuliani has been one of if not the most loyal defenders of president trump. he supported president trump for years, endorsing him back in april of 2016. he's a mainstay on cable news, also making an appearance on fox news earlier today. no indication then that he had, that he knew he had tested positive, certainly didn't say anything about the diagnose know us. we have not gotten an update on how he's feeling. we've reached out to him, waiting to hear back on that, but the president offering his well wishes. but giuliani a has also faced criticism outside the state capitol speaking to a number of people. he was in georgia, michigan this past week without wearing a mask. a lot of people that would crowd him when he was going to these events. i was at the one in michigan. huge swarm of people, but the

latest news there, the former new york city mayor testing positive for the coronavirus. meantime, the president keeping a low profile today after campaigning for the two senate gop candidates in georgia last night. in his speech the president said the stakes in the peach state senate runoff could not be any higher. >> the most important congressional runoff probably in american history. there's never been a time like this where you have two at one time. at least you have two buy fews. and you know what? you also have two beauties running against them. >> not to be outdone, democrats are relying on former president obama campaigning virtually on friday, democrats say more than 500,000 people watched his event and that the party saw a huge surge in volunteers afterwards. we are also watching what's going on with the food and drug administration, this week it's expected to hold an emergency meeting to discuss whether or not to authorize pfizer's advantage seen candidate, a advantage teen that's believed

to be -- vaccine that's believed to be 95% effective. hhs secretary alex saw czar says they're working hard to distribute the vaccine as soon as it's approved. >> we're looking at really historic accomplishment. you know, six months from when at the president's direction i created operation warp speed, we're looking to have mutt billion vaccines fda-approved and close to 40 million doses released by the end of this year. >> reporter: the white house would like to see it approved sooner rather than later. the fda pushed back last week saying they needed this time to evaluate the data. so we'll watch that. eric, as you were mentioning, rudy giuliani, the president's personal lawyer, somebody who's a friend to the trump family and well known not only in new york, but all over the country, testing positive for the coronavirus. eric: absolutely. i remember in the '80s there was a mafia hit put out on rudy

giuliani. if the mafia couldn't get him, coronavirus will not either. we wish him the best. arthel: indeed, we do. we'll speak later about it in the show. republican senator kelly loeffler will go head to head with democratic challenger raphael warnock for their very first and possibly only debate before the january runoff elections that will decide control of the senate. let's go to jonathan serrie, he is live in atlanta with more. jonathan. >> reporter: hi there, arthel. there will be another debate taking place with the other senate race but only one caught present, senator david perdue will be represented by an empty podium because of his anticipated no show at this evening's debate against democrat jon ossoff. that debate is scheduled to begin in less than an hour from now. this weekend ossoff campaigned

in the suburbs east of atlanta with democratic running mate raphael warnock who will be debating republican senator kelly loeffler later in the evening. >> i'll be standing on that stage but hope is what's hanging in the balance. and jon -- [inaudible] future of our children, covid-19. >> if david perdue doesn't want to answer questions in public and debate his opponent, that's fine, he he just shouldn't run for re-election to the united states senate. >> reporter: last night senator the senates appeared at a rally with president trump in valdosta, a return to the polls on january 5th and vote in georgia's u.s. senate runoffs. >> if you're our voice on january 5th, we'll be your voice for years. we have to make sure that we

keep america strong. >> god bless you. we love you, mr. president. we love the first lady, and we're going to fight and win those two seats and make sure you get a fair and square deal in the state of georgia. >> reporter: and, arthel, senator loeffler and challenger warknock are scheduled to debate at 7:00 eastern tonight. back to you. arthel: thank you very much. and you can catch the debate right here on fox news channel. martha maccallum's coverage starts at 6:45 p.m. eastern, so tune in a little bit early for that. and senator loeffler and reverend warnock will begin their debate at 7 p.m. eric? eric: while they're debating there, inauguration day is 45 days away, and president-elect joe biden's been facing pressure to a more diversity to to his cabinet, several groups pushing for a female solicitor general. jacqui heinrich joining us from

all mington, delaware. >> reporter: good afternoon, eric. biden has been under continued pressure to appoint a diverse cabinet, now he's also getting call for a black woman to become the fourth highest ranking official at the department of justice. several progressive groups reportedly urged president-elect biden to make good on his commitment for a more equal and just legal system, writing: while we do not yet know if or when you will have the opportunity to appoint a supreme court justice, you do have an opportunity to immediately make history by appointing the first black woman to be solicitor general, a position commonly referred to as the tenth justice. other groups have been ramping up pressure for biden to choose more black and hispanic people for top posts. california congresswoman karen because note that when vice president-elect kamala harris departs the senate, there will be no african-american women in the upper house, and she said she's willing to ten into that role if asked. she also voiced support for a

black secretary of defense. >> for do fence secretary there's two individuals that the congressional a black caucus would like to put forward, lloyd austin and jeh johnson. >> reporter: but biden filling out his foreign policy team, president trump's director of national intelligence is warning biden to take threats from china seriously are, calling china more engaged in covert influence than russia. dni john ratcliffe still doesn't acknowledge biden as president-elect, but says he needs to make it known to the more than people. >> i want to make sure that the american people are clear on the threat so that they can hold whoever holds these important national security positions accountable. that has to continue regardless who holds these are important national security positions. >> reporter: biden told "the new york times" he doesn't have any plan to immediately are undo president trump's signature china tariffs, but he does want to coordinate with american allies for a more collaborative

china strategy and also make investments in american industries to better compete with china. eric? eric: all right, thanks so much. arthel? arthel: most of california and mexico under lockdown as covid-19 cases continue to climb there. the new measures take effect tonight and stay in place for at least three weeks, surely to affect the holiday. christina coleman is live in los angeles with the very latest. christina. >> reporter: hi, arthel. well, the lockdowns will start tonight for millions of people. they start in regions. when icu capacity, the remaining capacity, falls below 15%. also with just learned that california broke its record yesterday for new daily cases, logging more than 30,000 new infections in a single day. the southern california region now has 10.3% icu capacity remaining. the san joaquin valley region's

icu capacity took a nose dive since friday, now sitting at 6.6%. that area includes central california. five counties in the bay area are starting the new restrictions early to try and avoid e the spread of this virus, to true and slow it down. but some of this has been confusing with all of the different restrictions. but now that the astronaut orders are in effect for more than half of california's counties, officials say they need to be followed along with strict or guidelines that local authorities might have in place. that means that holdouts like pasadena, which last week refused to comply with l.a. county's controversial outdoor dining ban, now has to fall in line. all of these changes have some business owners at their wits end. >> friday until the end of the numbers haas night, we did $2500, you know? is so, i mean, i can't even pay my kitchen staff with that. you've still got to pay your health department fees, luck

corps license fees, you have to pay your electric bill, you have to pay everything to keep this place going, and if you're only bringing in $2500 a week, you know, i don't even know. >> reporter: as for that bar owner in sherman oaks who went viral on friday, angela marsden was upset to find meal tents set up for a film shoot right next to her outdoor dining patio that had just been shut down again by the city. >> it was like you knocked me down, and now i'm trying to get up, and you just kicked me in the stomach. i couldn't believe it. >> reporter: that meal tent has since been removed. l.a. mayor eric garre is the9ty hasn't directly addressed the complaint. we reached out to him, but this is what he he had to say about marsden having to close or her outdoor dining area. he says: my heart goes out to the workers at the pube apple hill saloon who have to comply with the state and county public

health restrictions that closed outdoor debting. he goes on to say no one likes these restrictions, but i do support them as our hospital icu beds filled to capacity and cases have increased by 500%. we must stop this virus before it kills thousands more angelenos. film production resumed in los angeles back in june, and productions have to show compliance with the county's public health guideline before film permits are granted which includes use of ppe, temperature checks, social distancing and limited staff. eric? arthel: christina coleman in los angeles -- >> reporter: arthel. arthel: oh, no problem. thank you. eric? eric: well, arthel, here on the other side of the country, new york city, that staten island bar owner who defied coronavirus reductions has been a arrested for a second time in a week. sheriff's deputies say they saw customers entering mac's public house last night despite order for it to close, and that's when

they decided to move in. police say pub's co-owner danny presley took off and hit a deputy with his car. he claims the deputies dud not identify themselves and he does not recall hitting a deputy. he was arrested last week for serving customers in defiance of the state's covid-19 orders setting off a high profile protest over new york's restrictions. and as if coronavirus wasn't enough, crime is up dramatically in some major u.s. cities. new data shows that chicago's cook county is on track to, sadly, break the homicide record there. in new york city, shootings are up 112% this year so far. alex hogan is live in new york with the latest on this disturbing trend. >> reporter: hi, or eric. so that's right, we're seeing cities around the country seeing a high rate of specifically violent crime, and police departments are also trying to fight this increase in gun violence. just last month in november in

new york shootingsn't went up by 112%. police say about half of those having had gun possession arrests. mayor bill de blasio took the time to thank officers for responding to the situation. >> they protect survivors of domestic violence, they go into some of the most volatile, difficult situations that you could possibly imagine, some of the most difficult work that any police officers do. they do it to protect innocent people who have been victims of abuse. >> reporter: homicides increasing by 40% in philadelphia and 66% in minneapolis. cook county in illinois is on track to break its homicide record. murders in chicago up 55%. and in new york city it is up 38%. auto theft also skyrocketing. one of the most drastic increases is in minneapolis

where last month auto thefts jumped by 537%. but it's not just that month. throughout the year in minneapolis it's averages ap increase of 200%ment shootings also up 113%. a preliminary report by the fbi found that in the first half of the year cases of rape and robbery decreased while murders and manslaughter increased by 14%. we're also seeing that burglary around the country, about 7% down,so a good sign there. but again, auto theft, we're seeing that around the country at least in the first half of this year up by 6%. eric? eric: wow. alex, thanks so much. arthel? arthel: well, alex and eric, both parties are spending millions of dollars to get out the vote in the crucial georgia runoff. do democrats have a chance to flip these seats and take control of the senate?

thomas evans from real clear politics weighs in next. ♪ ♪ alright, i brought in ensure max protein to give you the protein you need with less of the sugar you don't. [grunting noise] i'll take that. woohoo! 30 grams of protein and 1 gram of sugar. ensure max protein. with nutrients to support immune health.

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♪ ♪ >> georgia, we need you to vote january 5th. if you're our voice on january 5, we'll be your voice for years. we have to make sure that we keep america strong. >> i'm running against a senator who was selected, not elected, who was appointed, and the people of georgia ares disappointed because she has pent her entire time in the senate -- spent her entire time in the senate focused not on you, but focused on herself. arthel: with less than a month to go until their runoff election, republican georgia senator kelly loeffler will face off against democratic challenger reverend raphael warnock tonight on the debate stage which will determine which party controls the senate. let's bring in tom bevans, cofounder and president of real clear politics. let me get some predebate

assessment from you. what is each candidate's weak spot, and they strengthen those vulnerabilities in tonight's debate? >> that's a great question. i mean, warnock has received a lot of criticism from republicans, a lot of opposition research about his past associations and things that have been sort of unsavory. and, obviously, his biggest weak spot is, you know, nancy pelosi and chuck schumer. he wants to dissociate himself, distance himself from them as much as he can and appeal to those is sort of middle, moderate conservative voters in georgia. and the question is whether he's going to be able to do that or not. and kelly kelly loeffler, her ws is that she, you know, she's got some past issues as well that she's going to have to address, and so there's been some opposition research on her as well. but her strongest argument is, again, what republicans are making, not to let democrats have control of the house, the

senate and the white house. that is what they are, you know, that's their strongest argument they're a making across the board. arthel: and does either have a real direct message to the candidates, to the people, i should say, that the people of georgia want to hear about, meaning how will you with, if you go to d.c. or remain in d.c. on my behalf, how do you represent me, how do you get the job done for me? >> yeah. i mean, look, you heard in an earlier clip raphael warnock's talking about health care, living wage, those sorts of things. but on the other side, look, kelly loeffler and david perdue as well, this is a national election, basically, right? obviously, they have to aa peel to the voters in georgia and talk about what they're going to do for them, but this election has been national used and so, clearly, they're going to make a broader argument that we don't want sort of the democrats running the entire show in washington. that's going to bed bad for the country, it's going to be bad for you in georgia, so you need to put us both in office.

arthel: direct line from georgia to washington. president trump, did he shine enough of his star power on senators leffler and per due during the rally last night? did the president close the deal for them? >> that is a great question. he he shed a lot of light on himself and, you know, his issues that he has with the governor of georgia, the secretary of state of georgia, the vote that just took place there. and the question is whether that mixed message is somehow going to depress republican turnout on january 5th. he did, you know, obviously had to urge people to go vote for them, made the argument we just talked about, but at the same time he's making the argument that, you know, the vote was fraudulent in georgia, the vote was stolen from him, and so the question is, you know, why would republicans turn right around and go vote if they think their votes -- there's going to be chicane true at the polls on january 5th? the polling certainly shows this is going to be a tight race, that both -- on both, for both

candidates. they are going to need every voter who turned out on november 3rd to turn out again on january 5th. democrats are the same. arthel: tom, i've got 30 seconds. regardless of who wins this consequential election, the debate over georgia's political direction will continue. what do you think that monday morning quarterbacking will look like? >> i mean, look, democrats did a great job of turning out the vote. i'm not sure georgia is going to stay blue for very long. it's still a republican-lean aring state and, obviously, a lot of this has to do with the caughts that were in play this time and will be in play in 2024. but democrats have certainly made strides there, and it's trending democratic and has been for some time. arthel: okay. tom west virginia advance with the lsu tiger over husband right shoulder. >> princeton's tiger, arthel. arthel: whatever. i'm from louisiana. [laughter] thank you, tom. take care. >> thank you. arthel: by the way, guys, catch that debate in the all important

georgia runoff race here tonight. martha maccallum anchors our special coverage. martha's going to get started at 6:45 p.m. eastern. eric? eric: well, arkansas this, thousands of american -- arthel, thousands of american troops in the middle east are preparing to come home after president trump ordered drawdowns in iraq and afghanistan. but, you know, this comes amid a surge of attacks from the taliban. benjamin hall live in kabul where it's almost 2:00 in the morning. he has a preview of his report ahead. hi, benjamin. >> good morning eric. yes, we are in kabul, but i have to tell you that the reactions are very, very mixed, coming up after the break. ♪ rheumatoid arthritis is often unseen. because the pain you're feeling could be a sign of irreversible joint damage. every day you live with pain, swelling, and stiffness...

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has been leading the trump campaign's election lawsuits, crisscrossing the country for those hearings. we send well wishes to mr. giuliani and will keep you updated on husband status. two georgia senate candidates will face off in their first and possibly only debate for the crucial january 5th runoff elections. republican incumbent kelly loeffler will i debate democratic challenger reverend raphael warnock. martha maccallum anchors special coverage starting at 6:45 p.m. eastern time. and a new u.s. government report says microwave energy likely caused a mysterious disease among diplomats in recent years. they're still investigating who may be behind the attack.

eric: the pentagon is beginning a troop drawdown in afghanistan, cutting the number of soldiers stationed there by half while peace talks between the afghan government and the taliban are progressing, we're told, despite a surge in taliban attacks across the country. benjamin hall now is arrive in the capital of -- live in the capital of ca bug where it's just after 2:00 in the morning. hi, benjamin. >> reporter: good morning, eric. that drawdown is being seen very differently depending on who you ask. there are those in the city of kabul who believe if the u.s. leave are or pull their troops down, then the taliban will take over vast parts of this country x they will be knocking on the door to the city the, taking away many of the freedoms they gained after 20 years of u.s. support. but if you leave the cities and go to rural areas, places where the taliban are still attacking them, they welcome the drawdown and they think the taliban are the only people who can give

them the peace a and security they so want. this is a country still totally divided in that sense, and that is something that we saw earlier. the taliban are not only folk knocking on the door of kabul, they're already inside. districts like this are taken over at night. when night falls, they set up roadblocks. the people that live and work here know that is exactly what's going happen when the u.s. leaves. but many people are war weary and would welcome the taliban taking over to bring them security. at the end of the day, all they want is peace. they don't care who gives it. for better or worse, this u.s. drawdown is happening. it is all a hands on deck now to make that happen. president trump has said he hopes to have all troops back home but christmas. that is not going to happen, but the numbers will drop to 2,500 mid january. remember, there were 13,000 here just at the beginning of the

year. still, this is a decision that is being criticized by many. peace talks between the afghan government and the taliban for a power-sharing deal continue to go on in doha, secretary pompeo met with representatives to try and find a political path. there are even reports they may be able to announce an initial ceasefire this week. but the big question is whether the taliban will actively reannounce al-qaeda and, of course, one of the key conditions is it not to be used as a springboard for attacks to the u.s. there are reports coming out that al-qaeda has a good relationship with the taliban still and some of their leaders are living in taliban districts. so until that deal is done with the taliban to reject al-qaeda, many allies -- nato coalition in particular -- think this drawdown could be happening too soon. eric? eric: benjamin hall live in kabul, afghanistan. a terrific report, thank you. arthel: eric, we're getting back

to breaking news, president trump tweeting about an hour ago that his personal if attorney, rudy giuliani, has tested positive for the coronavirus. mr. giuliani has been crisscrossing the country leading the president's legal challenges to the election results. his son andrew tested positive late last month according to those reports. now, joining us is dr. michelle mcmurray. she's president and ceo of biotechnology innovation organization, and before we talk about what we had you here for, dr. mcmore raw, i want to, first, get your reaction on mr. giuliani having tested positive for coronavirus. he's 76 years old, he's been working tirelessly including a lot of travel, so that has addedded stress on husband body. of course, we would imagine he will have access to the psalm medications that the president -- the same medications that the president took when he tested positive with the coronavirus. what are your thoughts upon hearing this news? >> well, unfortunately, i know it's not surprising.

like 13.8 million other americans, if mr. giuliani is facing covid, and it's become, unfortunately, very common place. we, of course, wish him the best in his recovery, but it's very, very important for us to remember the center for disease control and prevention's guidelines to limit nonessential travel the,, to remember social distancing, to use our masks and to still be very, very careful. although a vaccine is in sight, we are not in the home stretch quite yet. arthel: not quite yet, because that pandemic continues to ravage our nation, and were awaiting fda approval for the first batch of vaccines. during this period -- hopefully, that approval will come this week, dr. mcmurray. what is the biggest issue with distribution of these vaccines? >> well, distribution will be complicated, but the, you know, reassuring news is that the

nation's best minds in medicine have been focused on surmounting those distribution hurdles. so, for example, last week the centers for disease control and prevenn, the cdc, convened their advisory e council on immunization practices, the acip if, that paid careful attention to prioritizing who should get the vaccine first. and they've already started to make sure we put those doses in place around the country so that when the fda is able to authorize one or two of the pending vaccine candidates, they'll be ready to be add mored to those who will be fist in lewin, and the cdc has said that should be our health care professionals and our seniors that are living in assisted living facilities. of. arthel: and once we get past those checkpoints, if you will, what tube of coordination needs to take place, you know, before it's going to get to where we would end up taking it. what sort of coordinate nation has to talk place for the drug smoothly, and is the problem

logistics or equipment, or is there a bit of both? >> there's a bit of both, and let's not forget the politics as well. we've been on the phone at the technology and innovation organization with governors across the country, and it's amazing to see how uniform they are in their dedication to make sure that they are doing everything they can to resource vaccine distribution frontally, to make sure it gets both to rural and urban communities everywhere it's needed. and so everyone rolling up their sleeves, and we're seeing a lot of american collaboration to try to make sure when the vaccine becomes available, it gets to everyone who needs it as propose. arthel: do you feel confident, yo dow feel that there'll be areas or groups of people that are perhaps maybe left out? >> well, i certainly hope not. i know that we have been trying to make sure that we are prioritizing distribution of the vaccine based on risk and need.

and so i'd hope when folks are called up and every their opportunity to take the vaccine, then they take it. you know, we have heard questions over the last few months about the speed of the vaccine, and the speed has been astonishing. but it's been astonishing because everyone has put their mind and energy and cooperation into trying to make this happen because we know it's so important to get a vaccine out to the public. so it's going to be complex. we've got some vaccines that have to be stored at all a that-low temperatures, so their transport going to be particularly sensitive. we have vaccines that need one or two doses, and sometimes that second dose is as important if not more important than the first. so i urge everyone to listen to their local public health leaders, to follow their guy lance and to take the vaccine when your chance comes. arthel: okay. we'll leave it there. dr. michelle mcmurray, thank you very much for joining us, and we look forward to seeing

you again, president and ceo of biotechnology innovation organization. >> thank you. eric: well, the navy's top official says the u.s. is making good progress to turn iran after months of attacks at sea. but, you know, tensions remain high especially after the killing of irans' top nuclear scientist. but this comes as the trump administration behind a breakthrough in the gulf. congressman lee zeldin of the house foreign affairs committee here. he's been in the ranks with mayor giuliani, so we'll ask him about that. and he knows israel, the gulf and the way to face iran. ♪ that people remember commercials with exciting stunts. so to help you remember that liberty mutual customizes your home insurance, here's something you shouldn't try at home... look, liberty mutual customizes home insurance so we only pay for what we need. it's pretty cool. that is cool!

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arthel: we will have more on the rudy giuliani positive coronavirus diagnosis in a bit. meanwhile, we take you to the middle east where officials say a top u.s. navy official says america has reached a, quote, uneasy deterrence with iran.

this comes after months of regional attacks at sea and tensions with tehran over the islamic remr. public's nuclear program -- republic's nuclear program. trey yingst is live from jerusalem with the latest. >> reporter: good afternoon. tension remains in fact persian gulf with iran vowing a response to last month's killing of a top nuclear scientist. israel today warning its citizens against travel to the gulf over fears iran could attack the uae or bahrain, countries that have normalized ties with israel. last week the u.s. deployed the uss nimitz aircraft carrier and its strike group in an effort to deter iran. as the nuclear aspirations do continue, so does its proxy action across the middle east. last year iran routinely targeted oil tankers in the area adding to ongoing provocative activity amid heavy u.s. sanctions. today the top u.s. navy official in the middle east spock about a what he calls a healthy respect

for iran and its forces. >> i have found iranian activity at sea to have, to be cautious and circumspect and respectful to not risk unnecessary miscalculation or escalation at sea. >> reporter: the united states is continuing its maximum pressure campaign against iran while u.s. ally israel continues to strike its proxies in the middle east. all of this just weeks ahead of the inauguration on january 20th where president-elect biden will have a lot of discussions to make when it comes to this region. arthel? arthel: live in jerusalem, trey yingst. thank you, trey. eric. eric: the iranian threat has prompted the uae and bahrain to finally establish ties with us israel. the trump at managers' push was led by jared kushner. it's called the abraham accords, all in an effort to try to

present a united front against tehran, but will that continue under joe biden? new york republican congressman lee zeldin is here representing long island's 1st district and is a member of the house foreign afathers committee. congressman, you've been alongside team trump with rudy giuliani, reaction to fact that he's been diagnosed with coronavirus. >> i'm sorry to hear the news. i wish the mayor the absolute best. hopefully, he has a very speedy recovery and comes back strong, because his services are definitely needed and appreciated by the president. eric: that is for sure. you know, he is strong on the issue of iran. he has been strong in the middle east. when he was mayor i remember in 1995, he threw yasser arafat out of lincoln center because he's a terrorist, and that shook up everybody. in the same way as the trump administration is shaking things up in the middle east. you've got two gulf nations recognizing israel. do you see this as the beginning of new progress and that other nations could follow through,

recognizing israel as a way to face face tehran? >> it's one of enormous opportunity. the president, jared kushner, mike pompeo, david friedman, a number of people with the administration over the course of the last few years have challenged the status quo, the historical way of successfully thinking through this. instead of viewing the palestinian authority as having a veto power over any type of progress and strengthening ties with israel, instead the administration has gone directly to these other countries in the region. and i think a lot of credit goes to prime minister netanyahu as well for his efforts to strengthen ties and add to that concern about iranian aggression, and over the course of the last few years there's been a realignment, and there's been a strengthening of ties with israel. there's enormous opportunity going forward, but you can go backwards to the approach

towards israel, towards iran expect middle east that we saw in 2015, 2016, towards the end of the obama administration. eric: it could be the beginning of the biden administration, he wants to get back into the iranian nuclear deal. what type of concerns do you have about that and about the biden view, perhaps, of saudi arabia? i mean, saudi arabia has just opened up air space, apparently, for israeli flights. so you're seeing progress now. do you fear there could be a setback coming? >> i would certainly learn from what has worked over the course of the last few years and seek to build on that progress. moving the embassy in israel to jerusalem shouldn't be reversed. the president recognized israeli sovereignty over the golan heights, the caliphate was eliminated, the iran nuclear dealing with withdrawn from was a positive move on the part of president trump. the deal was fatally flawed in the first place. when the vice president was

asked about whether or not to go back in, his, you know, his vision -- this was joe biden -- his vision for what to do going forward was a 2015-2016 way of thinking and ignoring all of iran's other bad activities. and, again, just singularly focusing only on iran's nuclear activities. the problem with the jcfoa as first socketed was he he negotiated all the leverage to deal with all of iran's activities you want to deal with. once you get rid of the aptions, how are you going to get rid of iranian aggression? there remain flaws about what was in the jcpoa, what wasn't in it, and i see joe biden having a vision of wanting to trip over himself to try and reenter the deal as much as possible. i'll quickly sum up as this, this is somewhat déjà vu. we saw the iranians on offense

in 2015 and '16, and we saw them winning and rolling us. and now we see them on defense, and i think the iranian regime in charge really wants to back to going on offense. eric: the clock is going to cut us off, i apologize. lee zeldin, congressman, thank you. we're going skating. we're going to nana's. wherever you go this holiday, chevy can help you get there. which is why we're making our chevy... ...employee discount available to everyone. the chevy price you pay... ...is what we pay. not a cent more. so wherever you go, happy holidays from chevy. use the chevy employee discount for everyone to get over six thousand eight hundred dollars below msrp on this equinox. get the chevy employee discount for everyone today.

arthel: breaking this afternoon, president trump tweeting that his attorney, rudy giuliani, has tested positive for the coronavirus. the former new york city mayor has been traveling the country representing the trump campaign in his election lawsuits. mark meredith live from the white house with more. mark, what's the latest? >> reporter: arthel, no new update from the white house itself. "the new york times" is reporting that mayor giuliani is at georgetown university medical center, but fox news has not been able to confirm that independently. the word, first of all, this came down from the president himself, where else but twitter. want to show you what the president had to say, he wrote: rudy giuliani, by far the greatest mayor in the history of new york city, and who has been working tire willsly exposing the most corrupt election in history has tested positive for the coronavirus. giuliani has been making appearances in multiple statehouses, he was in michigan and georgia last week with, you can see him speaking with

reporters not wearing a mask. no indication where he would have caught the coronavirus or how his condition is. the president did not allude to what giuliani's specific condition is, just that he was hoping he would get better and that he had tested positive. this will be the latest news we'll be following throughout the rest of the evening. arthel: we do wish him well and a full recovery. mark meredith, thank you very much. that's going to do it for us today, this weekend. eric and i will be next weekend, but thank you so much for joining us. stick around, gutfeld is up next after a quick break, and we'll keep you up the date the on mr. giuliani's condition throughout the evening. eric: our best to him. ♪ ♪ here's andy listening to my goals and making plans. this is us talking tax-smart investing, managing risk, and all the ways schwab can help me invest. this is andy reminding me how i can keep my investing costs low and that there's no fee to work with him.

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rogue -- greg gutfeld is next. c look who's back. >> i guess you can use a snappy slogan like defund the police but you know you've lost a big audience when you said which makes it less likely you are going to get the changes you want done. the key is deciding do you actually want to get something done or do you want to feel good among the people you already agree with? greg: just what the media ordered, proof that the democrats aren't as insane as the far left clip. troll. they are split on the agenda just the words. about what they can pull