watch. >> heather: i'm heather childers and welcome to a brand-new hour. >> gregg: i'm gregg jarrett. glad you are with us. toppings news this hour, he will not be silent and is not going away. except for a short while. herman cain is telling an eager crowd of supporters in his own state what his campaign suspension means for his prospects and the larger gop race. >> heather: leon panetta with harsh words with israel telling the state to step up diplomatic efforts. but can israel push for peace when surrounded by constant threats? >> and a singer hiding behind the closet with five-year-old son. this after the month mother reported her missing will why

the pregnant mccree dy says she is willing to go to jail. >> heather: wait is over at a rally in atlanta, embattled presidential candidate herman cain making a stunning announcement. >> as of today with a lot of prayer and soul searching, i am suspending my presidential campaign. >> heather: his announcement coming after several allegations of sexual misconduct and claims of a 13-year extramarital affair. he will endorse one of the gop candidates and start a website to continue his work. john roberts is live in atlanta with the very latest. hi, john. >> reporter: good afternoon. to the very end herman cain

denied the allegations against him blaming the media for all the troubles and brought untold hurt. all the reports of sexual impropriety. he made the decision to quit the campaign after a lengthy series of telephone conversation with financial supporters and face-to-face meeting with his wife. first time that the accusations were leveled that there was a 13 year long affair. he insisted that all is right with the family. >> i am at peace with my god. i am at peace with my wife. and she is in peace with me. i am peace with my family. i am at peace with myself. >> reporter: herman cain said while he is stepping off the presidential stage, he is not getting out of politics. he announced a website cain

solutions.com that would continue to put forth plans like 999. fans and supporters were disappointed, they thought cain would say he was going to stay in. we talked to one supporter about the allegations against herman cain. here is what she told us. >> 13 years ago when the accusations came out against clinton, i was about to impeach him. he needed to be role model, in this day and age, they are all kinds of guilty of something, our problems are so much bigger, i can throw it aside. >> reporter: his competitors rang in his announcement, all of him praising his campaign. with things like his 999 tax plan, he brought valuable issues to the debated. he is going to endorse a candidate some time in the coming days.

>> heather: we'll see if the endorsement makes any difference at this point. thank you very much. >> gregg: it has been a strange day and a long strange trip for herman cain, so-called cain train coming to a crashing halt. legislates get political analysis from role call staff writer. shura, good see you. cain quit his campaign for president, but he says i'm going to still be out here campaigning on the issues. which invites the question, was this truly an attempt to become president or simply a campaign that was all about herman cain? >> well, i think the only person that is ever going to know that answer for sure is herman cain himself. but it raises eyebrows. i looked at his website and saw what his tour stops. he was going to places like oklahoma and arizona, not traditional primary states. i think it's interesting he got in the race at the same time he

was writing a book. what could go wrong in his head, i'm sure he was thinking when he announced his campaign. what could go wrong by running for president? yeah, several things went wrong. >> gregg: no kidding. the way he did this, shira, has to be one of more bizarre moments in modern political history. here are all of his devoted campaign workers. they stay up until 4:00 in the morning all night long getting his national headquarters ready for a grand opening and a launch. they build a big stage and big barbecue out there only have to herman cain to say, just kidding. i quit. that might be regarded as a bit cruel to some of his hard working supporters, don't you think? >> why, i'm sure there were a lot of disappointed people at atlanta headquarters. i'm sure they were very disappointed but the reality as

much of those people were steadfast and dedicated and hard working supporters, it's the donors that he met with that helped him decide whether he could continue. if he doesn't have the finances and he is not willing to put in his own money, what the point? >> gregg: i heard the donors tossed in the towel a while ago. was it the allegations from women that hurt him the most or his embarrassing stumbles, the painful interview in which he exhibited an utter lack of knowledge about u.s. foreign policy toward libya? >> first of all, i think the way he handled the allegations against some of these women, that was a major pr blunder on his campaign's staff. it weakened him as a candidate but the wisconsin editorial board he was at a loss of words.

saw this in a subsequent polling. voters didn't believe he had the intellectual momentum. >> gregg: yesterday the cain campaign launched a strange website. that is the reaction from people who has gone on to it on the internet. it's called women for cain which is supposed to be headed by cain's wife gloria, but it was quickly ridiculed by media organizations when they discovered of the four women giving a thumbs up was just a stock photo. it wasn't an image of cain supporters. it's since been removed. did the cain train did he strol ve into clumsiness and gaffes? >> everything i have known how he ran his campaign tell me the people that created that website

had no idea what cain was going to announce today. otherwise they wouldn't have put out a website like that. >> gregg: you think this was a kionls dense of a man accused of harassing women and having affairs? >> i don't think it was somebody's idea in the campaign. they were trying to implement some kind of defense obviously wasn't speaking to the campaign manager and finding what was going on the next day. it was total disconnect. if you know about his operation, his entire operation was disconnected. right hand didn't know what the left hand was doing. >> gregg: he said i'm going to give an endorsement and it's going to be really important. what about that? he stands at 4% in iowa which is fairly typical of where he stands in other states. given that standing and his tainted campaign, i wonder if

it's a little bit like broadway show the producers wh9 says to leo, don't help me. don't want your endorsement? >> it's one of my favorite musicals actually. i was very surprised when after his announcement i got several press releases from other candidates in the presidential race, saying great job herman cain. thanks for participating in the race. i was surprised a little bit about the positive reaction from the other candidates. and i'm surprised he is going to wait a couple days to endorse. i think if he waited for few more weeks, the candidates would welcome his support. >> gregg: we'll wait and see, shira, thanks very much. >> meantime, mitt romney raising the stakes on the campaign trail before the first primary. taking his message directly to voters in new hampshire with his all out volunteer effort.

molly is live in new hampshire. romney is working to rally his base, also at the same time hitting president obama and attorney general holder, right? >> right. mitt romney taking a speech in new hampshire, he wants people to know he is in this for the long haul and he is hat staff and supporters to move forward and eventually win the white house. that is the goal with all the signs today. he took the stance to go after president obama regarding the recent announcement from the white house that he'll be taking a vacation over christmas in hawaii. take a listen. >> this administration has been extraordinarily disappointing. president taking a 17-day vacation. it's time for him to take a permanent vacation. >> reporter: mitt romney coming down hard on feorng eric holder calling him to resign in the wake of fast and furious scandal in washington. if he won't resign president

obama to essentially fire him. those are big developments from the romney camp today. >> heather: given the events of today and race focused on romney and gingrich as they battle for the lead? >> yeah, the development west side herman cain in atlanta, a lot of people are looking at this with the way the polls are, gingrich and romney facing off against one another. newt gingrich sai are saying other contenders, bachmann or ron paul can make the race more fascinating. here is newt gingrich. >> i can tell you in my case, i'm going to be campaigning very hard. i'm going to be asking every citizen for their vote. we're going to take iowa, new hampshire and florida very seriously. >> reporter: addressing the tea party. he is going to conservative voters. meanwhile, mitt romney had a chance to dig in to him talking

about differences. mitt romney focusing on his business career, not just as a governor and arguing that gingrich has a different background and spent a lot more time in washington. >> heather: thank you very much. >> gregg: turning to great britain, it was moving day for iranian embassy in london. 20 diplomats packing up bags and heading home. they were up against 48-hour deadline to get out of the country and being expelled by the british government. it started on tuesday when you'll recall hundreds of iranian protestors stormed and ransacked the british embassy in tehran. it was britain's decision to impose more sanctions on iran because of the nuclear program. >> heather: in syria, dictatorship finding a new way to banning phones likely to keep

the fighting out of view. the order coming from the confuse tomorrow's department of the syrian finance ministry. many of the pictures showing anti-government protests that have come from amateur footage posted on the internet. according to the u.n., 4,000 people have been killed in syria that is just since march. >> gregg: back here, new help in the search for the missing baby lisa irwin, john walsh bringing his expertise to the case. here is more. >> he helped bring more than 60 children in the past 24 years and now involved in the baby lisa case, helping that 4 million viewers will help solve the mystery and bring lisa back here. john walsh america's most wanted made his life's mission to

protect children. >> in kansas city, missouri, the search continues to find missing 11-month-old lisa irwin. >> and premiere on lifetime the show featured baby lisa stories along with pictures. the attorney says the show's attention the family didn't solos it but jinld at the opportunity when asked. >> anybody that wants to do to try to find lisa we're fine with. >> they are keeping a low profile lately giving no interviews. >> they prefer it being done without being in the public eye. they want to continue on with their lives. >> a sense of normalcy as they moved back in the family home and jeremy has gone back to work. >> we have two small children at home. that is a big portion of their life. they are really trying to get those boys back to the place they were before lisa was taken and to move forward as much as

possible. >> the parents' lawyers will keep the case in public eye until the case is solved. >> if we get tips based on the show we will send them to law enforcement as quick as we can. >> gregg: thank you very much. if you have any information on lisa, call kansas city police department. there is the number. >> heather: here a bizarre story has come to a bizarre story. a country singer and her son found in arkansas. police located her at her boyfriend's home there. she was found hiding in a closet with her five-year-old son vander. now police are working to return mccready's son to the grandfather. >> it was a big relief and i was concerned about mindy.

i was concerned if she was traumatized or afraid. five years old, it's a lot to go through. >> heather: she apparently took her son during a visit to the father's home. the boy is in good health, police say. >> gregg: extreme weather alert. massive cleanup in southern california after this weeks violent storm there. strong gusts knocking out power for 150,000 people. utility crews some areas might not have electricity restored until tomorrow but the trouble might not be over. another round of strong wind on the way. maria molina. >> we do have a new set of wind advisories that have been issued for southern california and also parts of central california. unfortunately we are expecting more strong winds across parts of california and across portions of the rock kisses.

take a look at wind gusts recorded. we did have wind gusts in california, 140 mile-an-hour wind gusted. and some of the highest elevations, you even see strong wind gusts. please be safe out there. generally dry conditions are expected. we do have a big dip in the jetstream that is taken the western half of the country that is bringing in the cold temperatures and unsettled weather and storms are moving along the jet stream. here is a look at one large system that brought a storm to the rockies and bringing snow in portions of the plains. one band that is set up in portions of nebraska and also across northern parts of kansas. snow overspreading to portions of wisconsin. ahead of where temperatures are warmer, heavy rains in chicago. couple of showers, mostly dry right now.

we have winter weather advisories in the white stretching up to wisconsin down to the four corners region, we're expecting three to six inches. locally some spots could pick up to 8 inches. >> gregg: thanks very much. >> heather: they say grim economic outoutlook but in our one organic farm in california is hoping some former combat troops plant the seeds for a new future. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] some people just know how to build things well. give you and your loved ones an expertly engineered mercedes-benz...

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>> gregg: welcome back. checking top stories, presidential candidate herman cain announcing plans to suspend his white house bid. news coming after several allegations of sexual harassment and claims of a 13-year extramarital affair which he denies. >> deadly in syria. two dozen people were killed after clashes between government troops and defectors. human rights chief calling the conflict a civil war. >> police in ohio identify the

body of a man who could be the third victim of a bogus craigslist ad luring men looking for jobs. richard beasley shown here and a high school students are now in custody. >> heather: high unemployment rate as the cripple reality for u.s. veterans, one organic farm in california is doing its part to help some of our former troops lay the foundation for a new future. casey stegall has more for us from escondido, california. >> reporter: good to see you. they estimate half of all american farmers will be retiring within the next ten years. also about 45% of our military comes from rural community. it is those numbers that is just part of the inspiration in the whole vesat program, veterans

sustained agricultural training. they get hands-on experience learning everything they can from growing crops to running their own business. >> what we're trying to do here, is take the leadership and work ethic skills, match it with a job skill in the private sector and try to place these guys in management positions or going to self-employment entrepreneurs. >> reporter: mike haynes is one of successful graduates. it inspired him to create his own super food product line, including this hot sauce that just landed on shelves and a handful of stores this week. giant leap forward considering he was basically homeless after he decided to get out of the marines and return home from a deployment in iraq.

for me it's a moment in history. i don't know, it's absolutely amazing to see this happen to me is like wow. i h i never thought it would happen. to see it on the first sale took me back a couple steps. it's happening. >> reporter: now the giant plan base camp pendleton is bordering this farm. the transition assistance program on base actually approved the curriculum for this six-week course. tuition is $4500 but there is plenty of financial aid and assistance, especially for active duty members to help them get back on their feet. >> heather: got to remember our veterans for sure. >> gregg: tough talk for an american ally, israel getting a tongue-lashing from leon panetta a live report is coming up in a

few minutes. >> just get to the damn table. just get to the table. [ applause ] >> you know. the problem right now we can't get them to the damn table.

>> gregg: it is bottom of the hour, time for top of the news, cain train makes a final stop. herman cain officially suspending his campaign today. republican candidate saying allegations of sexual miss duck hurt his family. >> several distribution centers are offering flashlights and ice. >> george mcgovern in stable condition after taking a nasty fall outside a library.

he fell before an interview with c-span. >> heather: strong words for america's closest ally in the middle east. leon panetta scolding israel saying it should take bold diplomatic action by reaching out to arab neighbors to help end isolation in the region. molly henneberg is live in washington with us for details. secretary panetta is leaning on the reirsz to get back to peace talks. what did he say several times am strong words. he said the u.s. has unshakeable supported for israel but now the st time to take bold action and come back to peace talks. >> the problem is right now we can't get them to the damn table. to at least sit down and begin to discuss their differences. we all know what the pieces are

here to a potential agreement. the getting talked about and getting worked through. >> molly: one middle east analyst say it may give israel's enemies a boost. >> when the hezbollah and hamas would read this statement they would understand it america is frustrated with israel. this is not going to encourage the radicals to come to the table. it is going to support the idea of them getting more radical than ever. >> molly: palestinians say they are ready to resume talks if they stop building settlements in the west bank. >> heather: following this statement has there been any response from the israelis to that? >> yes, israel which has given up the gaza strip say palestinians are not serious. a spokesman for benjamin netanyahu the palestinians are playing diplomatic games to try to cover their position to boycott israel and refuse to

enter into negotiations. israel says it's ready to resume peace talks without conditions but you heard what leon panetta had to say. >> heather: molly henneberg reporting live from d.c. thank you. >> gregg: iran is feeling the heat as diplomats pull of stakes and leaves the country now taking embassy staff out of britain and britain withdrew their diplomats. iran's most serious fallout from the west since 1979. here is christian whiten a principal at d.c. international advisory. it has been the approach of this administration to reach out diplomat kli to tehran.

to some extent that has been the approach of european allies, as well. have we reached the breaking point with tehran? does this change things? >> iran may have miscalculated and what many thought was impossible was exhaust european patience for diplomatic negotiations. before you had president obama and outstretched hand to iran. you had european negotiations which had gone on since then over trying to talk iran out of its nuclear weapons aspirations. it's very hard to see how it goes on now if you have europe, france and britain stopping short of breaking diplomatic relations. it's hard to see the fantasy we're going to get outs of this continues. >> gregg: interestingly it's london that imposed strong sanctions against iran's central bank which, of course, funds

their nuclear program. president obama has so far refused to do that. do you think congress will force him to do it? >> it seems so. actually for congress that hasn't done a lot on foreign policy organization thursday, senate voted 100-1 for them to require obama administration to sanction iran. likely the house will follow suit but the obama administration has resisted all these incremental steps. it's still basically stuck with this hope we can out stretch our hands and iran will unclench its fist. >> gregg: let's switch to egypt. early returns suggest that the egyptian militants, the muslim brotherhood together with the ultra conservative islamists are the early winners. the liberals are doing poorly. in fact, muslim brotherhood and

ultra conservatives are threatening shrea law. how bad is this? >> it's exactly bad and they are going to achieve in the ballot box so far they haven't been able to achieve in terrorist attacks. in tunisia you had them win plur arlts always but indications are right now muslim brotherhood that are ardent advocates of tyranny and we are doing very little about this. >> gregg: they came up with other radicals in other neighboring countries like iran, pakistan, saudi arabia? >> that is right. so to implement clerical style rule, in egypt you will have working together and to put aside smaller differences to

work toward broader goals so those working with the iran regime. those that are trying to subvert democracy in iran and it make it harder for us across the region and harder to press security issues. in neutral parties you have throughout the region, they feel they have to make deals with bad actors in the neighborhood. especially since it's coming in the backdrop of u.s. withdrawal. >> gregg: more liberal parties in egypt that are losing are much more democratically friendly, friendly to the west. did we miss an opportunity to help them the way we have helped others perhaps for example during the cold war? >> the people who are calling for democracy that toppled governments don't want what the islamists have to offer. they want freedom but islamists are better organized just as the

communists were better organized during the cold war. we got involved in places like italy and greece where communist victories would have pulled them out in the west and put them in the soviet bloc. it's because american interests are at stake. we have state department and c.i.a. either completely sitting on the sidelines or getting the whole story wrong. this is a contest that will go on for some time. we're behind but there are things we can do. >> gregg: thanks very much. >> heather: herman cain announcing today he is suspending his 2012 presidential campaign. our panel weighs in on what it means for the 2012 race up next. [ male announcer ] how are we going to make this season better than the last? how about making it brighter. more colorful. ♪

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>> heather: one time front-runner now an embattled herman cain says he is suspending his bid to the white house. he made to the announcement earlier today. what impact will this have on the rest of the campaign. let's bring in our panel. kimberly guilfoyle. jehmu greene and janine borrelli and fox news contributor. thanks for joining us. quite a day for herman cain and his wife gloria. i wanted to begin with your reaction to the event itself, the pep rally, i'm not sure what to call it. >> listen. i think herman cain is an example of american exceptional he blows the mist out of the water that blacks need a special treatment. he grew up in on segregated

south. he is a successful businessman. he was running for the highest office of the land, president of the united states. his story if he can do it anybody can do it. >> heather: but the event the way it was staged. >> i compare it to a pep rally. it was similar to his announcement. when he had his announcement there were 15,000 people and in comparison to some of the other republican candidates, really somber announcements. there wasn't as much excitement. his base of supporters still believe in him and he was going out with a bang. he was going outs with a bang. i think we haven't seen the last of herman cain based on what he would like to have happen but looking at his impact in this race, i think it's over, it's done. it's a little bit past time. >> heather: but maybe plan "b"? >> i like somebody that doesn't shake up the system.

why does it have to be the way just because. he had a unique approach to campaign. i liked it. i think it was very important. i think herman cain is getting started. he'll use this as a jumping off pointed just like sarah palin did. i think this is good. he has plenty to do. he has respect for his family and wife and put her first. >> i find it interesting you said you think it was a good thing that he had his wife standing beside him because we see that so many times over and over. i did wonder if that would happen today. >> she was standing by his side, pumping her arms. like in contrast with press conferences with spouses, that is not the role they play. i think that worked well for him. i also think, he looked at this as a celebration. he said, i now have 99% name

recognition. i think herman cain got everything he wanted out of this process. he is now on to the whatever television opportunities, bigger book sales. he is happy. >> heather: i have to ask the question, out% more name recognition which will carry over into this book that he is trying to sell. >> which is part of the message today what he was delivering to his supporters there. i'm still personally waiting for the actual evidence that something did transpire. citations that came out against him. >> it's one after the other. >> they have to prove something did happen but i am still waiting for the proof. >> heather: did that warrant the anger he expressed today. he was very angry today toward the media, not taking

responsibility for himself and his actions at all. he did you do admit he paid this woman, ginger, for the amount of time. >> it was the democrats, john edwards or bill clinton, this is man hard working and admired. all of a sudden he runs for president all these allegations have come forward. each one deserves to be vetted and not assume who is proven guilty that any of them are true where there is a smoke, there is fire, but herman cain has done his own thing. the wife was there today at this crucial pointed to say she is not running or hiding and believes in him which is important. >> but delusional in his anger, though. >> most americans are saying you are angry you got caught. >> that begs the question.

do you know something we don't know. >> he admitted to talking to the woman in the middle of the night and paying money, not telling his wife. we're not stupid. >> but the suggestion of this. did his wife know about it. >> it's interesting, all the political things that were coming in b -- it was very suspenseful up to the last minute and he did go out with a lot of fanfare. >> heather: we could talk about this forever. but new reports that your cellphone could be be tracking your every move. now a group of mobile phone users is fighting back in civil court. do they have a case? , do you want fast relief? try bayer advanced aspirin. it's not the bayer aspirin you know. it's different. first, it's been re-engineered with micro-particles.

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>> heather: welcome back. authorities finally taking custody of mindy mcgready's son. country music star and five-year-old son vander they were reportedly found hiding in a closet at a house in arkansas. will the seven month pregnant

face charges or did she have a right to take him away. kimberly i will begin with you on this one. >> i am a mother of a five-year-old myself. i understand where her heart is but you have to work within the law. she didn't have the right to take the child. she is only hurting the child by behaving in way so criminal charges absolutely. probably now she will won't be able to see the child and jeopardized her position with visitation. grandmother's but they were visiting the grandfather or her father. that is where the child was taken from. >> living the life of a country song in many ways, her legal troubles over the past few years. i wish we could see more.

there were allegations she was doing this in the best interests of the child and being the most protect of of as possible. there hasn't been detail behind that. we're interested in finding out what those details are. to see just her starting out at such a promising singer and even when she was on celebrity rahab. a lot of folks thought she would bounce back but this is a bad setback. >> it's an unfortunate situation. you have to feel for little five-year-old. not going to have his mother. there is concerned about the seven-month-old twins she will be delivering. >> five years old he is aware they are hiding in the closet. >>er feel for that little child. >> absolutely. and to be taken from the mother, he is not aware, he probably just wants his mama. >> heather: it turns out like a type of software installed in

your cellphone could be tracking your every move. i'm not sure it was tracking mindy but a group of mobile phone customers are suing some of the top wireless providers saying they are in violation of federal privacy laws. do they have a case. kimberly i'm going to start with you again. you said not recording key strokes? >> that is effective way to be able to track someone, that would be significant in terms of violation of privacy. they may have a case legally speaking. absolutely. why did these companies that chose ill will on their part without knowledge and consent of the customers that they have a contract al relationship. could it be an invasion of privacy? yes. >> i wonder if they an opportunity to opt out. and all the transactions we major on daily base, atm,

google. >> i think they always thought big brother was going to come in the to remember of government but corporate america is going to have a lot more information. i kind of assumed this was happening. but the blogger that found this on youtube. >> heather: thanks for joining us. appreciate the panel. gregg? >> gregg: police in florida are stepping up the search for a missing mother michelle parker that vanished after appearing in episode of people's court along with her ex-fiance. now, the father of the ex-fiance is speaking out. we'll tell you about it. congratulations.

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h hello, everyone. glad you are with us, i'm gregg jarrett. >> i'm heather childers. welcome to a brand new hour inside america's news headquarters. topping the news, presidential candidate herman cain pushing the pause button on the campaign. can cain come back? >> and mitt romney going door to door next door are to his home state. can he send off the rise of newt gingrich? >> and florida momma shell parker missing for a month now. her former fiancee named the

prime suspect. why does he have custody of the children? that is what parker's father wants to know and now he is speaking to fox news. but first, the cain train grinding to a halt today. republican presidential candidate herman cain suspending his white house bid just hours ago in atlanta. the announcement coming amid allegations of sexual misconduct and claims of a 13 year extramarital affair. senior national correspondent john roberts was there live in atlanta. he is still there. hi, john. tell us what happened? >> what a day it was today, greg. it looked as though herman cain was potentially going to survive the allegations of sexual harassment but when this woman ginger white came out at the beginning of the week and said she carried on a 13 year long affair with herman cain that pretty much cooked the presidential candidate. herman cain today to the end

denied all of the allegations against him but said after a lot of soul searching, deliberation and a lot of prayer he decided that the best, really the only thing he could do was to suspend his campaign. the final decision came after he met with his wife gloria face to face. he said all was right with the family and as gloria cain joined him on stage he had a word about the media and the state of politics in america. here is what he said. >> america has learned something about this process of running for president. it is a dirty game. it is a dirty, dirty game. but i happen to believe that the american people are sick of this mess. >> cain said that while he might be getting out of the presidential race he is not getting off the political stage. he is actually launching a website that is going to continue to push issues like

his 999 tax reform plan and his foreign policy plan. for the 500 or so supporters who came out here it came as something of a shock that he was going to suspend the campaign. they thought with the festive ney he tour surrounding the opening of the new national headquarters here in atlanta he might just say i'm staying in and i'm going to fight. for two supporters that we talked to it came as a disappointment. >> if i was convinced he did something wrong, i would stop supporting him. in fact, i believe he did nothing wrong. i think it is a damn shame. >> the next best option would be for him to endorse newt gingrich which i'm praying it happens. >> a lot of people think that newt gingrich is the one who is benefiting from herman cain's demise. in fact, newt gingrich's rise in the polls can be tracked almost parallel to herman cain's demise in the polls. he said he would be endorsing a candidate for president in the coming days though he wouldn't say at this point who that is

going to be. a lot of people think it will be newt gingrich. >> john roberts live in atlanta. thanks very much. >> one of cain's former rivals, mitt romney raising the stakes on the campaign trail. the gop hopeful taking his message to voters in new hampshire with just over a month to go before the state holds the nation's first primary. molly line is live in new hampshire for us. romney had a whole lot to say about the obama administration. most recently today about the attorney general. >> absolutely, you're right. president obama as well. are queuing that the president shouldn't be taking a 17 day vacation over christmas in the midst of the trouble that the country is facing but also went after attorney general eric holder argueing that he should have taken different actions in the fast and furious program and he misled congress. he believes that holder should resign and if not that further action should be taken.

>> either mr. holder himself should resign or the president should ask for his resignation or remove be him. it is unacceptable to continue in that position given the fact that he has misled congress and botched the investigation of the fast and furious program. >> that is the latest from mitt romney as far as going after the white house and the administration. then he spent the rest of the afternoon encouraging supporters to show support in the coming weeks to prove that he has the ground organization to win the white house. heather. >> i have to ask you about this. a new debate added this week and its moderator other than "the donald." the candidates are reacting differently, though, aren't they? >> exactly news max and donald trump teamed up and scheduled a debate for september 27. not all of the candidates said they will be participating. not everybody is onboard with this one. ron paul and john huntsman said we are not going to take part in this. newt gingrich had a different reaction and mitt romney hasn't

said yes or no yet. take a listen to gingrich and romney on this. >> i would want to go just for the entertainment value. i have no -- i can't imagine what a debate hosted by donald trump will be like. >> i think now we have some 14 or 15 debate invitations. haven't put together the january calendar yet but people will have plenty of opportunities to see us and my guess is they will be screaming at their tvs please return to the regularly scheduled programming. >> in the coming days a number of candidate letts be assessing will or not they will be participating in this debate at the end of the month. >> that would be an having debate and interesting to see if he says you're fired at the end of this. thanks, molly. you can catch six of the nation's top republican presidential candidates in a special gop forum hosted by our very own governor mike huckabee tonight beginning at 8:00 p.m. eastern time right here on the

fox news channel. new developments in the corruption trial of ousted illinois governor rob blagojevich. the judge in the case saying sentencing to take two days. the prosecutors qud a sentence of to years. >> we just want to present the full picture. he is doing fine. nervous and appearance prehensive but he is doing fine and he is with his family. rod blagojevich is his own man and he can say what he feels. >> blago's defense team also filing a motion for unheard sections of federal wiretap to be played in court. >> and the debate in congress over extending a payroll tax cut creating a divide now among republicans. meanwhile, president obama is pushing to extend the tax cuts for the middle class that expires at the end of the

month. peter doocy reporting from washington. gop leaders laid out for members a pathway to a payroll tax holiday but some members broke rank saying there is no way they are going to go for that unless entitlements are reformed first. >> unless we have the courage right now to address entitlement reform we shouldn't be extending the payroll tax holiday. while republicans are talking courage, democrats are talking christmas. >> the deadline is december 31. it is fast upon us. again, last month we sent a letter, last night the republicans in the senate rejected their own plan. there has to be a better way to get the job done. christmas is coming. the goose is getting fat. >> the president also keeping with the holiday theme at an event on friday said if they don't act fast congress could end up working through christmas and also said this in his week aaddress. >> last year both parties came together to cut payroll taxes for the typical middle class

family by about a thousand dollars. that tax cut is set to expire at the end of this month. if that happens that same family will see its taxes go up by a thousand dollars. we can't let that happen. >> white house the.gov will tell you how much more you will pay or save depending on what congress does. while he wants to extend the payroll tax cut another year eeoc does not want to lock in tax cuts for the wealthiest americans. greg? >> peter, thanks. a large winter storm crossing the u.s. after dumping heavy snow out west. the storm creating dangerous driving conditions in flagstaff, arizona. where is it heading next? maria knows, i bet. and she is live in the fox weather center with more details. hi, maria. >> good to see you. this large storm system inmates pacted the four corners jut like you mentioned dumping snow

in the form of feet. now, we are look at it headed eastbound. we are not expecting a foot of snow across the plains but quite a bit it expected. generally speaking, 3 to 6 inches of snow from nebraska and kansas up into portions of wisconsin and locally could get up to 8-inches of snow. that will be posing travel hazards across the plains and portions of the upper midwest. a closer look at the storm system. ahead of it we do have warmer temperatures we are only just seeing rain. not seeing snowfall across portions of "the mod squad." there is the potential to see flooding and on the backside of the system where we have, of course, cold temperatures we have the snow falling right now, across portions just to the southeast with some salt also entering the city of minneapolis and entering northern parts of the wisconsin. as far as the timing on the storm system, by midnight tonight the worse over across parts of the central plains and the snow heavily falling across northern parts of wisconsin and by sunday afternoon the snow over with but the rain not

going anywhere. this ising is something we have to keep a close eye on. even though it is beneficial for oklahoma and also texas. coming down heavily at times, several inches. we going to be seed flooding along the western parts. western parts of tennessee, arkansas, even into louisiana quite a bit of rain. coming down heavily the next several days. by 6:00 p.m. monday we will have actually a second disturbance entering parts of the four corners of the rockies. more snowfall out there parts of arizona and new mexico and even, texas. picking up a few inches of snow out there for the start of the workweek. going to be a very unsettled start of the workweek, heather, for us here at the weather studio. >> thank you very much, we appreciate it. >> get out your skis. have at it. >> japanese and russian scientists say it is all together possible to clone a mammoth. they will soon start research into regenerating one of the

huge mammals. been existences extinct now tore 10,000 years. sigh entities found a well preserved bone marrow and they may be able to use that genetic material to bring a ma moth back to life. >> that is my question. why would you want to bring a mammoth back to life. >> a t. rex might be over the top but a mammoth we might be able to handle. >> but could it survive? >> i think they are fairly hearty. it is that time of year when people begin putting up christmas trees. some go with fake trees and others prefer the genuine article. real trees can only be used ones. now, you can rent live trees and if they choose you can use the same tree year after year. and we were going to have someone explaining why they would like to could that.

>> i want to nose why. inquiring -- i want to know why. inquiring minds want to know. >> it would save trees. >> every year like the needles fall off of our tree. >> the trees are delivered to your home and picked up after the holidays are over and they go back to a tree farm where they are kept year round. >> mine is deader than a door nail. >> and would probably grow a little bit each year so your ceilings would have to rise with if. >> herman cain putting the brakes on his campaign. now, it may be romney v. gingrich. who is leading where and which might be more vulnerable to the flip flop label? we have a political panel of pros to weigh in on that one. and let's take a look outside. look at this. times square and well, it is kind of a mess. >> 'tis the season. >> depends on your idea of a mess. a lot of people out there. a little cold. not too cold. and there is 6th avenue right

outside fox news world headquarters. and see all those people, they are here to see heather. >> , no, that is not what they told me, greg. >> a window right here on street level. come on by and wave to heather. steady jobs across our country... ... scientists, technicians, engineers, machinists... ... adding nearly 400 billion dollars to our economy... we're at work providing power to almost a quarter of our homes and businesses... ... and giving us cleaner rides to work and school... and tomorrow, we could do even more. cleaner, domestic, abundant and creating jobs now. we're america's natural gas. the smarter power, today. learn more at anga.us.

we are checking our top stories for you. republican presidential candidate herman cain announcing plans to suspend his is white house bid. this coming after several allegations of sexual harassment and claims of a 13 year extramarital affair which he denies. deadly violence in syria. activists say more than two dozen people were killed injuries the u.n. human rights chief now calling the conflict a civil war. police is in ohio eye tentfying the body of a man who could be the third victim of a bogus craigslist ad luring middle aged men looking for jobs. the 53-year-old suspect and a high school student are now in custody. taking a look now at the gop race to the white house. new reports that mitt romney's campaign is gearing up for an all-out battle with newt gingrich for the top spot.

what does it mean in a head one on one in the first in the nation iowa caucuses and elsewhere. joining me is former clinton pollster and fox news contributor. and former white house political director under george w. bush. good to see you both. doug let me start with you because i read your column a couple of days ago titled gingrich is now the frontrunner with commanding leads in iowa, south carolina, florida, gaining in new hampshire. and here is a quote from you, if gingrich wins in iowa is very competitive in new hampshire and wins south carolina and florida in landslides, the race will be effectively over. so what does romney need to do? >> well, romney has to do two things. one, he has to compete in iowa. he can't let newt gingrich win it by the 12 to 15 point margin he now holds in the state. second tortion do that he has to attack gingrich.

he can't run a campaign of trying to be a frontrunner who is in fact not the frontrunner. you are going to see a much more aggressive campaign from mitt romney now. you will see tv ads starting attacking gingrich because bottom line unless he does it he is not really going to be competitive. >> and there may be a lot to attack gingrich on because we are seeing it already. ron paul launched a scathing campaign ad bashing romney as a flip flopper. i put together is a list of some of his alleged inconsistencies and controversial issues and we will put it up on the screen now. once endorsed cap and trade. now, opposes it. advocated a healthcare mandate and now doesn't. advocated intervention in libya and then argued against it. opposed mass deportation of illegals but decries amnesty. praised the ryan medical plan.

filmed a global warming ad with nancy pelosi then called it dumb they later said geed, i would do it again. fined $300,000 penalty for ethics violation while speaker. paid $1.8 million by freddie mac before it failed and then marital infidelity leading to two divorces. in fairness, gingrich has a website trying to address all of these things. matt, to win, does romney need to launch an attack on those issues i just had on the screen. >> i do think that all of those issues are fair play and they will be talked about and romney has to be engaged. he has to look like he is not attacking, what he has to do is engage gingrich on his flip flop and the positions he has taken in the past. quite frankly when gingrich was last in government he had a rocky tenure as speaker of the house. a lot of people who served with

newt gingrich were captivated by his ability to talk. the question is can he execute and that is the real question for his campaign. they missed deadlines in missouri, ohio, didn't give enough delegates when they filed paperwork in new hampshire. he s talking great but did can he excite great? that is the question in front of him. >> doug, the list of romney flip lops or alleged lip slops is just as infay mckinley us as the one i put up on the screen on gingrich. how would a race between gingrich and obama be different than a romney/obama matchup? >> i think the difference would be gingrich to we win such a matchup would have to identify a vision for the future. he can't and won't run on his record. he has to offer an alternative that ail bam ma has taken

the -- newt gingrich is brimming with ideas. so far, romney has yet to articulate a vision. the problem with newt is that he has multiple visions and has trouble honing them down to one coherent hole. >> recently on our air newt gingrich said "i have a lifetime record of being a consistent conservative." i looked this up a couple of hours ago. august 30, 2007 he told a centrist republican group the following "everywhere i have been i have argued in favor of electing mod reads and then chas tied the -- a fake dirt h whose history belies his claims of conservative ace many. is that a good strategy strategy. will it stick or could it backfire. >> i think it is the right

strategy. really they have to -- the conservative republican electorate is in a mood where they want people to come to washington and knock over the tables and the chairs. they are scared to death over what is happening in the economy. there is a strange tone across the country and in the early states and if you can capture that tone which now five different candidates have before one ballot cast in iowa. five different, i would rye to sect with that gene. >> given the fact that beam can go reid it on the internet, ring witch is weigh, way ahead in some of those key states. he has now got the bulls eye on his back. >> great to see you both. >> diamonds are a girl's best

friend. do you agree with that? >> fake diamonds are okay in my book. >> elizabeth taylor was the most popular gal in hollywood. how you can take down the -- i think those are fake right there. >> no fakes. >> yeah, yeah, those are fake. with the capital one venture card

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bottom of the hour. time for the top of the news. presidential candidate herman cain suspending his bid for his party's nomination. cain putting his campaign on hold following allegations of

sexual harassment and an accusation of a 13-year extramarital affair. a large winter storm dumping heavy snow on parts of arizona. that storm has begun making its way east across the u.s. and new reports that undercover detectives infiltrated the occupy l.a. encampment. a police source saying they were sent in to gather information on protesters intentions. a seismic shift in the gop race for the white house. herman cain suspending his presidential campaign following allegations of sexual misconduct and a 13-year extramarital affair, allegations of that. how does this reshape the republican field? joining me is susan

estherridge, a fox news contributor. thank you very much for joining me. >> thank you, heather. >> have to get your take on what happened today. just overall the event itself. no doubt you watched it. what are your thoughts? >> it was inevitable. the only question was how long would it take herman cain to figure out what everybody else had already figured out which was that his campaign had sunk. it was inevitable that he was going to be out and the only question was would he do it gracefully or would we all get to watch and sad to say laugh for a few more days or weeks. >> and do you consider this a graceful exit? the pep rally, the music, the applause, all of the supporters there in one place? >> well, you know, hopefully it made him feel better, right? hopefully it makes his family feel better. the part i don't get, heather, is how could this guy knowing that there were two women who had been paid off on these sexual harassment complaints,

knowing that he had had some kind of relationship with this woman for 13 years, how do you get in a race for the presidency knowing all of that and then worse when it starts to come out you start to stonewall and blame everyone else. if you wanted to write a script for what not to do and a sort of morality lessons for the future it is herman cain. >> i have to ask you this, susan. one woman and one man who he had paid over the years or are there two women that you have heard of in terms of the payment? >> i have heard -- i have heard of two women. i have heard of the affair. and then you have a couple more women who have come out and it is just all messy. just as bad, heather, not to con done that, he had to come out and instead of playing victim and pointing fingers

saying look, i made mistakes, i learned my lesson. i'm he sorry for the injury i caused. what he did instead in denying it and stonewalling and attacking the press and attacking rick perry and attacking his opponents was he turned a bad story into a disaster. once you do that in politics you are dead. >> we have a graphic on the screen of all of the allegations of sexual harassment and 13 year affair, all of which he denies, we should also say that. it as mess. it as huge mess. he is now saying that he is going to suspend his candidacy. let's move it forward. who benefits the most from this? >> the two that -- it is a game of survivor. who is left. you have two guys really left in the race. amazing how fast they have fallen. you have mitt romney and the one thing is he has been vetted over and over again.

i think if there were any trash about mitt romney we would know it. the other guy is newt gingrich who is flying high right now but i promise you the press sort of feeling they outed herman cain, the press will turn to newt gingrich. there is the couple of affairs in there and the three marriages. i think newt should be ready to go under the microscope right now. once they have done it to one guy they do it to the next. >> we are already aware of those events in gingrich's past. we will see if anything else pops up. we will be scrutinized from this day forward. thank you very much, susan. >> have a great tweak. >> you can read susan's col up in papers across the country every wednesday and friday. chicago mayor and former white house chief of staff rahm emanuel says he is willing to

testify before congress on the solyndra panel. a senior member of the house energy committee predicted emanuel will likely be called. he was president obama's chief of staff when the loan was approved. heather. day 200 -- electric car company aptera motors going out of business. the ceos saying the company obtained additional approval for are a $150 million loan for the u.s. department of energy but failed to raise matching private funds, forcing the shutdown. for years they have been working on a three wheel electric vehicle. >> she was a hollywood legend to be sure. now, elizabeth tailor's glamorous collection of fins and auction block. if you don't have to take the big box to buy the bling you

can still see some of the collection. julie banderas joins us from the newsroom. >> nothing compared to elizabeth taylor unfortunately. assembled by just one person, elizabeth taylor's massive jewelry collection dating back to the 16th century will go to the highest bidders. 269 pieces. gemstones, historic jewels and and one of a kind creations as well as a treasure trove of personal mementos and the 6th. it is expected to bring in 30 to $5 million. >> the very famous parait is grina cool -- as well as other leisterric causes as well is as

the elizabeth taylor diamond richard burton gave to her in 1968. >> the actress who died in march at the age of 79 had seven husbands during her glamorous life, countless admirer. the last stop on a world hour high righting. it the on display starting today through december 12 and already people have begun to buy tickets. >> people like famous thing. we live in a fame age. i mean i got an oscar or the dresses downstairs. you can buy the box set and -- that is a bit of a score. >> running concurrently with the live auction will be an internet only sale of a thousand items, jewelry,

cloture she collected. ex-pecked to go between $40 and 60 dividends. wore wife would purchase a little. >> that would be a little small fuelry in your jewelry box, wouldn't it? >> that is, correct. you can buy it from me. >> my salary couldn't cover anything. >> the fake one. well, she went missing after appearing on a popular tv show on now the prime suspect in her disappearance has custody of their children. jeanine pirro joins us, upout i next. more colorful. ♪ and putting all our helpers to work? so we can build on our favorite traditions by adding a few new ones. we've all got garlands and budgets to stretch.

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welcome back. police searching a lake for a missing florida mother michelle parker who vanished last month, the same day she appeared on the popular tv show "the people

he's court." in an episode, parker and her ex-fiance argued over a missing $5,000 ring. police say the ex-fiance is a prime suspect. now, the father is speaking out. >> we are talking to the missing mom, is michelle's father and i think you will be interested in what he has to say regarding the fact that his ex-wife hugged this guy who is a prime suspect in his daughter's death right after he was awarded custody of her twins. another unusual case, greg, where you have got a mother who brings over kids for visitation and then disappears. it really is more about the fact that this guy is a very volatile guy. bad temper. bad record. sues her on people's court. the day that the show airs is

the day that she disappeared. >> but it was tape recorded, right, much earlier so if he was angry as a consequence of what happened on the show wouldn't he have arguably taken out his anger the day it happened, not the day it aired? >> no, i will tell you why. even though it was taped in the summer and as you know i had a syndicated court show for several years. the show airs later and then they see themselves for what they really are and then see the judge berating them and realize the whole country is watching the judge in this case saying you are both complete idiots and my 14-year-old has a more mature relationship than you you two, do. even though the decision that was they would split $5,000 ring. >> that is probably the motive that police are working on right now. i want to ask you about this. i was talking to kimberly guilfoyle about this. she was former prosecutor. and she made a good point and

said she thinks it is unusual that a judge would give custody of the children back to the prime suspect in what may turn out to be a murder case. >> no, i will tell you why that is wrong. number one, in most states the fact that there may have been domestic violence between the father and the mother ising is to be considered but it is not an absolute that prevents the court from giving him custody. do i agree with it? absolutely not. i sat in court as the judge deciding these cases. until this guy until he has been called a prime suspect until he is actually arrested the courts in spite of the fact that the division of children and family services has said hey, judge, we don't want him to have custody doesn't really have a reason as this judge said to not allow the father to have custody versus a grand parent. >> here is the deal. let me play devil's advocate. if you are the judge you have

to decide under the law what is in the best interests of the children. >> right. >> if you think there is a scintilla of possibility that the father who wants custody back could have committed a violent act like murder of the mom, that would logically suggest to me that maybe he might harm the kids as well. >> greg, you don't -- >> you don't need a conviction. >> greg, you are lawyer. he hasn't even been arrested. he hasn't been indicted. >> named by police as a prime suspect. >> then arrest him. and i'm not taking his side and i would be in there fighting to make sure he didn't get those kids. legally the court is not prevented from doing that. as between a grand parent and a parent in every state in this country a parent has prior rights. >> we do stories all the time. >> of course, we do. >> about fathers that wipe out the entire family. they kill mom and then they kill the kids. >> but greg, you can't

speculate. >> wouldn't you be worried as a judge? >> of course, i would. i wouldn't have done the same thing. what i'm saying in answer to your question is it something that prohibits the granting of custody. the answer is it does not probib hit the granting of custody. >> not easy being a judge, is it? >> it is not. but there are some things easier than others and i would not have done that. clearly this guy is a guy with a volatile temper and i think a dangerous guy. >> judge jeanine pirro, thank you very much. catch "justice" with judge jeanine at 9:00 p.m. eastern time. >> 10:00 p.m. tonight because we are after huckabee and we will have the governor on with the three attorneys general and we will have michelle parker's father on. >> action packed show. >> action packed show. 10:00, though. >> 10:00 eastern, 7:00 pacific time. >> if you are on the west coast. >> yes. >> we will tune in for that. >> a bold new idea from

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welcome back. 'tis the season for giving. but one louisiana woman has

made a habit of giving all year round. barbara a fortier also known as the meter lady. she apparently pops quarters into parking meters to save people from getting tickets and tries to stay one step ahead of the parking enforcement officer. >> i go out immediately and know where eeoc is now and then i go to the next block and i begin to watch. i'm sorry, city. >> at least she says she is sorry. >> she does ned lamont expect to get repaid or even a thank you. although i think most people would like to thank her even though they do not know he what she has done. medicare a tackling a huge health issue extending coverage for obesity. >> offering new incentives to the 13 million overweight americans. 13 million already on medicare

to lose weight. >> and hopefully ease medicare's budget at the same time. how likely is that to happen? let's put that question to dr. mark siegel professor of medicine at new york university's medical center. a member of the fox news medical a team. how likely is it? >> i want to make a correction first. it is worse than that. 13 million are obese on medicare. another 13 million overweight. two thirds of our elderly are overweight, two thirds and medicare is spending $300 billion on overweight related diseases including diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, strokes. this is a huge problem. in answer to your question, greg, how likely is it that paying for interventions by people like me is going make a difference? that is really a very problematic question. a recent study showed that physicians ask, they advise but then they don't follow up by assessing or are assisting or arranging the things you need to actually lose weight because

we he don't have the time and because we don't have the training. >> and my question would be is this just basically putting a band aid on the obesity problem so that people know once they reach what is it, 65 that they will get coverage or help with the obesity problem? >> heather, that is a great point. i think it is more than a band aid because they literally will pay for me to sit with an obese person every single week for a month and every other week for months two to six and if i have gotten them to lose six pounds it continues on for an entire year. that is a lot of meetings. studies show that dietitians get you to lose weight 80% of the time. i'm not convinced that i can do it. i'm wondering if i'm really the expert or not. >> i wonder is there a problem of knowledge and expertise among doctors having to deal with this obesity? >> i think there is a problem

with doctors themselves being overweight. i think that we didn't learn about nutrition in medical school. we are starting to learn about it now. clearly something we are focusing on now. i don't want to assume we don't have any expertise in this. i got to tell you i didn't have a single course in medical school about diet. not one. i had it about gastrointestinal diseases. i know high blood pressure is directly related to eating poorly and high cholesterol and heart disease. >> diabetes. >> we are too quick to pull out the statin and diabetes drugs but it is clear that the obesity epidemic in the united states is leading to that. >> that leads to the question what do we need to do to epidemic to epidem lick to with?r

cut out? >> cut out potatoes. cut out rice. cut out cake. cookies. any carbohydrates whatsoever and stick with the the vegetables and fish and lean meat. >> and plenty of water. >> plenty of water. >> good tips. thanks very much. >> that does it for us. captioned by closed captioning services, inc.

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