>> watch me on the radio. >> sandra: fox news alert, strikes a deal with economic relief to americans hit hard by the pandemic including $600 direct payments to americans plus aid for the unemployed and small businesses. a final vote could happen this afternoon. the senate in session all weekend hammering out the details of that deal after months of contentious negotiations. >> there is no reason why this urgent package could not be signed into lump months ago. partisan presidential politics were more important than getting urgent and noncontroversial relief. >> this bill is certainly not everything we wanted. a republican friend stood in the

way of so much. >> sandra: reaction to that deal in just a moment and senator john kennedy towards us live. we begin with new questions this morning about the fate of hunter biden probe as the incoming white house press secretary says over the weekend president-elect biden will not discuss the investigation with any potential nominees or attorney general. good morning, everyone to come i am sandra smith and great to be with you on this holiday week, good morning. >> good happy winter to you i am trace gallagher, hunter biden is currently under federal investigation for taxes and foreign business dealings. the latest comments from the biden team casting doubt on where the matter could go once joe biden takes office. >> sandra: rich edson and edmonton delaware, rich, good morning. there is more scrutiny around this decision. >> good morning, sandra, that is right. this is usually a major cabinet decision but in this case, however the president-elect

joe biden selects to lead the justice department, that justice department is likely going to be still putting his son, hunter biden under investigation next year. the incoming white house press secretary jim saki said biden is going through the decision on this in the investigation into his son will have no bearing on that. >> no decision has been made about who he will nominate to be the attorney general. he has been emphatic that that person will oversee an independent department. he will not be discussing an investigation under the sun with any candidates. he will not be discussing it with anyone he is considering for the role and he will not be discussing with a future attorney general. >> reportedly among consideration for attorney general former deputy attorney general sally gates, doug jones, and judge merrick garland. remember he chose garland to fill a vacancy and blocked his appointment. the republicans say regardless

of who biden selects as attorney general, there should be a separate investigation into hunter biden. president trump is calling for a special counsel, one that would carry the investigation into joe biden's presidency and more congressional republicans say they support a special counsel. >> i think the big issue here is what are the biden family's involvement with china? i think we really need a special prosecutor to go after this. >> now congressional republicans could launch their own investigation into the congressional committee process, but that would require the republicans to control one house in congress and that is up to a case in the senate to those special elections early next month in georgia. vice president elect kamala harris off to georgia later today to campaign for the democratic candidates there, sandra back to you. >> sandra: rich, thank you for all that. john kennedy, sitting on the judiciary committee, he will weigh in now. senator good morning to you.

great to have you on this holiday week, sir. what did you think of what you just heard and what you heard from the president-elect over the weekend saying he won't talk to any attorney general hopefuls about his son's investigation. >> sandra, i heard mr. biden's director say that the vice president would not talk to his attorney general nominee. when i heard that, her comments come i thought to myself, whoever wrote that for her data after their morning beer. that implies that mr. biden thought about talking to the nominee but decided against it and that is why we need a special counsel. we cannot depend on the most members of the news media to fare out the facts around the hunter biden allegations. the news, we know, just isn't the news anymore.

any news organizations. there is some chance, a good chance, delaware u.s. attorney who is in charge of this investigation won't be around much longer. and i think if mr. biden thinks it through, not to, you know, try to give him advice, but he's going to see if he wants this issue to go away, and i'm sure he does, he is going to need the cachet of a special counsel let people trust who will look at this independently. now, we've got to get to the bottom of this. we have a moral imperative. these are the facts. president obama put mr. biden in charge of foreign affairs of two countries, ukraine and germany, i said germany, i'm sorry ukraine and china. in both cases, his son walked away with millions and millions and millions of dollars worth of contracts. in the appearance and i'm not saying there was any illegality,

but the appearance was that american's foreign policy can be bought. >> sandra: joe biden said he never discussed any of this with his son. do you not believe him? >> i don't know. i think a prosecutor will find out. i think i know what most americans are thinking, those are democrats and republicans. what did hunter biden do for the money question market is very simple. what did he do for the money? >> sandra: i want to move on to china as a threat as a whole, ric grenell on that saying he believes democrats have hoodwinked a merrick peasants when it comes to china. listen. >> russia is a problem but when you view it as china as a noncrisis, then you give life to the fact that russia's more important than china. and that is not true. we have been hoodwinked for the last couple of years by many

democrats trying to make russia a bigger problem. china is a very clear crisis. >> sandra: quick reaction to that before i move on to the covert relief bill. >> first, russia is a problem. but let's put it in perspective, russia is a country with third-rate economy, they do have good spies and they do have nuclear weapons so we have to take them seriously. but they are not nearly as much of a problem as american superiority as china. the chinese people are good people, but demonstrated time and time again. >> sandra: i want to move on to kevin mccarthy blaming nancy pelosi for the delay on the stemless, as we know, the senators hard at work over the weekend to try to get this done. but the truth is congress could have done this deal months ago. senator, nancy pelosi the only reason it didn't happen sooner. does this get real help to the american people that so many struggling americans have been

waiting for so long to see this happen? >> well, the bill, the bill should have happened sooner. how can i put this: i don't want to say anything to upset anybody at the last minute, but you've got to be careful with old people as most of us in congress are pure they don't like being old and the first place, so they get kind of touchy. these negotiations were very touchy and we had to be patient, but i think we are going to have a reasonably good result today. it gives more money to small business. it gives more money to the american people. it gives more money to vaccine distribution. >> sandra: but is it enough to get the real help that they need? i'm looking at the dow this morning, the futures indicating 408-point sell-off. is this real help or is this just optics for senators in

washington to make it look like they are bringing real help to the american people? which is it? >> oh, it is real help. it is $1 trillion, for god's sakes! what is that, $1 billion? and there is no money fairy. we don't have this money. we only have 5% of it. it is real help but will it be enough? i think it will be, but we will have to wait and see. >> sandra: i should suggest the question what is the real economic impact of this, senator, considering the pandemic we are in the middle of and spiking across corona viruses across the country and restaurants cannot open their doors. >> restaurants will get money through the ppp, help for small business. folks who are unemployed will get enough money to help them through the current surge. they will be available for a vaccine very, very soon.

we will spend more money on vaccine distribution. i think it will be enough, but nobody knows. we will have to wait and see. >> sandra: it is the timing, obviously, that many are questioning why it took so long. i heard you asking the same question as kevin mccarthy. we will have more on that up any possible leader vote. senator we appreciate your time this morning. >> thank you, sandra. >> sandra: thank you. >> we finally got our fbi briefing. it was speaker nancy pelosi and myself. it was a very thorough briefing. no one that was in that room could walk out and say eric swalwell should be on the intel committee. >> house minority leader kevin mccarthy demand eric swalwell kicked off intel committee for ties to a suspected chinese spy. mccarthy also requesting that every member of the committee be made aware of any allegations against swalwell. this comes after he and house

speaker nancy pelosi were briefed by the fbi on this matter on friday. let's bring in fox news contributor byron york, chief political correspondent for the "washington examiner." byron, good morning to you. kevin mccarthy wants really the entire intel committee to get this fbi briefing because he intimates there is a compelling argument to have eric swalwell removed from the house intel committee. your thoughts. >> welcome a representative mccarthy is constrained by the rules regarding classified information. and so he gets this briefing almost an hour long and he can't say anything that took place in the briefing. and i think you got a clue how he feels about it because one, he says anybody who heard the briefing and it was only him and nancy pelosi who heard this briefing, no one who heard the briefing could defend swalwell staying on the intelligence committee.

and two, most importantly, mccarthy wants all the members of the intelligence committee to hear this. i think he believes that anybody who does hear the evidence involving swalwell would believe that he should not be on the committee. >> trace: and then, byron, the topic why he got on the committee and the first place. how we got on the committee. the san francisco article was very surprised his second term congressman would be placed on the intel committee. trey gowdy said this, watch. >> you are handpicked by either the speaker or the minority leader. impossible to get on. and for nancy pelosi to lead us to believe out of the 230 democrats in the house, the best she can find is the one guy that slept with a chinese spy. i mean, they were 229 who did not do so. >> it is a coveted spot in 229 did not have involvement with a chinese spy, byron. >> well, swalwell is from

california and not far from where nancy pelosi is, but it is called a house permanent select committee on intelligence. and that does mean is from a trey gowdy said, the absolute decision of either in this case the speaker of the house or the democratic side or the minority leader kevin mccarthy for the republican side and they really do jockey and wait and try to get on these committees for quite a long time. the intelligence committee is a big deal and, of course, it has a higher level of security classifications than some other members. the intelligence, members of the intelligence committees see more sensitive information and other members of congress. and the chairman and the ranking member of the intelligence committee are on the so-called gang of eight in congress which receives the most classified information from the government.

>> trace: this i want to read from "the boston herald," recording here but either then admit wrongdoing swalwell does what all dems do in a bind committee blame donald trump. after all being a democrat means to never say i'm sorry." it brings up a good question why hasn't he addressed this. he is not camera shy. the question is, if he's not addressing this because of look, it only a few outlets are addressing this and if he waits long enough he knows this will blow over. >> well, one extraordinary fact is "the new york times," the most influential newspaper in the united states has not mentioned how the swalwell case with the chinese spy involved. they have literally not mentioned it. if you only read "the new york times," you wouldn't know this happened so swalwell has that on his side. a lot of republicans, there is more than the facts chinese involvement here.

a lot of republicans are still angry that representative swalwell was a cheap purveyor of what they call the russia hoax pushing the idea that the trump campaign colluded with russia in 2016. and they want to get him back for that. >> trace: it is hard to hear the drumbeat when nobody is beating the drum. byron york, always good to see you, thank you, sir. >> thank you, trace. >> trace: by the way for more on the eric swalwell scandal. maria bartiromo noise of us live. >> sandra: we look forward to having her and this story, congressman devin nunes calling for a criminal referral to investigate why the doj failed to turn over text messages from former fbi agent peter strzok. he said those would have been key for an investigation of the russia probe. >> these are the text messages we have been waiting for that we knew probably existed give us the hard evidence that our

investigation really needed several years ago. we know the fbi was lying to congress because we knew that they did not open this investigation because of papadopoulos, and then they opened it july 31st. that was always nonsense. >> sandra: doj released additional messages from peter strzok earlier this month but argued they should have been given to congress much sooner. >> trace: scientist concerned over a new strain of the coronavirus detected in the u.k. they say it appears to be more contagious and likely behind a sharp rise of infections there. in response, ten countries in europe and canada, israel, have been flights from britain. new york governor andrew cuomo is urging the west to do the same. >> right now, this variant in the u.k. is getting on a plane and flying to jfk. this is what happened in the spring. how many times in life do you have to make the same mistake before you learn?

>> trace: health experts say the current vaccines could still be effective against this new strain. >> sandra: meanwhile, chuck's legal team taking another election challenge to the supreme court. the new petition seeks to reverse several systems by the pennsylvania supreme court over a change in the states mail and pilot regulations of the 2020 election. mark meredith at the white house, so how likely is it that the supreme court picked up this case? >> sandra, i would say it's a long shot but it is 2027 knows for sure the latest for the trump campaign to the u.s. supreme court after pennsylvania had already cast its electoral vote for president-elect joe biden. the president's lawyer rudy giuliani asking the supreme court to essentially nullify the decision made by pennsylvania state supreme court. the argument focused on the state, how it handled in mail-in ballots and accounting of the votes. and overstepped its authority and safeguards to protect against voter fraud were not followed appeared in the

petition the trump campaign once pennsylvania and lawmakers to pw electors and to vote again. the campaign once it done quickly. here is what they had to say in their statement writing "the campaign move for expediting asking supreme court to order responses by december 23rd, that is wednesday, and reply by the 24th christmas eve to allow the court to rule before congress meets on january 26th to consider the votes of electoral college. congress is set to meet in early january to certify the election. we are watching to see if the republican senators likely from a handful of house republicans. senate majority mitch mcconnell has already said he sees joe biden as president-elect and numerous top republicans have made that clear as well. >> this didn't turn out the way i wanted it too but they electoral college has now certified the election. we have the constitution and i accept the outcome of the election. >> as for president trump, he has been tweeting nonstop all weekend long about the election.

nothing on the public schedule for today but the white house plans to sign the stimulus package once congress gets it done. as more develops at the white house we will let you know, sandra. >> sandra: we will have more coming up mark meredith. >> trace: another case of rules for the but not for me. this time it is one of the president's top covert advisors and why dr. hi dr. deborah birx is under fire this morning. plus republicans doubling down close to have eric swalwell of the house intelligence committee over his ties to suspected chinese spy. it is swalwell debt jeopardizing national security? >> the intel committee is different than any other committee. this is where american secrets are kept. this is where the individuals know things other members are not. the smile you deserve. new patients, get started with a comprehensive exam and full set of x-rays

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>> trace: now top stories we are watching today. facilities administering the first doses of moderna covid vaccine. this comes as the cdc recommends as central workers as well as people over 75 should be the next to receive the vaccine. >> sandra: and a man can't underway in pennsylvania after suspect open fire on a police officer overnight. the alleged gunman was being led into custody, handcuffs when he

shot an officer several times. the officer is expected to survive. >> trace: the u.s. embassy in baghdad targeted by a rocket attack. the embassy has minor structural damage, but no casualties reported. iraqi military officials say "outlawed group was behind the attack." for these and many other stories download the fox news app, download the qr's code or go to foxnews.com/app. >> sandra: a new briefing from the fbi's parking coals from house republican leader kevin mccarthy to remove eric swalwell from intelligence committee over ties to suspected chinese value. maria bartiromo does, good morning to you. first, here is kevin mccarthy house minority leader on what he took away from that briefing that he was waiting for, watch. >> the one answer that i got out of that briefing was, there is no way eric swalwell should continue to serve on the intel

committee. that is alive today, maria, what i'm going to request his every single member of the house intelligence committee gets the exact same briefing from the fbi that i do. because if this individual is sitting on the committee, eric swalwell, they have to know the background of what has gone on. >> sandra: interesting, i wonder what pelosi's take away was, maria. >> that is right. that is what i asked the minority leader yesterday. do you think given the fact he let this briefing and nancy pelosi got this briefing she would agree with you? and he has to come up van til committee? look, this is all very suspicious because christine fang really started targeting eric swalwell when he was a local politician and helped him actually get elected to congress because she started bundling money for him. another suspicious item that we uncovered this week and we talked about yesterday is the spy that was working for dianne feinstein for 20 years. he was her driver, office manager, 20 years into it, we

find out he is actually a chinese five. we found a picture with him and christine fang, they were in the picture together. so it leads you to start questioning whether this was organized in california in the silicon valley area where christine fang was raising money and bundling money for eric swalwell and dianne feinstein's spy working with her for 20 years. it is a concerning situation and obviously after this year and a string of indictments from the doj, america has a much clearer understanding of the threat of the communist party given they want to be the number one superpower in the world overtaking america out. >> sandra: do talk to these lawmakers and it's prevalent as far as the chinese infiltration when it comes to washington. as you mention, swalwell targeted as a young politician in california. but he now sits on the intelligence committee, he still to this moment sits on the intel committee and privy to

classified information, maria. what are you hearing from both parties. obviously, we have heard for republicans to be called for him to be removed from the committee. our in the democrat speaking out on that? >> there are democrats speaking out on this and they understand the threat the chinese communist party is posing. don't forget over the last four years we heard many people in the intel committee, which was the chairman adam schiff's intel committee talking about russia, russia, russia. no comment about china. no comments about the fact the chinese communist party stealing intellectual property from this country for decades and using espionage and bribery to get what they want and lure a congressman and senators to actually pass laws that are favorable to china. so there are democrats that recognize the threat. but this is why the intel committee has been focused, has been such a focus.

eric swalwell and member, adam schiff a member and three years we have heard them talk about russia, spewing out falsities at the president was colluding with russia, when in fact, it was really china that is the real threat here. >> sandra: but still silence from eric swalwell. we had a camera outside of his home last week as we showed the viewers, he returned home and ignored questions about this. at what point will the lawmakers forcing them to answer questions, maria? final thought. >> nancy pelosi has got to make the change that is why kevin mccarthy said he wants everybody in the intel come all the members to get that briefing. by the way, it is not just intellectual property theft and bribery and blackmail, you also see the chinese communist party trying to institute infrastructure throughout the world to have open doors to an access to information to help the ccp advance its motivation to become the number one superpower.

oftentimes, what they will do was go to small countries that really can't afford it and say "don't worry. we will create your infrastructure. we will build your telecom infrastructure with swell way to have those in place." when the bill comes due like africa can afford it, they will cite no worries, we will take over this. we own this telecom and we will take over this port. put a military base at that port. >> sandra: fascinating story and i know you've been writing a lot about it maria. we appreciate you coming on this morning. good to see you. >> you too. >> trace: and memorial marketing since pan am flight 103 blown out of the sky out of lockerbie scotland and killing 270 people most americans. attorney general bill barr get set to charge the alleged bomb maker. the senior correspondent eric shawn takes a look back at the terrorist attack. >> it was a libyan strike at the

united states. december 24, 1988 pan am flight 103 was blown out of the sky. all 259 people on board and 11 on the ground were killed. the plane crashed into the small scottish village of lockerbie. now from london to new york's jfk airport, most of the passengers were american, including 35 students from syracuse university returning home for the holidays after fall semester. on the ground, it was a scene of utter devastation. the gentle rolling fields scattered with bodies and parts of the plane. the name made of this he's still visible on the crushed boeing 747 cockpit. the debris were collected in all part of an enormous crime scene. the evidence painstakingly examined when 70 miles away in a found a clue in the field. an instruction booklet for radio cassette player.

in 1991, then acting attorney general william barr announced charges against two libyan intelligence officers. abdel basset ali al-megrahi. >> here is what the indictment charges. the defendants and coconspirators made a bomb of plastic explosives and sophisticated finding device and placed it in a portable radio cassette player. >> libya refused to hand the men over but after crippling economic actions agreed to extradite them in 1999 to the netherlands where they were tried by scottish judges. fema was acquitted but acquitted and 27 years in prison. in 2009 suffering from prostate cancer he was released on compassionate grounds and return home to libya to hero's welcome, he died in 2012. attorney general barr started the prosecution and now on this 32nd anniversary, he will help finish it.

by announcing fix the gnomic expected charges against a third libyan suspect. sandra and trays, back to you. >> sandra: eric thank you to that 10:30 an hour from now bill barr in his last week of role of attorney general will be making an announcement on this case. we will have that for our viewers. >> trace: you can't forget about the 35 students from syracuse university studying abroad on that flight coming home as well as the other americans on board. 11 people on the ground in lockerbie scotland were killed when the debris came crashing down from that plane. so this is an important announcement from the attorney general. because for a long time libya has said, finally he said yes and we know it was our country but he didn't ever take blame for personally ordering that and the u.s. officials believe he exactly did that, he order the bombings, they believe a flight 103 from scotland. >> sandra: we will carry that

announcement live one hour from now. a top coronavirus task force member reportedly violating her own rules on holiday gatherings. why some public health experts are saying those in prominent roles gnomic rule should be held to a higher standard. plus santa making a 911 call after he got stuck in power lock in but he was not in a reindeer lead sleigh. the back story on that picture just ahead. ♪

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and keep costs down. let's end the year enjoying more. ♪ you are all i need baby baby to get by ♪ ♪ >> trace: white house coronavirus response coordinator dr. deborah birx reportedly traveled out of state for family members violating her own advice limiting holiday gatherings to immediate household. let's bring in the panel marian marsh, senator john kerry and david, the chairman of gopac. welcome to you both. let's hear what dr. birx said and then we will talk about what she did, watch. >> i am making the personal sacrifices. i like it to be "keep it to your immediate household." if you say it can be ten and it's eight people from four different families, then that probably is not the same degree

of safe as ten people from your immediate household. >> trace: instead, david she had three generations from two households a family but it was not the thanksgiving we should clarify but the winter -- we know winterizing the house, covid does not go after people who are simply winterizing their house. it is just a silly argument, david, go ahead. >> well, it is not helpful to have actions like this from a chief medical official when in fact, we are trying to get people to take vaccines right now. and if you have to now believe they don't want to adhere to their own guidelines on social distancing, why would we take the vaccine? that is the bad news for americans. this sends a confusing message. the good news gives politically all those georgia voters getting ready for the special election who feel the elites do one thing and tell them to do something

else. it will motivate them more to go vote. >> trace: and marianna a public health expert says this, quoting here "we lose faith in our public health officials if they are sagging these things or these rules but they don't apply to me. the whole question here is it's not that we lose faith, we have lost faith. you look at the california governor, ostomy air and it goes on and on and on it. you know what is funny about this whole thing, they are locked down soon states across the country and if you look at traffic in those states, it's back to prepandemic levels. but the people are just not listening anymore. >> it is always hypocritical if you say one thing and do another. dr. birx knows better and she needs to do better. there is no excuse. you are right there is a litany of people who are not doing the right thing. it is hypocritical for lindsey graham and marco rubio to get vaccinations over the weekend with their mask on for the photo up before millions of

their own's constituents and hundreds of millions of americans when they weren't wearing masks the whole year. super-spreader events in georgia where campaign for loeffler in a tiny room with no mass to be seen. that is hypocritical too so everybody needs to do better and it is unfair for people to jump the line when you haven't been practicing what you preach. so many people are holding on to hope they don't get sick and die before they get a vaccination. >> trace: tammy bruce calls it marxist. david, listen to her. >> during marxist kind of things were leadership has special privileges and they are immune from prosecution's and the world and yet the little people on the ground, they are the ones who come of course have to suffer. >> trace: is marxist a little too firm? what do you think? >> it may be a little bit strong, but let's keep this

conversation moving forward and now we know there is a new strand coming out of london. and hopefully the trump administration starts limiting flights coming from london like they did and wanted to do with flights coming from china before the democrats mocked. and now we know that would have saved many lives had we put that into effect earlier. though now given what we know now about joe biden's history and relationship with china, it is no wonder he led the charge do not close down the border to china to bring the virus here more. >> trace: makes a fair point, marianne all this information china tried to suppress the information about the virus. we will talk to the general about it later. but it does show the president had this thing right all along. i will give you the last word. >> i'm not sure he had it right when boston created 300,000 cases from one person and that person was not from china.

more disturbing how donald trump has ended by taking tammy bruce's comments which i agree with david marxist is too strong. but when you get treatment and ben carson and chris christie again who flaunted masts and went to super-spreader events and did not do the right thing and got regeneron when no one else's. you take care of family, friends and your political allies. that is elitist in the authoritarian also. >> sandra: mary anne marsh, david avella, thank you both. >> thank you merry christmas. >> sandra: alarming new details on china handling of the covert outbreak. the brand-new reports on how beijing used propaganda and censorship to control the narrative. post on on hunter biden investigation and the president-elect search for an attorney general. could the probe be swept under the rug once joe biden takes office. >> he will not discuss an investigation with his son on a

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>> sandra: a new report exposing china's actions in the early days of the pandemic indicating the chinese government censored and suppressed alarming information on the severity of the virus. joining us now on that in these brand-new details of gordon chang. good morning to you. what are you able to take away now from the details being provided about the early days of the spread of this virus? >> china has always censored information, but what we saw during the coronavirus episode, china was extraordinarily controlled. and it was not just censoring information. it was also creating this

information to distract people. they did this not only in china, but they did this externally. so for instance on march 12th, the foreign ministry went on a twitter storm. this is official chinese government. what they did is they blamed the united states because they said rona virus patience zero in the u.s. and it was the u.s. army. they suggested the u.s. army brought the disease to the epicenter. so we know chinese efforts were greater than they ever have been in the past. >> sandra: left wondering hearing that in reading this report, gordon and wondering how differently things could have turned out had there been more information provided or had china not tried to issue this campaign to control the narrative of the pandemic. >> well, had they not tried this sensor of information, the world would have known about this in december. and we would have taken steps to prevent the spread of the disease. there were at least five weeks when chinese leaders need this

disease was highly contagious, but they were able to control information so that people on the outside just didn't think about this. so i think that essentially what we are seeing is this did not need to be a global pandemic. >> sandra: i mean, that is a tough thing for many to hear based on that. what about accountability on the part of china when it comes to the united states knowing what we know and how they can be held accountable for their actions? >> there are things that we can do to impose because i on china but we have not done them yet. and no one really wants to do those things because they would be extraordinary, but sandra the coronavirus is not the last pathogen to be generated from chinese soil. the chinese leaders thinking they can deliver a spread of another disease. that is what they did for five weeks they try to tell the world this was not contagious and at the same time they leaned on countries to accept rivals from china. while they were also locking down their own country.

you put all that together and you come to some pretty ghastly conclusions, that obviously we need to prevent china. the next pathogen could be far more deadly, far more contagious than novel coronavirus. >> sandra: strong warning, gordon chang, thank you for joining us this morning. >> thank you, sandra. >> sandra: trace. >> trace: a new strain of the covid-19 in united kingdom sparking a lock down and countries in europe and beyond banning flights from the u.k. plus a north carolina police officer shot over the weekend, the fourth and over a week. next, we will talk to the officer's chief of police who calls the violence against law enforcement "insane." when it comes to autism,

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speed to deja vu for tom brady and the atlanta falcons. up against against a brady lead team again but just like super bowl li, brady will come back and this time to leave this ham -- of the buccaneers 27-21

victory. the buccaneers one step closer to playoffs since 2007. and trevor lawrence sweepstakes got a little bit more interesting. the new york jets getting the first win of the season and beat the rams 23-20. the win upsetting jets fans who wanted the team to keep losing for the clemson quarterback. if the nfl draft happened today, new york would now be picking numeral dose number two. >> sandra: not that you are paying too close attention, trey. meanwhile santa is having a tough time staying airborne this week. and santa getting stuck in power lines while paragliding over sacramento. he was trapped for over an hour before firefighters able to rescue him safely. but have no fear, santa will be back to deliver presents in time for christmas. may be santa but social distancing, trace. >> trace: brink whittington jr. is recovering

after shout this weekend. he is the fourth police officer shot in the charlotte area and a little more than a week. two of the officers died. the police chief proctor speaking out about what the officers face in the defund the police era. joining us his chief proctor. i know this is devastating, thank you, chief, for joining us. a devastating wait for the families and the police officers in north carolina. can you give me an update on officer whittington jr.? >> officer whittington jr. is doing good. he is recovering. he's in a lot of pain but he is recovering and we are all thankful to his family and the community that he is still alive. >> trace: you right in this release, which is very touching, you talk about when these police officers put on their badge, they are a target. what i have seen this last year society has turned to law enforcement and demonized us over the acts of a chosen few

over thousands and thousands of us who continue to wear the badge intake ridiculed by actions of others that we have no control over is despicable. you go on to say, these officers are one of the few people in the world who are willing to lay down their life for their fellow citizens. >> yes, that is correct. i'm having a little bit of difficulty hearing you but the quote that was made with law enforcement across the state and great nation. thousands of us every day go work. we don't put this on for praise and glory. we put this on because we have a passion for the people in the community that we serve. we don't do it for the pay. there are many of us that could go home and retire or choose the young ones. we could choose to do another profession, but this is a calling, god calling on our life to serve and honor those people.

for those thousands that go to work every day to do the right thing, do what is right with integrity, i'm here to stand up for you as this chief is standing up for the officers that are doing right. so there is 1% or 2% of you out there in this country that wear a badge like mine that are doing wrong in this training of people and the media this past year, i'm here to call you out. put the badge down and turn your mask in and go home. you have no business being in this profession. no one hates a bad cop worse than a good cop. it is up to us to stand up for integrity and faith and perseverance to press on and continue to serve the communities. all of our communities, all of our communities. this is what we are called to do. to serve the people, all of you. >> trace: it is what you are called to do, chief, a very compelling speech. and we are behind you.

thank you so much for joining us this morning, chief. >> thank you. >> trace: . >> sandra: thank you, trace the top republican in the house eric swalwell should be removed from the intelligence committee after getting fbi briefing on the california democrat relationship with chinese spy. welcome to a brand-new hour of america'"america's newsroom," good morning to all of you, hi, trace. >> trace: house republican leader said the fbi should give every member of the intelligence community -- committed the same briefing he received on friday. telling maria bartiromo there is no way swalwell should be allowed to stay on the committee. >> it was a very thorough briefing. no one that was in that room could walk out and say eric swalwell should be on the intel committee. i'm going to request that every single member from the house intelligence committee get this the same briefing from the fbi that i did. because if this individual is

sitting on this committee, eric swalwell, they've got to know the background of what is going on. >> trace: kristin fisher us live in washington. what more do we know about this briefing? >> there are only two people in this classified briefing on friday and the house republican leader kevin mccarthy and house speaker nancy pelosi. now mccarthy wants every single member of the house intelligence committee to receive that same briefing. speaker pelosi did not speak with reporters following the briefing, but she has previously said that she still has full confidence in congressman swalwell and has no plans to remove him from the intelligence committee. meanwhile mccarthy wants to know why swalwell was named to the committee and the first place. >> as a very junior member in the second term he gets named to the intel committee and that same year the fbi came to brief, the intel committee said they were concerned of what they saw? it gets put as the ranking democrat over the cia. i do not understand how this has

continued this long, and the first time i heard about it, a briefing on friday. and i would never, never allow him on that committee. >> sandra: congressman swalwell under scrutiny for accd chinese spy, saying we targeted a number of other high-profile california democrats saying reportedly helped fund raise for swalwell during 2014 reelection campaign and placed an unpaid intern inside of his office. swalwell said after he was alerted by the fbi that the spy repeated attempts, the congressman has not answer questions on camera about what exactly his relationship was with this perspective chinese spy. trace. >> trace: it is a great question kristin fisher who live in new york. no, she is in d.c. >> sandra: thank you, kristin, katie pavlich and fox news contributor, good morning to you. what more do people need to know about this swalwell chinese spy

scandal as it continues now knowing kevin mccarthy was briefed on it and said he wants every member of that intel committee to hear what he heard in that briefing. >> given the position that the united states is now in which china, chinese aggression and every specter of american life and society whether through fund-raising nor democratic candidates in california going after ole level politicians to get influence with them. and also throughout the country in terms of the university system intellectual property set. the americans have a right to know what eric swalwell was doing with this woman. what is his relationship with her and most important thing, sandra, weather impacting his work now on the intelligence committee. this is not just -- this is a committee to oversee china in a number of ways. it is supposed to be very clear what china's intentions are in terms of what they are doing with these espionage operations

in the united states. and yet, here we are with eric swalwell refusing to answer any kind of questions about what his relationship was and how it would affect his work as a democrat on the committee. >> sandra: meanwhile, we are left wondering as well what we might hear as far as the answering of really important questions on the incoming biden administration. when you hear this from his incoming white house press secretary when asked about how he will deal with this with his ag hopefuls. listen. >> he's been emphatic that that person will oversee independent department. he is looking for someone at the highest level of integrity. he will not be discussing an investigation with his son within the attorney general candidates. he will not be discussing it with anyone he is considering for the role or any future attorney general. >> sandra: will he discuss it with the media because so far he is not answering any questions with his sons overseas business

deals? >> sandra, peter doocy has done a good job of trying to get him to answer those questions. the only response joe biden has given is he doesn't believe hunter biden did anything wrong and he is proud of his son. when it comes to what the biden team is doing, they are trying to argue joe biden is not discussing the issue of hunter biden's criminal investigations by the u.s. attorney in delaware. they don't want to put their thumb on the scale will come the fact is we deserve answers about what the attorney general would do with this case and would joe biden keep the u.s. attorney investigating hunter biden, which, by the way many allege through documentation and witness testimony that joe biden the period and is there a conflict of interest there? and the person he decides to appoint as attorney general will have to be confirmed by the senate. he doesn't want to answer questions now and get ahead of it, he certainly the person he chooses from attorney general position will have to answer during a confirmation hearing from a number of senators who

want to know more about what went on here. >> sandra: like senator john kennedy who sits on the judiciary committee. he responded to what he heard from jan saki over the weekend. listen. >> when i heard that, her comments come i thought whoever wrote that for her did it after the morning beer. that implies that mr. biden thought about talking to his nominee but decided against it and that is why we need a special counsel. >> sandra: in his way, wish words, that was his reaction. but you heard him mention a special counsel. will we see a move in that direction, katie, final thoughts? >> it is unclear at this point whether a special counsel will be appointed to continue the investigation into hunter biden. obviously, it's been talked by number of senators and president trump. we haven't heard much from the attorney general whether he would or would not do that. he will probably not discuss it before the decision is made

either way. but in terms of moving forward, there is a huge conflict of interest here when it comes to what the justice department is looking into now with the biden family and joe biden refusing to discuss with his attorney general allegedly these issues of the investigation into whether it will move forward. so again, what happens in georgia will be interesting on the runoff elections there because that will determine more what kind of attorney general joe biden will be able to push through. in the senate, however the special counsel issue is one of a conflict of interest and that is why there are so many people calling for it at this point. >> sandra: katie pavlich, great to have you this morning, great to see you this morning. >> happy monday. >> trace: great britain struggling to contain a contain just strain of the coronavirus and several nations banning flights from the u.k. senior for foreign affairs live greg. good afternoon where you are. what impact does this new strain

of virus having there? >> huge impact a serious new covid-19 problem. the u.k., elsewhere, including the united states. it all started saturday when it was revealed a new u2 strain and the london and south eastern england. responsible for as much as 60% of the new cases, they say. 70% more contagious and so the government has issued a new tough lockdown and a ban on foreign travel with the u.k. that triggered a rush to the airports and train stations and other countries have followed suit, however, the latest count over 40 countries, many in europe but also canada, india, russia, banning anyone from entering their country from the u.k. especially the threats for the u.k. right now, trucks from the u.k. but that is basically shutting down much of the cargo traffic between the u.k. and europe. thousands of trucks at the ports here backed up for miles. supermarkets today are now

warning the shortages in the coming days. all of this as vaccines roll out in the united states. the scientists say that this is not necessarily more deadly. probably not resistant to the new vaccines, but frankly, they do not know for sure. so they are testing it very closely at a laboratory here. trace, what does this mean for the u.s.? so far they have not followed the lead of these other countries. they have not banned from the u.k. travel, but one official is not rolling tha ruling that out. and trying to get it moving in the next hour as it threatens to strangle the u.k. in terms of cargo. and finally, there are new reports of this new strain being detected in other countries in europe, maybe even the united states. this could be a new global problem. back to your. >> trace: problem indeed

greg palkot, thank you. >> sandra: new york city private school in hot water with some of the parents. a list of proposed changes to the curriculum and campus culture has parents up in arms. plus, we are awaiting a new conference we mention from attorney general bill barr. he is expected to announce new charges in the pan am bombing that took 275 lives two years ago today. >> i have to take her temperature and as if i'm not suffering and grievant, my life has been smashed. i'm trying to put the whole life together. >> sandra. by helping them leverage their va benefits to purchase a home with no down payment to enjoy the life they so rightly deserve.

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experience the wonders of at nizuc resort & spa, where paradise is personal. nizuc is a world to discover unto itself, day or night, indoors or out. something wonderful awaits. >> sandra: fox news alert now, we are awaiting a news conference the department of justice where attorney general bill barr to announce charges against suspected bomb maker in the pan am terror bombing. it has been exactly 32 years which killed 270 people. we will bring you that news conference as soon as it begins half past the hour. >> trace: growing backlash at a private school in new york city after several faculty members at the dalton school propose a list of sweeping changes to the schools curriculum and staff to better

serve its curriculum. what do we know about these proposed changes? >> good morning, trace, some people call them recommendations. other people have called them demands. and now one of new york city's most prestigious private schools has found itself right in the middle of the major controversy over this. we are talking about the dalton school. it posted its comments to antiracist page in june with a list of proposals following the death of george floyd. a report of student allegations of racism. soon after, some members of the school faculty suggested additional changes according to one parent's blog, which has been widely circulated including ensuring there is no correlation between race and placement in advanced classes. paying for student debt of black faculty having all employees in a public antiracism statement. the k-12 school welcomes the debate but does not support all the language and ideas by the faculty members telling fox this

"open what is around this leaf faculty demands starters createy a subset of faculty and staff responding." we want to mention dalton is not the only school across the united states which has made such suggestions. many have put forth proposals on racism, antiracism and police brutality, trace. >> trace: laura ingle live in new york. let's bring in rob smith the spokesperson for attorney usa. good to see you. i want to put up on the screen as laura said demands, suggestions or whatever the school is suggesting. there are ten of them and here are four. advocate to help students navigate predominately white institution, abolish high-level academic courses by 2023 if black students are not on par appeared in antiracism staff members and then finally overhauled curriculum reflecting diversity. what do you think about that?

>> so when we talk about school systems at all, the first question how is this helping to educate the children. so none of these things are hoping to educate children. this is all far left stuff made it into the holes of private schools. it is very interesting to me. we usually see this kind of thing reflected in public schools. and use it to shift the tension away from the fact that they have lower propensity rates and you know, people aren't doing well in english, people aren't doing well in math. they did this far left stuff to divert away from that. i'm very shocked to see this stuff come from a private school, particularly when they cost $55,000 a year to attend. i cannot imagine in any circumstances that black kids that are going to the school are receiving some sort of substandard education that needs to be sort of influenced by this far left, you know, critical

race theory stuff. >> trace: one parent, by the way, rob, said he didn't want to be identified. quoting suppose that antiracist agenda to look at black kids and treat them differently because of the color of their skin. is that a fair assessment? >> i think that is very fair. look, i think that is very important to say this critical race theory far left stuff, this is completely different from a curriculum that sort of gets into the history and the myriad of contributions african-americans have made to society. that is not what we are advocating against. what we are advocating against is this sort of far left stuff that makes let kids feel different and feel like victims. at the end of the day, again, it is not properly educating them and giving them the tools they need to navigate the world. i have no idea what paying off this student debt of black faculty members have to do with the education of black children

in the school or any other school. >> we read that and that was one of the ten demands, suggestion or whatever. senator tom cotton echoed a little bit a different tone watch him. >> we treat everyone based on their individual character and their decisions, not as a member of a group, not based on their skin color. >> you know, the school says this is just a suggestion. it is a starting point for a conversation. but you hear these other reports, rob, some of the teacher said they will not come back unless all of these demands are implemented. >> look, it is completely ridiculous and they say of course this is the starting point. but this is where it always starts, it starts with a conversation and then overhaul. and then it ends up changing into things, again, have nothing to do with the education of the students. and everything to do with pushing a far left agenda. like i said to come again, i am

shocked a prestigious private school is dealing with this. this is generally the domain of public schools to attract attention away from their failures. >> trace: rob smith, always good to see you, thank you. >> thank you so much. >> sandra: meanwhile top health officials advising americans to stay home for the holidays caught ignoring her own guidance. dr. deborah books what she did over thanksgiving with the latet covid hypocrisy outrage. 32 years after the pan am bombing, over luck be scotland, bill barr to announce criminal charges in that attack. we will have that news conferences as soon as it begi begins. >> now knowing he is able to go home and die with his family is almost more than i can take. my daughter didn't get to die with her family. my daughter died alone ♪ limu emu and doug.

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>> trace: attorney general bill barr taking another step for justice in the bombing of pan am flight 103. he is about to hold a news conference announcing brand-new criminal charges in the 1988 disaster over lockerbie, scotland. their terrorist attack killed 270 people and most from the united states. we will bring you that news conference when it begins. >> sandra: it is the bottom of the hour to hear the top stories. at least 164 partygoers without masts packed into illegal makeshift underground nightclub in queens overnight. the officials say the sheriff slapped with a $15,000 fine and charged organizers for violating covid restrictions. >> trace: age 75 and older should be next in line to get the covid vaccine. the recommendation will go to the cdc director for final approval. >> sandra: it was another violent week and in the city of chicago. at least five people were killed

and 30 wounded with gun violence over the weekend. for more of these stories, fox news app, scanned a qr code on your screen. foxnews.com/app. >> trace: the mother of the man who was brutally murdered and thrown off of a cliff in los angeles county is outraged after learning prosecutors dismissed special charges against her son suspected killers. william la jeunesse in los angeles. william, where is the new coming from on all of this? >> remember he claims that his progressive policies are not for felons benefit but victims. shorter prison sentences will make l.a. safer. friday come a woman challenged that and the decision to drop several charges against those who killed her son. here is what he said. >> it is unfortunate that we have people that do not have enough.

>> my son can never speak again because he was murdered! >> trace: he eventually apologized for claiming he didn't know the woman was a victim but meanwhile the mother of another murder victim complain after dismissed charges against the man who stabbed her son because they thought he stole their weed. as they prepared to throw him off a cliff, the suspect stomped on his head and tossed him over. >> i just ask you to please think about what you were doing. this is not right and this is not fair on so many levels. >> if convicted of murder, they could be eligible for parole. in a similar case, dropping a special circumstance charge against the killers of a police officer paul vernon 1983. >> instead of life without possibility of parole, we are talking about 25 years in prison and that could be easily come

85% of that and then full board decide what happens. parole board decides what happens. >> the director with all sentencing enhancements meaning 100 different crimes, trace friday under pressure, he will allow exceptions for child and elderly abuse and several other crimes, thank you. speak to the pushback is significant william la jeunesse in l.a. >> sandra: right before thanksgiving health officials warning everyone to stay home for the holidays and limit rather filmic family gatherings to avoid spreading the virus. now we are learning dr. deborah birx traveled out of state over thanksgiving weekend with three generations of her family from two separate households disregarding her own advice. a cohost of fox & friends fox & friends we can us live meant, happy holidays to you. welcome and good morning. >> merry christmas >> sandra: is this the writ latest round oe and not for me because she traveled to her home and she was going there to winterize it

i believe was her explanation bt outside of her whole house hold three different generations. >> stunning but not because of hypocrisy. politicians go hand-in-hand, coffee and doughnuts. yes we should be outraged about hypocrisy but all too common whether eric garcetti, gavin newsom, the mayor of boston. it is to come in. what is stunning, sandra, what it reveals. i think absolute disdain for the average, common american out there that they send messages to. americans whose businesses are being shuttered, and saying goodbye to loved ones in a hospital without able to go into the hospital. think of the cost, average american is paying while the electors, the elite do not abide by the rules appear to think what is stunning the absolute disdain it shows for the american people. >> sandra: this is tough and you had a long list of democratic lawmakers accused of hypocrisy because so many of them laying down these really

tough restrictions. here is dr. birx inside of the obvious covid team at the white house. and she very clearly laid out her own advice before thanksgiving. i'm just wondering what are they thinking? people are exhausted from this, trying to do the right thing. trying to wear a mask, social distance only to stay within our own households. but then they break their own advice while warning how dangerous this is. >> of course, i'm speculating that your is my attempt to answer the question what are they thinking. we spoke about this for a moment on friday. i believe the room is being divided into elites versus the common man. i think they see themselves in an elite status. what comes along with that elite status as a special application of the rules. here is how it manifest come i think, they are smarter than us. they can make a risk calculation that we are not capable of doing. >> sandra: governor newsom at french laundry not socially distancing. >> i don't think that gavin newsom does not believe his own rules, i believe he thinks he is smarter than me or you or anyone

watching right now to make risk calculation about whether or not he should be able to bend the rules. in short, that this day and i spoke about moments ago he thinks of himself as incredibly intelligent and making calculated risk analysis. but we, we need to be led by the nose to give up the stuff that is precious to us. >> sandra: here is dr. burks, from november heading into thanksgiving, listen. >> you need to take it upon yourself to be restricted. you need to not go to these places. you need to protect your family now. and really watch if your family traveled comic you have to assume that you were exposed and you became infected and you really need to get tested in the next week. >> sandra: steve hilton said this, yet another lead is locked down hypocrite. how dare these people, he writes, continue with cool counterproductive lockdown rules when they don't obey them. we are absolutely sick of the

don't make this. >> we sit here and wonder why the american people have lost trust in institutions, the media, academic institutions, election integrity. why are americans so skeptical of what they are told from the elites? why are they so skeptical of things that have lasted in this country for decades? institutions that we used to believe in? why i think it is very rational for the american people to go, i don't know if everything they are telling me adds up. >> sandra: i go back to we are dealing with obviously a very serious situation, the pandemic is still very, very serious as it is right now. spikes in many states that we are still dealing with as we try to roll out the vaccine. when you have dr. birx saying this about limiting to just your household, you really wonder again but they are thinking. here she is on cnn. >> i making the personal sacrifices. i like to keep it to your immediate household because, you know, you say it can be ten and

it is eight people from four different families, then that probably is not the same degree as safe as ten people from your immediate household. >> sandra: but then she went on to ignore her own advice. she traveled to her second home. >> three generations of her family and that one home. >> sandra: we are not saying that is wrong, right? we say it goes against the health officials guidance and recommendations that we are all trying to live by, if we can, but she did differently. >> what i think is we recommend their recommendations but we reject their mandates. and our own ability to be rational, smart and make risk calculations whether we can visit her family or open our business. and take protocols into hand and apply them in our lives. we are smart enough. we are not dumber than them. we don't need to defer to them as they break their own rules. >> sandra: you know, that was of course thanksgiving and heading into thanksgiving. here are your is upon us this

friday. a lot of american families have to make these really important decisions to keep themselves, their family members safe whether or not they decide to travel or not travel. you have seen the lines at the airport. many are choosing to pack their bags and go. >> smart decisions about them, their family and their businesses. >> sandra: live to the justice department where attorney general barr will thank you -- lockerbie, scotland, that killed 270. let's listen. >> attorney general barr: this press conference. on this day 32 years ago on december 31st, 1988, local timea bomb destroyed pan am flight 103 has it flew 31,000 feet over lockerbie, scotland. the massive boeing 747 known as the clipper maiden of the seas explode and fell to the ground in countless pieces, scattered

across 840 square miles nearly the entire width of scotland. the explosion killed all 259 people on board. 243 passengers and 16 crew members, including 190 america americans. falling debris claimed the lives of 11 lockerbie residents on the ground just at the time they were home and sitting down to dinner. the lockerbie bombing remains the deadliest, single list terrorist attack in the history of the united kingdom. and the second deadliest terrorist attack in american history. as costly as 9/11. immediately after the bombing, the fbi partnered with law enforcement agencies from scotland to investigate.

that joint investigation led to the filing of charges in 1991 against two libyan intelligence officers. the investigation also pointed to a third conspirator, a man known by the name of abu agila masud. but at the time, investigators were unable to identify or locate this third person. this morning, i am joined by the head of our national security division here at the department of justice, john demurs. by acting u.s. attorney for the district of columbia, michael sherwin, and by steve, the assistant director in charge of the washington field office of the fbi. i'm also joined by tara weeps

who i met last year at the memorial for the 103 victims and whose brother, rickman eddie, was killed on that flight. and now leads a pan am flight 103 advocacy organization. i also want to say that i talked earlier this morning with the director, chris wray, who regrets very much he cannot be here in person to underscore the commitment and the tenacity of the fbi in this investigation. that was underscored to me also last year when i spoke with the memorial at the arlington national cemetery. and among the audience were so many fbi agents and doj former employees and current employees who have been involved in this investigation.

still 30 years later. coming at the support for the victims families and that speaks volumes for the commitment that exists here at the department. i am pleased to announce that the united states has filed criminal charges against the third conspirator. abu agila masud, for his role in the bombing of pan am flight 103. let there be no mistake, no amount of time or distance. the united states and our scottish partners from pursuing justice in this case. well over a third of the americans alive today were either not worn or not old enough to remember the downing of pan am one oh three. about -- 103, but those who do

remember the iconic images of te displayed here today, this is forever seared in our memories. passengers and crew aboard the flight came from 21 countries around the world. but by far the largest contingent on the flight were americans. including a group of 35 study abroad students from syracuse university who were on their way home to spend christmas with their families. there is no question that the pan am 103 attack was aimed at the united states. in this heinous assault lives in infamy in the collective memory of the american people. at arlington national ceremony, it account of 270 scottish stones honors those who lost their lives in this attack

against america. and at syracuse university, 35 remembrance scholarships are awarded each year with each recipient representing a particular syracuse student killed aboard the plane. following the bombing, many of the victims families made an agonizing journey to scotland to the place where their loved ones lost their lives. the people of lockerbie, though devastated themselves, provided around-the-clock hospitality. in an unforgettable gesture, a group of scottish women meticulously collected clothing from amidst the wreckage, washed, ironed and folded the garments they found and sent them home to the victims family members has a final connection

to their loved ones. sadly, the remains of 17 victims were never identified or found. from the beginning, the united states and scotland have been determined to find and hold accountable those who perpetrated this attack. as i mentioned a khmer joint led to the filing of charges in november 1991 in both the united states and in scotland against the two libyan intelligence officers. nearly ten years later in may 2000, specially established scottish court convened in the netherlands to try these two men and in january 2001, he was

convicted and acquitted. the breakthrough that led to the charges announced today arose when law enforcement learned in 2016 that the third conspirator had been arrested after the collapse of the qaddafi regime and interviewed by libya law enforcement. the interview occurred in september of 2012. according to the criminal complaint affidavit, abu agila masud built the bomb that destroyed pan am 103 and worked with al amin khalifah fhimah and to carry out the plot. and alleges the operation had been ordered by the leadership of libyan intelligence and that after the downing of the aircraft, he had personally

thanked masud for the successful attack on the united states. in addition to his involvement in the lockerbie involvement, masud was also involved as we alleged in the complaint. in the 1986 bombing of the labelle in berlin, west germany that it will surface men and a turkish woman. although masud remains in libyan custody, it libyan provided a copy of of their interview to law enforcement. based on fact and other evidence, prosecutors from the u.s. attorney's office and the district of columbia and the counterterrorism section of the national security division unsealed a complaint this morning in the u.s. district court for the district of columbia charging masud with terrorism related crimes for his

role in the bombing of pan am 103. and at long last, this man responsible for killing americans and many others will be subject to justice for his crimes. the lockerbie bombing case holds a special significance for me because i was serving as acting attorney general when charges were filed against al amin khalifah fhimah in 1991. i know that toils, tears and sweat board and to pursue injustice for the victims of the bombing and their families. so it is with profound gratitude that i recognize and thank our law enforcement friends in scotland for nearly 32 year partnership with us on this ca case. i also think james will for his continued spark domestic partnership here there is much more still to be done, and we will not be able to do it withor

colleagues in scotland. we are committed arm in arm with them as we move forward in this case. i am especially proud of the countless agents and analyst of the fbi who have worked the pan am 103 case relentlessly over the decades. thank you for your dedication and your perseverance. and finally i think the prosecutors of the u.s. attorney's office for the district of columbia and the national security division for their many years of hard work and for preparing the charges in this case. today, masud remains in libyan custody and we intend to work closely with our scottish counterparts to use every feasible and appropriate means to ensure that he answers for his part in the lockerbie bombing. and it is our hope that libyan

authorities will allow masud to be tried for this crime in the united states and will provide the support and witnesses necessary for us to bring him to justice. peer to the families of those who died in the sky over lockerbie, all those years ago, i know that the small step that we take today cannot compensate for the sorrow we feel to this day. but i hope that you will find some measure of solace in knowing that we in the united states government on behalf of the american people and in partnership with our counterparts in scotland have never relented and will never relent in the pursuit of justice for you and for your loved ones. thank you. and now i would like to ask michael sure went the acting u.s. attorney general to make some comments. >> thank you, sir. as the attorney general

mentioned in 1991 the attorney general stood on this very stage when he unsealed the indictment of ghadafi and fhima, this is not the beginning but the attorney general said in 1991 that by no means with the investigation and with a sealed indictment. and the attorney general has lived up to those words. nearly 20 years later after unsealing of that indictment, we have been able to successfully charge the alleged bomb maker of pan am 103. and that is only come to fruition because of the amazing work of the scottish and the fbi investigators in this case, which is really unheard of. the lengthy investigators overseas and in the united states went to put this criminal complaint together. but make no mistake about it, this criminal complaint would have never been filed without the leadership in energy and where with all of the attorney general. so let's look at that criminal

complaint. the criminal complaint, the evidence, the forensics to lead us to file charges in the criminal complaints are fascinating and something out of a tom clancy novel. the beginning of the case the pan am flight exploded at 3,000 feet, just to give your reference, 30,000 feet is about 5.5 miles up in the atmosphere. it took literally four to 5 minutes for the debris to hit the ground. when that debris hit the ground, it found a debris scatter pattern 840 square miles. again in terms of reference, the fourth largest city in the united states, used income is 580 square miles. so again this was 850 square miles, which was, and i believe still remains today the largest crime scene in world history. so when that debris hit the ground, literally thousands of foreign agents, foreign law enforcement, u.s. law enforcement agents combed

every blade of grass looking for evidence in the case linking coconspirators to the criminal complaint that was unsealed this morning. i'm going to go over some of the highlights of the evidence linking both the circumstantial and direct evidence linking abu agila masud to being the alleged bomb maker of pan am 103. first of all, the investigators found pieces of the samsonite luggage commit a piece of the samsonite luggage only sold in the middle east at that time. and there were scoring marks, blast indicator showing some residue was already ingredients used for syntax. a common plastic explosive been used in afghanistan and iraq with a lot of ieds. now that residue on the samsonite luggage was also linked to pieces of clothing that were scattered over hundreds of miles, tiny micro pieces of clothing.

some of the clothing had labels linking the clothing to clothing store in malta. embedded with some of those tiny pieces of clothing, tiny pieces of black plastic that forensically relate to toshiba radio cassette. it is believed and alleged in the indictment and criminal complaint the syntax explosives were placed in the toshiba radio cassette player. that the timer used, a piece of the time are used to trigger that explosion over lockerbie was also found, which is incredible. there was a micro piece of the circuitboard chip of the timer found 25 miles from where the main fuselage landed. a tiny thumbnail and on that circuitboard was nebo, which the fbi and scottish investigators linked to a very small outfit of boutique electronics in el zurich. the individual that ran that outfit spoke to investigators and said that during that period of time in the late '80s, he had exclusive partnership with

the libyans where he supplied those circuit boards, those mechanisms to the libyan government specifically, the libyan military. now in addition to that, we have, we have the admission that the attorney general made reference to. statements from masud in which he talks about his role in the bombing, making the bomb, and also the role with the coconspirators. thus another important circumstantial fact that ties everything together are the travel records that really pen and the government really believes proves beyond a reasonable doubt masud's role in this criminal conspiracy. and i will bring out some of the main facts. the criminal fact states that through travel records in december, 14, 1988, mr. masud flies from tripoli, libya, to malta.

six days later, december 20th, 1988, his coconspirators, fhimah and ghadafi travel from tripoli to malta. it is alleged in a criminal complaint and indictment that at that time all coconspirators were together to arm the explosive device in the suitcase. and they used clothing from that malta clothing shop, mary's clothing shop in malta to conceal the toshiba cassette that contained the bomb. as stated in alleged criminal complaint, masud armed the device on december 21st, 1988, and he gave it to his coconspirators. and fhimah put on the flight, a feeder flight from malta to frankfurt that then went on to a feeder flight that put that samsonite briefcase on pan am 103 and the afternoon of december 21st. now tying this all together,

december 21st after the samsonite handoff by masud, he then boards an aircraft with ghadafi and they fly back to tripoli. so based upon this aggregate evidence, the direct evidence in terms of the statement that masud made to come at the circumstantial evidence, the debris, witnesses that confirm the sale of some of these materials to the coconspirators. the united states believe we have been extremely compelling case and can clearly prove this case beyond a reasonable doubt without a trial. i want to circle back that even though this case is fascinating and the forensics are amazing and it is a testament to the fbi and the scottish british investigators, that this case really is about the victims. that is why i am pleased that she will be able to speak. and that is obviously why we do our job. looking back at this event, even though it was 32 years ago, it is really, it is really telling how this single incident really

wiped out generations of family members, generations. that cannot be forgotten. so in closing, i want to end with a statement that robert mueller made at the lockerbie ceremony at arlington national cemetery in 2008. and i believe just as common as it was 12 years ago. he said to come as we stand here today in the darkest hour, we give reference in deference to the victims. and we have to bring justice in order to ensure that those victims are not forgotten. we will continue to move forward, but we will never forget. thank you.

>> thank you mr. chairman. first and foremost i would like to thank attorney general barr, director chris wray, the prosecutors and the d.c. attorney's office. i think i speak for the majority of family members when i say that we are justified, vindicated, our patient and persistent fruitful with this decision today. the model with the family members over the past 32 years has been the truth must be in known. today confirms what we believe to be true and a step forward and holding all of those responsible for the murders of 270 innocent people on this day in 1988. for the last 30 plus years, the dedicated men and women past and present of the fbi, department of justice, crown office, police scotland and all the administration since 1989 have never stopped investigating this case. working to make sure all those who perpetrated this heinous crime are brought to justice.

we have worked with so many over the past three decades. many of whom have debit dedicated the majority of their careers to this case. we have always been a sure this was an open case and no lead would be unfollowed. today is the culmination of that hard work. it is the resilience of family members who have not let anyone forget our loved ones who were lost on that tragic night 32 years ago. we will continue to pursue justice for all who are responsible for this bombing. but today is a small victory in that process. we are grateful to the department of justice and the fbi to continue to fight for justice for all americans. and for the family members who are not here but who are watching and listening come our loved ones are not forgotten, and i know you are here with me. thank you.

>> thank you very much, cara. so with that, it will open it to questions. initially some on-topic questions. yes, mike. >> on-topic here, what are the prospects that will be brought back to the u.s. in the courtroom and if i can off-topic, you know, do you believe there should be a special counsel appointed to the investigation of hunter biden? >> attorney general barr: on the first question, the prospects were very good. masud is in the custody of the current government of libya. we have no reason to think that that government is interested in associating itself with this heinous act of terrorism. and so we are optimistic that they will turn him over to face justice. on the second question, i think to the extent that there is an

investigation, i think that it is being handled responsibly and professionally, currently within the department and to this point, they have not seen a reason to appoint special counsel. and i have no plan to do so before i leave. yes. >> on-topic, can you say what the last piece was that got you to where you were able to charge the third conspirator? and as far as off-topic, are you at all dealing with concerns or worries that you come at the next stage of the biden administration will try to scuttle or kill the hunter investigation or the durham investigation? >> attorney general barr: obviously the big breakthrough in the investigation of pan am 103, this further progress that we have made came when the interview that was done by the

libyan law enforcement of masud was provided to us. and then, there was some additional evidence checking out some of the facts that were set forth in that interview. i will ask mike right now if there is anything else that he wishes to say. >> know you are right, sir. the tipping point was what the intelligence provided us. >> attorney general barr: and confirming additional information and facts that was in there. what was the second question? well, you know, before the election, as you know, i designated john durham is a special counsel because i wanted to provide him and his team with the assurance that they would be able to finish their work. and they are making good progress now. i expect that they will be able to finish their work.

>> reporter: do you think that might get scuttled or pushed out? >> attorney general barr: i'm hoping the next administration handles that matter responsibly. >> reporter: has there been any outreach at all to libyan authorities about a suspect? off-topic, does the president have the legal authority to support the seizure of voting machines around the country? you talked about in the past the broad views of presidential power. but any president have the authority to pardon themselves? >> attorney general barr: the first question was -- >> reporter: sorry, any outreach to libyan authority? >> attorney general barr: i can't comment on that. the second one, you know, i see no basis now for seating machines by the federal government. the wholesale seizures of machines by the federal

government and off at the top of my head, i will not apply to the constitutional issue as far as the power goes. >> reporter: to make the case abroad that you have already made your statement on that. but do you believe there is enough evidence to warrant appointing special counsel to look into it? or something that appears to be thinking about or perhaps sidney powell, do you believe there is any reason to do that? and given your opinion on this to the president of the white house? >> attorney general barr: can you know as you said, i have already commented fraud. let me just say there is fraud unfortunately most elections. i think we are too tolerant of this and i'm sure there was fraud in this election.

but i was commenting on the extent to which we looked at suggestions or allegations of systemic or broad-based fraud that would affect the outcome of the election. and i already spoke to that and i stand by that statement. >> reporter: but if appointing a special counsel, would you answer that question whether you believe there is enough there, even with what you have already said, do you believe there is enough evidence to warrant a special counsel to investigate that sitting power of someone else? >> attorney general barr: if i thought a special counsel at this stage was the right tool inappropriate, i would name one, but i haven't and i'm not going to. yes, sadie. >> reporter: two questions you talk about the investigation. can you explain a little bit more why they are not prosecuting this case? and secondly, i had a question about -- first of all, has the just department been hacked and do you agree with the conclusion

so far that russians are responsible and what possible responses from the justice department? >> attorney general barr: so the scottish have not ruled out, the scottish authorities have not ruled out bringing charges. right now, they are dealing with an appeal by mcgraw he curiously enough since he is dead. but under their system, there is an appeal and they are dealing with that, but once that has been dealt with, they will turn their attention whether or not they want to bring charges, but they are supportive of our action today. and we will rely on them to help us with evidence of triable. i just want to say something about the scottish law enforcement on this that impressed me at the time i was here 32 years ago. and you know i have a particular affection for scotland and spent

a lot of time there. as i played bagpipe since i was eight years old and i visited scotland during this first investigation and met with the police who are conducting the investigation in scotland. and what mike sure when alluded to is to make whole america. and looking at every blade of grass and the footprint was astounding. the picture pointing to the little chip that was found smaller than a fingernail that was critical to cracking the case. and that was found out in a field. so the painstaking work just shows the professionalism of the scottish police, but also, it shows how important international cooperation is in cracking these heinous crimes. now, was there another part to

your question? >> reporter: the conclusion of the russian -- and what responses we might see to get prior results? >> attorney general barr: from the information that i have, i agree with secretary pompeo's assessment. it certainly appears to be the russians, but i'm not going to discuss it beyond that. excuse me. catherine. >> reporter: on topic, attorney general, can you explain why it is important personally to bring a lockerbie investigation full circle with indictment and off-topic, respecting it is an ongoing investigation has special counsel counsel john durham the russian probe was not predicated? >> attorney general barr: i think it was important to bring this case, which in some ways

for me is coming full circle peered from the standpoint of the country, i think it is very important that we are relentlesm and that terrorists have to know that eventually, we will get them. for me personally, it was because i felt it was unfinished business in that i was the cabinet official who had to face the grief of the victims and their families. and actually, i had the honor of dealing with the victims. but i felt that our follow-up to the attack was not sufficient. and that justice was delayed and the full measure of justice was denied. you know, i think we reacted initially with sanctions and things like that.

i felt that would encourage further terrorism. so i just felt it was unfinished business from a personal standpoint. okay, katie. >> reporter: robert mueller -- >> attorney general barr: i will not characterize what his conclusions are, katie. >> reporter: robert mueller the head of the criminal division in 1991, did you invite him to be here today? he spoke about it defensively and so forth this day he was not able to bring more charges. and my second question is, when you spoke to last year, it was ironic the left talked about it more. systemic shredding the norm in the law? conservatives did not do that. did you think his remarks hold given the president's actions in the wake of the election and attempts to enter the results? >> attorney general barr: bob was ahead of the criminal division.

we worked closely on the case. i did not invite him to this event. and i'm just not going to get into my remarks of "the federalist" society or the recent developments. you know, as you know, i was not intending to come back into government, but i knew i was signing up for a difficult assignment in this department. as i said, there were rough times, and i came it because i felt like i could help lead the doj during this particular period. and you know, i don't regret that at all. i don't regret coming in because i think it is always an honor to serve the nation and the american people. so that concludes this press conference.

thank you very much. >> sandra: and you have been watching a news conference at the justice department. they attorney general bill barr in his final week and his role by the way announcing a third suspect has now been charged in the 1988 pan am bombing that killed 259 people on board that plane, 243 passengers, 16 crew members, 190 americans. at one point bill barr said there is no doubt in his mind that attack was aimed at the u.s. that moment is forever seared in our memories. let's bring in former deputy assistant tom depree. thank you for being here this morning and good to have you. a lot to take and from what we just heard there. he took several questions and answered a question on hunter biden and joe biden and continued investigation there. i will get to that in a moment, but to what we just heard from the attorney general, 32 years later, bringing this case full circle announcing a third suspect has now been charged.

>> right, it really underscores the united states is going to be relentless and enduring and bringing these terrorist to justice. we heard the attorney general and the prosecutor speak about the massive investigation that went into bringing these charges today that began with a crime scene that was greater than the space of major american cities. it involves talking to hundreds of witnesses, piecing together testimonies, stories, circumstantial evidence. so it really is a triumph of investigators today. and as i said, really underscores that the united states never gives up, never forgets the victims, never forgets the heinous act that happened december 1988. it is an important day today. >> sandra: and we will never forget the fallen debris claims the lives of 11 lockerbie residents on the ground. many had sat down to dinner as you heard from the attorney general. he talked about the blades of grass, the scottish dug through giving bill barr a lot of credit for that search.

which obviously turned up that chip, so much more in this case, tom. i want to ask you about the news attorney general made as well on the hunter biden investigation. he was asked and answered the question whether or not you believe special counsel is needed in that case. he answered with this. >> to the extent that there is an investigation, i think it is being handled responsibly and professionally currently within the department and to this point, i have not seen a reason to appoint special counsel. and i have no plan to do so before i leave. >> sandra: and i have no plan to do so before i leave. what did you take from that, tom? >> right, he has made it abundantly clear he thinks this investigation can continue to be carried out under the normal department of justice offices and processes. he said he will not be doing anything in his final hour as attorney general.

of course, that does not prevent the next attorney general from appointing a special counsel and of course, it does not mean the investigation is going away. a clear effort by the attorney general to put the brakes a little bit on the top and final hours he would appoint a special counsel. he has ruled that out. >> sandra: a big day, indeed in a lot of news in that news conference. our hearts to all those americans and families affected by the pan am bombing 32 years ago today. we appreciate your time this moaning, tom, thank you. >> thank you. >> sandra: trace. >> trace: more breaking news on the hunter and biden investigation. the president-elect team addressing the issue as joe biden prepares to nominate the country's top law enforcement officer. biden incoming white house press secretary made it clear that he won't discuss the investigation of his son, hunter, with anyone he is considering to be the next attorney general. jan's hockey noncommittal when it came to job security for the u.s. attorney now behind that pn

senator john kennedy addressed it on "america's newsroom" earlier. >> he is going to see that if he wants this issue to go away and i'm sure he does, he will need the cachet of a special counsel that people trust you will look at this independently. now, we've got to get to the bottom of this. i think i know what most americans are thinking. those who are democrats and republicans. what did hunter biden do for the money? >> trace: live in wilmington, delaware, rich agyeman. >> good morning, trays. the transition team said that president-elect joe biden is weighing his options to choose attorney general. in a more sensitive decision for biden because whoever the choice is, who they confirm a likely justice department with the active investigation into his son. the incoming white house press secretary who ever will lead the

justice department and the next administration, she says will be independent. >> no decision has been made who he will nominate to be the attorney general. he's been emphatic that person will oversee independent department and he will not be discussing an investigation of his son with any attorney general candidates. he will not be discussing with anyone he is considering for the role and he will not discuss with a future attorney general. >> in the running for attorney general former attorney deputy general sally yates, doug jones and judge merrick garland, that president obama chose to fill supreme court justice but denied the appointment. republicans say regardless of who biden selects as attorney general and despite the fact the current attorney general said he feels the investigation ongoing right now is sufficient into hunter biden, there still should be a separate independent investigation into hunter. president trump says he wants a

special counsel to carry an investigation into joe biden's presidency and more congressional republicans say they support a special counsel. >> his son walked away with millions and millions of dollars worth of contracts. and the appearance come i'm not saying any legality but the appearance that day was that america's foreign policy can be bought. >> now another option for republicans would be a congressional inquiry of next year but that depends on controlling at least one house of congress and that is up to those two special senate elections ongoing in georgia. they need to win 1c, republicans to maintain control of the senate. that is where vice president kamala harris is going today to campaign for the democratic candidates, trace. >> trace: january 5th is a big day, wilmington, rich, thank you. >> sandra: for more this editorial board member and

fox news contributor, james, good morning to you. news on this from the attorney general. he was asked about it moments ago. listen. >> to the extent that there is an investigation, and i think it is being handled responsibly and professionally currently within the department and to this point, have not seen a reason to appoint a special counsel. and i have no plan to do so before i leave. >> sandra: but now according to jen psaki the press secretary for incoming president says it is up to the new attorney general how this is a handle going forward. james, question to you, will we find out who that is prior to the georgia runoff election? what do you think? >> we might, but whoever it is, jen psaki claiming this will be an independent agency, not true. the justice department, the attorney general, whoever it is, reports to joe biden as president.

so he is politically accountable. this has come up a lot in the trump era where a lot of colleagues and the media like to pretend that it is inappropriate for the president to oversee the justice department, but it is part of the executive branch. so people may not, they may be skeptical whether a biden justice department is really going to investigate hunter biden's activities aggressively, but it is joe biden ultimately who is politically accountable just as i think he is ultimately accountable for allowing his family members to drop it from their association with him. >> sandra: i just wonder where you think this goes next? obviously, who the attorney general is is key. the attorney general bill barr just now saying as long as this is handled responsibly and professionally, there is no need for special counsel at this time. but james, the lack of media coverage of this is one thing. it is another when joe biden is asked a question about this, he ignores it.

you haven't heard from his team answering questions on this. so what happens with the story nobody has covered it? >> yeah, i think you mentioned there, this is where senate control is really critical. because i think the investigative committees of the senate, the oversight committees, are really the only hope to get an outside check on this. obviously, joe biden's justice department reports to him. it is hard to be optimistic. you saw the comment where he said he was not going to discuss this with his justice department or his attorney general. mr. biden also at one point said he had never discussed hunter biden's business dealings. and hunter biden later said that they had discussed it. mr. biden, joe biden had said to come i hope you know what you are doing. the real question for all of this as you raised earlier is, there is a tax investigation.

tax laws ought to be enforced from a bit it is how he generated that income that is the question. what did hunter biden do? what did he promise in return for these enormous payments that don't seem tied to any legitimate business purpose? >> sandra: very important questions and we will continue to cover it. james freeman from "the wall street journal," thank you. >> thank you, sandra. >> trace: we are learning more about the china threat and help for the communist company will go to see and hear. the leaked documents that reveal an entire army of online trolls and how they have been working to hide the truth about covid-19. general jack keane is here with that. and also a top new york city private school feeling the heat from some parents as it sets new guidelines to address racial issues in schools we'll be there when you want better rates too. or to get money for retirement.

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used and another multiple directive emphasize negative news about the virus is not to be promoted. the president was talking about this months and months ago. it appears he had it right, gentlemen. >> you are absolutely -- especially the chinese did everything they possibly could to squelch that story, to hide it, and then a massive campaign, trace of a false narrative was out. tens of thousands and billions of dollars involved in that but guess what? the world got this one right.

it backfired on the chinese communist party. the world, believes that chinese domain china is the origin of what was so academic. and they spread it to a world pandemic. the world at least in rhetoric hopefully more in facts and deeds is holding china accountable. as a result of that, every country in the world has had to reassess the strategic relationship with the chinese communist party. some said we will continue as normal because we are economically dependent. others like the united states and countries are adjusting that for good reason. because this is a country that clearly lies through its teeth to protect its own narrative and reputation and does significant harm to its own people to protest against anything other than the party line. >> trace: incoming news, administration general, you have to ask. do you think the consequences will continue?

will there be consequences? you talk about holding china accountable but some wonder if that is actually true. >> that is a big question. we don't know the answer to that. i suspect the new incoming administration will be more conciliatory in tone, but the real issue is, are they willing to confront the chinese communist party and deal with the major issues of regional domination and global domination seeking economic military and technological superiority is what they want? are we willing to take all that on? that remains an open question. >> trace: and lastly, we have this chinese scientist, he's from china and studies uc berkeley said quoting and i want to put this up quickly, "china has a weaponize system of censorship. it's refined, organized and coordinated by the state's resources. this is a huge thing that no other country has." very quickly, general, your thoughts on that. >> the chinese have a deal with

their own people. and that is you can prosper inside the so-called state capitalistic economic and financial system they have, but you must submit to the control and influence of the chinese communist party. that is the unstated deal that they have with the people. if you descend, speak up, they are coming after you appear they will put you in jail, they will torture you and they will deal with your family. this is significant oppression taking place inside that society. they take the same actions against countries that speak up against them here they come after them economically. it is happening right now with australia. >> trace: general, thank you, sir, we appreciate it. good to see you. >> good talking to you, trace end. >> sandra: "the new york times" retracting a podcast series on isis after the lead reporter believed a man beheaded people of the islamic state in syria. "the new york post" calling out the times in a new op-ed asking why the paper didn't get scrutinize this much for a story

of inclusion. between the trump campaign in russia or stories about unproven claims against brett kavanaugh. "the new york post" calling -- carol. michael goodwin and his piece on this. he said putting the brakes on way a standard created at the time a century ago. eliminated those standards in 2016 when he gave reporter's free reign to trash trump. and virtually every story not coincidently the scope of major scrubs had also ballooned. that is what happens when you stop being a newspaper and become an activist chasing social and political agendas. please weigh in. >> absolutely. that is exactly it. we have come where we accept inaccurate from these major news organizations that don't take any of the fact-checking seriously anymore. they all have a perspective, they push that perspective and considered mainstream. i think that will thing is ridiculous. i think to hold them account in stories like this and the other

story like the brett kavanaugh obviously fake stories they ran. so many of the russia collusion stories that made no sense. i think they need to answer for a lot of it. maybe stuff like this will push people to realize that. >> sandra: meanwhile, carol, and other story, a school here in manhattan, the dalton school, has released eight page antiracism manifesto. it has sparked outrage among the parents who send their students there. here is attorney general rob smith watching. >> this is completely different from a curriculum that sort of gets into the heads and the contributions that african-americans have made to society. i have no idea what paying off the student debt of black faculty members has to do with the education of black children into school or any other school. >> sandra: they say the manifesto came from student complaints about racism. this is a very prestigious school and parents are clearly

in reaction to it taking issue with it. what are you hearing? >> every time i talk about woke in the school i hear from parents all across the country, it's taking hold of their students as well. it is not just the $50,000. but this thing is spreading. parents need to take it seriously and not see it as just new yorkers or others in schools like it. we have completely moved away from a curriculum of math, science, reading et cetera and localism as a curriculummism -- curriculum. >> sandra: we will be watching that and other stories as they develop on that around the country, carol thank you for being here this morning. >> thank you for having me. >> trace: is a new strain of coronavirus spread in the u.s. people are asking whether the new vaccines will be effective against it. what the scientists are saying about that next. plus, another high-profile official violating travel rules everyone else was asked to

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finding the right words can be tough.n it comes to autism, finding understanding doesn't have to be. together, we can create a kinder, more inclusive world for the millions of people on the autism spectrum. go to autismspeaks.org ♪ >> sandra: headlines at the bottom of the hour the attorney general bill barr a short time ago says he sees no reason to have a special counsel to lead the investigation into hunter biden's taxes and business dealings. the investigation is being handled responsibly and professionally within the justice department. >> trace: the vatican telling catholics worldwide it's okay to get the coronavirus vaccine

easing doubts because the vaccine came from research using aborted fetuses. >> sandra: and geologists with reports of extreme love for shooting 150 feet in the cy nemec sky. a volcano erupting on the big island. download the fox news app, go to to foxnews.com/app. >> trace: in the meantime dr. deborah birx facing backla backlash -- facing backlash after she traveled out of statee generations of her family from o separate households over thanksgiving day weekend. the purpose of the trip is to winterize for delaware property before an upcoming sale. >> sandra: and a new strain of the coronavirus up to 70% more contagious is spreading rapidly across the u.k. as millions of doses of vaccines make their way across the u.s. where scientists are checking to see if the new vaccines will

prevent this new strength. and dozens of countries block travel to the u.k. dr. dinesh. and obviously, great concern about this new strain. what do we need to know about this? >> sandra, it is important to know that viral mutations are constantly occurring. it is a natural phenomenon and we shouldn't be worried or panicked but we need to remain vigilant with mitigation efforts. this virus so far is found to be more transmissible, up to 70%. but we still need more data to understand this variant of the virus. it has also found potentially to spread easily from those who have underlying medical diseases more easily from person to person so heart disease, lung disease, and you have this virus you can catch it easy. that is why is so important to wear your mass, avoid social gatherings during the holidays because you are potentially a higher risk.

but remember we need to learn more about this virus, this new viral strain and understand it is actually not new. we discovered it a couple of months ago and these mutations occur all the time. we talked about you and i sandra back in the summer these mutations and there were several of them. >> sandra: absolutely and with that being said, the coronavirus we know we are dealing with covid-19. in another strain identified, boris johnson over the weekend explaining his move shutting down. >> given the early evidence we have and the new variant of the virus, the potential risk it poses, it is with a very heavy heart, i must tell you, we cannot continue with christmas as planned. >> sandra: obviously germany saw what was happening and decided to shut down borders. you see the spreading across the u.k. and question whether the u.s. needs to shut down borders considering what we see happening there. do you believe that the medical

professionals will advise that? >> yes, i think that is being discussed currently right now. we need to first gather more data and understand the risk of this variant. it is possible that we may close borders again. we did it before we saw president trump close the borders from italy, europe, france when we had this outbreak initially. but again, these strains, these variants, they are not new peer they happen all the time. it is common, it is expected to. it is a matter of following the data the science to see if it is going to be more lethal. so far, it is not more lethal. the mortality rate has not increased in europe because of this new strain around for two to three months. we need to take all of these factors into consideration before we decide whether we need to close the borders to the united states. >> sandra: really quickly an update on the vaccines, the advisory panel, vaccine recommendations 75 or older, front-line workers. you are looking at 49 million people. as far as the immunizations are concerned, how are we doing on that front has this has been a

big sign of hope for the american people who have gone through a lot, doctor? >> yes. having two vaccines on the market is a blessing and really is numerical. let's not forget it usually takes years to get a vaccine on the market. we are getting it done in less than a year. so we came off a slow start and expected to have millions the first week. we are getting there, but one day at a time. today we will have millions of americans also continuing to get the pfizer vaccine and also moderna vaccine. i will get a moderna vaccine. a step in the right direction and more and more every week. but the mitigation efforts, where your mask and physical distancing. >> sandra: dr. nesheiwat, always appreciate your time, thank you. >> thank you, sandra. >> trace: fox news alert and coming out of the news conference with attorney general bill barr. he's weighing in on the massive cyber attack on the government's computer networks, including the agency that handles our nukes. and he's placing the blame on a

different culprit than the white house. we are live with that next

♪ >> sandra: fox news alert no attorney bill barr addressing massive cyber attack at the news conference few moments ago. pointing the finger at russia. and differing with the president on that issue, mark meredith joining us live from the white house. mark, what is the news? >> sandra, ever since the cyber attack, both officials made it clear russia is responsible peer that is something secretary of state mike pompeo said friday in a radio interview and no attorney general bill barr echoing the same comments. here is what he had to say moments ago. >> i agree with secretary pompeo's assessment. it is certainly appears to be the russians, but i will not discuss it beyond that. >> here is where the controversy lies because saturday morning the president wrote on twitter

"the cyber hack is far greater than in actuality. i've been fully agree ohmic briefed and everything is under control, russia, russia, rushes the chant because of financial reasons. it is petrified and disgusting the possibility that it may be china." that was the first time we have seen and read any senior official from the president and this possibility it could be china responsibility. no indication other officials that would be the case and lawmakers have been demanding retaliation for this saying this is a huge deal. we heard one senator basically say, sandra, this was a declaration of war. mitt romney also saying he was disappointed in the comments about the president had a blind spot when it came to russia. we will see if the president has anything more to say now that bill barr has spoken out, sandra. >> sandra: happening a short time at the justice department, mark, thank you, trace. >> trace: a new recall effort for california governor gavin newsom with gaining traction with high-profile governor wants

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>> trace: a petition to recall governor gavin newsom has more than half signatures needed to qualify for a special election. now democrats are warning this him to watch out. the republican congressman elect, the former chair of oversight committee and heading back to washington next month. congressman, always great to see you there the former mayor of san francisco willie brown made it, and mentioned you in it. i'm quoting "he says many disks count that darrell eisman will write a check to pay for the signature drive. his money is how the recall campaign against gray davis qualified for the ballot in 2003.

but organizers counting on small donations coming in from around the country to do the job because every time gavin newsom makes news, more money comes in. do you foresee somebody like you coming forward to kind of push this thing along? >> in 2003 when we recalled gray davis we had tens of thousands of contributors. i provided money but at the end of the day, the petitions came in through the mail, small dollars came in through the mail and gray davis like gavin newsom continued to go in the wrong direction in defiance of what the people were saying. he should be doing. this governor needs to change directions on unreasonable lockdowns. he needs to change direction on power going out. he needs to change directions on his tax increases. if he doesn't, he, in fact, is fueling the recall and the contributions that comes from

tens of thousands of californians. >> trace: and democratic strategists, it would be a reach but if big money behind it, there is enough anger out there and it could qualify, talking about the ballot. easement to qualify would be another thing altogether for the recall of it to succeed so getting on the palate is one thing, getting success and to succeed as a totally different ball game. >> well they said that about gray davis, but at the end of the day 135 people stepped forward and arnold schwarzenegger became governor. you know, there is no politician living politician in california smarter than willie brown. his record of success in the other party but his record of success speaks for itself. so when he warns the governor against continuing in the wrong direction, the governor should heed it. otherwise a recall qualification is likely, and a successor recall certainly could happen. >> trace: ten seconds left. even with this recall failing,

political capital he has lost a great deal, finally. >> there is no question, you are diminished if, in fact, a million and a half people thinks they should be recalled and 10 million people, even if it fails probably would vote to recall them. it really changes the perspective of is he in fact a good governor or a governor that has lost the perspective of representing all the people of california, particularly the employers who are leaving for state in droves. >> trace: congressman elect darrell issa, it is good to see you. >> thank you. >> sandra: an update on a story of fox news alert that we just talked about on that strain, the new strain of covid that is sparking fears in britain and beyond. the new york governor andrew cuomo just announced a few seconds ago during a news conference that british airwave to voluntarily test passengers for the virus before they fly into

new york city of jfk airport's from a british airways is the dominant airline between new yof course. he said the state has also asked delta air lines and atlanta to screen passengers on their flight to jfk as well.

>> sandra: taggart woods with an impressive part of it and we can. have to let it breathe.

11-year-old charlie woods played with his father the championship. he wore, of course, the matching red shirt that tiger is known to wear on sunday. any at the matching fist pump. >> trace: had a birdie and an eagle, as well. >> sandra: great stuff. "outnumbered" starts now. >> harris: new questions about the future of any investigations into president-elect's son, hunter biden. attorney general bill barr has, just a few days before he is set to step down from his post, smacked down the prospect of a special counsel. >> i think to the extent that there is an investigation, i think it is being handled responsibly and professionally currently within the department, and to this point i have not seen a reason to appoint a special counsel, and i have no plan to do so before i leave