ing the small stand tall. lakesha: childhood cancer is-- it's a long road. it's hard. but st. jude has gotten us through it. st. jude is hope that you have a chance at life. and it goes such a long way for every child diagnosed with cancer because the research is being shared all over the world. it's awesome. [music playing]

>> john: we are keeping an eye on the white house press briefing as bus loads of migrants arrive in san diego. they tell fox news they want to get to cities all across the country. >> sandra: some want to work, some don't. president biden met with governors this morning but he only took two prearranged questions and the border conversation focused mainly on the bill that did not pass. >> there was universal opinion amongst all the governors, democrats and republicans that we have a border problem. unfortunately the administration is saying it's congress's fault, there's nothing we can do. >> john: so we roll on into hour two here, i'm john roberts in columbia, south carolina. nikki haley and donald trump both here today to get out the vote, sandra.

>> sandra: what a day and weekend it's going to be. sandra smith in new york. hour two of "america reports". begins now as president biden hosted governors, including gavin newsom, border patrol released nearly 200 migrants on to the streets of san diego. >> guatemala. virginia. >> colombia. los angeles. ok. >> where do you want to go in the united states? >> i want to go to chicago. >> chicago, got it. >> sandra: well, that's another one, chicago is already a sanctuary city inundated with migrants, already struggling with this crisis since the very beginning. garrett is reporting there live for us. garrett, people in chicago are fed up with how this is gobbling resources on the ground. how bad are things right now. >> bad enough, in at least two

cases this month alone, migrants so desperate to get out of chicago and back to venezuela that they broke the law. for example, this 29-year-old man was arrested two days in a row earlier this month for trespassing and damaging property at chicago's airports, and according to a copy of the police report, when officers came up to him, he fell to his knees with his hands in the air and told them he wants to go back to venezuela and do whatever it takes, if that is beating up a police officer or hurting a civilian. he will do it. then two days later u in a completely separate case, officers arrested this 30-year-old man at a macy's store downtown stealing three suitcases $1,600. and asked him why, he said he was stealing to go back to venezuela. those two men are not alone in wanting to get out of the city. since mid november, the deep blue state of illinois has paid for the transportation of more than 3,000 migrants who wanted to leave and go to other cities and states across the country.

so far, the state has spent more than $600,000 in taxpayer money to do that. and it's a strategy illinois officials tell us they plan to continue even while criticizing texas governor greg abbott for shipping migrants here, and just reminder, these are migrants who when they cross the border said they wanted to come to chicago who are now leaving the sanctuary city, and at least those two cases, those men, wanting to go back to venezuela, sandra. >> sandra: garrett, thank you. john. >> john: eve of the second anniversary of vladimir putin's war on ukraine. biden administration is calling these the strongest set of sanctions ever imposed on a major economy. but will they have the crippling effect that biden is hoping for? general jack keane tells fox news he's not convinced. >> while they don't provide an end state in terms of a weapon

itself, pete, they provide much of what is needed to create a weapon, and that has significantly helped the weaponization of russia itself. >> john: trey, host of sunday night in america, former federal prosecutor, trey, good to be in your home state again, let me start by saying that. >> welcome. >> john: secondly, in terms of new sanctions against russia, biden has been putting the screws to putin ever since he invaded ukraine but putin has found a way around the sanctions, the economy is in good shape, it's growing, billions of dollars on oil sales to other countries he used to sell to before. are the sanctions going to have any effect? >> john, welcome to the palmetto state. i'm not an orthopedic surgeon but i don't know how you can be crippled twice. two years ago biden said we are going to cripple russia with the sanctions when they invaded

ukraine. we are walking around just fine. i think sanctions are great, putin is a thug. i don't care how nice the grocery stores are in russia, they are our enemy, not our friend. they are killing ukrainian women and children. i don't think -- i think people wonder what -- why did it take alexei navalny's death, why not the death of ukrainian women and children, why the crippling sanctions now and other thing people are wondering, when did the republican party become the party of putin apology? tougher on russia than i hear republicans being. >> sandra: general keane earlier, trey, on sanctions, agreeing with you, and why they are not working. >> sanctions have not been nearly as effective as they were expected to be. two reasons for that. all administration's, pete,

suffer and are challenged by making sanctions effective. the second reason is russia's allies and friends have significantly helped to bail him out here. mostly china. >> sandra: you look at that, and that -- that partnership, i mean that, is what we are seeing grow every single day, trey. >> yeah, it's china, he put his finger on it. so, who are russia's friends? they don't have that many. iran, china, north korea, so the general is right. if you want to cripple someone's economy, i think the u.s. could cripple russia's economy. i just don't think biden is serious about doing it. i think we hear tough talk but russia is -- they are alive and well and some would argue better off now than they were when they first crossed the ukrainian border. >> john: yeah, certainly making a ton of money, no question about that. turn to politics and here in the palmetto state, a big primary

coming up tomorrow. it looks if the polls are correct as if donald trump will win this. the latest suffolk university poll has him 63-35 over nikki haley. the gap has narrowed somewhat, don't know if it's a natural tightening, if it's an indication as karl rove was indicating earlier there might be some sort of late surge, but it looks like nikki haley is going to lose her first election in her home state, which a lot of people would think would be the death nail for the future for any politician. why do you think she's going through with this and why do you think she's hanging in through super tuesday at the latest, or the earliest? >> i cannot answer that question. i have a lot of respect for governor haley. most people in south carolina think she did a really good job. she's been underestimated her entire career, john. so i wouldn't be surprised if she overperformed but the mountain is too steep for her to climb.

donald trump will be the nominee whether people like it or not. what they have to figure out is november. and seven out of 10 haley supporters are not going to vote for trump and i hear the former president mocking her dress or calling her bird brain, how many of her supporters are going to lift a finger to help him. she's not going to be the gop nominee unless something happens to donald trump, she's not going to be the nominee. you wait for someone to catch a cold or conviction, but absent that, only she can tell you why she's going to stay in, even in the face of that reality. >> sandra: this is an interesting live look right now, south carolina, where nikki haley will again appear as she does vow to stay in this race. we'll see what happens as we work our way in tomorrow and trey, interesting to point out as we were also discussing with karl rove earlier about the importance to voters on the

ground there when it comes to immigration. i mean, we are seeing this state to state to state, in states far from the border, how important this is, and how concerned they are. >> yeah, sandra. it's a metaphor for whether or not you are a country. if you don't have boundaries, if you don't have territorial integrity, then you are not a country. so, the issue right now is the border, but the subissue is whether or not the united states has any identity at all, and if we have one, it's that we are a nation of laws and not a nation of men and women, and when people see that jeopardized, right now it is manifest in the border, it is even outpacing the economy. so, i mean -- south carolina, i'm not great on geography but i don't think we share a border with mexico or canada, so why would it be the number one issue here, except that it's a metaphor for whether or not we are really a nation as we understand that word. >> john: talked to a number of people at lizard's thicket this

morning, they all said immigration was the top issue, economy was second. see how it goes tomorrow. the 2016 primary season lasted until may 3rd, that's when ted cruz dropped out. but everybody who was still in it, including rubio and kasic, they won a state. >> i don't think it's going to change tomorrow. en enjoy. >> sandra: we look forward to tomorrow and live look for you, this is athens, georgia, we continue to get updates on the situation there. a homicide suspect may still be on the loose, we are hold, classes have been canceled at the university can there. students are obviously very concerned about developments and the death of this 22-year-old jogger, a nursing student at a nearby college. the family is mourning her tragic loss, obviously, 22-year-old laken riley went out

for a run and never came home. police found her body on the campus there, right on a jogging path near one of the campus lakes. and the intramural fields, her friend said she went for a jog that morning. they suspect foul play and investigating as a homicide. she was a nursing student, and previously enrolled at uga. they have a person of interest but no arrests in the case. that's obviously causing concern on campus. phil holloway will be joining us now. phil, what do we know about the situation? obviously parents all over the country see this happening and think it could happen anywhere. but 22 years old, she leaves for a jog, does not come back, her friend calls the police and within a half hour they find her dead body near the lake. what do you make of what we are learning here?

>> great to be with you guys, it's awful it's a sad story. the last co-ed homicide was in 1983 december, that tells you how rare of occurrence this is. you know, athens, georgia, is -- it's a typical college town, very eclectic, you have a lot of different political views there. it's really more left leaning than the rest of the state. some people call the prosecutor over there, you know, a george soros' type prosecutor. i do think we are going to get word soon about an arrest in this case. this situation it's not going to take long. they will use geofencing technology, see what types of smartphones may have come in and out of that crime scene, and that area. they are going to canvas the area looking for anybody's doorbell cameras, ring cameras, any kind of crime cameras, witnesses of course, and good old fashioned police shoe leather is going to be brought

to bear, and my law enforcement sources have been keeping me up to breast on this thing and i believe we will have an arrest here very, very quickly. this is not going to take long to solve. but the question really becomes what's going to happen to the prosecution given what a lot of people say about the district attorney there, and whether or not she's going to be tough enough on crime to really, you know, go after this individual. this could potentially qualify, you know, for the death penalty under georgia law. it remains to be seen how aggressively or vigorously this kind of thing is going to be prosecuted. >> john: you would certainly hope a district attorney would go for the maximum penalty for a murder, apparent murder such as this. phil, the circumstances under which this happened, she goes jogging at a very popular place for uga students, there is a wooded area surrounding the lake, it's the okoni forest

park, a place a lot of students go, not late at night or anything like that, i believe it was very light, i think it was the afternoon, and this happens. does that suggest that this was a random act or that she was potentially targeted? >> it suggests that i think it was probably going to turn out to be a crime of opportunity. this is probably someone who either has done this before or been thinking about doing it, and saw an opportunity and decided to pounce. there was a string of assaults back in this same area around these co-ed, intramural fields back in i think it was 2017 that were never solved. i don't know that there's going to be any connection, necessarily, to this, but that's going to be something i know that investigators are going to go back and look at. if i had to guess right now, i would say it has the earmarks of sort of a crime of opportunity,

you know. most murders -- occur by people who know one another. you have a victim and defendant who have some connection. i don't believe there's going to be much of a connection here. this does appear to be more or less random, but probably the situation was the person was looking to do something like this, and she happened to come along at the wrong place, obviously at the wrong time. heartbreaking story. we all just feel so terribly for her friends, her family and her loved ones, and of course the entire student body and faculty at the university of georgia is really shaken to the core over this. >> sandra: yeah, phil, and we are looking live in athens, the command center the police have set up with the georgia bureau of investigations. this is very much still an ongoing investigation per a spokesperson for the university a short time ago. obviously this has everybody there on high alert as they are still waiting any details on this person of interest. phil, thanks for joining us.

>> you bet, any time, guys. >> john: the white house press briefing happening now as mass groups of migrants are released in san diego. see how the white house responds to that. and nikki haley making closing arguments in her home state. a lot more from south carolina still ahead. >> sandra: two navy seals died on a mission in the red sea. justice could now be on the way. i get gas. [laughing] get a little slack on pump three! earn big with chase freedom unlimited. how do you cashback? chase. make more of what's yours. life, diabetes, there's no slowing down. each day is a unique blend of people to see and things to do.

that's why you choose glucerna to help manage blood sugar response. uniquely designed with carbsteady. glucerna. bring on the day. ♪(song in french)♪ (♪) book in the hotels.com app to find your perfect somewhere. ♪ (cheery music) - they get it. they know how it works... and more importantly...

it works for them. - i don't have any anxiety about money anymore. - i don't have to worry about a mortgage payment every month. - it allowed me to live in my home... and not have to pay payments. - [narrator] if you're 62 or older and own your home, you could access your equity to improve your lifestyle. a reverse mortgage loan eliminates your monthly mortgage payments and puts tax-free cash in your pocket. call the number on your screen. - it was the best thing i've ever done, and- - really? - yes, without a doubt! - just like these folks, aag can show you how a reverse mortgage loan uses your built-up home equity to give you tax-free cash. - it's a good thing. - why don't you get the facts? like these folks did. - [narrator] call right now to receive your free, no-obligation info kit. call the number on your screen.

so, you've got the power of xfinity at home. now take it outside with xfinity mobile. like speed? it's the fastest mobile service around... and right now, you can get a free line of our most popular unlimited plan. all on the most reliable 5g network nationwide. ditch the other guys and you'll save hundreds. get a free line of unlimited intro for 1 year when you buy one unlimited line. and for a limited time, get the new samsung galaxy s24 on us.

>> sandra: fox news alert, doj has arrested and charged four foreign national for transporting iran-made weapons to houthis rebels. griff, hello.

>> sandra, a daring and successful interdiction, stopping, but the mission costing the lives of two u.s. navy seals. warfare operator christopher j. chambers and nathan gage ingram lost at sea. chambers was boarding a small vessel known as a dow in those parts, when authorities said chambers fell in the water. ingram jumped in to try to save him but both of them died. four foreign nationals charged with illegally transporting iran-made weapons, components for ballistic missiles and the warhead, the very kind raining down on commercial shipping vessels in the red sea. it stopped the flow of some weapons, john kirby says iran

has not stopped the shipments. >> as for the flow, we still believe that they continue to be supported by the regime in tehran that weapons systems are still being supplied. as you also know, we have been and continue to conduct operations at sea and those continue. so we'll obviously do everything we can to limit and stem that flow, but the flow is joan going. >> and attorney general merrick garland says he will use every legal authority to hold accountable those who facilitate the flow of weapons, hamas, or any other group that endangers the security of the united states and our alice. sandra. >> sandra: griff, thank you. john. >> john: sandra, house republicans finally getting to hear from the president's brother james biden. democrats say it was a big

nothing burger. ohio congressman jim jordan responds to that coming up next. >> and police confirming a person of interest is now being questioned in the death of that 22-year-old university student. veronica bennet, a mother of a current student who attends that university will be joining us to talk about her concerns right now and safety on that campus. >> there's a real rash of campus and campus-related crime across the country, and as we have seen the inner cities and other areas have these spikes in crime.

we handcraft every stearns & foster using the finest materials, like indulgent memory foam, and ultra conforming inner springs, for a beautiful mattress, and indescribable comfort. save up to $800 on select adjustable mattress sets, at stearnsandfoster.com

♪ believe it or not baby... at university of phoenix... you... you... you... you could earn your... master's... for under than 11 thousand! 11... yes! 11! master's degree for under 11k in less than a year. some things are too obvious to be a coincidence.

earn your competency-based master's at university of phoenix. i did have hearing aids from another company. i was just frustrated... i almost gave up. with miracle-ear it's all about service. they're personable, they're friendly. i'm very happy with them. we provide you with a free lifetime of aftercare. meaning free checkups, cleanings, and adjustments. i see someone new. someone happy. it's really made a difference. enjoy sweet offers during our limited time... ...love your hearing event. call 1-800-miracle now.

at ameriprise financial our advice is personalized based on your goals, whatever they may be. all that planning has paid off. looks like you can make this work. we can make this work. and the feeling of confidence that comes from our advice... i can make this work. that seems to be universal. i can make this work. i can make this work. no wonder more than 9 out of 10 clients are likely to recommend us. because advice worth listening to is advice worth talking about. ameriprise financial. >> sandra: new york attorney general letitia james is facing backlash over donald trump's civil fraud ruling. >> no one is above the law, including the illegitimate president. >> will you sue him for us?

>> we are going to sue him, we'll be a pain in the ass, he'll know my name personally. >> sandra: lydia, why does james keep going after the former president? >> hi there, sandra. it seems like attorney general letitia james would likely say she's following the letter of the law, but her critics look at her pattern and they say that she's motivated out of personal vendetta and politics. her track record going after trump dates back years. in 2019 she pursued a lawsuit against trump's charitable foundation, it shut down as a result and paid $2 million court ordered fine and while trump was in the white house as you mentioned, james' office launched several legal actions over immigration and environmental policies, and james promises to keep trump "in check" started as she campaigned for the office of attorney general. watch. >> we have to stand up to

bullies, we have to stand up to an administration which is too male, too pale, and too stale. no one is above the law, including this illegitimate president. and so, i look forward, i look forward to going into the office of attorney general every day suing him, defending your rights, and then going home. >> president trump could not avoid justice in the great state of new york. >> the former president is not james' only high profile target. in fact, 2021, investigation into sexual harassment allegations against then governor coumo of a scathing report, he later resigned, and critics say it's a blatant

attempt to advance gun control, and juul, exxonmobil, reached out to james' office and did not hear back. back to you. >> sandra: live outside trump tower. thank you. john. >> john: sandra, after waiting for many, many months, house lawmakers finally got to hear from james biden, the president's younger brother testifying behind closed doors this week, in what some say was a make or break moment for the republicans push to impeach president biden. ohio republican congressman jordan is the chairman of the house judiciary committee. joins us now. what jim biden said in part in his opening statement, i have had a 50 year career in a variety of business ventures. joe biden has never had any involvement or any direct or indirect financial interest in those activities, none. your colleague, congressman jason smith would not come out and say that jim biden was lying

but said he didn't think he was telling the truth. what do you think? >> well, we have concerns about some of the things he said, but mostly what we got from jim biden's testimony was perspective on how what i call the money, the business, the brand, the biden brand, how it operated. and it's best i think what we learned with the deal with this chinese energy company, where hunter biden has been working to close the deal, joe biden then comes into this lunch at the four seasons, does a quick little drop by and quick little comments to the eight people from china who are part of the cefc and hunter biden and his partners, and a few weeks later that deal gets sealed and they get $3 million sent to hunter biden. a few months later, jim biden comes in. what i found interesting, jim biden and hunter biden say to the rest of hunter biden's partners, you are no longer part of the deal. this is all bidens now and they get the money and the cefc, the chinese were fine with that. it shows how this thing operated and how much the influence peddling, how it was done,

simply because of the name of, the last name of hunter and jim biden. that was one of the biggest take aways. second is, don't get in business with jim biden. he has many failed businesses and he owes hundreds of thousands of dollars to, and the way it worked, money, the business, the brand. >> john: so hunter biden is coming in next week. do you expect you might learn something new from him or take the same path his uncle did? >> well, we'll have to see. we got him next week, sally painter, who was with this democrat public relations firm who hunter biden put in touch with burisma and worked on getting the ceo taken off the wanted list. so, we have those two and then we have robert hur the following week. we will continue our investigation and i point out, f four facts that are never going to change. hunter biden, board of burisma,

paid $1 million a year. fact two, he was not qualified for that position, he said so himself in abc interview. and the ceo of burisma asked hunter biden, we are under pressure from the prosecutor in ukraine can you help us. he calls his dad, three days later, fact four, joe biden goes to ukraine, conditions the money, the loan guarantee money on the firing of the prosecutor and gets the prosecutor fired, the very prosecutor who by the way was investigating burisma, the company hunter biden sat on the board of and made a million dollars. so, those facts are never gonna change, that to me is the biggest concern. >> john: some facts that did change and maybe a quick answer on this, just about out of time, one of the main witnesses who began this whole thing, alexander smirnov, went down in a blaze of federal charges that he lied, jamie raskin said it's time for the republicans to fold up the circus tent and go home. >> it does not change the four

facts i talked about, mr. raskin said a trusted confidential source paid over 14 years by the government, the fbi, chris wray told the same thing when we could not see the 1023 form the confidential source gave information, we could not see it because it would jeopardize the safety of thw arrest him not on twice? maybe he is lying but there are some things that seem strange here, and in 2016, trump and collusion, and the 2020, the laptop and those were garbage, third presidential election in a row. we have to see. >> john: mr. chairman, thanks for joining us. appreciate it. >> you bet, thank you. >> john: students are on edge after police found agusta university nursing student laken riley on the body of the university of georgia campus. police are questioning a person of interest in connection with her death. classes are set to start next week.

veronica bennet, the mother of a junior at uga. thank you for being with us. i'm sure you are riddled with worry. where do your thoughts go when you hear of the poor young lady and the fact your daughter, a junior, is still there? >> it's terrifying, it's maddening that so many efforts have been made and so many concerns have been voiced by students and parents regarding safety on campus for years, and it largely goes ignored. there's not near enough safety or security measures on campus for a campus of that size. our heart breaks for her family, and for her sorority, her friends. i can't imagine what they are going through. >> sandra: so many probably sharing the same thoughts right now. veronica, you mentioned obviously growing fears on

campus, we have heard this from other parents on campuses all over the country right now. paul mauro was talking about that as well. i know that your daughter sort of knew the deceased girl. >> she did not. she did not know her personally. >> sandra: knew of her. >> she did not. she knew of her but she did not know her. >> sandra: so what sort of -- >> my daughter is the same age. >> sandra: yeah, of course. what are students talking about right now, what are you hearing from your daughter about all of this? >> they are largely numb and in disbelief. a lot of fear, a lot of fear is being expressed. but i just want to say the fear and the lack of not feeling secure, that's been an ongoing concern that i know my daughter and most of her friends have expressed over the last three

years. my daughter is a junior there, a junior at uga, and it has always been a concern and a problem. and i just feel the university should do better. they should care more. >> john: well, let me ask you about that if i could, veronica, you said complaints about safety on campus have gone unanswered for years. when these issues are brought up, what is the response from university of georgia officials? >> well, you can look at a lot of the statements and responses that they have made. it's typically in my opinion the same song and dance. we take student safety seriously. it's a top priority. clearly it's not a top priority. when you have homeless people who are routinely in the student

centers and the libraries to the point that students don't feel safe, when you have dimly-lit areas throughout campus. i would urge any parent, anyone, go walk -- you, go walk on campus at night, walk from one end of the campus -- walk from one end to the other, tell me if you feel safe. tell me if you feel there is enough adequate lighting. i guarantee you, you will not. you will not. and most students don't feel safe. >> sandra: so what is your plan for your daughter to -- will she return to class? i mean, we know they are telling us right now they have a suspect in custody that they are currently questioning. but we do not have any official word on finding the person responsible for this. what's your plan for your daughter? >> our daughter is coming home today and no, she does not feel safe. we actually had -- she -- her sorority has a parent event that's occurring, or supposed to

occur this weekend. we are not even attending because she doesn't feel safe. she doesn't feel safe. the but these issues have been going on for a while. there was a student that was robbed at gunpoint just a few days ago. >> sandra: wow. well, obviously -- >> john: we expect when she comes home -- >> what's it going to take? >> john: we expect when she comes home you'll give her a big hug. >> absolutely. absolutely. because thankfully i can. >> sandra: well, we -- >> but changes need to occur, so i really hope -- i really hope that the university and president morehead quits with the excuses, enough. georgia needs to do better. >> john: veronica, thank you for joining us, we really appreciate it. >> sandra: our best to you,

thank you. republican presidential candidates nikki haley meanwhile is making her final push in south carolina, that's a live look of her on stage, talking to voters. darren shaw will join us next to discuss tomorrow's primary. hey. you seein' this? wait... where's the dish? there ain't one. you're tellin' me you can get directv — the good stuff — and you don't need a satellite dish? oh, i used to love doin' my business on those things! you're one sick pigeon. them dishes kept the rain off our beaks! we just have different priorities is all. satellite-free directv... never thought i'd see the day. well, our lifespans are quite short... stream directv without a satellite dish. i'm going to do this thing with my neck, just for a bit. every day, more dog people, and more vets are deciding it's time for a fresh approach to pet food. they're quitting the kibble. and kicking the cans. and feeding their dogs dog food that's actually well, food. developed with vets. made from real meat and veggies. portioned for your dog.

and delivered right to your door. it's smarter, healthier pet food. get 50% off your first box at thefarmersdog.com/realfood

why choose a sleep number smart bed? can i make my side softer?

i like my side firmer. sleep number does that. now, save 50% on the sleep number limited edition smart bed. plus 10% off all bases. ends monday. >> john: white house press secretary karine jean-pierre was just asked about the alabama supreme court ruling that stated frozen embryos amount to unborn children. listen to what she said. >> the state supreme court has put access to fertility treatments at risk for families who are desperately trying to get pregnant. it's unimaginable for people who want to become parents and it's devastating example of the kind of chaos and confusion that has

resulted from the overturning of roe v. wade. >> john: she went on to say ivf is under attack, calling the ruling absolutely unacceptable but tied it to roe v. wade, it has nothing to do with roe v. wade. this was a case in alabama, a patient wandered into where embryos were being stored, removed them, dropped them and they expired. the court ruled the parents were allowed to sue the hospital for wrongful death but nothing to do with roe v. wade. >> sandra: obviously that will be discussed and analyzed after that was just said at the white house a few moments ago, everybody is talking about, both sides of the aisle heading into tomorrow. speaking of which, john, on the ground in south carolina with less than 24 hours to go until the polls open there, nikki haley is on the campaign trail, addressing voters as you can see live on the stage with her american flag sweater on, right

to the board for the state of the race. and by the way, darren, i want to bring you in now. republican partner on the fox news poll and fox news decision desk, darren, a lot to look at ahead of tomorrow. what will be your key focus before i dig into some of these sort of the more important interesting areas that we'll be focusing on in tomorrow's race? >> and this is probably a segue into what you are going to be talking about, sandra, nikki haley for a variety of reasons has become her best parts of states, her best demographic groups tend to be populated by people who vote democratic or independent. so, you know, i'm looking at the map and i'm looking at the 2020 and 2016 maps to look at counties where joe biden ran relatively well, those are probably the places where nikki haley is going to draw lion's share of support and overachieve to be competitive in the race. >> sandra: i have on the screen to bring everybody into

tomorrow, 24 hours to go, the latest suffolk university poll, the former president is leading her by as we head into the gop primary. charleston and the focus here. this is the latest citadel polling on charleston where trump has the lead, 54-to 41%. why is this so key looking back at nikki haley's past performance there? >> well, the key counties, the top three counties, kind of arrayed for the viewers, upper west or the northwest, greenville, and richland county in the center and charleston county in the southwest. trump dominated in the largest of the counties in 2020 and probably dominate here tomorrow, so if you look at greenville, it's a republican-rich target. then you've got columbia and charleston, those are voter rich environments where nikki haley needs not just to be competitive, she needs to win in

those places if she's going to pull off this upset, which you know, you and i know is probably low probability, but we'll be watching those areas to see can she really kind of rack up numbers there to, you know, buffer her against the losses she's probably going to cede to trump in other counties. >> sandra: address the early voting and the totals, the latest on the screen, the south carolina election commission providing numbers, just over 12,000 absentee ballots, 205,099 people early voting, so in total, looking at -- call that more than 215,000. what does that tell you? >> it's a pretty astonishing number. for edification of the viewers, south carolina has a new set of rules, for in-person early voting, absentee voting requires an excuse, it's not as robust.

traditionally, you are talking about convenience voting all told, mail-in and in-person early. we don't expect that to be 15 to 20%. numbers you are talking about there, 250,000, i think we are looking at a total turnout of around 800,000, so we are way before 15%. the early vote we think is going to be favorable to haley, that will also be just for your viewers tomorrow, you know, that will be the first traunch of votes that gets reported. so if nikki haley is not ahead, or is not really competitive in the early votes, it's probably going to be a long night. >> sandra: really interesting analysis, daron shaw, appreciate when you can join us. john. >> john: the economy one of the top issues on voter's minds and rising mortgage rates have a lot to do with it. is any relief in sight? that when we come back. those who tried me felt more energy in just two weeks. -ugh. -here, i'll take that. woo hoo! ensure max protein, 30 grams protein, 1 gram sugar, 25 vitamins and minerals.

and a new fiber blend with a prebiotic. (♪) there's nothing better than a subway series footlong. except when you add an all new footlong sidekick. like the philly with a new $2 footlong churro. sometimes the sidekick is the main event. you would say that. every epic footlong deserves the perfect sidekick. wealth-changing question -- are you keeping as much of your investment gains as possible? high taxes can erode returns quickly, so you need a tax-optimized portfolio. at creative planning, our money managers and specialists work together to make sure your portfolio and wealth are managed in a tax-efficient manner. it's what you keep that really matters. why not give your wealth a second look? book your free meeting today at creativeplanning.com. creative planning -- a richer way to wealth.

i'm katie porter and i approve this message. he's the hundred-percent pro-trump candidate for u.s. senate: republican eric early. always supports trump and the maga agenda. republican eric early. endorsed by the california pro-life council... ...opposed to all abortion. and eric early loves the second amendment.

eric early. way more dangerous than steve garvey. he dodges trump. garvey even said he might vote for biden. republican eric early for u.s. senate. too maga. too trump. too dangerous. >> john: well, just when you thought it couldn't get worse, more bad news for home buyers. the average mortgage rates are on the rise. gerri willis in new york city with more. when are folks going to get some relief? >> i think soon. i'm going to outline that in a second. right now as you say, aspiring homeowners, more frustrated than ever as mortgage rates close in on 7% this week.

3-year fixed raised, 9.6%. applications going down because of it. we're seeing the fixed and applications, not surprisingly dropping. according to freddie mac, we have good news coming. that's because of an unusual set of factors that will encourage lenders to drop rates hard and fast. real mortgage rates are all-time highs. you think this will make bankers happy? no. mortgage holders will refinance. what do banks do? they offset their risk of early payments by raising mortgage rates. when the fed cuts rates later this year, it will reduce the need for a security cushion and reductions could be substantial. the impacts could make the difference and being able to afford your dream home. we're beginning to hear that

rates could fall below 6% by the end of the year. so there could be good news coming for these folks that want to buy homes. back to you, john. >> john: they're still going to be really expensive. thanks, gerry. we'll be right back.

my name's brian hoeflinger, and because of tiktok, i have the power to educate people and hopefully save lives. when my son brian died in a drunk driving accident, i put out a video about it and try to stop young people from drinking and driving. no other family has to go through what we did. tiktok has the power to change society, and i think that's where the power of tiktok lies. if you save one person, that's one more person that can change the world too. right? ♪

i'm jonathan lawson, here to tell you about life insurance through the colonial penn program. if you're age 50 to 85 and looking to buy life insurance on a fixed budget, remember the three p's. what are the three p's? the three p's of life insurance

on a fixed budget are price, price, and price. a price you can afford, a price that can't increase, and a price that fits your budget. i'm 54. what's my price? you can get coverage for $9.95 a month. i'm 65 and take medications. what's my price? also $9.95 a month. i just turned 80. what's my price? $9.95 a month for you too. if you're age 50 to 85, call now about the #1 most popular whole life insurance plan available through the colonial penn program. options start at $9.95 a month. no medical exam, no health questions. your acceptance is guaranteed. and this plan has a guaranteed lifetime rate-lock, so your rate can never go up for any reason. so call now for free information, and you'll also get this free beneficiary planner. and it's yours free just for calling,

so call now for free information. >> sandra: john, you're on the ground in south carolina. you and i will be hosting a primary special this time tomorrow 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. we'll have special coverage throughout the evening. >> john: nicky nikki haley will joins us. see you tomorrow. >> sandra: thanks for joining us. i'm sandra smith. >> john: i'm john roberts. we'll see you tomorrow. "the story" with martha starts right now. >> martha: we'll see you tomorrow for the big day in south carolina. thanks, guys