>> millions of americans are celebrating christmas and a deep freeze after a once in a generation winter storm leaving at least 24 that and tens of thousands of homes without power americans trying to get back on after the holidays may find their flight delayed or canceled. welcome to fox news life we have team coverage from the fox weather center and back in new york but let's start with charles at atlanta

international airport. >> surprisingly a busy day for christmas at atlanta international thousands are more trying to get home and those are holding out hope that santa will give them the gift to be home for the holidays. up until this point it has been a nightmare for tens of thousands of holiday travelers of cancellations and delays have played airports nationwide because of the deadly arctic blast we have been dealing with today there have been more than 3600 delays and more than 1600 flight cancellations. not great but little lower than 24 hours ago and conditions are improving across the nation at the transit hub that make no mistake airlines and airports are not out of the woods just

yet the brutal temperatures snap close the delta lounge in the international terminal and at the airport shut on friday and officials say it will remain close through 11:00 a.m. on monday when wind and visibility are expected to improve. >> canceling so many plans for the holidays and we are fortunate. >> i'm used to it. coming from the midwest you are used to the crazy changes in weather. always be prepared for the weather. reporter: it hasn't been any easier for those there have been dozens of storm related death that has been unfortunate across the country

things are expected to be busy according to aaa for tuesday and wednesday. buckle up live from atlanta thank you so much let's turn to the fox weather desk and we have the latest. >> merry christmas number one perhaps not so mary for 245 million americans struggling and fighting through temperatures way below average was a little system but all of the attention is turning to the great lakes the snowmachine kicking into high gear we will check in and just moment but a blast up and down interstate 81 we already picked up 43 inches of snow in buffalo between eight and 12 inches they are and we

could pick up another 24 or 36 inches of snow the last folks who want to break by next weekend looking at a nice relief from the brutal cold. rich: we have some strong jacket games that you are leading the pack that could stop a storm. i love it. [laughter] matt gordon's jacket that is intense. rich: following the storm to buffalo were seven people dead and thousands more trying to dig out from over 40 inches of snow we are in the middle of all of that next. reporter: the snow continues to fall and the wind continues to whip south of the buffalo metro area. brutal conditions for utility worker still trying to restore power to those who are in the

dark this christmas and officials say power should be restored by later this evening or maybe tomorrow morning that conditions are tough for the utility workers because the high wind topples trees and utilities centers are covered in i.c.e. speaking of icy slippery roads or as a travel ban around the surrounding county right now the roads are very treacherous having people stay off of them because people had to spend the night in their cars and then continuing to rise in new york state seven people confirmed dead one-man frozen to death in buffalo and two other emergency responders having medical emergencies because they were horrible and then

others were found in snowbanks or found dead frozen in their cars a horrible situation buffalo police are asking for volunteers with snowmobiles to assist with rescues in the city of buffalo. but the one silver lining has people coming together and a lot of folks asking for help and neighbors coming to the rescue. rich: for more weather updates you can find weather updates for your area for the app and on fox weather.com. nicole, thank you for joining us this afternoon what is the american red cross doing and for those who do need help how can they get it quick. >> american red cross is working hard throughout the entire holiday season helping out at warming centers but

really what we need to focus on is we heard those conditions are still intense. it is still cold make sure you are checking in on your friends and family and neighbors in your area. these conditions are no joke. if we expected temperatures to remain the same safety will be a priority check on those who may not have family. continue to be safe it is a good choice to stay inside if you don't have to be out. rich: if you do lose power how you stay warm safely in your house quick. >> you want to focus on using flashlights and not candles i know people are thinking of a great christmas five but actually it is a fire risk in your home we want you to rely on the flashlights stay indoors.

and make sure you are prepared before you go out make sure you have a plan and all devices are charged. rich: secretary buttigieg. rich: that the typical red cross talks about shortages but this storm has made the situation worse quick. >> we are seeing on the screen right now we have had to cancel hundreds of blood drives across the country. at scale there are thousands of blood that has not been collected if you hear these people being rescued and how important it is whether trauma victims going through a difficult child birth or cancer patient having blood on the shelf is critical important if you i would encourage to donate this holiday season it could be a

new family tradition to get everybody together but having blood on the shelf is critical. rich: and warming centers is what the red cross is working on quick. >> and responding to large home fires or apartment fires but think about this it is christmas today there are red cross volunteers sitting down with a meal with their family and then they pack up their code and supplies get in their vehicles and leave their family speaking to the holiday spirit of the american red cross and how heartfelt it really is to help one another. rich: some terrific perspective. thank you. >> the omnibus spending bill

causing friction in the gop several senators calling out mitch mcconnell for siding with the bill and house minority leader's as a monstrosity. so this isn't over yet quick. >> it's just getting started merry christmas we are headed into a new year and a new session nearly $2 trillion more in debt and republicans are deeply divided over how we got here. eighteen senate and nine house republicans passing the omnibus applauding the 800 billion of defense spending democrats are taking a victory lap all conservative say the bill has a lot of pork and they are adding that slamming through the process right before christmas just shows how broken congress really is.

>> this is nancy pelosi and go all the stuff shoved down our throats at the last minute with a lame-duck session and littered with pork. >> house minority leader mccarthy is threatening to kill bill sponsored by senate republicans who voted for it if he becomes speaker next year still appears he does not have the vote it will take days for the omnibus to reach the president but congress passed another resolution a band-aid bill for a week to avoid a government shutdown because that is the irony what they were trying to avoid that happened anyway. >> this will prevent that and then they can focus on the leadership fight.

>> he needs the five votes he does not have we will see how it shakes out but it is a little mess for the republicans. >> pre- and our political panel the gop strategist from the vogel group principal and cofounder and democratic strategist thank you for joining us this afternoon i went to begin with the bill that fight is over but looking ahead to the leadership challenge does this clear the deck and give republicans something to point out as a way to say this is what we will do when we control the house quick. >> first of all merry christmas and second it does give mccarthy an option to show his leadership style to take on senate republicans who voted for the bill and call

them to task and say why not wait until we are in charge? it was a boost and republicans are ready to get the house back in order. january 3rd the offices will open there will not be anymore than proxy voting we will go back to regular order and hopefully have some less chaos in the spending bills. rich: are they right to do this politically as they tout the spending bill? white house officials are already preparing for depositions and subpoenas. how do they prepare for that? >> it was very bipartisan it was 52 percent national defense spending 40 percent discretionary. that is a pretty good balance but on the house side looking at the performance from mccarthy because he needs these votes to become speaker and i'm not sure he can get it.

the next congress will be a real wildcard i know republicans in the house want to hold these hearings but i'm not sure at this point if mccarthy will be speaker i think it will be a wild ride over the next year. rich: republicans risk overreach they are government-funded that they have to have the same fight then it's only several months away do they risk over investing or too many fights on budgeting? >> jim made a really good point on the oversight question for the past years the biden administration has been called to task by anybody in congress and the real answers of what happened with that debacle and something that the fbi has been doing and a bunch of other issues that have not had the media

shine a light that they deserve in american people has the best government but then to be in constant contact with these twitter files and virtually on —- and should they do the work? >> there is a lot of extremism out there and you have to look at what is going on it could be really harmful to the country and can incite violence talking about the wild west and extremism is not its reach it was a lot broader than it was before with the

capital just one year ago what should happen here. whether they are equipped or not is not an easy task but they are trying to do their best in a new environment. >> according to the twitter files it seemed to be in oculus jokes, what about that? is there overreach for the law enforcement agencies to be in such constant contact with social media companies? think they are going to do it has to be an empire added majorly baseball game called balls and strikes not to put their finger on the scale for one party over the other look at the hunter biden laptop tweets that they are so upset about but it turns out that story was true and they

suppressed it. so are we going to go back and ask him about the mistakes of the overreach? balls and strikes american people are looking for that not for the fbi to have their finger on one scale or the other right now it seems to be going one w way. >> i think they are trying to call balls and strikes but there was so much extremism out there and if you look at what happened january 6 of the rise of the capital it is a tough game to call. rich: we have to leave it there. thank you for joining us on this christmas afternoon. >> mary christmas. rich: the border crisis is to get worse as the temperatures get to dangerous low levels and the shocking numbers up

next. inevitable. but if you're over 50 or live with a chronic condition, waiting could be deadly. because conditions like heart disease or diabetes raise your risk of serious illness or death from untreated covid. and if you don't get treatment within days, you may not be able to get treatment. so, got covid symptoms? get tested and get treated right away. it can't wait. [téa leoni] as in all human conflict, adults fight and children suffer. today, seven and a half million children in ukraine need to find water and shelter. they need safety and school. they need a place to sleep and comfort in the dark. show them the world cares. support unicef on the ground in ukraine. we won't stop until every child is safe. unicefusa.org/ukraine.

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rich: live images from our fox flight team at the southern border cbp the highest migrant

immigrations higher than ever. >> arriving at the home of vice president harris who arrived in washington dc christmas eve dropped off near the naval observatory the outlet reports that migrants were from texas texas congressman castro wrote where is the governor dropping of people with no money or means on christmas eve and 15-degree weather how christian of you saying that this is making the next republican president. they did receive aid after they arrived in dc is not the first time governor avid has sent migrants to the vice president home but this is video from back in november when other asylum-seekers arrived at her house. and then to draw attention to the chaos at the border.

and friday night texas dps shows this disturbing video as shared on social media troopers busting a human smuggling effort and last night dhs released the same and then to target human smuggling organizations to bring them to justice. former us border patrol chief and retired i.c.e. director reacted to the blessing of the migrants and the dhs statement. >> and dhs was created to protect us from threats which come across the southwest border and come into ports of entry illegally. have done absolutely nothing sending busloads to the naval observatory and that's what

they have done similar things to bring attention to the problem. >> there are more than 233,000 border encounters the largest amount for a november on record. rich: national border patrol vice president then news here is we're also looking at the end of title 42 to allow border patrol to expel certain migrants as they are apprehended so what is border patrol doing to prepare? >> that is part of the problem. they are not at all they will just wait and see what knee-jerk reaction with caravan after caravan and they are not prepared but unfortunately it will be the same thing and to create that

magnet. and this administration created that magnet. and to come across everything will be fine and if there is not a consequence for committing the action. >> and that the dhs more than anyone attempting to enter without authorization is subject to expulsion under title 42. how many migrants does that apply to? the administration with the proper 30 to come into the united states so what actually happens? >> if you have the sniffles

but basically move them in so when you see that statement is not sure for anything else they may have but a lot of them come across they have hepatitis is not even checked because nobody checks any type of medical it's a lot different when someone applies to come into the united states it's more of a vetting process i seen it from my own family members and it is very minimal.

and there is no end in sight with the lifting of title 42. not only or more individuals coming across but they control the border with the criminal cartel. takes agents away with their administrative duties and that this administration has pretty much given the key. rich: dea say most drugs come through at ports of entry and tractor-trailers has that changed? and if not does the united states need to beef up coverage at the legal ports of entry? >> remember they are being infected that go back and look at the pandemic it was very

limited to the port of entry it was still high in the united states and then to put them in administrative duties. and then it comes in from the port of entry spec then national border patrol thank you very much. >> mary christmas. >> a fox news alert alive look at the wharton colorado police are responding to a deadly incident at a jehovah's witness kingdom hall. officials and from there actively investigating a homicide no details are available at this time although there had been some reports of the shooting and an explosive device possibly thrown inside but what we have confirmed is this is a homicide investigation inside the gathering hall and threaten colorado but police

say there is no active shooter as of now we are at the scene life and will continue to monitor developments. >> work toward ukraine. with a painless, one-second scan, i know my glucose numbers without fingersticks. now, i'm managing my diabetes better, and i've lowered my a1c from 8.2 to 6.7. take the mystery out of managing your diabetes and lower your a1c. now you know. try it for free at freestylelibre.us [ music playing ] when we first arrived at st. jude, it was just claire and i. she was still recovering from her brain surgery. and side effects of that surgery meant that she had to relearn how to walk and how to speak.

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rich: ukrainians are celebrating the first wartime christmas with many spending the holiday and shelters as refugees. reporter: mixed emotion this christmas for people here across the country many are celebrating when it comes to more deaths from yesterday's shelling attack saying that 16 people were killed and 64 were hurt but take a look at this

on christmas pictures of ukrainians lining up to donate blood president zelensky the described it as terrorism with a much more positive message about christmas today. >> we will seeing carol's more cheerfully than ever to be louder than the sound of the generator and hear the voices of our loved ones even if the connection and the internet go down. reporter: even in the front-line city soldiers are finding a way to celebrate christmas even with christmas trees and trenches russia has been pushing for the city since may and as actors and musicians showed up to provide entertainment with music and shows for soldiers to celebrate this christmas. take a look at the next video a us group called common man for ukraine delivered president on —- presents going

to 21 different orphanages and handed out presence this week kids going through a difficult time they could celebrate to provide a wood burning stove after that critical infrastructure has been hit so many times and the city and region are operating 50 percent power deficiency back to you. rich: thank you. for more on ukraine and vladimir zelensky's historic address to congress the united health ukraine thank you for joining us this afternoon. you were in the house chamber for president zelensky's speech what was it like. >> it was truly a historic moment it was an honor and privilege to be one of the

ukrainian american representatives who were invited to be in the chamber. we all witnessed absolute support from congress both parties have bipartisan support from both chambers and being there meant a lot to ukrainians and president zelensky addressing s and getting up and clapping it was a thoughtful moment showing ukrainian american are doing quite a bit to support our friends and families and so does the american people so one thing we all witnessed during the speech he came here to think the american people and we think our donors and supporters in ukraine wouldn't be where it is right now with freedom of democracy and pushing the occupants out of that territory.

rich: starting in 2014 with the first russian invasion helping on the humanitarian side and during about needed —- munitions how does that help ukrainians quick. >> the organization i hope to create has a strong network in ukraine. it shows quick efficiently and those in need with different programs and we don't send anything in bulk and telling donors and supporters that it is needed very much even on the governmental level to have absolute support that which has been passed in aid to ukraine and on the humanitarian side the crisis is there and of course so what

we want to tell do not support ukrainian organizations like ours because we know how to go in that efficient ray and those partners in ukraine that really understand the situation very well i was in ukraine one week ago so i could witness everything that was happening there but then to understand that it's very hard to be without lights and electricity for hours. but everything that they need to do and it is amazing to see that there. rich: thank you so much and telling us about your organization. a new year brings us details coming up next

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>> the house is welcoming more than 70 new members convening for the first time next month. and in the books getting to know them before being sworn in generate third. new faces and new names as a cram to learn the entire freshman class between the election in january. >> people i have met and the names i have already forgotten studying the pictorial directory and fox news radio nobody studies harder so let's put that knowledge to the test with the new members coming into the house and we will start right here. >> the freshman from iowa.

republican. beat sent and he asked me and flipped the seat from blue to red but i'm struggling. thank you had all the biographical information. >> and a democrat from vermont peter welch will be a senator and that is a freshman republican flipping the seat from blue to red. >> learning the members is like studying the periodic table for a high school chemistry class.

my wife makes fun of me because of the home exercise on the weekend early in the morning i am on the elliptical studying everyone struggles to learn the freshman. >> she is on the democratic side. her and her husband own a car mechanic shop. >> i am the washington third congressional district and getting 500,000 miles out of the clutch. >> determining similarities helps you learn. making sure i know where people are from and what we might have in common second numbering system for players who play certain positions something like that could help on capitol hill as chicago white sox for the first team to add player names uniforms in 1960. perhaps that is an idea. from capitol hill fox news.

rich: if you are looking for a game to play with family the world coming together to celebrate christmas day and alive report from jerusalem that the break the unknown is not empty. it's a storm that crashes, and consumes, replacing thought with worry. but one thing can calm uncertainty. an answer. uncovered through exploration, teamwork, and innovation.

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>> a plea to end the war in ukraine the traditional christmas message to thousands gathered below in st. peter's square. we are in jerusalem with the latest on how the vatican and the world are celebrating this holy day. reporter: around the world people are celebrating chri christmas. here in the holy land that historic sites in jerusalem are teeming with visitors in the biblical town of bethlehem come overnight there were thousands gathered in the traditional birthplace of jesus and the church of the nativity was filled with worshipers filled the patriarch and among the group that attended a midnight mass earlier in the day questions went through the square and injuring with bagpipes along with the marching band the celebrations were a welcome change from the past two years seeing a sharp decline in

visitors due to the covid-19 pandemic thousands of miles away in vatican city pope francis trent one —- delivered his mass last night where than 10000 in attendance inside and outside of st. peter's square. he did have a solid message calling on people to remember those suffering from poverty and war this morning during the christmas message he discussed suffering around the club like ukraine and afghanistan and yemen and talked about greed and consumption in the modern world. >> on this day maybe not avert our gaze for those that think of all of those especially children who go hungry all huge amounts of food daily go to waste when resources are spent on with on weapons. reporter: an important message to remember this holiday season to be thankful for

those you have and what you have and to be kind to others. rich: from jerusalem. thank you. for 125 years volunteers and americans bringing america together to helping those in need the homeless and elderly to first responders the organization has touched over one.5 million lives during the holiday season and throughout the year. joining us as the volunteer of america executive vice pres president. thank you so much for joining us this christmas afternoon tell us how your organization it is helping. >> volunteers of america is 125 -year-old organization helping veterans and elderly people especially during the pandemic. at that time we found out a lot of our front-line workers were experiencing terrible deep stress and trauma.

a free online confidential period group where people who are first responders can talk to each other and find someplace to be heard but then we also decided to expand to people who are firefighters and policemen and paramedics because these people pray for us and we need to give them the kind of care and support they need to stay employed in these jobs and not just profession because they need them. we are very proud of the work we continue to do with the veterans we have been serving for over a century. rich: talked about the first responders through the covid pandemic to put such a stress on people how much do you see in the community quick. >> we are seeing a lot of stress on our veterans as you

know veteran suicide is a big problem in this country veteran homelessness and addiction issues we provide full service support and we do something very innovative. we have taken other buildings such as resorts and hotels and a train station and former military housing turning into homeless veterans and their families the children so we are very proud not only to be provide housing that healthcare and employment support we work with veterans to get them back on their feet where they belong because they were brave for us and we need to be there for th them. we also have operation backpack that we provide them for homeless shelters we want

them to go to school confident and love education because it is the key to turning around the cycle of poverty we believe bringing not just a backpack that self-confidence and self-worth and dignity to the jean children they are poor that they can get out of poverty with a good education and your viewers and people like us supporting them every day. rich: how have donations been quick. >> as you know across the country people are tight because of the financial situation but despite that many viewers are among the fortunate so to take time to help volunteers of america to provide this type of help for those veterans that need us

that we need every day throughout the entire country. >> thank you so much and merry christmas. >> on this christmas day we bring you a rendition of acquire of ukrainian refugee children from a settlement in the carpathian mountains they are praying that light will overcome the darkness with that message of hope that's all for us this hour on fox news live i am rich and and we wish you a very merry christmas and thank you for watching. ♪gh a ♪ i watched my mother go through being a single mom.

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>> i'm shannon breen, lawmakers post after passing a $1.7 trillion budget, the white house calls a stellar accomplishment and critics label monstrous, decision aborted policy could come from the supreme court at any moment as a winter storm snarls holiday traffic. >> thousands of flights canceled or delayed dashing holiday plans will have a live report from one of the nation's busiest airports