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♪ pete: guys, there's a reason they call it music city in nashville, tennessee. that's brother maven performing destination you. go to any bar and restaurant downtown and find music, maybe not as good as that but pretty darn good. welcome to you both. good morning. rachel: so good to be with you guys in nashville. i'm so excited for tonight. it's going to be awesome. will: we'll hopefully have you with us as you wake up and go to bed tonight and say good-bye to 2015. we're hosting the new year's eve

special, all american new year here in nashville, tennessee, here at wild horse saloon. pete: this is the count down to countdown. you have 14 hours to get in the car if you live 13 hours from here. it's fun to watch on tv with your family gutfelled being here in person and some families will be here. we're going to enjoy it and it's better than that other show on that other network and get drunk. they can't drink this year on the other network now and how boring will that be? it was already boring. i'm not saying we're going to have a drink but they can't control what we do off camera. just saying. we'll have a lot of fun and there's a lot remember about 2022 and a lot of hope going forward into 2023. will: i don't want to be symbolic but some people can be trusted and others can't be trusted. i think it's symbolic that we are trusted here. rachel: yes. will: responsibility and freedom. pete: do you think they trust us? will: i'm going with that. i love the line and what i said. don't undercut it. we are trusting with

responsibility and freedom. others have had it taken away. pete: that's right. that's right. they couldn't handle. will: for a multitude of reasons. pete: for a multitude of reasons. rachel: this is deep in the weeds and i just now figured out what you were talking about. i don't know if it's because i'm tired or just slow but i know now what you're talking about. will: couldn't keep it under control. pete: ours is out of control but a lot of fun and a lot of serious news this morning. fox news alert as catholics around the world are remembering the life and legacy of pope emeritus benedict xvi who died at the age of 95. rachel: people have been gathering all morning outside of the vatican to pay tribute to the retired pontiff. pete: pop francis will re--- pope francis will reside over the funeral on thursday. here's a look back at pope benedict's incredible life.

>> when john paul ii died after more than 25 years as pope and cardinals met to elect a successor, took two days to give the job to a 78--year-old german, a sol larraly man that didn't -- scholarly man that didn't particularly appear to want it. >> the lord cardinals have elected me, this simple, humble worker in god's vineyard. >> for decades, cardinal joseph ratsinger was a key adviser on questions of catholic doctrine earning a reputation as a staunch conservative. as pope benedict xvi, he battled relativism that what is true for one person might not be true for someone else. pope benedict's 2008 visit to the united states would be remembered not only for his birthday celebration in the white house, a stop at ground zero, and mass at yankee stadium, but also by the way in

which he addressed the sex abuse crisis so directly. >> this is absolutely unbelievable and who is really to be pitiful and cannot be priest. >> sex abuse would haunt the catholics as it unfolded in europe and records on abuse was mixed. there were other problems as well, benedict defended muslim withs a speech suggest islam could be a violent religion and sparked a global uproar about four bishops and one of them turned out to be a holocaust denier. benedict wasn't a politician, the pope was above all an intellectual and priest having discovered both vocations while growing up in southern germany. pope benedict never expected to be much more than a priest and university professor but all that change when had he became pope.

benedict made several international trips including germany, australia, and portugal and surprisingly well received by the crowds. pope benedict made the first state visit ever as a pontiff in the united kingdom in 2010 and all the pom than goes with it including a meeting with the queen. the pope addressed dignitaries and politicians in westminster hall, a significant meeting in a significant location. the very place where almost 500 years earlier the catholic st. thomas moore was condemned to death. all though he was nearly 85 at the time, and had just begun to use a cane in public, in march 2012, pope benedict also traveled to mexico, one of the largest catholic countries in the world and to cuba. the church's activity has been severely curtailed in the island nation and the pope ask that catholics at least be allowed to run their own schools there. one of the most important

decisions benedict xvi put john paul on the fast track to saint hood saying he should be declared blessed, the last act before officially becoming saint. it was hiss age and frail health that prompted the decision in 2013 for benedict to step down as the leader of worldwide catholic church. more than shocked the catholic faithful around the world as pope benedict xvi was the first head of the catholic church to resign in almost 68 years. pete: well done, greg. bring in re monday a-- in raymond arroyo and did an interview with pope benedict xvi. rachel said we have to get raymond on this. incredible life, devout catholic and defender of the faith. your reaction to the passing of the former pope? >> my heart breaks and i'm sad to be with you on this morning

and as back in the day when he resigned back in 2005. or 2013,ives awakened by -- i was awakened by tv producers and here i was again this morning. look, even some of the reportage i've been reading is frankly wrong about this man. they missed something about him. he was a humble, deeply believing man who believed that the person of jesus christ and the encounter with christ was the answer to every human question and all the problems in the world and benedict because of his brilliance as a theologian, last cardinal to attend the vatican counsel to be the last presence in the room, he saw the world in a very particular frame, pete. i'll read this to you, he called out what he called the dictatorship of relativism. tell me if this doesn't speak to every story we cover every day, a dictatorship of relativism is being constitute that had recognizes nothing as absolute

and only leaves the eye and its whims as the ultimate measure. pope benedict spent his career as a theologian, a priest, arch bishop, cardinal and then pope fighting that idea of relativism. he was the man who edited the catechism of the catholic church and caught to clarify christian thought and belief and to put it in a volume that people could consult and easily understand that idea of clarity is the hallmark of his papacy and touched everything from worship to defense of unborn to the sex abuse crisis and unlike a lot of the reportage you'll hear, they called him god's rottweiler because benedict was so firm on defending the church, but that's what a pope is supposed to do, guys. their job, they're the successor of peter to defend and confirm their brothers in the faith. that's the job, and i think we've lost that along the way. the pope's job is not to be a

nice guy or kiss babies, it is to defend the teaching of jesus christ and the gospel. benedict did that. when he went to europe, the mass when he restored the mass bringing back old latin rite into usage and practiced since first century and bringing back into practice alongside the new mass and languages of where you find yourself and pope francis tried to limit that latin mass, some bishops are not entirely agreeing with him and still allowing in their diocese. power and reach of benedict's faith and brilliant mind continues on and you hear the latin refrain in the mass and you hear people say with your spirit and that's pope benedict and he changed and adjusted the mass to make it more reverend to focus again on god and not on people or the person presiding. an enormous and amazing legacy.

i was privileged to watch him up close, interview him but cover him for many years. pete: raymond, i really appreciate what you chose to share with us today. the dictatorship of relativism. so appropriate for today's day and age when there's a worship of self. that's probably what we suffer from in the united states today more than anything else. a worship of self in our own whims and you mentioned your chance to speak with him -- go ahead. >> you continue. i want to tell you a little about that. it was amazing. will: i would love to but let's play a clip and then tell us about the occasion. you interviewed him in 2003. let's listen to the conversation and i'd love your insight into it. >> i read in many ratters you wanted -- reports you wanted to retire several times, why are you still here? >> yes, i had to decided to retire in '91, '96 2001 because

i have wanted to write some books but on the other hand seeing the suffering pope, i cannot say to the pope, i will retire. i will write my books. seeing him how he's pushing himself, i have to continue. will: raymond, tell us about that conversation. >> he had such a delightful, sweet person. i love that i'm so happy that in my career i was able to capture that one moment because it gives you a glimpse of the sweetness, humility, and self-afacement of this brilliant mind. i encourage everybody, read his books on jesus of nazareth, his theology. it is rich in pointing people to the person of jesus christ and that encounter and he burned and lived for but you see the humility and sweetness of him. we did b roll where you walk along but there's no audio. i said, we're just going to walk down the hall here and he said what should we do as we walk?

i said we'll just walk and we can talk as we go. he said, oh, walky talky i can do that. he had a great sense of humor. sweet, rate of inflation, and i have to rye, and i was so touched by him and he was and should be said god bless his soul, he was a hyper-conned yak and every time his throat got sore he'd say, oh, i have cancer. i believe from sources he was under an enormous amount of pressure and some of the people relying on at the time were telling him the church was in far worse straights than it was and he was too hold to continue in the role. they had other designs for the church. pope benedict, i'm sad he wasn't a bit stronger and sturdier. we needed him then and now.

he was a pope of substantive gestures reaching out to disaffected clerics in the communion when in england and said, look, if you can't find a home there, come into the catholicture and have we'll make an easier path for you and become a priest here. his view on the liturgy, the way he brought reverend and beautiful music back to the liturgy, that was be his mark and on and on and young burning for this example. rachel: exactly. you talked about the pope -- the current pope francis restricting latin mass. did benedict ever comment on that or based on what you know of him, what would he have said about restricting this beautiful liturgy at a latin mass? >> yeah, i don't have to guess. he wrote and said in years prior, even in my interview that you can't remember -- for those that don't know and aren't catholic, this mass is the mass of the ages. it was from the apostolic times, the times of the apostles to the

present. it is evolved but it's the same mass. there was a latin mass that was instituted and set in stone for thousands plus years and that's the foundation of any mass you walk into today. some said vatican 2 wanted to get rid of that. no, benedict was at vatican 2 and said fathers of second vatican counsel wanted to preserve the latin but make it more accessible to people by bringing the english language or spanish language or the chinese language into the mass so that the people could participate more directly. however they never meant to throw out the gretsky gone chant or latin mass and benedict believed you needed that foundation and will bring a cultural attachment or traditional acatchment and will -- attachment and bring holiness and a direction towards god in the worship and out of

the sell and have into the tran sen dna tieback and he was a -- tran sen dna t dent and huge ber in that. rachel: retried to reform the reforms. >> this is a 35-year trajectory of the papacy that ends today and end of an era and one we should be very grateful for. pete: raymond a arroyo, grateful for you joining us and breaking it down. >> i'll be watching you in my jammies. pete: thank you, raymond. he summed it up very nicely and pope john paul, the power of the catholic church in partnership with ronald reagan and others to take down the godless soviet union, this institution when properly fortified has been a force for good and human

history. that kind of transitions us to the next topic, which is putin's russia and xi jinping, the new -- we've talked about the tierney of the relativism and this is a tierney of authoritarianism in these two places and because of the rutterlessness of the united states, especially under joe biden and the chaos they've brought throughout the world, these two countries and these two leaders are getting closer and closer together. they held a virtual meeting on friday that's vladamir putin and xi jinping ahead of xi jinping, the guy on the left and 40th in-person visit to moscow ever that's coming in the new year. of course joe biden has yet to meet with the chinese leader in person since being president. he's ignoring the leadership job, these guys are getting closer. here's a portion of what putin said on the military cooperation their two countries will have through a translator and said in the face, this is xi jinping and in the face of difficult and far from ambiguous -- un-ambiguous

relationships and we're striving with development opportunities and global partnerships of the benefit of the people of our countries and in interest of stability throughout the world. sounds like they want to be closer to fight us. will: that's extremely concerning. rachel had a conversation with gordon chang a bit earlier and he described the coming year as a dangerous 2023. there's always been a question about how much these two names could cooperate and they're also natural rivals and it's important to hear this in vladamir putin's own world and through a translator and listen to him talking about this with xi jinping. >> the importance of the russian strategic strategy is this factor is growing. will: the partnership as a stabilizing factor is growing. rachel: yeah, when i spoke with gordon chang, we talked about how important american leadership is in a moment like this and how pathetic it really is. the way the biden administration has either put its head in the

sand and see it like basically here in our own hemisphere and handing over latin america on a silver platter to the chinese and see these kind of alliances that these two want to change the whole access of power, and we have a president. let's be frank, who he and his son and family have had dirty deals with the chinese that perhaps not in the best position as joe biden could be compromised by these deals and we need someone strong. this is a very -- you could hear it in gordon's voice. this is a very, very dangerous period we're entering in with a president who can't necessarily be trusted when it comes to the chinese. pete: could it be a lame duck presidency with incompetent and incoherent president in the white house. rachel: and potentially compromised. pete: potentially compromised and stabilizing factor and they're saying united states used to be the stabilizing factor and now they're not.

if there's going to be chaos, russia and china will step in and only means freedom fades away as they take more control. will: we're here in nashville, tennessee, at wildcat horse saloon where the party begins tonight and pete and rachel are big talkers and they said the party began yesterday. nope, i was by myself last night in nashville and they both backed scout i partied with a purpose. best part is benefited our troops, that's next. rachel: plus, the green beret soldier shares hips for success in the new year. but brother mavin performing parachute. ♪

will: hell on wheels is a party bus in nashville giving veterans homes nationwide. take a look. >> everywhere you look, it's a party. will: where are my friends? where are pete and rachel? i can do this on my own. it's a party. that's broadway. that's a bachelor retrocochlear party and -- bachelorette party and this is a beast, hell on wheels. you decided and you're a civilian and decided i want to do something tied to the military. tell me about your idea hell on

wheels. >> like all incredible things in life, started with god. out on my balcony and having my quiet time and saw a party bus go by and the idea hit me like a lightning bolt. will: a lot of guys that work the bus are veterans? >> yeah, most of them are veterans of the pain owes hid -- marine corp. and we're lucky to have them. will: let's party with a purpose.

will: great interviews. pete: where was the talking? will: bring in green beret and former kidd rock's bodyguard. daniel, great to have you on the show and it was an awesome organization and hell on wheels and party bus scene is a thing in nashville. ride around and have a good time. they're benefiting troops as a troop transport vehicle that we got to party on and hang out. helping out veterans. pete: they forgot to include your interviews. will: guess so. pete: hellonwheelsnashville.com. damage, thanks for being here. is it more difficult to guard kidd rock than be a green beret?

>> at time, yes. it might be. long hours. rachel: what's the craziest thing what's happened since you've been a bodyguard? >> craziest? i don't know if i can disclose that. there's been crazy stuff. i will share there was a tour i had to throw someone off the stage because they were trying to get to him. that was ---rachel: a girl or guy? >> it was a guy. ended up drinking too much. pete: big surprise. it's a perfect book for new years you wrote. you're a father and husband and green beret and now you do personal security. the book called asset mindset. it's all about the way you approach your life and things in front of you. it's a great book for new year's for people. talk to us about the book. >> well, i'll explain it by in special forces we have a motto called [ latin ]. free from oppression orb liberate from oppression and i believe people oppress themselves with their own mind and thinking and i wanted to take that motto and bring to the civilian world and i wrote this

book for people that need help and need to get away from their own negative thinking or victim mentality so they can change their life and think like an elite level special forces. rachel: is that what's holding people back, whatever the issue maybe their weight or professional -- they're stuck professionally or they had a goal they didn't reach. is it all in the mind is that oppression you talk about? >> i believe it is. we are so much more capable for what we can do if we're just able to just believe in myself and i'm going to take ownership realizing i'm my greatest asset and nobody can make you go to the gym or wake up early or eat that healthy food. it comes down to you, you're your greatest asset and own your life and power. will: i've heard that mention add lot and a lot of guys that are former -- veterans that served and talked about this concept of ownership mentality. it includes owning your own failures, owning your own mistakes and every aspect of your life and how empowering that can be. >> absolutely. that is so important.

pete: after you party with us tonight here on the all american new year's, before you do that, order the asset mindset on amazon or anywhere books are sold. >> yep, i will say the audible if you get the audible, there's a special bonus interview with kidd rock so i put him in a one-on-one question. he's in the book but not getting questioned so if you get the audible verse, then you will get the thanksgiving as a bonus. rachel: kidd rock is a fan of -- he must be because he's totally self-made and all about ownership. >> this brings me to a great point and asset mindset every special forces soldier, seal, anybody has the asset mindset to overcome things and don't need special forces to be the asset mindset. >> this is for anybody and don't have to access that kind of wisdom. >> for people from teenagers up into their 70s saying it's changed their life. will: daniel, thank you for being with us. rachel: thank you for your

service. will: fox news alert and you're looking at vatican city as pope benedict has died and we'll have live coverage all morning. rachel: a suspect arrested in the brutal killing of the four idaho students and nancy grace is fired up as the families can finally look forward for some justice. she'll be with us, next.

rachel: catholics around the world remembering the life and legacy of pope emeritus benedict xvi. crowds gathering in st. peter's square and vatican city as leaders of the catholic church send prayers for the retired pontiff who died yesterday at the anyone of 95. age of 95. alexandria hoff is live with more. good morning. >> good morning, rachel. yeah, the former pope's death comes almost exactly ten years after unexpectedly stepping down

from the position. pope benedict xvi was the sixth to do so and the vatican confirmed the pope died at the age of 95 and passed at the vatican, a residence he shared since his retirement with pope francis. born joseph ratzinger and he took the name benedict when he was blessed in 2005. germany's chancellor was remembered as a church leader lr and clever theologian. the arch bishop wrote "faith and reason the legacy of pope benedict xvi remembered with reverence, love and gratitude and ask every parish in the arch diocese to have a mass and ask for good mercy on his gracious soul and for the successor st. peter and may the angels lead him into paradise". crowds of mourners gathering and the retired pope's funeral held

on thursday and pope francis will lead that service. rachel. rachel: thank you, alexandria. what a beautiful thought. may the angels lead him into heaven. coming up, republicans are set to take the house majority in the new year with kevin mccarthy eyeing up the speakership. tennessee congressman mark green on the gom ageneral darks next. gop agenda, next.

will: kevin mccarthy trying to get key support for next year's election. it would make it easier to remove a house person in remaining gop holdouts and react asking congressman mark green who serves on both the house foreign affairs and house armed services committees. great to have you with us. >> thanks for having me. will: let's talk about the speakership and kevin mccarthy. what do you make of this idea that he's ready to make concessions and specifically it appears when it comes to the ease with which he could be or any speaker could be removed from the position? >> welcome to my district. glad to have you in tennessee and go vols, a great victory in the orange bowl last night. speaker mccarthy reached scout tried to agree to a lot of rules

and met agreement on both rule changes as well as vacate the chair issue and the vacate the chair issue is the last sort of barrier to getting support for him and folks and this is mostly ironed out and get united and get that commitment across america to the finish line. will: america has commitments to priorities and this is congressman steve scalise and irs funding and defunding 87,000 agents put in place by the biden budget proposal and energy production, energy, crime, abortion. >> the southern border. will: yeah, i'll get to that with you in a moment but do you think it's easier -- the most to vacate, to remove a speaker, does that hobble leadership in getting some of those priorities accomplished? >> look, i think it units the caucus because right now there's a few members and 180 or so fully behind him from the beginning.

more have come in behind him as the negotiation haves gone on and there's just a few remaining and let's get it done and let's unit the caucus and let's take the commitment to america and get it done. we promise the american people that we would get it done and now it's time to unit and execute. will: seems like every week there's new numbers coming to as you pointed out the issue at the southern border. new records when it comes to border encounters and this is another, nothing to brag about but another record or number coming out and that's deportations and remain well below trump-era levels of 2022 and deportation numbers just not keeping up with what we hope to accomplish or reflecting the fact that we have a continued crisis at the southern border. >> yeah, it's actually tragic. i mean, if you look at it, we're approaching 3.5 million people last year coming into the united states. we are 21 states with

populations less than that and moderate sized state is coming into the united states every year. everything that president biden is doing and mayorkas is doing is to decrease the number of people they're sending out and increase the number of people coming in, whether it's the interim final rule or budget for the next psychoand will did away with 287g program that allowed state and local law enforcement to participate with ice and deporting people and everything is about bringing more and more people into the united states. will: really quickly before we go, id love to get your -- i'd love your perspective, nancy pelosi one of the last acts increasing the amounts that house staffers can be paid more than a sitting congressman or woman can be paid. is that giving you new abilities to hire better staff or a permanent washington? >> it's a bit of both. i have a great team of people with the current dollars i can pay them. everybody wants a raise, but it's a bit of too much washington but clearly we got to stay competitive to keep the best people on staff.

will: congressman green, thanks for welcoming us into your district. we're glad to be here and it'll be a party tonight here in nashville and appreciate you being with us this morning. >> thanks for having me. will: head to carley for additional headlines. >> yeah, a person that broke in to a school to save people stranded from last week's deadly blizzard is speaking out. jay white left a note apologizing for the move and had to take action to get everyone out of the bitter cold. >> people were stranded like i was so i wanted to try and get as many people as possible and get them the safety that i was lucky enough to find. i'm not stranger to helping out anyone and i don't have a sour bone in my body about anyone turning me down. >> and people in buffalo still digging out and flooding now a major concern as all that snow melts.

it is still 2022 and the u.s. of course not in australia, sydney ringing in the new year about 45 minutes ago with a stunning fireworks display over its harbor. in new zealand also celebrating the arrival of 2023 with that fireworks display as well. will, looks like people in that area of the world are going to need dr. nesheiwat's tips syrian than we will. will: already. >> it's a party down under. will: it's so weird it's already 2023 over there. all right, carley, thank you. >> you're welcome. will: coming up, we're ringing in the new year here in america with an all american cocktail but first, here's brother mavin performing all alone. ♪

reporter: welcome back to "fox & friends" and i would say i have the better gig than nashville. i'm -- nashville. i'm with the ball in time square and i met you 16 years ago here at this ball. how has this event change the over the last 28 years you've been doing this? >> absolutely. when i started it was just the ball coming down the pole and all these people gathered for hours in the street. now it's a 6 hour 50 minute multimedia event and biggest event on tv and ball is lit and ready to party here in time square. reporter: yeah, it's a big seventh also getting back to this event. like this has been such an event for so many years but obviously with the pandemic, this change add little bit. tell me what this year is going to be like? >> we're like back to 201.

it's amaze -- 2019. it's amazing and we were rehearsing last night and met people from all over the world and coming to celebrate this with us and the energy was awesome and people are ready to party. reporter: m manhattan is packed and so many are coming here to time square. >> it heated up like 50 degrees with all the people. it's amazing. reporter: great weather and a few showers and better than 0 degrees that happens sometimes. best of luck to you at this amazing event, guys. you have your music note that drops in nashville. petety good also. pretty good also. back to you. rachel: rick says he's got the better gig in new york city. i'll beg to differ. pete: i don't think he believes it. rachel: i don't either. pete: he says it because he has to. rachel: we have an all american cocktail you must have at your party. party. pete: it's a remi reminiscent oe

popsicle and hero's vodka to make it, will: to impress your friends and family tonight, wild horse operations manager joining us with the how to. what do we call it? >> calling it the all american. will: love it. >> nice and simple. will: how do we make it? rachel: you have to have these great colors. >> first start with the grenadine and pour it down, nice little sweetness to it. will: everybody lo loves grenad. >> then hero's vodka. will: everybody loves vodka. >> little sprite and get the balance on it. will: like a shirley temple vodka 7 with it. >> then blue curasoa to top it off. >> delicious. rachel: this is another drink?

it's called? >> i've got your six. >> yep. we use soldiers alley bourbon. rachel: it's patriotic. pete: these are the specials for tonight for the all american new year's? >> yep. pete: if you're within 13 hours, not too late to drive out and join us. >> simple syrup. rachel: i'm the person that steals everyone's marciano cherries from their drinks. >> drip of bitters. pete: it's an old fashion? >> pretty close. >> poult an orange in there. rachel: i'll do the honors. >> there you go. >> will: it looks pretty too. pete: we're not allowed to drink these right now. will: we would suck it down. this will be fun tonight. any idea how many of these you'll serve tonight? >> thousands. pete: thousands?

>> wait till you see this place. you've been here before? rachel: we were here last year. it's loud and rowdy. >> we're busy all the time. rachel: it's new year's eve every night. >> music and line dancing. the alcohol of course. and the food. rachel: the food is amazing. pete: and liqueur with a cause. >> yeah, heros donate as lot of proceeds and veteran-owned vodka company and they donate a lot of proceeds to veterans. lee greenwood, he donates to first responders and veterans and everything. pete: he's a patriot. will: good luck tonight and have a good time. thank you for showing us how to make these. cheers. rachel: appreciate it. don't go anywhere. i'm still chewing my cherry. pete: former "fox & friends" cohost elisabeth ha hasselbeck

helps us ring in the new year. ♪

>> 3, 2, 1, happy new year! if. ♪ ♪ ♪ if you've got it, yeah, i want it -- ♪ i can't sop it once i've started ♪

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