griff: new orleans will soon face a lawsuit in a survivor of the new year's day attack claiming the city was negligence

in securing bourbon street. this as we are learning new details about the isis-inspired attacker. welcome to "fox news live," i'm griff jenkins. hey, molly are, let's do another hour. molly: i'm medical schoolly line pro. pride -- molly line. president biden is expected at any moment in the east room of the white house where he will hold a presidential medal of freedom ceremony knit. lucas tomlinson is live just outside the white house with more on this. >> reporter: good around, molly. it's a work day for president biden. he's awarding 19 people to the prestigious presidential medal of freedom. that's the nation's highest civilian award. we have a partial list of some of the awardees. hoaj andros, bono of u2 fame, michael j. fox, hillary clinton, magic johnson, ralph lauren, the designer. of course, he's made many young

gentlemen look good in those shirts. lionel messi, bill nye the science guy. david rubenstein. george soros, denzel washington and anna wintour. social media has erupt rutted over hillary clinton and george soros being award9 critics say hillary clinton's private e-mail server as well as her handling over the war many libya and the benghazi affair after four americans were killed including the u.s. ambassador to libya. as for if soros, elon musk called this award a travesty and said that soros fundamentally hates humanity, eroding the fabric of civilization, getting district attorneys elected who pail -- failed to prosecute crime. there's also been outrage over biden's handling of the isis-inspired attack in new orleans. i asked karine jean-pierre in the briefing yesterday if the president still feels white supremacy is the --

>> [inaudible] >> thank you, everybody. >> -- the greatest terrorist threat to the united states? >> reporter: i asked the same question of president biden on thursday when he arrived back at the white house. he also didn't answer that question. so we are minutes away to president biden awarding 19 people the presidential medal of freedom. we'll see if the president speaks about the rampage in new orleans and any other news that might come out of the event, but certainly a star-studded event at the white house. a lot of big namesful. molly: absolutely. and james goodall as well -- jane goodall as well. lucas tomlinson, thank you for keeping an eye on it. griff? ♪ griff: president-elect trump is spending the weekend at mar-a-lago after successfully if pressuring his party to preserve pike johnson's speakership. -- mike johnson's speakership. nate foy has more. >> reporter: hey, griff. president-elect donald trump and his team are working to fill out the leadership apparatus in washington, d.c. with people who

will implement his agenda starting on day one of his second term. as you mentioned, that included supporting house speak speaker mike johnson, but it will also include uniting republicans around trump's cabinet picks who will face confirmation hearings starting in ten days. >> we need to not only put in president trump's people so we can implement this change, but we need to restore confidence in our basic levels of government whether that's national security, law enforcement or critical infrastructure. we cannot have any more lapses. president trump has picked some fantastic people, and the american people voted for him to put the adults back in charge. we need them on day one. >> reporter: trump's pick for defense secretary, pete hegseth, will face a senate hearing on january 14th. sometime after that tulsi gabbard will face questions as the nominee for director of national intelligence and so will kash patel as trump's pick for fbi director. trump, as you mentioned, helped house speaker mike johnson get reelected.

several house republicans had reservations about johnson including texas the republican keith self who trump called while golfing to the encourage him to run for -- vote for johnson. >> we had a very good discussion. he understood my concerns, he understands the concerns of the people, frankly, the people who withyou would their votes or noted no are the biggest trump supporters, people who who stand behind him to close the border, to the control spending. >> reporter: trump now looks forward to the what his team is calling a victory rally in washington, d.c. the day before his inauguration. it will happen at capital one arena which holds roughly 20,000 people. meanwhile, trump is in palm beach this weekend post on truth social criticizing his criminal case in new york, specifically judge juan merchan saying he did the bidding of president joe biden's justice department. and trump continues to reiterate that he's innocent despite his conviction. we'll send it back to you.

griff: nate foy live in west palm beach, thank you. molly? molly: as nate alluded to, in less than a week, president-elect trump will learn his sentence in the new york criminal case. it comes after judge juan merchan denied another request to dismiss that that case. c.b. cotton the has been tracking the latest for us. she, of course, in new york. c.b.? >> reporter: hi, molly. this is an unferentzed scenario, right? juan merchan's latest ruling means president-elect donald trump will be required to appear at a hearing just ten days before his inauguration as the 47th president. trump does have the option to appear in person or virtually, and while the judge indicated that it's unlikely the president-elect will face jail time or other penalties, trump is still sounding off on his claim of political persecution, writing on truth social just this morning saying in markets quote, i never falsified business records. it is a fake, made-up charge by a corrupt judge who was just doing the work of the biden-harris injustice department, an attack on their

political opponent, me. trump was facing up to four years in prison after a manhattan jury convicted him last may on 34 counts of falsifying business records many connection to a hush money payment made to adult film star stormy daniels leading up to the 2016 presidential election. but in merchan's latest written decision, he signaled that he sentenced trump to what's called an unconditional discharge which means trump would get no punishment, no to if fines, probation or prison time, but the conviction would still stand and give trump the chance to appeal the conviction. merchan also denied another bid to throw out the case last month when trump's legal team argued the the conviction add violated a recent supreme court ruling granting presidents broad immunity for official actions. molly. molly: fascinating week ahead. c.b. cotton, thank you temperature griff? ♪ ♪ i didn't have griff for more on trump's sentencing, let's bring in our political panel.

with us today, republican strategist katie frost and fox news contributor, richard fowler. thank you for being here. let's deal with judge merchan's sort of fight continuing with trump. not surprisingly in the least bit, he's been on a bit of a social media tirade. [laughter] i think the most recent one, there's never been a president who was so evilly and illegally treated as i. i'll start with you, katie. is this a problem just ten days before the inauguration, or is this really going to be sort of one and done, and they're going to get to to an appeal and it sort of goes away? >> i would say it underscores what president trump has been talking about all along. you know, when people -- when he first came out of these prosecutions, that really propelled him, in my view, back to the forefront of the political landscape. because people realized it was just another lie that the left had been telling us. they were saying, oh, donald trump's going to weaponize against his enemies, and they

spent the last three years doing that to him. they said joe biden was -- the. [inaudible] and he clearly wasn't -- competent, and he clearly wasn't. so the more they continue these false narratives and push these things, it actually helps president trump. i think it's going to be one and done. he'll go if there there, he'll be done with it, but it really reminds the american people how corrupt this administration's been. if a former president and a billionaire can be targeted like this, what chance does a mechanic in ohio have? griff: richard, so this was the sentencing, and trump's team tried today to have it, based on the supreme court ruling, have this case thrown out altogether, and and they were unsuccessful with that. although constitutional legal attorney the here at fox, jonathan turley, weighed in a little bit. take a listen and i'll get your reaction. >> this will be the the final rallying call of lawfare. but he will not have that orange jump suit moment that if many people had wanted. he will walk out of that

courtroom either physically or virtually, and he will walk into the white house just ten days later. griff: what do you think, richard? does this go away after he eventually is inaugurated, or do you think this continues to dog a sitting president? >> fundamentally, i think jonathan turley is right, that he will have his course candidate -- court case. we will go through i the formality of a sentencing, but there will not be a sentence given, and then he'll walk into the white house, and this will likely go away. where i do agree to some texts, i do think that that there was -- extent, in an attempt the hold trump account accountable for january 6th and some of the acts that happened after that, i think what we saw democrats do, you know, in various parts of the country whether attorney generals, district attorneys, they probably took the cart a little bit too far, right? and to some extent, that this might have propelled donald trump to the a second term, it definitely galvanized many of his supporters to believe maybe he's being treated unfairly even though, griff, you covered

january 6th, you saw what happened. griff: yeah. >> you saw what happened with those crowds. the question becomes how do you hold somebody accountable without going too far, and i think that's something we're going to have to determine. but in a a couple weeks from now, we will be are watching another trump the inauguration. griff: we will, indeed. let's switch to congress. katie, you were watching all this. what was it like? we saw the holdouts in the back of the room but, obviously, e now know the result. on one rounder, speaker johnson -- round, speaker johnson maintains the gavel. >> he did. service the fascinating, and you could feel people holding their breath when certain names were called and waiting to hear how they would vote. president trump, ultimately, is the one when who got speaker johnson across the finish line. there's no question about that. he made calls to the holdouts, but people were willing to vote for him initially who had withheld support from speaker mccarthy. representative self voted for speaker johnson, and he said up front, i'm sporting president trump, so i'm -- supporting

president trump. griff: but the how old ott -- holdouts did make the point that because of their support for trump, they got behind johnson, but they're not particularly, you know, happy with johnson. how, richard, do democrats try and work with this gop? >> look, i think this is a very interesting situation. what we know to be true is republicans have one of the slimmest majorities in american history, and for many of the things that donald trump wants to get done in his first hundred days, it's going to require him to work with the united states congress, require him the spend money, a thing that a lot of republicans don't like to do, right? this is going to to require him often times to work across the aisle and get a couple of democrats to work with him. him calling democrats are not going to be the way to get there. the question will be, how does mike johnson make these concessions to democrats, how does he sort of -- i'm trying to think of the analogy my mother would use, how is he going to thread that needing, right? griff: right.

>> that's going to be very critical. i do the think there are places where donald trump and democrats can work together. the president-elect throughout his campaign talked about how to he wants to cap interest rates on retail credit cards at 10% and make sure the late fee's not more than $8. a lot of democrats agree with that. the president wants to to put no tax on tips. if those some of the things that the president's doing in his first hundred days, i think he'll get democratic votes. griff: one of the first things if not the very first thing johnson said was going if to be border legislation. do you see democrats getting onboard with that in. >> i think that's going to be harder fending -- [laughter] it's going to, the devil will be in the details. griff: right. >> if we're talking about the mass deportations that this vice president-elect j.d. vances has talked about, i don't think it'll get a democratic vote. and i do think that's going to the require house republicans to stay together, and it's going to to require donald trump to to figure out how to get 60 votes in the united states senate, and that's going on the hard. griff: katie, richard points out

how difficult of a job johnson's going of to have. we saw six members just not vote right away. they were quiet, and then they came around at the end. making a little bit of a no confidence statement and, of course, three holdouts, two of which changed their vote. that's nine. why is that significant? it's the because the new rule, the motion to vacate which was one that took out mccar think is now -- mccarthy is now nine. does johnson have to to look over his shoulder and realize he may be in more peril potentially than he realizes, or has he got the back of trump and he can push these people? >> ultimately, the backing of president trump is going to be huge when dealing with these members. speaker johnson is a great man of faith, so i think he'd appreciate if i paraphrase c.s. lewis, my grandmother said you never meet a mere mortal. congressman johnson's never pet a mere congressman. [laughter] every single member of congress is going to be important for

him. went 6:wider -- when you have wider margins, it's easy the dismiss a back bencher. he needs to to work on those relationships. and the freedom caucus are some of the most conservative pens in the house. they support president trump's -- members in the house. he needs to bring them into the conversation early and include them -- griff: but they want to cut spending, and yet it seems that trump may be for getting rid of the debt ceiling. >> i was going to say, we had the former leader of the house during caucus mark if meadows became president trump's chief of staff, so there's a great history there. there's absolutely a path forward for them to work together. griff: richard fowler, kate frost, thank you for being here. >> good to see you. molly: all right. president biden will soon award the presidential medal of freedom to hillary clinton, george soros and michael j. fox among others there at the white house. we'll take you there this when it happens. ♪ finish. ♪

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z's bakery is looking to add a pizza oven, arissa's hair salon wants to expand their space, and steve's t-shirt shop wants to bring on more help. with the comcast business 5-year price lock guarantee, they can think more about possibilities for their business and not the cost of their internet. it's five years of gig-speeds and advanced security. all from the company with 99.9% network reliability. get the 5-year price lock guarantee, now back for a limited time. powering five years of savings. powering possibilities™. molly: new details now emerging about the new orleans terror attack suspect as pressure grouse on local leaders to determine -- grows on local leaders to determine what security measures might have been if missed leading up to the attack that killed 14 people and injured dozens more in the early

morning hours of new year's day. garrett tenney is live in new orleans with the latest developments. good afternoon. >> reporter: millionly, good afternoon. we are learning more about what the suspect was doing in the hours leading up to this attack. the fbi says shamsud-din jabbar, they found bomb-making materials inside his home in houston as well as inside an airbnb here in new orleans where he briefly spent some time. inside that airbnb, they found a homemade belief that they believe was -- device that they believe was a silencer. jabbar unsuccessfully if tried to destroy that evidence by setting the airbnb on fire as he left for bourbon street. the fbi is also working together on putting -- working on putting together a timeline. they have spoken with jabbar's family many houston, his ex-wife who lives in georgia. they are cooperating with the investigation. back here in new orleans, the city council is pushing for an

investigation of its own. we have earned that city officials had been preetedly warned -- repeatedly in several reports commissionedded by the city in 2017 and 20 the 20 the that the french quarter and bourbon street in mar was vulnerable to a terror attack, one specifically using a car. members of the city council say they were never told of those reports and didn't know about the recommendations that barrier withs should be immediately improved until this week when they saw it on the news. louisiana's attorney general is calling for city officials to be the held accountable. >> angry. since i got elected lieutenant governor, we've been fighting with the administration to make the french quarter safer. and her hack of hardship from the top on -- her lack of leadership on the top on down to know those barricades were taken out with new year's and the sugar bowl is unacceptable. >> reporter: we also learned that the first of what could be many lawsuits against the city will be filed next week.

the city's, quote, negligence pavedded the way for the tragic events that unfolded, a terror attack that was both foreseeable and preventable. out on bourbon street, the city now has those yellow archer barriers that are designed to prevent this very kind of vehicle, mass terror attack. we've learned the city bought 48 of those barriers back in 2017, but they did not have them deployed tuesday night and that the chief of police didn't know about them until after the attack. the ceo of the company that makes those barriers tells us even now they are not set up properly to be able to defend against this type of attack. molly? molly: great point, garrett tenney. more on this in laterring while. griff: many in las vegas officials have released portions of notes left by the bomber in a separate new year's day attack the outside a trump hotel. a combat veteran who shot

himself. christina coleman is live from our west coast bureau. >> reporter: hi, griff. federal authorities released major with new details in this investigation, shedding light on a possible motive for the cyber truck explosion. they say the man behind the incident is 37-year-old matthew livelsberger of colorado springs. they released new surveillance video showing him at a tesla charging station during his drive to las vegas prior to the tesla blowing up around 8:20 the in the morning on new year's day. they say he was a iley decorated army soldier, most recently a green beret who was on approved leave from germany and apparently suffering from some mental health issues and personal grievances. they say he shot himself in the head inside of the cyber truck that blew up. finish -- >> although this incident is more public and more sensational than usual, it ultimately appears to be a tragic case of suicide involving a heavily decorated combat veteran who is struggling with ptsd and other

issues. >> reporter: even though authorities say livelsberger blew up the cyber truck outside of trump's international hotel in las vegas, they to do not believe he had any animosity toward the president-elect based off of their investigation. they say they found notes on one of the cell phones that gave some insight into his mind frame and a possible motive. during yesterday's press briefing, they read off some of his notes. >> you can read a couple of the excerpts. we are the the united states of america, the best country, people to ever exist, but right now we are terminally ill and headed for collapse. this was not a terrorist attack, it was a wake-up call. americans only pay attention to spectacles and violence. what better way to get my point across than with fire theworks and explosives. >> reporter: authorities continue the to look into his digital footprint as part of their ongoing investigation. griff? griff: christina coleman in our west coast bureau, thank you. and if you've been watching, let's take you to the the east room in the white house. president biden talking, making

an award with. listen. >> that that man was fred -- frederick douglass. here we are 160 years later where he stood with abraham lincoln to unify the nation. i'm joined by our incredible first lady, jill, incredible vice president kamala harris and second gentleman if doug. doug, he's a hell of a lawyer, by the way. [laughter] finally going to get to practice again, huh? [laughter] for the final time as president, i have the honor of bestow thing the medal of freedom on our nation's high civilian honor 40 on group of extraordinary, truly extraordinary people. who gave their sacred effort, their sacred effort to shape the culture and the cause of america. let me just say to the each of you, thank you, thank you, thank you for all you've done to help this country. ms. -- [applause]

you all, you all literally embody the nation's creed, e e pluribus unum. out of many, one. collecting the people of different backgrounds, beliefs and talents, of different generations and different genders using the remarkable gifts and unwavering passion if -- on our resolve as one nation under god, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. it matters. it really does matter. if as cultural icons, statesmen -- anything dignified statesmen, humanitarians, rock stars, sports stars, you feed the hungry, you give hope to those, those who are hurting, and you craft the signs and sounds of our movements and our memories. you know, it's amazing, your

innovation, you inspire, you bring healing and joy to so many lives, otherwise that wouldn't be touched. you answered the call to serve and led others to do the same thing. and you defend the values of america even when they're under attack, which they have been of late. together, you leave an incredible mark, and i mean this sincerely. ooh group up here, you leave an incredible mark on our country with insight and influence that can be felt around the globe in major cities and remote areas alike. binding us closer as people and showing us what's possible as a nation. there's nothing beyond with our capacity. while representing your families, your communities, your ancestors with pride and appreciation at the same time. i'd also like to take a moment to recognize those honorees who are no longer with us including the young man speaking -- by the

way, kids rule in this house, okay? if. [laughter] [cheers and applause] don't worry about it. [applause] y'all think i'm kidding, i'm not. [laughter] ash carter, ms. fannie lou hammond, george romney, bobby kennedy. heroes of the highest order. and bobby kennedy is one of my true political heroes. finish i loved and i miss if him dearly. i thank his family, all the families. you know, as we carry on the sacred effort with courage and conviction that you all began. so today i want to congratulate you on all you've with accomplished, and i'm grateful for the work you'll inspire for generations the follow. to follow. to stay engaged, to never give up, to always keep the faith. and in that spirit from the people's house where abraham lin

congress and frederick douglass and a generation of patriots before us have stood and watched over the public, i ask the military to begin the reading of the citations for this year's medal of freedom honorees. ms. -- the. [applause] >> jose andres. [applause] the the presidential medal of freedom is awarded the jose andres. from his parents' kitchen in spain, jose andres arrived in america with little money and big dreams. over the course of three decades, he mastered his culinary craft with renowned restaurants that that span culture and cuisine and bring people together. his world central kitchen

revolutionized humanitarian assistance by mobilizing fellow chefs and providing meals to people left in the wake of natural disasters and war. with his unmatched personality and heart, jose andres shows us that there is a seat for everyone at the table. [applause] [cheers and applause] [applause] >> bono. [cheers and applause]

the presidential medal of freedom is awarded to bono. as the lead singer of u2, one of the most successful rock bands if history, bono changes the world through his art and activism. in an irish tradition of poetry and protest, rebellion and rejoicing, he as composed anthems to peace and civil rights. as a humanitarian, he lifts up causes from ending poverty and disease to the calling for debt relief for developing nations. the common beat of his life's work is the power of free come, a tie that also binds -- freedom, a tie that also binds ireland and america as beloved friends. [applause]

accepting on behalf of ashton baldwin carter is stephanie carter. [applause] the presidential medal of freedom is awarded to ashton baldwin carter, a scientist turned secretary of defense. ash carter was a true patriot. over four decades in and out of the pentagon he was a key leader, thinker and strategist on critical issues ranging from nuclear non-proliferation, counterterrorism and our sacred obligation to equip, care and protect our service members and their families. his scientific and technological innovations made our nation safer, and his integrity and

mentorship inspired generations of americans to serve and protect our nation with honor and dignity. if. [applause] >> hillary rodham clinton. [cheers and applause]

the presidential medal of freedom is awarded to hillary rodham clinton. hillary rodham clinton is guided by the methodist creed, do all the good you can in all the ways you can. as a lawyer, she defended the rights of children. as first lady, she fought for universal health care and declared women's rights are human rights. as senator, she helped new york rebuild after september 11th, 2001. as secretary of state, she championed democracy worldwide, and her nomination for president broke barriers and inspired generations. through it all her career has been dedicated to an eternal truth, america's ideals are sacred, and we must always defend and live by them. [applause]

[cheers and applause] >> michael j. fox. [cheers and applause] [applause] the presidential medal of freedom is awarded to michael j. fox. michael j. fox is one of the most beloved actors of our time. with remarkable wit and charm,

he introduced iconic characters to the center of american culture. from alex p. keaton to marty mcfly and more. of with undaunted resilience and optimism, he also warms hearts and captivates audiences as a fearless advocate for those with parkinson's disease, channeling his endearing personality to advance treatments, move if us closer to a cure and remind us of the power of american possibilities. [applause]

>> tim gill. [applause] the presidential medal of freedom is awarded to tim gill, a leading philanthropist and civil rights leader, tim gill advances the cause of equality for the lgbtq community in america and the world. a visionary entrepreneur he has helped lead the fight against hiv/aids, laid the groundwork for marriage equality and so much more. his strong character, unwavering resolve and indisputable effectiveness in fighting for love and equality for all make him a key figure in our nation's story of freedom. [applause]

[cheers and applause] >> jane goodall. [cheers and applause] if -- the presidential medal of freedom is awarded to jane goodall. from war-torn england to the jungles of tanzania, dr. goodall's childhood passion for animals led her to explore wildlife in africa. her ground breaking discoveries of chimpanzees reshaped conversation methods and redefined our understanding of the connection between humans, animals and the environment we share. jane's activism, vision and message of hope have mobilized a

global movement to protect the planet. above all, she has taught us that when we search for humanity in the natural world around us, we discover it within ourselves. [applause] [applause] >> accepting on behalf of mrs. fannie lou hamer is doris h a amer richardson. [applause] the presidential medal of freedom is awarded to mrs. if

fannie lou hamer, one of the most powerful voices of the civil rights movement. mrs. fannie lou hamer spent 18 years as a sharecropper in mississippi before learning that black citizens had a constitutional right to vote. with that newfound freedom, she sacrificed her own safety to organize and register fellow black voters across the south. brutally beaten but undeterred, for decades she spoke truth to power to expand political participation and economic rights for awe -- all americans and left these words echoing in the nation's conscience: nobody is free until if everybody is free. [cheers and applause] [applause]

>> earvin "magic" johnson. [cheers and applause] the presidential medal of freedom is awarded to the we've vin magic johnson -- to ervin madger johnson who drove the hoe time era for the los angeles lakers. five-time nba champion, 12-time all-star, olympic gold medalist and naismith hall of chairman. under the same bright lights, his honesty about his hiv status shattered stigma and saved lives. the first -- [cheers and applause] the first retired athlete to build a true business empire, he championed underserved

communities with the legendary will and smile. magic johnson rose from the if playground many if lansing, michigan, to become one of the most beloved athletes of our time. [cheers and applause] [laughter] [applause] >> accepting on behalf of robert francis kennedy is kerry kennedy. [cheers and applause] the presidential medal of freedom is awarded to robert

francis kennedy. born into a revered family of service, robert f. kennedy forged a path toward freedom that that endures today. guided by the constitution as its conscience, he was a key strategist to his brother's successfulful campaigns for senate and the presidency. before serving as a attorney general, senator and a presidential candidate himself. himself. with deep empathy and resolve, he focused the nation's moral compass on cause of civil rights, the dignity of the poor and the ripples of hope we can each cast as we choose not division, not hatred, not violence or lawlessness, but love, wisdom and compassion toward one another. [applause]

[laughter] >> ralph lauren. [applause] the presidential medal of freedom is awarded to ralph lauren. the son of polish imgranters and a u.s. army veteran -- immigrant. leaving a lasting imprint on the world of fashion, fragrance, furniture and beyond. throughout it all, he remains a dedicated philanthropist including fighting to end cancer as we know it. classic yet creative, timeless

yet innovative, ralph lauren reminds us of our distinct style as a nation of dreamers and doers. [applause] [applause] >> william sanford nye. [applause] the presidential medal of

freedom is a awarded to william sanford nye, a washington, d.c. native. bill nye began his career if seattle before becoming a beloved science educator for the nation if. earning 19 emmy awards for his energetic experiments on television as bill nye the science guy, he also earned the trust of millions of children and families by sharing the magic of fun in science. he inspires generations of americans to follow facts and reason and leave the world better than we found it. [applause] [applause] >> accepting on behalf of george

w. romney is mitt romney. [applause] if -- the presidential medal of freedom is awarded to george w. romney. born to humble beginning as the son of mormon missionarys, george romney if developed a belief in the fact that everyone deserves as -- a shot at the american dream. as a three-term governor of michigan, he served as secretary of housing and urban development, advanced civil rights, tackled poverty and stood up for everyday americans, embodying an enduring in god and a love of country. [applause]

>> david m. rubenstein. [cheers and applause] the presidential med ifal of freedom is awarded to david m. rubenstein. from a working class family in baltimore, david rubenstein has become a renowned leader in business, arts and culture. after serving our nation if on the staff of the senate judiciary committee and in president carter's white house, david went on to become a transformational business leader and philanthropist. from advancing cutting-edge cancer treatment to to restoring our nation's monuments, his leadership reminds us that at our best, we learn from, preserve and share our history so that everyone sees themselves in the story of america. [applause]

>> accepting on behalf of george soros is alex soros. [applause] the presidential med ifal of freedom is awarded to george soros. born into a jewish family in hungary, george soros escaped nazi occupation to build a life of freedom for himself and countless others around the world. educated in england, he settled in america as he became an investor and philanthropist supporting key pillars of rights injustice, equity and equality, freedom now and in the future. his inspiring generosity reminds us all of our capacity and our obligation to stand up to the abuse of power and to be guardians of democracy in all

people yearning to be free p. [applause] >> george stevens jr. [applause] if -- the presidential medal of freedom is awarded to george stevens jr. born into an entertainment family in los angeles, george stevens jr. found his own purpose as a storyteller. as a young aide in the kennedy administration, he produced hundreds of documentaries that champion freedom and democracy. he then created the american film institute and kennedy center honors, lifting up the arts, an artist at the heart of

american culture. in a career spanning seven decades, george's creativity, vision has helped redeem the soul of a nation founded on the power of free expression. [applause] [applause] >> denzel washington. [cheers and applause] the presidential presidential medal of freedom is awarded to denzel washington. denzel washington is

consideringed one of the -- considered one of the greatest actors of our time. over four decades of screen and stage, his portrayals of iconic figures and everyday people have earned him two academy awards, two golden globes and a tony award so far. [laughter] the admiration of audiences and peers is only exceeded by that of countless young people he inspires. with unmatched dignity, extraordinary talent and unflynn,ing faith in god and family, denzel washington himself is a twining character of the american story -- defining character of the american story. [cheers and applause]

[inaudible conversations] >> anna wintour. [cheers and applause] the presidential medal of freedom is awarded to anna wintour. the daughter of a former newspaper editor, anna wintour has used her creative talent, taste and style for decades to redefine fashion journalism in america and around the world, pushing creative boundaries. she uses fashion as a mirror to reflect our culture and helps the next generation of entrepreneurs and designers define their vision and find their voice. from the pages of magazines to runways and red carpets, anna wintour has cemented her legacy as a global fashion, cultural and business icon.

[applause] [laughter] >> not a bad group, huh? [laughter] cause -- [applause]

>> folks, thank you all again. thank you and to your families for your service and theirs to the nation. congratulations, and and let's remember our sacred effort continues. we have to keep going. as my mother would say, we've got to keep the faith. god bless you and may god protect our troops. please enjoy the reception. god love you all. [applause] >> distinguished quests, please remain in your seats as the president and dr. biden, the vice president and mr. 'em of, and the medal of freedom recipients have departed the east room. ♪ if. griff: of and we are just wrapping up the presentation of the presidential pedal of freedom -- medal of freedom the to more than a dozen people there, molly. a couple of moments certainly stood out. magic johnson getting the award, having to sort of stoop a little bit. a great moment there.

[laughter] and then also a bit of a touching moment when denzel washington decided to just reach out and hug biden. but, of course, there were a few others there. hillary rodham clinton and the son of george soros, alex soros, receiving for his father that that the particular award getting a bit of attention on social media. molly: yeah. certainly perhaps perceived as one of the more controversial awards of the day given his status as a mega-donor to the democratic party over many, many years. like you mentioned, some great moments. that big smile from magic johnson, you can't get enough of that. and it was great the see michael j. fox looking so well. and they've all -- and, you know, to be fair, many of these figures have done incredible work when it comes to poverty and aids and diseases and cancer and are deserving of, perhaps, the nation's attention and gratitude and thanks to a large texts. for instance, looking so welll, and so lovely and so classy, as

always, there as part of the award ceremony. griff: so much of that that many of us have grown up from michael j. fox, jane goodall. molly, it was great to be with you. that's all for us. "fox news live" continues with anita vogel and bryan llenas. s i'm griflof jenkins. i'm griflof jenkins. molly: i'm molly line. ♪ that's why you choose glucerna to help manage blood sugar response. uniquely designed with carbsteady. glucerna. bring on the day. tempur-pedic designed the ergo-pro smart base, to help you fall asleep -- more easily. it's gentle massage and relaxing sounds... help calm your mind, every night. save up to $500 now on select adjustable mattress sets.

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