farxiga can help you keep living life, because there are places you'd like to be. (♪) serious side effects include increased ketones in blood or urine and bacterial infection between the anus and genitals, both which may be fatal, severe allergic reactions, dehydration, urinary tract or genital yeast infections, and low blood sugar. stop taking and tell your doctor right away if you have nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, tiredness, rash, swelling, trouble breathing or swallowing. tell your doctor about lightheadedness, weakness, fever, pain, tenderness, redness or swelling between the anus and genitals. ask your doctor about farxiga today. ♪ far-xi-ga ♪ (♪) >> john: live look at the state department where president biden is about to give his final foreign policy speech as commander in chief.

the president expected to make the case that he is leaving the u.s. in better standing on the world stage. >> that could be a tough sell my considering the botched withdrawal from afghanistan and is handling of several global conflicts that broke out under his watch. we will get a brand-new reaction from the speech from retired staff sergeant joey jones joining us live coming up. ♪ ♪ >> if you live in those areas close to any brush or mountainous areas, it is important for you to gather your belongings and make sure that anything important is ready to go in a bag or even in your car. those 70-mile-an-hour winds are going to create a really fast-moving fire and is really challenging to control anything like that. the best thing to do is to get out of its way. >> john: 24 people killed. more than 12,000 homes or businesses destroyed by wildfires in southern california. three of them are still burning.

the conditions on the ground may make it harder for crews to put them out. that is where we begin as we start our second hour here. i am john roberts in washington welcome back to "america reports." >> sandra: i am sandra smith in new york. the santa enter the winds are going to be everything to walk in the coming hours and days. expected to anticipate tomorrow with wind gusts up to 75 miles an hour. i could both allow the fires to gain strength and ground planes that have been offering crucial air support. the fires have scorched more than 40,000 acres of land since starting last week. the largest one is still 14% contained. >> john: we will speak with a couple who washed their home burned down via their ring camera and try to figure out what is next. we will talk to it l.a. county fire official for the latest on the ground. >> sandra: chief correspondent jonathan hunt's love for us in pacific palisades good what are you seeing there today?

>> i think it is safe to say that hundreds of thousands of people across los angeles and the surrounding area are today preparing there go bags. people who had probably never thought about doing such a thing as of last week. but in the wake of last week's destruction of an area like this, an urban area like the pacific palisades, they now know that they cannot take any chances. the distraction here is still hard to behold. i have been here since last tuesday. it is breathtaking every time you drive down a different streets. one of the things that, that people are particularly worried about now is the next trauma at certain people are trying to inflict on people who are already suffering so much, looters coming into neighborhoods like this. obviously there is nothing to get from any of these destroyed houses. you look back behind that one, you can see the light house, one of the few that are still standing.

those are on every street almost. one or two houses. those are obviously people who have led, ran for their lives and left everything behind. what the looters are trying to do another scam artists is get into these neighborhoods and rip those people off. the incoming district attorney of l.a. says those people are on warning. listen here. >> to people who are engaged in trying to scam, people who have suffered from these tragedies and people who are thinking about arson. if they want to engage in these crimes, they will be arrested. they will be prosecuted and punished to the full extent of the law. >> sometimes the individual stories that hate you the hardest. i was contacted late last week on friday night by a family who had got their 199-year-old grandmother out, but they didn't know what happened to her house. they asked me to go check on it. i couldn't make it friday night. my friend and colleague

griff jenkins did over the weekend. this is the tragic video that he sent it to me and i had to send to them that 99-year-old grandma's house completely and utterly destroyed by the fires. she moved into that house by the way in 1967. almost 60 years ago. hard to imagine, sandra, just how many memories of children and grandchildren playing. all the memories they had gathered, the physical memories all now gone. that is a story of course that is repeated again and again and again. maybe thousands here in the palisades. a similar story out east. it is unfathomable how much has been lost by how many. >> still just shocking. every new scene that you bring to us from there, jonathan, our best to you as you continue your report on the ground. a couple who lost everything coming up here on this program

in a few moments. thank you. >> it really is terrible. tonight for the next couple of days, the national weather service as well as california officials are warning if more red flag days, you've got southwestern united states high-pressure system moves in here over the great basin between the rockies and the sierra madre, the sierra nevada mountains. the wind rotates clockwise around a high-pressure system. it starts forcing all that air from the high desert down there into california. when you get in close them of the wind is coming in this way. from the high desert. remember bernoulli's principle. it hits the mountains here. it squeezes the air in like this. that air comes in like this. when it hits these mountains, and starts going faster and faster and faster. when it gets into the los angeles area, the wind could be going in excess of 50-70 miles an hour.

it is like taking a huge bellows to any fire that starts and blows it up and blows it up in seconds. i want to talk more about this now with public information officer for los angeles county fire department. thank you for being with us as the red flag warnings get renewed today through wednesday. what are you expecting? what are you preparing for? >> what we are expecting just to reiterate what you stated, those winds are going to be blowing hard and constant from the northeast. straight out into the ocean on the southwest direction. i am actually facing the ocean and behind me, you are just explaining, this is the foothills of those canyons. and the first few days, when you are seeing behind me is the wind came down carrying embers and literally turning this area into their target. you could describe as a

flamethrower. you had embers pushed behind them. it was lighting everything on fire. there are crews out there continuing to work on control lines. also different contingency lines. the control efforts are spreading out in layers. overnight our crews did a tremendously successful job. they were saturating the areas that were already burned. they still have smolders. what do you want to do is put them out completely. these winds -- it's going to take some time. the winds need to cease in order for the mop up to come all the way to its complete stage. right now, today, that condition we have right now with the sun rising, the humidity is already

low where the sun combined with the dry winds makes those susceptible to light up if embers get thrown at them. we have just multiple resources ready to be deployed. >> john: there's been a lot of criticism that the states, the county, and the officials, not the fire department, where not prepared for what happened last week. "experts say that several key factors including urban sprawl, a resistance clearing vegetation around homes in the water system that is not designed to combat multiple major blazes at once left l.a. exposed to disaster." do you believe that was the case? what can you do in the next couple of days to try to compensate for whatever lack of preparation there was last week? >> what i can tell you in regards to that is that the fire departments involved in this firefighting effort did their best. their resources they had at that time, i believe those especially

the air resources where the ride resources unfortunately -- that can now be categorized as a natural disaster. there are some factors that you really cannot prepare for. this coastline is a perfect example. the intersection of the highway and topanga canyon. up close for me, all those homes were completely devastated. those homes are right up against at the ocean. behind them, they have a complete clear space. we are talking behind them. really low -- the embers got thrown at them from miles away. that is what the fire departments here were up aga against. >> john: the fire departments have been doing their absolute best with the resources they had very good to be with you. thank you so much. i appreciate it.

>> sandra: our next guests, a 40 years destroyed in the eaton fire. doorbell camera footage capturing the distraction in real time. you can hear the powerful wind. they whipped the fire into a frenzy. they watch their home disappear in the blink of an eye. joining us now, our hearts break for you. we are left speechless when we see this. your home of 40 years gone. how are you both doing? >> trying to take it day by day, basically. there are so many people in the same situation. just kind of looking at where we are at and taking it day by day. >> sandra: i want to point out on our screen, we have your actual doorbell footage.

we know that you were able to both evacuate in time obviously. thank god you were able to do so. this quickly unfolded. you watched it in real time. >> it was very unreal to see the winds blowing that firestorm down the hill. it happened so fast. once the wind started, there was no stopping it. >> sandra: did you see this coming? when you were evacuating, and chose to evacuate, did you ever imagine this was about to ha happen? >> not at all. my daughter when we were packing to put things away kept handing me things. i kept putting it back. i thought, for sure i was going to go back to some semblance of a home. and it just wasn't the case. >> sandra: we are so sorry. there are so many in your position. we know you tried to grab some precious family photos and your two dogs.

you are able to get out of there and get out of there quickly thank goodness. but do you see happening in the future? you've obviously had to start planning on where to live and what to do next. >> right now, we are in the hotel. thank the lord we have that for now. but we are looking for a longer term rentals. the problem is that l.a. even before this happened was short on a lot of rental properties available for the amount of people that are looking. it is a dire situation for everybody in this situation. >> sandra: have you been able to make phone calls about your home, insurance or rebuilding? have you gotten to that point yet? >> we are. we thought about that right off the bat. we did put in information or actually called in to our insurance companies and have a claim started. with that, it is an arduous task. it will take probably years for us to get through all of this.

any help anyone can give -- because we have never been in this situation before. you know, i don't even know where to start, where to begin. it will be at least a two or 3-year process. >> sandra: there's a lot of people who say based on what we're seeing in these fires that maybe people will evacuate, they will be living somewhere else while they try to clean up. maybe they won't go back. what are your plans? do you believe that you will stay in that area or will you rebuild somewhere else? >> we are committed to that area. we moved into that area because we love it. it is a really unique community. it is a small town in the big l.a. county. you've got the best of both worlds. a lot of people don't realize that it is a generational. there are families that have been there for 50 or 60 years. >> sandra: you have obviously got a strong family unit. a lot of support on around you

and a strong community. leave us off with some of your thoughts on this moment as we continue to report on this, we know there are so many in your same position. this is just an incredibly challenging time for so many of you. >> absolutely. i would say that although the support of the community has been overwhelming here right off the bat, it is something that people have in their hearts going forward, because i have friends and family telling me saying do you need towels? do you need glasses or dishes? yes, although that is something you're going to need, we are in a hotel room and don't have the spacing. if you will keep every one of us in your hearts down the line, i would say with government agencies and officials forbearances on our properties or homes, we have to find living situations, other places where we have to pay a mortgage.

it is going to be double fold if we have to pay for a home that is nonexistent. things to think about communitywise going forward and help from our government officials. >> sandra: final thought on that. honestly, there's a lot of discussions to be had come investigations to be done over how this happened and how things spiraled out of control. are you confident that you will rebuild and be in an area where there will be promises that they will be able to get on the grip on situations like that in the future? >> unfortunately, when you live in a high fire zone, there is no guarantee. as you saw, the winds carry to the embers miles and miles and miles. what did start the fire, when the winds are going strong, usually, the electricity is turned off so that we don't have the situation. in this case, it sounds like it came a little too late. >> sandra: you are an

incredible couple and family. we appreciate you joining us and telling us your story. our best to you. take care. fox corporation has made a $1 million donation to red cross and continues to be an annual disaster giving program partner. this enables the red cross to respond immediately to disasters by providing safe shelter, hot meals, emotional support and resources to aid in recovery. here's how you can help. visit the website or scan the qr code on your screen. every little bit helps. i feel like we just went through the hurricane disaster there. so many lost their properties, their lives in north carolina and beyond. you just don't ever get used to doing interview like that where this couple lost their home of 40 years. evacuated and their house was not in a flash and watched it in real time.

i can't even imagine what some of these people have gone through. >> john: people are hurting after things that happened this year. keep in mind that we talked about people who don't have insurance in california or people whose insurance did not get renewed or people who are with the california insurance system. and it is the same story repeated across of north carolina. because their house was destroyed by a flood and they didn't have flood insurance even though they lived up in the mountains, why would you expect a flood when you are in the mountains? they weren't covered by insurance. how many people in florida have been dropped by their insurance company because of hurricane coverage? there are so many people across the country you are in the same boat as the folks in the pacific palisades. we have been talking about all the homes that were lost in los angeles. what about the homes that were lost because of hurricane helene in north carolina in the southern part of virginia? there were a lot of people who

are still hurting. when you take a look at parts of north carolina, it is like eileen came through yesterday. the bridges are still out there the homes are destroyed. the businesses are destroyed. there is no rebuilding going on. how long will it take for california to come back? >> sandra: we have been waiting to watch live for this speech, the president's final foreign policy speech of his presidency. secretary of state and secretary of state antony blinken has walked out there. a live shot of the state department where we are about to hear from both of them. >> all right, let's listen in as the applause continues for the exiting president. [applause] >> good afternoon. if i didn't say anything, this would go on all afternoon for good reason. mr. president, it is an honor to welcome you back to the state department. on day 1 of this administration, you shared a few things with me.

you told me something that we long discussed, reminded me that american engagement, american leadership is essential. if we are not engaged, if we are not leading, you said someone else is likely to be doing it and probably not in a way that advances our values or maybe no one is doing it. then we are likely to have a vacuum filled with bad things before it is filled with good things. the other thing you told me, mr. president, is that there is a greater premium than ever before on finding ways to cooperate, to coordinate come to work with other countries if we are going to get done what we need to get done for the american people. and so, you instructed me. you instructed all of us to get out there, to rebuild, to rejuvenate, even to reimagine our lives and partnerships. i remember what you told me t then.

you said, we don't know when this is going to make a difference, when we are going to need these friendships, these partnerships. someday, some way, somewhere, they are going to be critical for advancing the national interest. that is exactly what led men and women of this department have done. we have been able to carry out that charge for two reasons. first, the people that you see before you and so many others who are out in the field of embassies and consulates. you said when you came here that the leadership of diplomats at every strike doing their daily work of government is essential. they proved it. that daily work has become nightly work. 24/7, seven days a week, hammering out agreements, jumping at action in crisis. creating opportunities for our citizens around the world, producing expert advice for you

and your team at the white white house. everyone here knows this work can be tough. it is often not very glamorous. but it makes us stronger. it makes the world a better place. and we simply could not do it without the extraordinary men and women that you have before us as well as our remarkable partners in government starting with the great white house team led by jake sullivan. my friends and colleagues from across the administration, the secretary of defense, secretary of the treasury, commerce, and so on. all of these partnerships that we have built and built with their teams have made a difference. to all of my colleagues, thank you. thank you for your friendship. thank you for your partnership. there is one other reason that we have been able to reengage and rejuvenate our diplomacy.

mr. president, that is used. you have never wavered in the conviction that when america leads and engages, there is little doubt we cannot accomplish. and that this country remains a force for good in a force for progress around the world. your unshakable belief in the promise of america has inspired me for more than 20 years and inspired so many people in this department and around the world. simply put, it has been the privilege of my lifetime to work for you, to work with you coming to work with this extraordinary team that you have assembled. it is the honor of a lifetime to be able to introduce one more time the 46th president of the united states, joe biden. [cheers and applause]

>> president biden: thank you, thank you, thank you. [cheers and applause] >> president biden: thank you. thank you, thank you, please, thank you. thank you, thank you, thank you. it is good to be back at the state department. tony, if i may start by saying this, you are one of the finest men that i have ever known in any undertaking. for one important reason. [applause] you are not only brilliance, you have incredible character. you have character. you have more integrity than almost anybody that i know. thank you for always sticking with me. i appreciate it. [applause]

folks, i am grateful for his counsel and his friendship as well. but i also want to thank the members of my cabinet and the members of the congress who are here today and to all, all our diplomats and development experts, service members, and intelligence professionals. many of the achievements we are going to discuss today are the result of your hard work. that is not hyperbole. it is true. thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you for your extraordinary service. i come here to the state department to report to the american people. on the progress we had made in the lasn policy and our presidency. we have said many times, we are at an inflection point. post-cold war period is over. a new era has begun. these 4 years, we faced crises that we have been tested. we have come through those tests stronger in my view then we entered those tests.

this is a fierce competition underway. the future of the global economy, technology, human values and so much else right now in my view thanks to our administration, the united states is winning the worldwide competition. compared to four years ago, america is stronger. our alliances are stronger. our adversaries and competitors are weaker. we have not gone to war to make these things happen. during my present and see, i've increased america's power at every dimension. increased our developmental power, creating more allies the united states is ever had in the -- we have increased our military power. making the most significant investments in the defense industrial stage in decades. increase the technology power taking the lead in artificial intelligence of other technologies of the future. we have increased the economic power, building the most dynamic economy in the world from the

bottom up and the middle out, not the top down. in short, kamala took office, our nation had become stronger at home. stronger in the world. and now, america is more capable, and i would argue better prepared. we have been a long, long time. our competitors and adversaries are facing stiff headwinds. we have the wind at our back because of lw. this is what we are heading into. over the next administration, that is what we are handing it to. today, i want to lay out but we have done, the opportunities we have created for america and those opportunities going forward. today, i can report to the american people, our sources of national power are far stronger than they were when we took office. our economy is booming, although there is more work to do. our technology -- artificial intelligence, biotech to advance semiconductors, the envy of the

world. and we have made the most significant investments in america in the american workers since the new deal. to rebuild roads and bridges, roads and airports, clean water, affordable high-speed internet and so much more. to build american manufacturing. to make advanced semiconductors which we invented here at home. we made the largest investment of climate and clean energy ever anywhere on earth in the history of the world. sparing nearly $500 billion in private sector investment. we have also significantly strengthen the defense industrial base, investing almost $.3 trillion procurement and and development. real dollars, that is more than america did any 4-year period during the cold war. it's going to ensure that we are fully equipped to fight and win back wars -- which is also the

best way to deter wars in the first place. today, i can report to the american people some of our alliances are stronger than they have been in decades. nato is more capable than it has ever been. and many more of our allies are paying their fair share. before i took office, nine nato allies were spending 2% of their gdp on defense. now, 23 are spending 2%. look at the indo-pacific. we have made partnership stronger and created new partnerships to challenge china's aggressive behavior and to rebalance power in the region. we did it. if you thought was possible. to build the first ever partnership between the united states, japan, and south korea. then another among the united states, japan, and the philippines and then closer our

pacific allies, shared security and prosperity. we brokered a defense -- among the united states, australia, and the united kingdom. connecting the atlantic and pacific allies as only america is able to do. take in the quad to the next level. the united states, japan, austria, australia, and india. we had the first meeting, i was dumbfounded when -- we do this at your house. you think i am kidding. my wife said, no problem. it was during -- we thought we were going to do it in new york where they wanted to do it in delaware. i said, why? then people can know that we are really friends. our democracy with vibrant economies, working closely during security, supply chains,

technology, and so much more. the red sea brought together more than 20 countries to protect civilian ships from being attacked by the cooties one of the world's busiest waterways. and we have strengthen partnerships all across the americas. defending democracy, targeting corruption, addressing migration, increasing pros prosperity, and protecting amazon rain forest -- which captures billions of tons, billions of times the carbon of an atmosphere every year. overall, we have reinvigorated people's faith in the united states as a true, true partner. today, i can report to the american people, our adversaries are weaker than they were when we came into this job four years ago. just consider russia. when putin invaded ukraine, he thought he conquered in a matter

of days. the truth is, since that war began, i am the only one that has stood in the center. not him. putin never has. [applause] think about it. [applause] is a long train ride. i'm the only commander in chief to visit the war zone not controlled by u.s. forces. we help ukrainians stop putin. nearly three years later, putin has failed to achieve any of his strategic objectives. he has failed this far to subjugate ukraine. failed to break the unity of nato. failed to make large territorial gains. there is more to do. we cannot walk away. rallied 15 nations to stand with ukraine. not just in europe. for the first time in asia as well for those countries in asia and know what happens in ukraine matters to them as well.

delivered air interceptors, massive numbers of munitions, enacted relentless unprecedented sanctions to keep ukraine in the fight. now russia is struggling to replace what they are losing on the battlefield in terms of military equipment and fighters. and the ruble is under enormous pressure. as i saw an ad, when putin launched his invasion, i had two jobs. one to rally the world to defend ukraine, and the other is to avoid war between two nuclear powers. we did both of those things. today, ukraine is still free independent country with the potential, the potential for a bright future. we laid the foundation for the next administration so they can protect the bright future of the ukrainian people. and now, look at iran.

did you ever think we would be where we are with iran at this moment? after those despicable attacks by hamas, october the 7th. i ran directly attack israel twice with hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones. and twice, they failed, because the united states organized a coalition of countries to stop them. and ordered u.s. aircraft to come to the defense of israel. now, iran's air defenses are in shambles. the main proxy as bella is badly wounded and as we tested their willingness to revive the nuclear deal, we kept the pressure with sanctions. now iran's economy is in desperate straits. all told, iran is weaker than it has been in decades. if you want more evidence, of a seriously weakened iran and russia, take a look at syria.

the president the closest ally in the middle east, neither, neither could keep him in power. quite frankly, neither really tried very hard. now, i cannot game credit for every factor in the past four years. they did plenty of damage all by themselves. israel did plenty of damage to iran and its proxies. but there is no question, our actions contributed significantly. now, major authoritarian states are aligning more closely with one another. iran, china, north korea. for out of weakness than out of strength. the new administration begins, the united states is and they fundamentally stronger position with respect to these countries. and we were four years ago.

today, i can report to the american people, we are in a better strategic position from the long term competition with china then we were when i took office. you will all recall, many experts believe are predicting that it was inevitable that china's economy would surpass ours. according to many predictions, that what happened by the year 2030 or shortly thereafter. but we in this room said no. if we make the investments in ourselves and protect our workers and technologies, that will not happen. now according to the latest predictions on china's current course, they will never surpass us, period. i met one-on-one with president obrador the inconsequential summits. he and i have always been direct and straightforward to each other. i made it clear, we expect china and everyone to abide by the international rules. and so, we stood up against

unfair trade practices, taking action when china dumped subsidize goods incredibly subsidized on our markets undercut our workers. we imposed target tariffs, critical sectors like cars, steel, and semiconductors rather than across-the-board tariffs. we imposed historic export controls on investments, restrictions to ensure that china cannot use the most advanced technology and sensitive data against us. critically, we listed our allies and partners to join us. building more converters among our allies on the shared approach to china than ever existed. showing that is more effective to deal with china alongside of partners rather than going it alone. but even while we compete vigorously, we have managed our

relationship with china responsibly. never tipped over into conflict. we have created an alliance of communication between president xi and our self and the leaders of our militaries to avoid misunderstanding, we found ways to work with each other, to address climate change, to reduce the flow of fentynal of the united states which by the way, overdose deaths are coming down across our nation. under my administration, we have seized more fentynal that our border into years in the previous five years combined. today, we can also report to the american people, the first president in decades who is not leading a war in afghanistan to his successor. we've got bin laden during the obama-biden administration, the primary objective of war had been accomplished. i believe going forward, the primary threat of al qaeda would no longer be emanating from

afghanistan. but from elsewhere. and so, a sizable number of american forces in afghanistan. when i took office, i had a choice. i saw no reason to keep thousands of servicemen in afghanistan. i have my schedule with me. i don't, here. i keep it on the back of my card, the actual number of dead and wounded that occurred in our longest war to remind myself. keep spending hundreds of millions of dollars a day. we are no longer doing that. in my view, it was time to end low war and bring our troops home, and we did. we can amend the courage of all those who served in afghanistan. we grieve all 2,461 americans who made the ultimate sacrifice in the longest war in american history. i grieve those brave service members whose lives were

lost during the withdrawal. you think those inside and outside our government who have done so much to help thousands of afghan families resettle in the united states. remember, critics said if we ended the war, it would damage our alliances and create threats to our homeland from foreign directed terrorism out of a safe haven in afghanistan. neither has occurred. neither has occurred. clients stays strong. we have used our rising capabilities to strike in afghanistan and wherever where we have had to. for instance, the leader of al qaeda, helped orchestrate this september 11th attacks. we did it without putting more american boots on the ground. by ending a war, we have been able to focus our energy and resources on more urgent challenges. there is nothing i can tell you from my conversation with both

xi and putin like russian and china would have liked more and seeing us continue to be tied in afghanistan for another decade. for all those reasons, ending the war was the right thing to do. and i believe that history will reflect that. from the moment i entered office, i also works to free as many americans as possible being held hostage wrongfully detained overseas. we brought more than 75 americans by last count. in some cases, it took months and even years of effort. the prisoner swap with russia over the past summer, a feat of diplomacy involving all many of you and involving multiple countries who join the complex negotiations at our request. another example of the power of our alliances. we did not have these relationship -- still likely be in prison. and finally, i can report to the

american people, we have restored our leadership in a range of other generational priorities. when i took office, we were no longer part of the international climate agreement. we announced on day one that we would rejoin the paris accord. we have lead by example. we have conserved hundreds of millions of acres. hundreds of millions of acres of land and water, more than any president in american history, making investments in clean energy and convincing other nations to join us. thanks to our efforts, the world has reach the goal of investing $100 billion every year in public and private funds to reduce greenhouse emissions and drive down the cost of clean energy, to help develop munitions and adapt to climate change. our administration has launched a transformative initiative to build high impact infrastructure

and developing nations called pgi. you all know that better than anyone. this is our alternative to a china offers. with its massive projects across africa and beyond. their approach features no workers rights, no environmental protections. unmanageable debt, shoddy construction. all in exchange for military access to ports and other exploited purposes. by contrast, we have leverage $600 billion unleashed the private sector to build infrastructure in order to grow economies and combat climate change. as an example, i was recently in angola to see a major project being built with the help of american public funding, which brought even more private investment. building the first ever transcontinental railroad across africa. most significantly improve the economies of the region.

help farmers transport cops in new global markets. transport critical minerals that are needed for electric vehicles and semiconductors. china used to control the supply chains of these materials. but not for long. make no mistake, there are serious challenges, the united states must continue to deal with with ukraine in the middle east and in the pacific. keep the pressure. attacking ships at the red sea. launching missiles at israel and firing at american forces. most of the terror north korea as they draw closer to russia. new challenges will certainly emerge in the new months and years ahead. but even so, it is clear from my administration is leaving the next administration with a very strong hands to play.

we are leaving them and america, more friends and stronger alliances. whose address areas are weaker and under pressure. and america that once again is leaving, uniting countries, setting the agenda. bringing others to gather behind our plans and visions. an america which is no longer at war, which is made historic investments and american workers, and american energies, american factories. generated the strongest economy in the world -- which is now in a much better position to win back future against any competitor. these are not partisan. they are american. they benefit all americans. reflect america's endless capacity for leadership, and reinvention. look, folks, the united states should take full advantage of

our diplomatic and geopolitical opportunities and keep bringing countries to gather to deal with challenges posed by china to make sure putin's war ends with just and lasting peace for ukraine. capitalize on the new moment for more stable integrated middle east. to do that, the next administration must make sure the fall does not lead to the resurgence of isis in syria across the region. carrying forward the commitment that america will never, never allow iran to acquire a nuclear weapon. the war between israel and hamas, on the brink of proposing a laid out in detail months ago finally coming to fruition. i have learned many years of public service to never, never,

never ever give up. i spoke to prime minister yesterday. i spoke today. i look forward to speaking with the president soon. pressing hard to close this. the deal would free the hostages, halt the fighting, provide security to israel, and allow us to significantly surge of humanitarian to the palestinians who suffered terribly in this war that hamas started. they have been through it. so many innocent people have been killed. so many communities have been destroyed. the palestinian people deserve peace and the right to determine their own futures. israel deserves peace and real security. the hostages and families deserve to be reunited. and so, we are working urgently to close this deal.

and as we deal with immediate challenges, in my view, we have to look to the future. i urge the next administration to carry forward to issues that have been central to my presidency which shape the future in my view. artificial intelligence, we are the lead and we must stay in the lead. we must not offshore artificial intelligence as we want stayed with computer chips and other critical technologies. ai has the power to reshape economies, governments, national security and entire societies. and united states and our closest allies will lead the way to ensure people's rights are respected and safety is protected and their data is secure. likewise, clean energy transition will race ahead in

the years to come. i know some incoming administra, some in the incoming administration are skeptical about the need for clean energy. they don't even believe that climate change is real. i think they come from a different century. they are wrong. they are dead wrong. it is the single greatest existential threat to humanity. clean energy transition is already happening. china is trying to dominate the clean energy manufacturing of critical materials and supply chains. they want to capture the market of the future and create new dependencies. the united states must win that contest. we will shape the global economy and a planet for decades to come. let me close with this. like many of you, i have dedicated a significant portion of my career to our nation's foreign policy.

chair of the foreign relations committee as a senator from vice president for eight years. now president of the united states. but together one of the most competent foreign policy teams i would argue in american history sitting in this room before my eyes. throughout my career, the world has undergone tremendous change. but certain things have always held true. at our best, america leads not only by the example of our power, about the power of our example. the past 4 years, we have used that power. not to go it alone but instead to bring countries together. to increase shared security and prosperity. to stand up to aggression and solve problems through diplomacy wherever possible.

and relentlessly defended democracy. civil rights and human rights. because that is who we are. that is who we are. you heard me say it many times before, we are the only country on earth founded on an idea. every other country is founded on geography, religion, ethnicity, or some other unifying factor. america is built on an idea, literally, not figuratively. that idea it was all women and men are created equal. in the idea that has inspired the world for 250 years and counting. always reaching to do better. always looking to the future. at our best, always seeking progress for our people and for people everywhere. it has been the honor of my life to serve as your president. today i am optimistic about our future as i have ever been.

who we are. you've heard me say many times, the united states of america, for god's sakes. there is nothing, nothing, nothing beyond our capacity. we do it together and commit to it. nothing. thank you all for all you have done. i hope many of you are going to be staying. at the next administration to keep this moving. may god bless you all. may god protect our troops. thank you, thank you, thank you. [applause] >> john: all right, there we have it. joe biden at the state department with his farewell foreign policy address. strange combination no whispering and yelling but claiming to have made the world a safer place in the last four years. sandra, your thoughts? >> america stronger now than it was four years ago?

was where he went with his speech saying that america is stronger because of him. somewhat wide ranging from immediate foreign policies he addressed in that speech to talking about the most dynamic economy in the world while we point out that in the most recent election, voters voted for a change in change, john. >> john: they did. let's bring in joey jones, fox news contributor not restart staff sergeant you had a chance to listen to that. i recall back in 2014 in his book "duty:memoirs of a secretary of war" "i think he has been going on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past 4 decades." given the speech that the outgoing president just gave, how do the past four years

measure up against robert gates' assessment? >> it was kind of ironic that president mentioned killing bin laden and it leaves the room or at that time was that he was in the situation room against that operation. a cell phone within his own speech if that is true. you're going to have to take a victory lap i guess on some things and try to paint things as good as you can on your way out. i don't think he has many allies in the democratic party of the future that will hold his legacy up. it is really disappointing to see someone stand up there and justify even what happened in afghanistan and to this day not acknowledge the failures of that withdrawal. it is hard for me as someone who thought that war and harder for me as someone who gets to go on television and talk about politics every day and just ask for a semihonest politician to say these challenges were tough and we made some mistakes. you're not going to get that out of anybody but certainly not h

him. teddy roosevelt is really famous for saying, speak softly and carry a big stick. he promptly said the great white fleet around the world and didn't start any wars. he ended the japanese war with that show of strength in his negotiation. this is a president who said "don't post quote. and promptly withdrew american forces from the middle east. now we have two wars on two continents. i hate to draw contrasts that are too far apart. when it comes to a man who said something and did something, president biden failed in both of those categories compared to his predecessors. he talked about creating trilateral agreements among countries that already get al along. president trump do the abraham accords. that was really shocking. he tried really hard to write a narrative in his speech that showed a lot of success. there probably are some nuanced successes. he talked about strengthening nato. russia invading ukraine perhaps strengthen nato. it'd make the world a safer

place. that didn't happen under president's speech -- which is true. it's all about what you perceive as a positive, i guess. >> sandra: i appreciate you sticking with us in your reaction to the president's speech. senator tom cotton and member of the armed services committee and an army veteran. thank you for being here as we continue to watch the president exited, there were some awkward pauses at the beginning of the speech as well. doubt and mighty to the point where i remember the secretary of state almost had to say, okay, we are told that there was a selected number of press in the room. it was invitation-only. possibly officials from the state department were told. on afghanistan, senator, he said grieve those service members -- he said i can report to the american people in the first president in decades who is not leaving a war in afghanistan to his successor. just having interviewed so many of the gold star families, and whether what they are thinking

today. >> what they are probably thinking is that joe biden's incompetence contributed to the deaths of their loved ones. it's one thing to say that we needed to end the war in afghanistan. but joe biden was so incompetent and reckless in the way he ended it, he resulted in the deaths of the 13 brave americans and embolden our adversaries. just a few weeks later. president biden had the gall to say that american is stronger today than it was four years ago. i beg to differ. uncle sam has had a "kick me" sign on his back because of joe biden's weakness. around the world, he attempted vladimir putin to invade ukraine and not providing ukraine with the weapons they need to win back that war. in the middle east and he tried to take credit for certain actions that benjamin netanyahu is taken when in reality at every turn, he tried to restrain israel. the reason why iran is on the back foot in the middle east

right now is because benjamin netanyahu didn't listen to joe biden. our military is in very bad shape. the secretary of defense has admitted recently that the military needs tens of billions of dollars beyond what joe biden has provided it. i didn't joe biden provide the funding for it? everywhere you turn, america is weaker today than we were four years ago even with the so-called hostage deal he's trying to conclude his presidency on. the only reason that might happen is donald trump is threatening hamas and iran with health to pay if they don't release american citizens -- >> john: to the hostages, that would be like jimmy carter saying the american hostages are coming home, because i demanded it. not because ronald reagan demanded it. i want to play what j.d. vance said about biden and foreign policy and some other things in an exclusive interview with shannon bream yesterday. >> president biden had left us an absolute dumpster fire. we are excited to get to work. we need to be open and honest

about the fact that president biden is not left the next administration in a good place. >> john: is he right? >> we have an ongoing war in europe the largest war since world war ii. we have israel still at war with its adversaries and joe biden hasn't backing them to the hilt as we should. china continues to menace the united states. what president trump needs to do and what i think he will do when it comes to offices find a responsible way to bring end to the war in ukraine that ensures russians does not invade ukraine for a third time in the future as they have under the last democratic presidents. back israel to the hilt so we can finish all the family business in the middle east so to speak and focus on deterring china from trying to replace america as the world's dominant superpower. >> thank you for them. a final thought from you before we go. >> i agree mostly with us in the berry. what we need is a president who will get rid of these wars and

stop these wars. what i want and what i hope for is an administration that will put us in a place of security for the future. we have a marine corps right now they can't build a capability and needs. we have a lot of things going on in our defense that aren't securing our country. i hope the next administration does exactly that. >> john: joey jones, tom cotton, appreciated so much. that is biden's foreign policy very well. we have six days to go into the new guys goes in. >> sandra: a big confirmation tomorrow with pete hegseth. we will be back here at 1:00 tomorrow. >> john: looking forward to that. thank you very much for joining us. i am john roberts. >> sandra: i am sandra smith. "love story" with martha maccallum stretch right now. >> hello, everybody. this is "the story" as we head back out to the west coast where the winds pick up in california. watched some o