(birds chirping) well this isn't gonna work. try this. (celebratory choir sings) this... will work. scooore! pick up score! at walmart. ** >> todd: lori lightfoot's days as chicago mayor could be numbered as she sinks to third place. you're watching "fox and friends first" on wednesday morning, i'm todd piro. >> ashley: i'm ashley strohmier in for carley shimkus. since lori lightfoot was sworn in, the city of chicago has crumbled under her leadership. crime is an epidemic with crime up 63% compared to this day in 2019 and murder in the city are up staggering 61%. >> todd: homelessness a major

program from places like o'hare, the airport and the city is housing illegal migrants inside abandoned schools and stores. >> ashley: marianne has details from los angeles. >> marianne: good morning, ashley and todd. mayor lori lightfoot getting hit from all sides just a week before chicago picks a mayor. lightfoot is accused of denying benefits to officers. joaquin mendoza. >> not in my wildest dreams, did i imagine his case would be denied. you can imagine my shock, disbelief and frankly disgust when my brother's claim for duty disability benefits was denied. >> marianne: lightfoot clapping back calling the accusations

lies. >> what little i know about her, she cares deeply about her family, but making up accusations and suggesting somehow i acted inappropriately, she is not entitled to her own facts. it is not lost on me this is a press conference from city hall a week before the election, draw your own conclusion as to why that is happening. >> marianne: lightfoot is taking heat for telling south side voters if they don't vote for her, they shouldn't vote at all, a statement she is walking back completely. >> any vote not for lori lightfoot is a vote for garcia, if you want them controlling kwlour fate and destiny, then stay home, then don't vote. >> if i said anything other than everybody everywhere need to vote, i misspoke in the heat of a campaign rally. >> marianne: recent polls show

lori lightfoot in third place behind top two candidates, paul valez, who is leading at 19% with jesus garcia number two with 17% and 20% undecided. lightfoot believes it will come down to herself and vallas, and she says she will beat him in a run-off. >> todd: the family of fallen officer chris fit zgerald mourning his loss. his widow recounting her last memory with him, saying quote, we gave me a kiss and told me he loved me. when he walked out the door, he said, i'll be right back, babe. breaking down over the loss who they say was their greatest hero. >> he was very god-fearing, like

>> he is a super hero. >> he is? >> yeah. and he's also an angel. >> todd: the alleged shooter, 18-year-old miles phiffer faces a slew of charges. his funeral will be held tomorrow. >> ashley: this story makes me sick to my stomach, praying for them. nine children, including a five-year-old boy were shot in georgia. there are efforts to stop the youth violence spike. listen to this. >> we have been putting $750,000 a year into local grants for any organization or program that has core mission to try to reduce crime. we have met with individuals who focus on the health of children, both physical and mental. there is severe mental health issue, coincides with dissent

gragz of the family. a lot of young people have nobody to hold them accountable. >> ashley: homicides committed by juveniles in the u.s. rose 20% from a year earlier and crimes committed by multiple minors increased nearly 66%. now to fox news alert, minnesota governor tim walz declares peacetime emergency due to massive winter storm bringing blizzard conditions to the land offen it 10,000 lakes. >> todd: the lakes will be frozen solid, winter storm advisory because of the coast to coast storm stretching from upstate new york to washington state. adam klotz has the forecast. if they are in minnesota saying it is going to be a record storm, you know it is going to be bad. >> they are in the bulls eye, we are covering the country,

minnesota, some area seeing heavier snow already earlier this morning, dakotas, twin cities getting heavy snow early and this is the beginning of it for them, they are not the only ones under winter storm advisory, huge swath of the country to the east coast and everything in orange, blizzard warnings, including the twin cities. visibility is under quarter of mile for three hours, several feet of snow will be falling across the region. it is a large area, dakotas, most of minnesota and up toward minneapolis, you will see ice outside of thisirria. this is major winter system folks are dealing with. we have today, blizzard conditions across the northern plains and we begin to see this shift continuing further to the east, the upper midwest will see ice, snow andin ra. late thursday into friday, this moves to interior new england as

the system drags off toward the east. not just today, it will run over the rest of the week. where will you see snow and severe thunderstorms? this is where the snow will fall, upper tier of the country where temperatures are cold enough to support a system like this. interior new england, maybe seeing foot of snow in some locs. if you live further south, this system is pulling up warm air, this is wild because temperatures are so vastly different, we'll be talking about temperatures in the 80s. record-breaking temperatures in florida and the entire southwest. middle 70s, close to 80. this is a really wild one i'm showing upper 70s, close to 80 in the southeast and all that winter weather to the north. so it is a wild winter weather system. in new york, you are curious, will probably see snowflakes,

but temperatures around 40's, it will not stick. >> ashley: oh, good. >> todd: i have last year's salt, i will not open it this year, save it. >> ashley: thank you. >> todd: crime on the rise in seattle after the city decided to slash the city's police budget. now the mayor is pitching a pro-police bid to the community. will they buy it? >> ashley: city leaders are focusing on this, banning discrimination based on casts, does anyone even know what thathat means? we'll explain it to you next. ♪ limu emu & doug ♪ hey, man. nice pace! clearly, you're a safe driver. you could save hundreds for safe driving with liberty mutual. they customize your car insurance so you only pay for what you need! [sfx: limu squawks]

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first city to ban discrimination based on castes. the city council voting 6-1 to add caste system as protected category in the anti-discrimination law. the caste system puts people into social classes based off economic status of the family one is born into. india banned discrimination in 1948. the ban getting backlash with the hindu american association, singling out of south asians

violates the policy is now amending. >> todd: crime in seattle has been rising since the city defunded their police force in 2020. now the city mayor is pushing for police. >> we also need immediate action and innovation to respond to public safety issues. seattle saw 4% rise in reported crime last year. we need more officers to address our staffing crisis. i'm working with those interested in helping us build a great department. >> todd: jonathan cho, eli ho zer and victoria beach join me now. victoria, you heard the mayor, is that enough to save seattle? >> hmm, you know, right now, i don't have a lot of hope. i think the mayor is on the

right track, but seattle is in a huge crisis. our city has been destroyed and we're not going to get it back any time soon. i agree we do need more police. it's a free for all in seattle. you commit a crime, move to seattle. but it is a beginning. >> todd: understood, just saw first increase since 2020 after about in total $50 million was cut over the course of time there. is that enough to reduce crime? >> no, it is not. the crime is just getting worse and worse, there's homeless encampment next to my son's school that has been there over a year. it has doubled and tripled in size and it is ridiculous that is even possible that could be next to a school.

>> todd: still makes no sense. you see it in san francisco and seattle, as well, makes no sense, it is sickening. jonathan, you are a reporter, you cover this stuff. my question for you, there is reason seattle had the horrible policies, that is what the people wanted. what is response of those individuals, the far left woke individuals, to this refunding of police? >> well, obviously no matter what, we know the defund the police movement is failed social experiment, they are still standing by that. mayor harrell did not address the far left activists and woke, really fuelling the failed policies is ongoing issues and problems. it is interesting how that segment, this activist class will respond to what the mayor is trying to do. i want to add, the mayor laid out vision and hope for what he

wants moving forward. very sparse on details and plan to execute this and what that would look like. >> todd: you took the words off my pad, jonathan, a lot of words, i didn't hear a lot of action. follow-up to something you said, if he doesn't go after the activists, will anything change in seattle? >> i think a lot of people want the mayor to succeed because the feeling is if the mayor does well, we all do well. he isn't willing to do that yet. the mayor doesn't want to go after certain people, e politicians who may disagree. behind the scenes, he's frustrated by the activists and far left that continue to undermine his strategy and plan to reclaim and bring the city back to life. >> todd: the mayor said the city needs more services for the homeless. i hear that and say, a lot of

tax money will be thrown at the problem, are worried that will be the case without solving it? >> absolutely. they have had 50 million of public dollars given to them in over six months. we haven't seen anything get better and all of the solutions are things they want to propose, actions are primarily around how to, the homeless and not around the public safety issue. >> todd: victoria, will businesses stay in seattle or keep fleeing? >> i think they will keep leaving. i haven't seen anybody even come back, people say, it issic approximating up. it is not. you go downtown, every corner, somebody is shooting up or passed out, they are smoking fentanyl. no, they are not coming back.

>> todd: thank you very much, appreciate your insight. pete buttigieg says he will visit east palestine, ohio, just don't ask him when. >> are you going down there? >> what's that? >> are you going down there at all? >> yep, i am. >> when are you going? >> i'll share that when i'm ready. >> thank you. >> what happens two, four, five years down the road, that is where this fear is coming from and people are worried sick. >> ashley: liam nieson, says the ladies of "the view" made him uncomfortable during his recent visit to the show. joe concha is here to react to it all. ♪

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>> todd: fox news alert, president biden made calls and

requesting update on the situation and vowing to hold norfolk southern accountable. >> ashley: officials are going inside residents' homes and drinking tap water to ensure it's safety. brooke singman has more. >> brooke: president biden was briefed on the epa saying they will hold norfolk southern responsible after the toxic train derailment. officials will work with residentses to make sure they feel safe to return home in east palestine. the epa and governor went into a home to drink the tap water to prove they believe it is safe, watch this. >> we believe in science, we don't feel like we are being your guinea pig, we believe the water is safe. >> okay, i appreciate that. >> here's to you. >> brooke: the epa chief

promised the agency will hold the railway company responsible calling for norfolk southern to reimburse them for clean-up efforts. >> if the company fails to complete what is ordered by the epa, the epa will step in, do the work and force norfolk southern to pay triple in cost accordance to the power granted by my agency. >> many are still wondering where president biden and his transportation secretary are, pete buttigieg giving a vague answer when he'll show up for ohioans. >> i am planning to go and our folks were on the ground from the first hour. the focus will be on action. there are two kinds of people who show up with that kind of experience, people that have a specific job to do and are there to get something done and people who are there to look good to have their picture taken. when i go, it will be about

action on rail safety. >> brooke: residents want answers, we hearted from an ohio an who said he isser fooful the long-term effects the spill could cause. >> concerns about my health, i just got over cancer, so i have four young kids to look after and a wife. what happens down the road? that is where fear is coming from. >> brooke: former president trump is slated to arrive in east palestine today. one advisor says president trump is meeting with citizens of east palestine and will never forget them and what they are going through, contrast that with biden and the federal government who failed them from the beginning. the former president is expected to donate understand thises of gallons of cleaning supplies and water to the community. >> ashley: we'll bring in fox news contributor joe concha. president biden made five phone calls vowing to hold norfolk

southern accountable. of the five, he called epa administrator and governor mike dewine. where is the urgency before? why now and why from warsaw on the day he is supposed to be flying back? >> joe: there is political urgency when you have the former president and donald trump going there today, suddenly that got the president's attention. woody allen once said that 90% of success is showing up, right? given there is a toxic train derailment, february 3, nearly three weeks ago, in east palestine and four different cancer-causing chemicals were released into the air and water. to this day, residencent didses are complaining of nausea, headaches, respiratory issues, businesses are suffering. the fact it took the president and now u.s. transportation secretary 10 days to acknowledge

it happened and now coming up on three weeks and he won't say when he's going, it begs the question, should pete buttigieg still be running this department and should he have been nominated by president biden in the first place given he has so little experience in running a huge agency like this. all we heard from pete buttigieg, he will go at some point and he wrote a sternly worded letter to norfolk southern. e ever see titanic, i will have to write a sternly worded letter about all this, that is what we're hearing, letters, words, that is what we're getting from the president and pete buttigieg, all foam and no beer at this point. >> todd: let's hear more foam from mayor pete. listen. >> are you going down there at all? >> yep, i am. >> when are you going?

>> i'll share that when i'm ready. >> thank you. >> todd: ashley did a good job asking about the timing, timing not just in this, joe, in everything. what do we have these people there for? you had balloons that took a week to shoot down, flying slowly across the country. you have the situation in ohio three weeks before you hear anything from the white house. mayor pete, i'm still not ready. what is going on? >> that is the pete buttigieg way of going about things, remember in the summer of 2021, he took two months of maternity leave and didn't bother to tell anybody he was going to be gone that long, only until politico reached out to his office they said, yeah, pete buttigieg has been on maternity leave while supply chain crisis was exploding. remember the christmas break,

where basically the airline industry shut down, people were sleeping in airports on christmas day, millions stranded pete buttigieg put up pictures of him celebrating with his family. he doesn't show up unless there is a political angle, maybe it gets his attention. should he be in charge of this department in the first place given he was mayor of south bend, indiana and couldn't even solve the pothole issue there. all the people under him, whether the department of homeland security, mayorkas almost never going to the border, kamala harris same thing at the border and pete buttigieg not showing up. >> ashley: everything is reactive, not proactive with this administration. liam neeson said he felt

uncomfortable during his appearance on "the view." watch this. >> joy wants to get taken by you. >> i got this valentine from you today, happy belated valentine day, liam, x, i find out you gave it to all of us. >> no secret joy thinks you are the hottest and greatest ever. >> poor guy, neeson telling rolling stone, i'm uncomfortable during those type of situations, it is a bit embarrassing. you think it is embarrassing? >> joe: it was uncomfortable to watch and liam neeson said he wanted to talk about big issues and instead we hear joy behar talking about sexual fantasies with liam neeson. one point she said, i would like to have my issuas sprinkled over liam neeson. liam neeson, right now kidnapping movies get me so

aroused, i can't begin to tell you. that is settling. enjoy your breakfast, that was uncomfortable to watch. >> todd: welcome to news at abc, news division. >> ashley: thanks, joe. new york city is putting illegal immigrants in expensive hotel rooms and throwing out perfectly good food they don't want to eat, but military families have to rely on food pantries to feed their kids. >> todd: we have the story right after this, don't go anywhere. t? what would it look like? i've had great success as a small business owner, and i can show you how. because of the success of my bestselling book, blue collar cash, i've created an online course called a path to a successful life. get my books and course for just $99. and if you do it now, i'll double it so you can share it with a friend or a loved one. go to blue collar cash dot com slash fox today. your best defense against erosion and cavities

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>> todd: border officials documenting capture of -- flown from louisiana back to el salvador, where he was turned over to local authorities last week. he illegally crossed into the u.s. he was captured and deported twice before under title 42 policy. >> ashley: states across america are seeing record numbers of fentanyl overdose and deaths and north carolina is no exception, in 2021, 4000 residentses died from overdose, highest number in a year and 77% of overdoses were likely caused by fentanyl. the attorney general of north carolina is here to tell us about his plan for a new fentanyl control unit. thanks for being with us.

i just announced this fentanyl controlled unit, what will this consist of? >> it has to do with having specialized prosecutors to bring complex and time consuming cases. we've got to break up the fentanyl trafficking rings that are in north carolina. they are in states across this country, we have to have a multi facetted approach to attack the fentanyl crisis because we lost eight north carolina citizens, eight the day before that, eight the day before that, and eight today and today, that is what we're experiencing on average, it is a heartbreaking travesty. >> ashley: who will head this unit? police, state funded, federal funded, where do you want this money from? >> it is state funded initiative within the department of justice, i received special prosecution unit and we made the

request to the legislature. i expect they will fund it. we work to fight the opioid epidick, reduced number of pills being prescribed and i'm hopeful they will agree to fund this initiative and we'll all be safer as a result. >> ashley: have you thought about repurcushions ever getting fentanyl off the streets? have you thought about that aspect? >> that actually doesn't happen, it is important local law enforcement have narcan, this miracle drug that can overcome an overdose, but they never needed to do it for themselves, they do it for the people they serve and protect. >> ashley: what doesn't happen,

officers are not overdoses? >> they are not, there are not reported incidentses of that. we have to do everything in our power to get it out of our unt comes because it is killing people and it is people who aren't necessarily addicted to opioids. they may buy a prescription drug on the street they think does one thing, but it has been in a pill press with fentanyl and that is part of what is killing so manyern ms. >> ashley: this week we played video of four or five officers who came in contact with it and had to be administered narcan, it is happening to them. president biden at his state of the union said he will clamp down on fentanyl, what should he do to get this stopped? >> well, he should keep doing what he's doing, they interdictek more at the border than in history, a lot is still

coming through points of entry at the border. we need to do more at the border, more work in communities to break up trafficking rings, that is why i've asked for this fentanyl control unit. we have to reduce demand. it is a supply problem and a demand problem, that is why i helped to lead bipartisan effort of state attorneys general to hold drug companies responsible. we secured $50 billion so far and almost all has to go to help people who are struggling with this form of addiction. we can help people overcome addiction through treatment services, that will reduce demand and that is important part of overall strategy. >> ashley: some strategies are unrealistic, i hope your plan is realistic, the american people need it, especially the people of north carolina.

thank you for being with us. have a good day. go woke or go broke, in california proof of that. >> todd: gavin newsom predicting massive budget deficit, it is even worse than everyone thought. take a look at the numbers with cheryl casone next.

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>> todd: they are like, what's going on? >> cheryl: you have this -- the parents, victims of terrorism going up against google, specifically youtube. their daughter died in 2015, in paris, it is a class-action suit, a lawsuit. this is basically family saying youtube, the way they use algorithms to target a user, if you go to youtube, they will give you things customized to you. when it is isis videos, the parents are like, hold on. the lawyers made is fun for the supreme court, the lawyers got technical about thumbnail and algorithms. here is funny one from justice samuel alito, confused by whatever argument you are making at the time. and sonia sotomayor, you are creating -- it is a serious

topic and heartbroken parents and other inparents, do these companies, does youtube, twitter, facebook, should they be held responsible for the content on their site leading to things like the death of this young girl? it is section 230, and this is the bigger story. they have protection under section 230 from liability. we didn't create the video, they throw up their hands. this is one of the biggest legal cases we've seen when it comes to the internet, technology and social media and why it is getting so much attention. i have to say, how they present and arrange the content, in particular, on youtube, i think the lawyers have a very intriguing case and this could change section 230.

republicans and democrats both have complained about section 230, too much protection, different political reasons, but this reason again -- >> ashley: they do get a lot of protection. gavin newsom predict budget deficits for california, turns out the reality was worse. >> cheryl: last year california had $100 billion budget surplus, this year i think thises are not looking so good for the state of california, projected budget deficit by gavin newsom account 22 billion, the state's analysts say the number is closer to $30 billion. when people leave the state, you have less tax revenue coming in, basic math. also, their surpluses from last year, all that covid-19 money from the federal government that flooded into a state like california and many others, that is not there anymore. too, capital gains, tech companies laying off people.

you tax capital gains, that is revenue for you, a lot of that is evaporating with jobs in the state of california. >> todd: also the giveaways to all noncitizens, i digress. shameful for those who serve. >> cheryl: military families, always been underpaid. when you go to the city of new york and you're a military family, in particular, the coast guard, you end up finding out how horrible it can be to get food on the table. this is jamie biller, her husband is coast guard, she is, i think, eight months pregnant. when you move as a military family, you no longer have family connections for things like child care, gas hitting a high. she says they cut back and had to make a decision, we'll not drive our car, we'll walk and hike. look, this really brings up a

serious issue that whether you're a firefighter or police officer, you cannot live in the city that you serve. try being in the coast guard and afford new york prices. >> ashley: she says most days they don't have meat on the table for her children, sad. the ones protecting us don't get paid enough. >> todd: cost of living adjustment. fox news alert, president biden set to meet with nato neighbors on the final day of his trip to eastern europe and russian president putin planning a summit with president xi of china. we will break down the situation. >> ashley: but first, brian kilmeade will look at what is coming up on "fox and friends first." had to get to it. >> brian: i'd be excited to toss to me, too, coming up, unless i read the run down wrong,

breaking news out of poland with the president meeting, what is the final message as we start year two of the war. today former president donald trump will make an entrance into east palestine, ohio, his trip to the site of the toxic train derailment as transportation secretary pete buttigieg makes a stunning revelation. the president is bringing water with him. and chicago mayor lori lightfoot tells people not to vote if they do not vote for her. and vivek ramaswamy will be running for president, i will let him tell you that. douglas murray and clay travis will be here live and i gave ainsley my credit card, people are joining in a miraculous prayer vigil that went on for hours and hours. we're running out of music, i

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♪ >> ashley: a fox news alert. president biden is set to meet with russia's nato neighbors this morning on the final day of his four-day trip to eastern europe. this comes as chinese president xi jinping is planning a visit to moscow in the coming months as our two adversaries appear to be growing closer and closer. >> todd: fred fleitz american security and national security council joins us now. fred, the "wall street journal" is reporting that xi wants to meet with putin to, quote. >> . discuss nuclear deescalation and, quote: discuss ending the conflict. you buying that because it sure looks like to me that our two chief adversaries are looking to join up to keep us the u.s. distracted as possible. >> i think there's no doubt that our two adversaries and note that you called them adversaries, china is not a competitor. thank you for not using that word that's correct. they are meeting together

because they would like to join forces to offset american influence but i mean, strange as you may think it, i actually think china does want to end this conflict. they would like to end it in a way that helps china. i don't give credence to reports we are hearing from the biden administration that china is planning to send weapons to russia to fight ukraine or even heavy weapons that we heard yesterday. i don't see why china would do that i don't know why china would want to be a global outcast like the russians by sending weapons to russia to kill ukrainians. >> ashley: you know, fred, earlier we had a guest on saying biden is going to be scrambling to get back into this treaty with putin. my question is kind of a two-part. is that relationship between biden and putin even salvageable. on the flip side, what happens from a national security standpoint if it isn't salvaged? >> we had poor relations with china and russia during this administration there has been very little dialogue especially

at the secretary of state and secretary of defense level. i think that's trying to improve. i don't see the relationship with either leader improving during this presidency. i think biden really needs to bring in much more experienced people, maybe leon panetta, maybe jane harman. secretary of state. his national security adviser his secretary of defense. bring in people who can salvage this foreign policy which is really in trouble. >> todd: brian meeting with nato allies today says nato is stronger than ever. how can that be, fred, when literally these other countries with the war in their backyard are not pulling their own weight? >> i think that's right. nato still a good alliance. i'm glad that biden is standing with it. but there has been a lack of leadership throughout this conflict. biden has been leading from behind. weapons he said that were off the table suddenly are on the table. many nations, especially the french and germans are not pulling their weight in terms of

contributing the 2% they're supposed to in defense spending or in ukraine and we don't hear any plea by biden to get them to pull their weight. >> ashley: you know, let's talk about this meeting that biden is going to be having with the buck rest 9. buick rest buick rest. >> i don't think he is going to get much more than they are already getting. i wish he would say we need to talk about an end game. we have to talk about peace talks, how to end this conflict. the patience in the american people. the patience in congress amount 6 mope spending on weapons in ukraine this is not going to continue i don't think beyond the end of this year. i think biden should be talking to our allies in europe to say let's find a way, get these two

states to the table. let's find an end game a cease-fire work out the details other time. the fighting has to stop. >> todd: what is the end end game? >> i think we're going to eventually have an organic cease-fire maybe when one side acheese some significant advance in the battle field perhaps in the spring. arm the ukrainians well enough push the russians back. not a perfect outcome for ukraine. won't get back all the territory they are looking for. that's a hard thing to accept. stalemate we can't let that happen. >> ashley: what do you think all this all that transpired in the last 48 hours. >> looks like he is planning a major offensive this spring. given the state of his military, that may not succeed i don't want to see f-16s sent to

ukraine but most of these weapons they are asking for. the trouble i'm seeing with this administration biden promises weapons and they don't get there for month. ukraine needs the weapons promised now. there are stockpiles in your honor that could be provided almost immediately. >> gregg great insight. instant analysis. thank you very much a busy morning. >> todd: with that it -- >> ashley: "fox & friends" starts right now. >> president biden is set to meet with a group of nine eastern nato allies this morning during his final day in poland. >> ashley: after russia's decision to suspend participation in the last arms control agreement. >> the world just game a much more dangerous place. >> head of the environmental protection agency in east palestine ohio insisting that the water is safe to drink. >> some are still wondering where president biden and his transportation secretary are. >> are you going down there at all? >> yep, i am. >> i am announcing my run for president of the united states. >> conservative entrepreneur vivek ramaswy