i was hoping somebody didn't get hurt. >> this explosion leaving at least nine people hurt including an infant and children. two children had to be taken to the hospital. the explosion filling the home with smoke. neighbors say that this family sets off fireworks every fourth of july. be careful out there, folks. >> talk about doing double duty. a new report claims that chief justice john roberts also wrote most of the dissenting opinion for the obamacare ruling, according to the report, roberts wrote about 3/4 of what became the dissent before switching sides and writing the opinion to save president obama's controversial insurance mandate. the four conservative judges then allegedly wrote the last part of the dissent together. >> former u.s. secretary of commerce john bryson won't be charged in connection with the series of bizarre hit-and-runs that led to his resignation last month. although he tested positive for a small amount of ambien in his system, they have ruled the accident caused by a seizure.

>> apparently, hollywood has been showing him the money. tom cruise making or taking the top spot on "forbes" list of highest paid actors. he made a whopping $75 million last year, heather. no chump change there. yeah, leonardo dicaprio and adam sandler both trailed behind him, only $37 million. that's your five at 5:00. >> we go to the loss of an american legend. he was america's favorite sheriff and lawyer adored by fans. today, andy griffith is being remembered by fans who loved him best. >> i'm telling you to hush up. >> you told me i could speak now or forever hold my peace. >> well, now i'm telling you if you don't hush up, you'll be forever holding the seat of your britches. >> so cute! great. of course, that was ron howard who played griffith's son opie on the andy griffith show. he tweeted "his pursuit of

excellence and the joy that he took in creating served generations and shaped my life. i'm forever grateful. rest in peace, andy." griffith passed away where he lived nearly all of his life at his home in north carolina with his wife cindy by his side when he passed away. she released a statement saying andy was a person of incredibly strong christian faith and prepared to the day he'd be called home to his lord. he's the love of my life, my constant companion, my partner and my best friend. a memorial forming at griff's star at hollywood walk of fame, huge outpouring of love for one of the most iconic television actors of all time. >> you hear the whi he will, you think of the name, andy griffith and mayberry. >> don't shoot the slingshot in the office. >> andy, i was born with a slingshot. >> born andrew samuel griffith in mount airy, north carolina, 1926. after majoring in music, he wanted to be a singer.

so in 1952, he hit the road. turns out he was a better comedian than singer. in 1953, he recorded one of the most popular comedic monologues of all time. >> it was that both bunches full of those men wanted this funny looking pumpkin to play with. >> he went to broadway where he received a tony nomination for his role in "in time for sergeants." in 1957, he made his film debut in "a face in a crowd" the story of a country boy turned superstar turned monster. >> ♪ whiskey don't get us ♪ then women must >> it was back to broadway and on to a guest appearance on the danny thomas show as the mayor of a small southern town. a road that led here. the andy griffith show ran for eight years and has rerun ever since. in 1986, andy came back to primetime television with a bang in the series "matlock."

>> hey, aren't you ben matlock, the famous lawyer? >> i'm ben matlock. >> sheriff taylor and the gang did reunite a couple of times. both specials were hugely successful. apparently, mayberry is where we liked andy best. >> north carolina bred. >> the pride. >> americans across the country preparing to celebrate independence day today and both president obama and mitt romney will be observing it in their own ways. molly henneberg is live now in washington with more on that. good morning, molly! >> good morning, heather. they may not be officially on the campaign trail today but the fourth of july is certainly a day for both of the presidential candidates to see and be seen. president obama will wake up this morning at camp david. the presidential retreat in maryland and then head back here to washington. he'll speak at the white house

later today at a naturalization ceremony for active duty members of the military. then he will host later this evening military heroes and their families on the south lawn of the white house for a fourth of july barbecue, a concert by country star brad paisley and a view of the d.c. fireworks. his republican opponent, governor mitt romney is in new hampshire with his family. all 30 of them for their annual family vacation. he's even gotten some time on a jet ski. seen there with his wife ann. romney will take part in a local fourth of july parade today but mainly he's keeping a low profile this week, a brief respite before the summer push to the g.o.p. convention. romney does have some campaign aides with him on this vacation likely discussing campaign strategy as well as the search for a vice presidential running mate. after the holiday, president obama heads to ohio and pennsylvania for a two-day bus tour and governor romney will remain in new hampshire until sunday and then he goes to new york for some fundraising events and heather and heather, this is

a little off topic but have you noticed the three of us have red, white and blue. all together, we make up the flag. heather in red, heather in blue, me in white. we have it going on. >> very patriotic at fox news. >> let's get your independence day forecast. it's going to be a little bit cooler out there today. maria, how are things looking for us? i see a lot of red there. >> no, unfortunately we're not going to be seeing temperatures that are that much cooler across the u.s. we're continuing to see that area of high pressure and we want to remember our troops, of course, and want to give you a quick forecast where we'll be seeing temperatures in the triple digits and it's usually hot out here this time of year and in baghdad, high temperature of 107 degrees. extremely hot and somewhat of hot conditions as well, close to that, across parts of the u.s. with that same area of high pressure still in place. north of that system, you can get some storms fired up and we've seen seeing that over the last several states across the mid atlantic and across portions

of the southeast where we have that heat and humidity in place. expect to see more of that today. new york city, high temperature is 92 degrees in atlantic, a high of 95. chicago, triple digit heat for you and the same is the case in kansas city. where we have the core of the heat for today and pretty much for tomorrow as well is across parts of the midwest. take des moines, for example, 101 will be the high temperature. today, 100 in minneapolis. factor in the humidity and it feels even hotter especially during the afternoon hours. in wichita, high of 102 degrees and as we head into areas across the ohio valley and columbus, you'll be seeing a high of 95. 98 in indianapolis and 104 degrees in st. louis. that's when it gets dangerous out there. we have a number of heat advisories is as -- across that region. stay hydrated if you have any barbecue and picnics that you're headed to this afternoon. if you're headed to the beach, we could be seeing some showers and storms in the state of maryland so ocean city, you could be seeing some showers and

storms. high temperature at 94 degrees. by thursday, you'll be drying things out, though, and heating up with a high of 97 by then and across the state of florida, pop of showers and thunderstorms expected including you in the city of pensacola. 9:00 p.m., big time for tonight across the east coast especially with the fireworks and the different time zones that we'll be seeing those fireworks later on today and expecting to see some isolated activity, though, you guys across new england. we could be seeing some showers and isolated storms. the same is the case across the southeast and hopefully we won't be seeing delays with our fireworks celebration. >> maria molina, thanks so much. if you can't get to the beach, maybe you can get a sprinkler out. >> i wanted to bring sprinklers today but was told no. the time is 10 minutes after the top of the hour. secret to being cool finally revealed. what does it take? apparently actor steve bucheme has the answer. who says talk is cheap? it's not for bill clinton at least. the former president is bringing in the big, big bucks for his

speeches. we're telling the staggering numbers coming up next. >> as we head to break, one of the patriotic pictures sent into us by andrea myers, this is when her husband came home from his second deployment hugging their three children. great. send us your patriotic pictures to foxfriendsfirst at foxnews.com.

>> welcome back. 13 after the top of the hour. the opponent of disgraced democratic congressman charlie rangel refiling court papers to challenge the results of last week's primary. new york state senator adrianna esilot wants the ballot secured

and a monitor to look over recount. he hasn't officially asked for a new election yet but keeping his options open. who said talk is cheap? former president bill clinton pocketing a whopping $13.4 million for 54 speeches last year. it's the most he's cashed in on since leaving the white house. clinton got $750,000 alone for a speech in hong kong to telecommunications giant erickson. >> wow, nice work if you can get it, right? >> exactly. >> now it is time for you to brew on this. >> and here's what we would like for you to brew on today. researchers cracking the code to coolness thanks to steve bucheme, the actor, of course, we're talking about. listen to this. >> let me get this straight, you don't have a kid, huh? -- have a tip, huh? >> tipping automatically is for the birds. >> he has starred in dozens of tv shows and movies including

"reservoir dogs" that you just saw. it turns out he was also the subject of a friendly debate of sorts between two psychology researchers out of new york. one who thought he was cool. and one who thought he was, well, creepy. and just to even the score, they launched a scientific study surveying 350 college students what they found to be cool. >> majority of responses had something to do with physical attractiveness. what was also cool, being friendly and successful in school or at work and finally being socially responsible or giving to charity. >> that is what we want you to brew on today. what do you think defines cool? send us your comments over to us. you can tweet them to us at foxfriendsfirst or shoot us an e-mail at friendsfirst at foxnews.com and we'll read them a little bit later in the show. >> i'm one of those who would vote him as creepy. funny but a little on the creepy side. >> i think nice counts. >> ok. 16 minutes after the hour.

today will be full of a lot of family fun. how do you plan to take in all those great barbecue photos from your cell phone and actually put them in a picture frame? well, we'll talk to this guy. our in-house nerd clayton morris has the answer to how you do all that stuff. >> now, he's cool and we told you about the government using radio ads to convince people to sign up for food stamps. now they're giving out awards for signing up for food stamps. >> first, we've recently found a truly original arrangement of the star spangled banner and this one includes the second verse. now, most people don't realize there are actually four verses to the poem by francis scott key. that, of course, became our national anthem. so in celebration of this july 4th, we put together a tribute and an honor to old glory and the men and women who are fighting for our freedom.

>> ♪ o say can you see ♪ by the dawn's early light ♪ what so proudly we hail ♪ at the twilight's last gleaming ♪ ♪ whose broad stripes and bright stars ♪ ♪ through the perilous fight ♪ o'er the ramparts we watched ♪ ♪ were so galiently streaming ♪ and the rockets red glare ♪ the bombs bursting in air ♪ gave proof through the night ♪ that our flag was still there ♪ ♪ o say does that star spangled banner yet wave ♪ ♪ o'er the land of the free ♪ and the home of the brave ♪ on the shores ♪ through the mist of the sea

♪ where the foam's hardy hold ♪ silently through ♪ that which the free ♪ of the towering steed ♪ now it catches the morning's first beam ♪ ♪ glory reflected now ♪ ♪ shines in the stream ♪ 'tis the star spangled banner ♪ ♪ how long may it wave ♪ o'er the land of the free ♪ and the home of the brave ♪ o'er the land of the free ♪ and the home of the brave

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>> good morning, everyone. it's 22 minutes after the hour. jet blue pilot that had that major meltdown on a las vegas bound flight has been found not guilty by reason of insanity. you remember back in march clayton ogden was charged with interfering with a flight crew after running through the aisles and screaming about terrorism. he's receiving treatment in a mental health facility and a judge will decide if he can be released next month. u.s. air force tanker planes are airborne again in order to battle wildfires in colorado, the c-130 planes like the ones you see here temporarily grounded following a deadly crash that took place on sunday. four crew members were killed. heather, let's head to you to

talk about some fourth of july stuff. >> some fun stuff. we know many of you are heading outside to celebrate the holiday today and we've been getting a lot of questions about gadgets that could come in handy amid all the festivities so we brought in our tech guru. "fox & friends" weekend anchor clayton morris for helping us out. thanks for joining us. a lot of folks may have a lot of news at their picnic or festivities. they want everybody to enjoy it. >> it gets frustrating. maybe somebody is in one room and it's hot outside and you want people by the barbecue. i've been testing this for a few weeks and i love it. they make this solar speaker setup. on the top of this, there's a solar panel so you never, ever have to worry about charging this device and it sounds like a full boom box. you can use anybody's smartphone. people want to play their music, they can. they pair it with this. i'm going to play a little huey lewis for you. you ready for that? wake you up this morning. listen how loud that is.

fill up a whole backyard with this sound and get people really excited. you don't have to worry about charging it. >> that's amazing. normally the sound isn't that loud. >> or it's a little bad but this is full sound. you can take it camping for a week and don't have to worry about plugging it in. it's really, really great. >> good stuff. other thing that people will be doing while they're playing their music, they'll be dancing and taking pictures. >> right, how can you print off those pictures? >> i literally get 10 to 15 questions per week, i picked one printer for professionals. the kind of printer that you can print out great 8 x 10 glossy prints and look fantastic. this is the first one i picked for professionals, this is the canon pixma 900. you won't have to mail them off to the walgreens on a regular basis and that's a great printer for that. if you're at the party and you want something quick and easy for the family, i tested this out during c.e. s., the consumer

electronics show this year from viewpoint solutions and it's a little cube. you put your phone on top of it and down load the free app from the app store and any of the photos that you took at your party, you can print right there. tap print and they pop right out and they dry immediately. even in the tests, we poured water on the pictures, and they don't smear at all. from viewpoint solutions. you can pick that up at any office max or staples. >> finally, speaking of pouring water on things, how to protect your phone. >> so one of the -- well, you're out in the backyard and you're at the beach. all these people have smartphones and have these really expensive $300 phones. they don't want to get sand in them or water in them so the lifeproof makes this incredible case and it snaps on. it's really, really sleek so it's not bulky. you can take video underwater. >> that's unreal! >> you can drop it from seven feet in the air and it won't break. it's shock proof as well. >> video under water. we appreciate it. thank you so much, appreciate it, as always. making us want to spend our

money. >> sorry. >> that's all right. time now is 26 after the top of the hour. coming up, a national disgrace. clayton, listen, a texas town banning american flags at soldiers' graves. there's a big update to this one we want to tell you up next and he wants to ban your sugary drinks but apparently, new york city's mayor doesn't have a problem with hot dogs or salty language.

>> good morning, everyone. happy fourth of july. look at this right here, how precious is this picture? it's a little girl with her dad just before he was set to deploy overseas. we're getting in lots of patriotic pictures. we're trying to get as many of them on air this morning. really fun to see. welcome back to "fox & friends first" on this independence day. i'm heather nauert. >> happy fourth of july. i'm heather childers. it's 31 after the top of the hour. >> time for your top five stories at 5:30 this morning.

headlines making news at this hour. in a few hours, president obama and mitt romney will mark the fourth of july holiday each in their own way. romney will be in new hampshire marching in that town's independence day parade. romney will then take a break from the campaign trail this week to spend time with his family. president obama returns to the white house after spending the weekend at camp david. he's hosting a naturalization ceremony for active duty troops. later in the day, the president and the first lady are holding a fourth of july party for military families. sounds like fun. well, after months of heated debate within the obama administration, secretary of state hillary clinton apologizing to pakistan for a nato air strike last year. the strike, leaving 24 pakistani soldiers dead. pakistan now reopening supply routes to afghanistan which were closed after the air strike. the closures cost the u.s. about $100 million extra a month. well, the federal government sparing no expense to get more people to sign up for food

stamps. first, we told you about those radio ads and parties that encourage people to sign up. now, we're learning that the department of agriculture is also offering awards to communities to get morning people to overcome their pride and sign up for food stamps. well, republican senator jeff sessions says that the goal should be to get more people off of food stamps, not increasing the number of people on them. 1 in 7 americans already on food stamps. a texas town now reconsidering a controversial ordinance that approves banning flags at veterans' graves. a public meeting now set to be held next week in response to the thousands of calls that city hall receives from those who were simply outraged. new policy only allows flags to be flown one week before and after memorial day and veterans day. a spokesman for the city council says that the ordinance which passed to clean up the clutter that accumulates at the cemetery. >> clutter.

ok. new york city mayor michael bloomberg is speaking very frankly at a weigh-in yesterday for today's annual nathan's hot dog eating contest. his speechwriters had too many puns for his taste. listen to this. >> if one of their dogged pursueers will finally catch up, cut the mustard, and be pronounced wiener. no question it's going to be a dogfight. just think of how many we got into one sentence. that was really impressive. who wrote this [beep]? >> all right. well, the eating begins at 11:30 this morning and that is your five at 5:30 here on the east coast. >> well, the show will go on. the fourth of july festivities planned in our nation's capital still happening tonight despite a few challenges from mother nature. doug luzader is live for us in

washington, d.c. good morning. >> good morning, guys and happy fourth. you know, it's a beautiful morning here in washington. that is really good news. you see union station behind me here. all kind of dressed up and that's where a lot of people are going to be arriving today for the big capital fourth of july celebration. we want to show you some video, though, from last night's rehearsal. this in and of itself has become a big event where people show up the night before for the rehearsal. it had to be evacuated, though, because we had some powerful thunderstorms moving into the region. capital police told hundreds of people who arrived and watched the rehearsal last night to leave. they finished the rehearsal but without an audience. this is the latest hit for this region. there are still a lot of people without power throughout the region. at one point, we had more than three million people without power and the good news is about two million of them have since had that power restored. still, a million people without power and some people here, especially in west virginia are having to stand in line for water.

>> somebody called us and said they were giving water away here, that we came and got some water here but it's 104 degrees in the shade up at our house right now. >> yeah, and not much relief in sight either temperatures in the 90's again today. we're hoping that the rain stays away for tonight's big event and even though this event here in washington is going to go on as scheduled, at least we think it is, a lot of other communities throughout this region have had to cancel fireworks shows because so many of their -- of the resources are devoted to storm damage cleanup right now. so it's going to be a tough fourth of july but they're trying to make the best of it. back to you guys. >> mother nature with her own fireworks show. thanks so much, doug. we appreciate it. and so dry in so many parts of the country, too. let's check in for the forecast for this july 4th with maria molina. good morning, maria. what are we expecting across the country today? >> we'll be seeing more hot temperatures and also some showers and storms once again along the east coast from new england all the way down into the southeast but it's going to

be hit or miss in nature so we're not expecting a total washout for your barbecues or any picnics that you may have during the afternoon hours. happy fourth of july to you, heather and heather to everyone. triple digits from the midwest to the southeast and parts of the northeast and again, those showers and storms that will be scattered along across the east coast. we'll be talking about the elevated fire danger where we'll see some moisture creeping on in. very typical this time of year. humidity levels will be on the rise and we'll be seeing some rainfall out there. bad news is for some of you guys that have not had your fireworks celebration canceled because of the dry conditions, you'll be seeing some scattered showers and storms that could possibly delay some activities out there and by 9:00 p.m. tonight, we'll still see the rain showers lingering across portions of new england, new jersey and still some isolated activity possible across parts of georgia and also florida with that high humidity in place as well. high temperatures again in the triple digits for minneapolis, kansas city, chicago and

memphis. so the heat continues. >> all right, maria, thank you so much. let's hope it gets a little bit cooler out there today. let's hope maria is wrong. >> absolutely. thank you. >> a memorial gathering at andy griffith's star on the hollywood walk of fame this morning. the iconic television actor beloved for his roles at sheriff andy taylor on the andy griffith show and as defense attorney ben matlock. griffith passed away at his long time home in north carolina. he was 86 years old. and it looks like katie holmes will not be cashing in by leaving "forbes" highest paid actor tom cruise. tmz reports the couple's prenup cuts her out of his fortune. but sources insist katie is fine with that. because she's not about the money. meantime, cruise reportedly met with his lawyers. and gwen stefani is the latest celebrity to host a fundraiser

for the president. a $5,000 donation will get you up close with the singer and her special guest, first lady michelle obama. >> i love it. they call it a progressive play date because apparently people can bring their children. >> family time. >> the time now is 38 after the top of the hour. and coming up, it is beyond the call of duty for a special group of soldiers. we'll have their stories on this independence day. >> and we're also reading your e-mails and your tweets for this question today. a new study found the secret to what makes somebody cool. we're not talking about temperatures. we're talking about hip and that kind of thing. let us know what you think makes people cool and keep your e-mails and tweets coming this morning. >> before we go to greg, here's a look at another patriotic picture sent to us by mike. that's his sons and granddaughter before deployment. send your patriotic pictures to foxnews.com. we love them.

>> 42 after the top. hour. let's span the globe to see what stories are making headlines overseas. first, the persian gulf. there's no reports that the u.s. is beefing up its presence. it comes as iran holds a new round of war games. the increase in forces is to protect the strait of hormuth which is a key oil route. now to switzerland, tests there suggesting former palestinian leader yasser arafat may have been poisoned before his death in 2004. the testing commissioned by al jazeera found that arafat's personal items like his toothbrush contained abnormal levels of radioactive substance. finally to germany where

librarians found this, a rare 16th century map of the u.s. it was wedged behind a math book apparently, that 500-year-old piece of paper right there, 500 years old, one of the first five maps to use the name "america." that's pretty neat. >> don't throw out your math book. >> well, earlier in the show, we asked you to brew on this. a new study cracking the coolness code. it shows that physical attractiveness, friendliness and success are the three biggest factors that make someone cool and we wanted to know what do you think defines cool? >> here are some of your responses so far this morning. being honest and reliable makes someone cool. >> i agree there and michael l. garrett tweeted us. "being cool is being your best authentic self, encouraging everyone you know and not taking yourself too seriously." >> finally, ty aiken wrote us on facebook. he has two words. james bond. thanks to everyone who responded

and keep those comments and also your patriotic pictures coming this morning. >> yeah, we appreciate it. the time now 44 after the top of the hour and talk about karma, this robber learns the hard way, crime never pays. >> and then the birds destroyed one town's fourth of july celebrations. talk about a bird brained decision. we'll tell you all about it when we come back.

>> happy fourth of july independence day. in 12 short minutes, we have

american independence. wounded warriors, the best of america. pizza for patriots. girl scouts. the army fife drum corps. join clayton, gretch and me. "fox & friends" in 12 minutes. we'll send you back to the lovely and smart heathers. good morning, guys. how are you? >> good morning! some quick headlines for you right now. the nation's largest teachers union losing members and money at an unprecedented rate. the national education association now down 100,000 members. that's since 2010. it also appears the group is losing political clout. the union in washington, d.c. for its annual meeting this week and in a rare move by a democratic candidate, president obama has decided not to go. and call it criminal karma, a guy trying to steal some cigarettes from a california convenience store. and guess what happens, the shelf collapses underneath him. but the crook still managed to

get away, smokes in hand. heather? >> heather, thank you so much. crews this morning are putting the final touches on one of the largest fourth of july celebrations in the entire united states. we're talking about the annual macy's fourth of july fireworks show here in new york city. wnyw reporter robert moses is live for us with more. hi there, bobby. >> heather, good morning to you, and good morning, everyone. and i've staked out a nice spot for you here on the jersey side of the hudson river. we're fighting some rain drops. that's the biggest problem. i could be using my umbrella this morning. hopefully we won't need those when the fireworks gets under way at 9:20 tonight. this will be a fabulous display at that. we're talking about 40,000 shells exploding in a superb 25 minute show tonight. that will create a two mile stretch of light and color and if you want me to do the math for you, that means that there will be 1600 shells exploding every single minute tonight. so this will be an amazing show

from either the jersey side of the hudson or the manhattan side. you guys mentioned crews have been getting ready for this night for a very long time. the fireworks will originate from four different barges that are lined up on the hudson river. so clearly, the best spots are these riverfront locations on either the jersey side or the manhattan side. by the way, if you're coming out here tonight, if you're in the new york area and you plan to come down, leave your bags and backpacks and blankets and lawn chairs at home. and the best way to get here really is to take public transportation, driving is going to be a nightmare. the west side highway in manhattan are many people will be watching this fireworks display will be closed to traffic for a good part of the day. so i hope everyone has a great fourth. that's the latest live from weehawken, new jersey. back to you. >> it's a beautiful sight here in new york city. everybody should see it once in a lifetime. bobby moses, thank you so much. it's about 9 minutes before the hour and we all know that our troops are certainly heroes who risk their lives for our freedom.

but they're doing a lot more than that overseas. they're changing lives by going beyond the call of duty and this is being documented by a developing tv series that's called honor bound. joining us now to tell us about the humanitarian acts that we don't often hear about is one of the show's producers. raymond bushard and you spent about a month or so in afghanistan talking to our men and women. what are some of the things that they're doing that we don't often hear about? >> it's incredible the amount of stories that i found in afghanistan that the army calls nonkinetic and nonoperations related. a completely voluntary program that our soldiers perform in the air force base handing out gifts to children donated from people arnold the united states. >> people donate these things from around the united states, send them over there, our troops go in the field and give them to kids. what else did you find? >> there's agricultural development teams. the one i was embedded with is from texas and they had been there for over five years in the

gosni province, a pretty combat hot province and they have a demonstration farm within the military compound that they're developing so they can show afghans how to farm in modern technology. >> so our u.s. troops are teaching farming. i guess so that afghans don't grow poppy and alternatives. >> 30 years ago, afghanistan had an incredible agriculture exporting business that they since lost that and lost their institutional knowledge so we're trying to bring that back from a very low level to a very high level so they can be self-sustaining once again. >> it's obviously very dangerous. we do hear about afghans turning on u.s. troops but they're working alongside. how do these men and women feel about going out in the field and risking their lives to do this? >> they're incredible professionals. they're highly trained. they're highly devoted. they're very protective of each other. they're very protective of me. they're constantly aware that we've been there for a long time now so they know what to look for. but, you know, they also have a great compassion for the afghan

people. especially for the children. >> you say there's a real sense of urgency now that u.s. forces know we're getting out a lot sooner than later. >> they become very efficient and they become very focused and targeted. they want to leave behind a legacy that they can be proud of decades from now. they want to give the children, the younger people of afghanistan something that they can build a better life with. >> one thing that's interesting that you mentioned to me is that even the smallest mission will require a lot of security. they're handing out toys to kids and there are 40 to 50 guys out there watching them. >> exactly. especially as a journalist and tv producer, i was surrounded constantly. whenever we go outside the wire, there's an extraordinary amount of planning and talent and training that you're surrounded by. and, you know, they're telling me where to go, what to do. i'll tell you, we're safe here in this country especially today. 236 years after the signing of the declaration of independence. but when you're with them and they are protecting your back. >> you really do. >> you feel it.

you see it. and i'll tell you, your pride just swells. especially when you see your pride swell because, you know, they're doing this combat operation but then they're doing these other things as well. >> there are things that we don't often hear about and highlight that all is voluntary. they're doing this in addition to their regular jobs over there. >> much of it is. >> you're heading back to afghanistan to focus on women and what our troops are doing. it's called honor bound. it's now 6 minutes before the hour and still ahead, one town is choosing birds over patriotism. we'll tell you why they won't celebrate america's birthday with a big bang. and then it's your word of the day all scrambled up. can you figure out what this one is? stick around for the answer. we're coming back. as we head to break, let's take a look at another patriotic picture that we've gotten. it's tweeted to us from alice, adorable. this must be her little girl there. love it! send us your pictures to foxfriendsfirst at foxnews.com. a few more minutes left.

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>> almost the top of the hour. about two minutes away. now it's time for a look at the good, the bad and the ugly fourth of july edition. first, the good. folks in denver, colorado, enjoying some beautiful fireworks at the city's civics center on the eve of independence day. the only fireworks display being allowed as crews battle those devastating wildfires all across the state. and up next, the bad. the small village in oregon forced to cancel its fourth of july fireworks celebration because it could disrupt nesting sea birds. directive coming from the u.s. fish and wildlife service. folks into the bay not too happy. they're not only missing out on an important holiday tradition,

there's also some much needed tourism money. finally, the ugly. occupiers gathering on the fourth of july in the birthplace of our country. protesters starting to fill independence mall in philadelphia. police now forced to call in extra officers for crowd control. oh, my! ok, time to get scrambled up. gretchen carlson is here to help us out. she's always so good at this. >> that's a set-up, heather and heather. it's a holiday! so my brain is on holiday. here we go! >> fireworks! >> two in a row. >> bombs away. >> happy fourth to you, gretchen. >> heather, likewise. hope you have some fun today. >> see you back here tomorrow. "fox & friends" starts right now. >> happy fourth of july, everyone! good morning, it is wednesday, july 4, 2012, i'm gretchen carlson and you know what we can say today? happy birthday, america. let's celebrate.

his vote made all the difference. chief justice john roberts upholding obamacare so why are we hearing reports he also wrote most of the dissent? he was busy. >> and this independence day, are dependents on government at an all time high? we're an entitlement nation, i'm afraid and some states getting rewarded for making sure we stay that way. >> sorry, folks. no fourth of july fireworks for one american town. they might upset the birds nesting. might be sleeping. we're not kidding. it will scare them and wake them up. "fox & friends" starts right now.