capable of hitting israel as extended economic sanctions went into effect over the country's nuke program. the european union imposing an embargo on iranian crude oil. and washington introducing other measures as deep differences remain over the nature of iran's nuclear work. national security correspondent jennifer griffin live in washington. jennifer, the complexities run abound. >> reporter: well, arthel, it is interesting. this is the third straight day iran has been carrying out tests, war games in the region. the war games are certainly timed to coincide with the imposition of this oil embargo. today the iranians said that they were, that part of the war games were testing their homemade drones. the missiles that they tested, they say could hit 35 bases in the u.s. bases in the middle east. now there are paces as you know in kuwait, in the

united arab emirates and in qatar. they are all within striking range of these ballistic missiles. most of them are medium-range missiles. some are shahab-3, those are the longest range missiles they have tested. according to the iranian revolutionary guard those missiles have a range of 800 miles. they can go up to 1200 miles. of course israel, the border of israel is about 600 miles from iran. according to the iranian revolutionary guard commander in charge of this exercise he said, quote, these bases are all in range of our missiles and the occupied lands. that means israel. all are also good targets for us. that is according to the commander of the revolutionary guard's aerospace division. this is the third day of war games. iran flexing it muscles as the e.u. and others impose a

oil embargo on iranian nation. arthel? arthel: jennifer griffin. thank you very much for that report. rick: america's election headquarters up and running this 4th of july. the president is at the white house. governor romney also marking this independence day in different ways. the president taking part in an naturalization service right now for active duty u.s. servicemembers becoming u.s. citizens. the governor taking a little bit of a break from his vacation in new hampshire. chief correspondent jim angle watching all of this live from washington. jim, what is the president doing to celebrate the 4th? >> reporter: as you mentioned the president delivered remarks moments ago, in fact i believe still talking at a naturalization ceremony for noncitizens who are serving in the u.s. armed forces which he called the perfect way to celebrate july the fourth. tonight he will host and you can see him there as he speaks at the white house. tonight he will host a july the fourth celebration on the south lawn which

provides a perfect view of the fireworks on a the strip of park land known as the mall. his daughter malia is 14 today. there will have to be another birthday celebration in there somewhere besides the one for our country. rick. rick: happy birthday to malia. how about governor romney, what is he doing today? >> reporter: he is participating in one of those nice small town traditions. in a marching parade with senator kelly ayotte and some members of his family. he released as well, a highly-produced campaign video this morning talking about july 4th and celebrating just that. >> the vision, the values, the character, and the can-do spirit that is defined in our small towns have made america great. this is the america known for thriving farms, and factories, for prosperous towns and cities, great colleges and universities.

for solid communities and churches. >> reporter: and of course politicians of all stripes are releasing statements celebrating the 4th with many adding just a tinge of a political message to go with it. finally americans all over the country will be slathering buns for all the hotdogs and hamburgers they will consume today. hundreds of thousands of people will be celebrating the 4th, the way our founders did, with no electricity as they wait for power to be restored from last weekend's storm. rick? rick: jim angle down in the nation's capitol where so many people continue to be affected by the power outage. jim, thank very much. enjoy the holiday, my friend. >> reporter: thank you. >> while malia obama is opening her birthday gifts her father the president is getting a bump in the polls over the supreme court decision on health care but a the stall in the economy took over the headlines. poor manufacturing numbers this week and an expected weak jobs report due out friday could form a dark economic cloud over the

president's campaign. this as president obama prepares for a bus tour across pennsylvania and ohio. both rust belt states were hit hard during the recession. joining me now, juan williams, fox news political analyst. good to see you, juan. >> happy 4th, arthel. arthel: the president will go to folks in western pennsylvania and ohio, listen we're waiting for the jobs numbers but regardless of the unemployment rate, if it gets a bump or goes down, regardless, remember, i bailed out the auto industry and i saved a lot of jobs in your area. please keep that in mind. i want to ask you, will those voters in the rust belt states, will they listen to that? will that carry them through november and yes, thank you, mr. president but what have you done lately? >> if you look at recent numbers, arthel, the president is doing pretty well in the swing states. remember, ohio's economy has been producing jobs recently. the big problem we saw on

monday, manufacturing jobs have declined and that has been a real surprise to people. the first time in three years we've seen manufacturing go down. it is an indication those job numbers that you were refering to coming out on friday are likely to be weak. right now a survey of top economists indicate they think that the unemployment rate of 8.2% is likely to be unchanged or decline slightly. so again, no indication of the surge that the president would like to see in those economic numbers. arthel: juan, picking up on the fact that you just pointed out that the manufacturing jobs softer for the first time in three years, still softer, nonetheless and you're right, the economists are saying maybe come friday might still hover at the 8.2% unemployment rate. the president, i would imagine is going to say, but keep in mind, this has been albeit slow but steady economic growth since i took office. he may remind voters, keep in mind i've been working with a congress, republican

congress that has blocked me every step of the way and perhaps who are not for that things could be better. will that fly? honestly, juan, the president face is one on the dollar so does the buck stop with the president? >> it has got to and the president is on the ballot. here is the thing, arthel, if you're mitt romney's campaign, mitt romney's campaign will make the point they think this recovery should have been much more quick than it has been and they will point out to people that there are still that high unemployment rate. manufacturing as we've been discussing and they will say obama's economic policies have not helped the country and in fact have discouraged business development. as you're pointing out on the other side, you can see president obama saying, well you know what? we're making steady progress. we're in recovery and jobs are being created and don't change captains in the middle of the storm. that is going to be his pitch and also he has been having tremendous success in

the swing states he is visiting this week with advertising that portrays romney as someone who at bain capital, but even in massachusetts was a job destroyer, not a job creator. arthel: that success, and i would imagine of course governor romney doesn't want to focus on that. perhaps two other talking points would take out of note cards is obamacare since the supreme court upheld it and constitutional. the president hit a positive cord with young illegal immigrants. something else that the governor may want to take off his talking points. more importantly what does the governor had to put on his talking points, in his talking points to resound with voters hay lisen, guy, come november, i can get more jobs back to this country? >> he has to come out with strong plans. he has to really hammer it home as to exactly what he would do and how his plans differ from the president's. it has got to be simply tax cuts and less regulation. obama has a set response, arthel, don't go back to the

policies that got us into this ditch. you heard about the driving the bus into the ditch analogy probably to the point of nausea. but here's the idea. he has got to, mitt romney has got to make it clear to the american people that he ha

[ all ] yay! [ fele announcer ] new ensure clear. nine grams protein. zero fat. twenty-one vitamins and minerals. in blueberry/pomegranate and peach. refreshing nutrition in charge!

rick: one of the most popular parts of the health care law says that people with preexisting medical conditions can not be denied coverage. here's a poll that shows 85% of all the people in the country approve of that provision. just 12% disapprove. estimated of half of all americans can be considered to have a preexisting

condition. if republicans have their way and are able to repeal the healthcare law, the gop says better way for people to get insured are state-run programs with high-risk pools. what are they and will they do the job. we have a scholar from the institute of policy innovation and director of council of affordable health insures. jennifer draff patients with chronic illness. jennifer, start with you. half of all americans, full disclosure, i'm one of them with crohn's disease would be considered to have a preexisting condition, who are these people and how are they traditionally treated by regular private insurance companies? >> well, preexisting conditions are defined extremely broadly by insurance companies. you have chronic illness. i have a cronic illness. but people taking antidepressant have a preexisting condition for insurance purse. people who are on antibiotics at some point in the six months before they

applied for insurance are considered to have preexisting conditions. roughly a third of the people who apply for insurance with a preexisting condition are turned down. for the most part they have very few options. high-risk pools are certainly not a good option for most of them. for several reasons. starting with the fact that you have to wait for six months before you can get into a high-risk pool. tough go without insurance or without coverage of your preexisting condition. in addition, high-risk pools are very, very expensive. i know dr. matthews has talked about the minnesota high-risk pool. so i did a little research this morning and it would cost me under the minnesota high-risk pool $2200 a month in premiums. that is not including deductibles, co-pays and so on. rick: merrill, let me talk to dr. merrill matthews about this. these are concerns people have. conservatives certainly said they want to see people with these preexisting conditions

get coverage. they just think that a better way is these high-risk pools. as you listen to what our other guest was saying how do you answer those concerns? why should someone with a preexisting condition be forced to wait six months or a year to be covered for treatment of that, like cancer or medication for high blood pressure, that kind of thing? >> well, first let's get the size of the problem here. you have roughly 90 million americans in medicare or medicaid. they could have a medical condition. they get that coverage. you have roughly 170 million americans who get their health insurance through their employer. there may be a small waiting period but if you're going into a group policy with an employer you will get coverage. so what we're talking about is uninsured individuals with a medical condition who are wanting to go out and buy a policy on their own. and most insurance companies will check to see if there is preexisting condition. if there is major condition they may put a waiting period. may put a rider on there. may charge them more or may decline coverage. so 35 states have created

these state-based, nonprofit, high-risk pools to provide coverage for those people who are uninsured with a medical condition. you've got 220,000 americans in those pools. jennifer is right, they do charge more but, one of the things that you could do to make these better is provide federal funding to, for the safety net to make sure that those are affordable for low-income people and so forth because they do charge more than a standard policy. but they still lose money at that because these are people with preexisting conditions. rick: jennifer, what do you say about that? >> well, these high-risk pools are already being subsidized by the states. so, even at these very high premium prices people, health care costs are not being covered. it makes far more sense to me to have insurance companies provide coverage for people with preexisting conditions and have what has become known as the individual mandate to make

sure that free riders, people who choose not to get insurance but could afford insurance, make sure that they pay into the system so that we, the taxpayers, are not stuck paying their bills when they end up in an emergency room but they're you know able to pay. rick: the idea of a mandate was originally conservative idea. the term free rider jennifer uses is the exact same term that massachusetts governor mitt romney used in justifying the health care system he put in place in the state of massachusetts while he was there. why the change of heart? why have conservatives gone from being in support of individual mandate in order to cover those with preexisting conditions to suddenly think that is not the best way to go? >> quick correction, rick. some conservatives supported individual mandate during the clinton health care reform debate of the most did not. i was in middle of that debate. eight states during the 1990 passed a version of the clinton health care plan which required the insurance companies to accept anyone who applied in that individual market.

and they did not include the mandate. those premiums exploded as jennifer sort of alludes to. when you do that you have people who decide they're going to wait until they have a medical condition to get coverage. and so the pool gets very small, it gets very expensive. so the mandate imposed in the health care legislation is an attempt to try to resolve that problem but if the penalty isn't great and penalty isn't large, you're still going to find a lot of people gaming the system. that goes on in massachusetts right now which has that individual mandate. rick: it is an important subject. again a bipartisan concern that people with preexisting conditions be able to get access to affordable health care. it is a story we'll continue to follow. i hope you talk more with us about it. happy 4th of july to you both. >> thank you. >> thank you. arthel: rick, there is a new study raising concerns for parents about what their kids are doing on summer break. the u.s. substance abuse and

mental health services administration found june and july are prime months for teens to try drugs, alcohol and cigarettes for the first time, or to escalating drinking smoking and using marijuana and other drugs. bringing in lee vinokur. dr. vinokur is adjunct assistant professor at lsu health center, science center there in shreveport. good to see you, dr. lee. >> thanks for having me. arthel: let me break down the numbers, first of all. we're looking on average 11,000 teens using alcohol for the first time. of 5,000 smart smoking cigarettes. 500 try marijuana. these are really staggering numbers i think. so as a parent, what do you do to try to keep your kid from succumbing to the peer pressure? >> it is true and what is interesting about this it is, you know, like that saying idle hands are the devil's workshop. kids in summertime not

structured organized programs like school and such, they're seeing a spike. as an e.r. doctor, there is a spike. over 190,000 visits a year related to underage drinking and kids with alcohol. so i think the key is, no matter how much your teen amger rolls his eyes and growns when you try to talk to him about this, they are listening and you have to talk to your kids and keep them busy in the summer. arthel: keep them busy. some of them are not busy and faced with those pier pressures. what do you say with children out there? it is okay to be cool and say no and if your friends don't like you are they are not your friends in the first place? >> no, i think you're absolutely right. you need to have a frank discussion for your kids. if you drink, you need to be responsible about your drinking. i think most schools now do have drug and alcohol programs. and when your kids are going through the programs, start talking about them and start talking early. the cd csis says 11% of kids

between ages of 12 and 20 are consuming alcohol in this country. that is over 10% of the alcohol in this country is because of underage drinking. 90% of the time the kids are binge drinking at parties and trying it. before your kids go to a party or hang out or spend a weekend with other teenagers somewhere you need to have frank discussion about it. and it is serious. kids die from alcohol intoxication. driving related injuries. so it is very serious. arthel: that and the possible long term effects, addict shuns and the like. >> absolutely. arthel: glad you were here to point this out, dr. lee vinokur, lsu science center. >> my pleasure. rick: coming up the supreme court landmark decision about health care. we'll talk more about it and tell you what more than a dozen states are already planning to do when it comes to medicaid expansion. why they're looking to reject it even though the government will foot most of the bill, at first. a fair and balanced look

straight ahead. plus this probably isn't the american flag you're flying this july 4th but it could represent one of the first images of the stars and stripes. the history of old glory coming up next. male spirit present.trong it's the priceline negotiator. >>what? >>sorry. he wants you to know about priceline's new express deals. it's a faster way to get a great hotel deal without bidding. pick one with a pool, a gym, a great guest rating. >>and save big. >>thanks negotiator. wherever you are. ya, no. he's over here. >>in the refrigerator? by what's getting done. measure commitment the twenty billion doars bp committed has helped fund economic and environmental recovery. long-term, bp's made a five hundred million dollar commitment to support scientists studying the environment.

and the gulf is open for business - the beaches are beautiful, the seafood is delicious. last year, many areas even reported record tourism seasons. the progress continues... but that doesn't mean our job is done. we're still committed to seeing this through.

arthel: good to see you on this 4th of july. brand new stories coming up next hour. a judge deciding what evidence he will allow into

the upcoming drew peterson trial. he is charged with murdering his third wife. our legal panel will discuss the case. much-needed help for crews fighting wildfires out in the west the latest on the battle in colorado. new evidence about dinosaurs. what we're teaching scientists about creatures that once roamed the earth. rick: continued fallout from the supreme court decision on health care law. this time it centers on medicaid with 15 states now either outright rejecting or leaning against participating in the expansion of coverage for low-income people even though the government will be footing most of the bill at first. joining us mary katharine ham with "the daily caller" and fox news contributor and ryan clayton, democratic campaign consultant and funder of 100 proof politics.com. good to see you both. mary katherine, we talked about people with preexisting conditions who can not be denied coverage under obamacare. we're talking about poor people under expansion of medicaid and obamacare would

be guaranteed coverage. if you take that away and repeal obamacare, what happens to those low income people? >> i think that is the question we're going to be wrestling with partly because the court decided look you can not strong-arm the states into doing this by saying we'll yank away the rest of your medicaid funding. it is a shared program. the federal government foots bill. state government foots bill for part of it. what happened in the past the federal government gives you program with strings attached. sort of like a drug dealer in a bad '80s anti-drug psa we'll give you good stuff at first and hook you. later on they're not paying for it anymore. states are genuinely concerned. they have political concerns about obamacare. they're concerned you guys don't have the money to foot bill at 100%, 90%, 50%, whatever your promise is we don't see that happening into the future, in perpetuity. so we have issue with this. rick: ryan, republican governors say politically we don't want it but economically we can't afford it. >> yeah, first all, happy

4th. this is a day to celebrate independence and freedom. obamacare is about freedom. the freedom from fear that the illness will bankrupt your family. freedom from the wont of health care for friends and family and freedom to change your job or start a new business. freedom from the oppressive burden of injury, illness and disease. if american is sick they should be able to see a doctor. that is simple. i don't know why republicans and republican governors are standing against obamacare. they're standing on wrong side of history of guaranteeing most of americans access to affordable, high quality health care. rick: mary katherine, seen states opting out of medicaid to rejoin program or saying no, we don't want stimulus money and change their minds and take it? are the republican governors and 15 so far and going to follow through on this and say no to tens of millions, hundreds of millions or even more government money. >> i think it depends. i will reframe from speaking in norman rock well-posters

and dealing with actual facts. when you implement some of these programs, what happens, for instance, coverage under medicaid is not necessarily actually care. the government is really bad at doing this. they have end up taking down rates repaying doctors. doctors can not have a practice where they take medicaid patients and continuing to drop out of the program. when you expand this to 16 million more people how do you deal with the actual fact you have no money to pay for that? it ends up doctors can not survive in practices while taking medicaid patients. you have a bunch of people with little medicaid card says that the governor is taking care of them but it ain't. maybe you can send them a norman rockwell poster. rick: stick with norman rockwell for a second i remember in my doctor's office as a kid the doctor giving a the baby a needle in the tush. state of florida, ryan, says we have better more cost effective way of treating low income children in our state. the governor says give us a

chance, to put programs like that in statesside we can run and manage ourselves. isn't this a good idea to let those at the state level decide what programs would best fit for the people in each of those states? >> i mean the governor of florida is saying that, really just a joke. i hear these republican politicians talking about replacing obamacare but then i don't hear one word about what they would replace it with, you know? look these governors who are republicans i'm sure really easy for them because they get health care right now. they have government health care with their government job. i'm sure really easy for them to debate politics and play politics while millions of americans don't have access to affordable high quality care. obama stood up and fixed this problem. >> totally fixed. premiums continue to go up. that is why people are scared of losing their coverage. >> insurance companies are ripping off americans. that is what this law puts a stop to. >> it is not fixed. rick: take the challenge from ryan, instead of complaining about what you don't like about obamacare,

we've heard a lot about that. the polls show that majority of people don't like obamacare. when are republicans going to start talking specifics about what they would replace it with? how can they insure 30 or so million people who are now going to be insured under obamacare, if you repeal it, that insurance goes away. >> i would be really interested to hear that. >> wait, first of all i will say there are several simple ideas republicans talked about during the entire process that people just ignore you have no ideas. one being medical malpractice reform. buying insurance across states so you have competition between insurance companies. >> that doesn't solve the problem. that is not going to solve the problem. >> this is not solvinged problem. you know what they have right now under obamacare which is magically fixed all of our problems? they have high-risk pools. you know what issue with those, no one is getting into them. people are saying are not taked advantage of things in obamacare. why because it does not work. >> millions of americans puts health care. puts reason in the health

care system so insurance companies can not just make millions of dollars ripping off the american population. >> congratulations. it has been enacted for two years. are your problems fixed? >> if american is sick they should see a doctor, just that simple. rick: thank you both for joining us. hope you enjoy the rest of the holiday. level of heat comes down a little bit for you over next couple of hours as you enjoy the 4th of july. mary katharine ham, ryan. >> thank you very much. >> they will be fine after they get a little corn-on-the-cob. no it day off in politics in a presidential election year. we're minutes away from brand new polling for the race for the white house. scott rasmussen will join us to break undo the numbers. that is coming up. talk about going the distance, a former marine trekked coast to coast all for a good cause. he will tell you all about it coming up next. [ female announcer ] gross -- i'll tell you what's really gross:

used dishclot. they can have a history that they drag around with them. try bounty extra soft. in this lab demo, one set of bounty extra so leaves this surface 3 times cleaner than a dishcloth. the cleaner way to clean. bounty extra soft.

lori: former marine, jamie summerlin is nearing the finish line of his challenge of a lifetime. he is running from coast to coast. all along the way he is raising money for groups like wounded warriors. jamie started in oregon in march. he has covered 3300 miles. he joins us live now from washington. hi, jamie. >> good morning, how are you? arthel: i'm well. i understand your buddy, jason thomas, got you to run your first marathon three years ago. you're a former marine. your wife tiffany are former marines. you're strong people as we know. i want to know, do you remember at all, did the moment you said, you know what, i'm going to do this

cross-country run and i will do it for the wounded warriors project? >> yeah. i was actually out on a training run one day. i had this thought that, you know, i went from running very short distances to doing 50 mile overnight races. thought there is more to it than this. my wife and i, we've been married 16 years. we've got a couple of kids, the car, dog, cats. thought we had the american dream but i just thought there was something more to what we could do. as we were both marine corps veterans, thought there was a lot to do to support our wounded men and women as they come home. i picked up distance running. i'm passionate about running but i have a greater passion about the veteran community and i wanted to do something to support them. arthel: you're hoping to raise $500,000 at least i understand? >> yeah, that's correct. we set out a goal. it was a lofty goal. we're well on our way towards achieving it. there is lot more that can be done. the fight doesn't stop today, with the finish of the run

and parade here in annapolis. we have a little more to do. we're hoping to get people on board to support these great organizations out there taking care of wounded men and women returning home. arthel: indeed. you mentioned your children. i believe nicholas is 12. shanna is nine. i understand they're traveling alongwith you during this run in an rv. do they understand why daddy's doing this? what do you want them to take away from this? >> you know, obviously, it was a trying trip for all of us but it was something that i hope my children can take away from, an experience they got to see this great country. they got to see some amazing people. we had a chance to stop in va hospitals to talk to veterans to say thank you and let them know we appreciate them giving us freedoms we have. that is why daddy did every step of the way through all the weather conditions and everything we went through. i hope something that has impact on them and they share down the road with their friends and children

when they grow up. arthel: jamie, you've done a good job indeed. we want to say thanks to you and thank our veterans who are fighting this good fight and those who continue to do that. >> thank you very much. we've got a little bit more to do. tomorrow morning i'm stepping off at 5:30. doing a 100 mile run to rehobeth beach. help us get the goal because our men and women deserve everything we can do for them. arthel: amen. jamie, thank you very much. >> thank you. rick: what a great cause. coming up, deadly new violence rocking syria. many children are among the victims. this bloodshed as opposition leaders gather in egypt to work out a deal to remove president has saud from power. we're live with that story coming right up

>> announcer: meet mary. she loves to shop online with her debit card, and so does bill, an identity thief who stole mary's identity, took over her bank accounts and stole her hard-earned money. now meet jack. enough to enjoy retirement.saved angie, the waitress at jack's favorite diner, is also enjoying his retirement. with just a little information, she's opened up a credit line, draining the equity in jack's home. unfortunately, millions of americans just like you learn all it may take is a little misplaced information to wreak havoc on your life. this is identity theft, and no one helps stop it better than lifelock. see, ordinary credit monitoring services tell you after your identity has been stolen.

they may take up to 60 days to alert you-- too late for jack. lifelock has the most comprehensive identity theft protection available. if mary had lifelock's bank account alerts, she may have been notified in time to help stop it. if jack had lifelock's 24/7 proactive protection, he could have been alerted by phone or e-mail as soon as they noticed an attack on their network, before it was too late. lifelock has the most comprehensive identity theft protection available, guarding your social security number, your money, your credit, even the equity in your home. while identity theft can't be completely stopped, no one works harder to protect you than lifelock. you even g a $1 million service guarantee. that's security no one can beat. you have so much to protect and nothing to lose when you call lifelock right now and get 60 days of identity theft protection risk free-- that's right, 60 days risk free-- use promo code "not me". order now and get this document shredder to keep sensitive documents out of the wrong hands-- a $29 value, free.

[click-click] . jon: a new book questioning several accounts made by president obama in his own memoir. "dreams from my father." in a key piece of evidence in the trial of a formal cop a form in turn accused of killing his wife. what it could mean for the prosecution. plus, where some dinosaurs lived, they were covered in feathers. what we know that the about the creatures that used to walk the earth.

>> crews fighting wildfires in a great air force tanker planes cleared to go back in action finding some of the most destructive wildfires in decades. the tankers were temporarily grounded for a safety review after a deadly crash over the weekend. meanwhile, the worst wildfire in colorado history is now mostly contained. alicia acuna is live with the latest. reporter: adding insult to injury to the folks in colorado springs from the national weather service has issued a flash flood watch. the wadlow canyon fire burn scar in aerialist downstream. that runs through this evening and according to this watch, rainfall over the area could not only caused life-threatening flash flooding, but because that debris from the fire could start flowing downstream, that could be very dangerous as well fire

crews in california have contained a brush fire that started in palmdale. it quickly burned 200 acres due to dry winds. in utah from several vehicles burned and two businesses were evacuated in salt lake city after a three alarm brushfire ignited an industrial area. >> the missions are extreme. there hasn't been any water or moisture in more than a month and the winds are high. if you put all three of those together it is merely an explosive situation. >> that is the situation across most of the western u.s. firefighter conditions everywhere where things are extremely dry and hot. part of the reason that so many cities have decided to cancel their fourth of july fireworks celebrations. take a listen he meant this as one of the worst drought seasons that we have had great as a result, we cannot risk having fires. no smoking in public places. we have also banned that along with charcoal grills.

>> some of the other ways to celebrate, too. you don't necessarily need fireworks. >> exactly. grilling and drinking and hanging out. reporter: there are also several cases that have been personal fireworks as well. marcelle: thank you very much for that live update. rick: the punishing heat wave gripping the mid atlantic for the fifth straight day that the temperatures are at triple digits or near triple digits. more than a million people are still without power. no a/c for some people. hi steve, happy fourth of july. reporter: happy fourth of july. two big concerns down here on the national mall. one is heat and the other is security. let's start with security. here is the main security checkpoint. there are going to be eight of these with magnetometers, people are going to have to be checked out. a u.s. parks police spokesman said what people should do. >> we just want people to keep

in mind that there are going to be large crowds found here. we asked the public, if they see anything out of the ordinary, if you see something, please say something. reporter: okay. that goes for just about any time, especially around the washington area. the heat is intense. there is a red cross cooling area. there are cold compresses and medical attention if people need it. that could be a danger today because temperatures are going to be around 97 degrees. when you figure in the heat index with the humidity it will be a hundred or 105. one of the functions of the cooling center is this. they are not just water in one section of the want to make it super green right here. they are providing water, which i am getting some right now. if people want to walk through the sprinkler and cool off that way, they are welcome to do so. people who come down here are being advised to bring lots of water. it is going to be very hot.

where like clothing and be very aware of the heat index. that is the big problem down here. we don't expect any other big problems, people are going to be filling in this entire area up to the washington monument between now and the time the fireworks go off tonight at 9:00 p.m. rick: i love seeing the national mall. i hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable time down there. steve, thank you so much. marcelle: let's go international now. we have some breaking developments in syria where there was more bloodshed today. the opposition leaders gathered in egypt to try to hammer out a way to remove bashar al-assad from power. activists say that at least 17 people were killed this morning, including six children. legal invaders is following this. >> we are now learning today in an al qaeda inspired group is playing a much larger role in syria than we ever thought before. but the greatest now starting to

claim on websites that they are working to avenge the death of all the civilians that have been killed by president bashar al-assad's army. today more video coming up this time from close to damascus. it shows how the news is closing in around president bashar al-assad from all directions. according to the rebels killed, about 70 people. a complicated things for the united states and its allies. for so long the united states have been saying that the rebels are good, bashar al-assad is bad. the novice brigade, which is an al qaeda inspired group, changes the dynamic and makes it a little bit more complicated. if anybody wants to arm someone from also right now from the united states is trying to pressure russia to walk away from their longtime ally syria. russia has been protecting bashar al-assad and rearming him. we are also seeing heightened tensions among the turkish border where yet again turkish air force jets were scrambled to intercept syrian attack

helicopters, they got very close to the border. those are two large powers that they undoubtedly got into a shooting match content match -- it could make things very collocated right now. they just found the bodies of two turkish air force pilots who were in the plane that the syrians shot down a little bit more than a week ago. this syria and turkish issue is very significant. the turks have been strong with rebel scum and turkey is a member of nato. that means that if the syrians and turks started shooting, it would not and very well for president bashar al-assad in syria. at the same time, that could mean article five of nato being invoked, which would bring the united states squarely in the middle of that shooting match. >> to say the least, things have gotten so much more complicated there. leland vitter, thank you so much for helping us follow the bouncing ball over there. rick: in the meantime, our

military is being beefed up in the persian gulf. we show a force aimed at iran. it is a clear warning to stop iran from blocking the strait. bob scales is a fox news military analyst. always nice to talk to you, especially on the fourth of july, sir. do you like these moves are not. >> i think they are good moves and they are certainly prudent. the u.s. military presence in the states has really been struggling lately. f-22s have been brought in. at the service way, they are more than capable of dealing with the iranian navy. the message we're sending is don't even go there. the mess we are sending to the rest of the world is for now, at least, the states are secure. rick: what is the most significant asset that the military is moving into this region now? >> i think that the biggest thing is twofold. number one is we are telling the iranians that we are serious

about the oil flow. the unanswered question, the dark cloud that is looming all of this is the iranian nuclear trend. the iranians are playing for time, they are doing what they to show off, and in preparation for this big technical meeting in turkey, they are hoping to set the military seemed that says they are capable of someday delivering a nuclear weapon that is the real serious threat over the long-term. rick: to borrow a phrase, iran seems to feel that it is better and inalienable right to enrich uranium. how do we convince them otherwise? remapped well, good question. it is important to take a look at this from the iranian side. the river trent greens believe that they can survive in this attack. they are reasonably convinced,

at least with short-term come to the united states won't try. that is what gives them the strength, if you will, to whether these sanctions into whether the cyberattacks if we launch them against the iranians in the hope that over the next year or two, they will have an operable nuclear weapon, and perhaps a year after that, be able to shrink that if nuclear weapon with one of these missiles we have seen in the media. that, of course, becomes a real game changer. rick: how does this get resolved? americans don't want another war, sir. what happens here? >> i think we are a little bit far down the road to turn the iranians back. the israelis, as we iranians suspect, are incapable of stopping the program. my fear is that the iranians will vie for time, they will suffer economic hardships and continue to develop nuclear weapons. they think that nuclear weapons are the surest means that they have for keeping the united states at bay. i don't think the future is very

bright for preventing the iranians from getting nuclear weapons. rick: major general bob scales. enjoy the holiday with your family and thank you for spending part of it with us. marcelle: there is a new book raising questions about president obama's best selling memoir. asking how much of the life story was written by him. it is true. we are live in washington. take a look. it is not a stunt. an suv soaring in the air and it's all caught on tape. what happened next? [ female announcer ] research suggests the health of our cells plays a key role

throughout our entire lives. ♪ one a day women's 50+ is a complete multi-vitamin

designed for women's health concerns as we age. ♪ it has more of seven antioxidants to support cell health. that's one a day women's 50+ healthy advantage.

rick: a south african athlete making history today. he is the first to become the first amputee track athlete to compete in the olympics. the 25-year-old will compete in this summer's paralympics. he runs on carbon fiber blades

and competed at last year's world championships where he won a silver medal in the four by 400-meter relay. a genetic disorder at birth caused him to lose the use of his legs when he was just 11 months old. president obama facing new questions about his own rendering of his life story in his first memoir. the president doesn't deny that his book "dreams from my father" was based in part of the family mythology, a new biography calls into question some aspects and inconsistencies in the presence story. chief correspondent james rosen is live. reporter: good afternoon. the president touched on account of his own life story is, as you say, receiving fresh scrutiny. mr. obama has written about a white girlfriend he had in new york in the early 1980s. that woman recently identified as genevieve cook says that mr. obama grossly exaggerated

some of the details of their experiences together. the president himself recently knowledged in an oval office interview that he took an incident with a different girlfriend in chicago, one that heightened his sense of estrangement from white people at the time, and made it seem like that happen with genevieve cook. these are some of the discrepancies that people can find in "dreams from my father", the best-selling memoir that mr. obama published in 2005. and also, barack obama the story. which is by trent eight. it was his mother and daughter who left barack obama senior, a physically volatile bigamist, not the other way around. in the introduction, mr. obama admitted his impression of character. some suggested that stems from obama's desire to please the memoir in a long tradition of

african american literature to begin with slave memoirs and runs right up with the autobiography of malcolm ask. >> it doesn't matter if you made up stuff. after all, it is like going to a psychiatrist, and you make up stuff, the psychiatrist can psychoanalyze you because that is fabrication say as much about him and what he is trying to tell you as a writer than if he is telling his so-called straightforward truth. reporter: he considers "dreams from my father" still useful to understanding the president's interior dialogue when he was a young man. marcelle: james rosen, great is you and i hope you have a happy and safe fourth of july. you and your family. rick: welcome news for u.s. combat troops as they pack up their gear and get ready to leave afghanistan. how a u.s. apology to pakistan will make their trip a lot easier and save hundreds of millions of dollars. plus, what americans think about the supreme court decision on

health care. and whether the law should not be repealed. don't go away. okay, team! after age 40, we can start losing muscle -- 8% every 10 years. wow. wow. but you can help fight muscle loss with exercise and ensure muscle health. i've got revigor. what's revigor? it's the amino acid metabolite, hmb to help rebuild muscle and strength naturally lost over time. [ female announcer ] ensure muscle health has revigor and protein to help protect, preserve, and promote muscle health. keeps you from getting soft.

[ major nutrition ] ensure. nutrition in charge!

rick: right now in afghanistan, plans are moving forward to spending 2300 combat soldiers home by the end of september. kandahar is the center of the drawdown efforts. in addition to the fourth of july, they are celebrating the reopening of supply routes from pakistan. streaming live from the kandahar airfield, we have our reporter dominic. reporter: hello, rick. absolutely. the pakistanis decided they're going to open the crucial supply routes here in afghanistan. they're going to take everything back to the united states. it is going to say the united states an awful lot of money.

the commander of the logistical part of that program of the drawdown has told me that this is what he had to say. >> right now we fly all of our equipment out of all of our locations in afghanistan. yes, it will be proportionally very cost effective to go through the area and drive it down a port the port and ship it back to the united states. reporter: while the borders will open as soon as possible, we will not see u.s. convoys rolling out straightaway. we will see to were three months before that will happen. primarily, so much that has been waiting all these months. the kind of things that the afghans are buying up u.s. military. on top of that, much needed field supplies. that has to come first, and then we will start seeing the heavy armored equipment and vehicles going after that. it is going to save the united

states about a hundred and $4 million a month. that is how much they will save. if a rally between the united states and rally has been going on, but that relationship by no means is repaired, and as the drawdown continues, tensions will certainly continue that could have some sort of dimension for the drawdown that happens starting now until the end of 2014. rick: dominant streaming live. thank you so much. marcelle: america's election headquarters and a holiday update on presidential politics. the rest rasmussen report shows governor romney leading 47 to 47 to 44%. the president of rasmussen reports is here with us. we met happy fourth of july to you. 77% of americans are watching some fireworks tonight. rick: marcelle: we will talk about

another fourth of july question as well. the numbers i just mentioned, they are pretty close. one or two is driving him? >> look, the rates for the last month have been very close with governor romney either being one or two or three points ahead. president obama, last week, got a nice boost after the supreme court ruling. but that is fading. the election is leaning in romney's favor. four months ago is way too close to call. marcelle: way too close to call them something that people will be looking out for these next few months. that is the health care and the proposal to repeal the health care bill and stop it from going into effect, as you know. you posed the question, which is do you favor or oppose the proposal to repeal? 52% said they are in favor of it. 39% they oppose the idea of repealing. i ask you, how does that play into governor romney's hands? >> it certainly helps governor romney. this health care law is a burden

on the obama campaign. those numbers are about the same as they were the week after the law was passed. they have been consistent or the democrats don't want to repeal the law. most significantly, senior citizens, people who use the health care system are in the strongest favor of repeal. ultimately, this is a big issue. we can't deny it. the economy is going to be the biggest issue of 2012. rick: marcelle: we will get to that, scott, were you surprised that even after the supreme court deemed obamacare constitutional, and upheld it, were you surprised that it was still 52% that was in favor, versus 39% that opposed the repeal possibility we might. >> the supreme court was able to declare the law constitutional. these numbers have not budged. the demographics have been the same and the intensity is more in favor of repeal than in favor of a law. it has been unchanged.

and it is not just unchanged week after week for the two years since the law passed. these are virtually the same numbers that we saw before was passed where most americans said no, we don't want them to do this. this is one of the issues, whatever you think about it, nobody is going to change their mind between now and november. because they heard it all and they haven't changed their mind yet before let me take a look at another poll. you mentioned but basically it is all about the health of the economy. the question is, is the health care bill, if it is repealed, without a good or bad for the economy? 43% say it would be good for the economy. 27% said it is bad for the economy. what do you make of those numbers we might. >> well, again, this is consistent with what we have seen. most americans view additional government spending and involvement as a burden on the economy. with romney, to say the economy is in trouble, this is something we can do to help the economy with other programs before all right. let's go to the fourth of july pool that i want to update you.

the pledge of allegiance says that the united states is a nation with liberty and justice for all. generally speaking, do you believe this is true? 53% said yes. 40% said no. >> that is right. these numbers show that we are not perfect yet. 73% believe we do have more freedom than most other countries in the world. 94% believe that we are all endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights. we are working our way towards it. before you can see can't see me, but absolutely on the fourth of july -- [laughter] good to see you and happy fourth of july to you. rick: as we celebrate america's independence, we will tell you what mother nature has in store for the rest of your fourth of july plans. plus, new twist in the drew peterson murder trial. a judge just throwing out east of evidence. what was that? and why the prosecution says it is crucial to their case.

our homes work for us. so let's make our dryers do the ironing. have our fridges cater our parties. and tell our ranges to whip up dinner. let's plug in to summer savings before they're gone... ...without wasting an ounce of energy with smart machines that turn housework into house play. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. right now, save $600 on this maytag french door refrigerator, just $1,598.

announcer: shelters are the best places to find a new pet. what a perfectly beautiful little lady. announcer: that's where you'll discover healthy, loyal, and loving animals... cute little rascal. eager to become a part of your family. a person is the best thing to happen to a shelter pet. oh, ladies first. be that person. adopt. tramp: this is living, hey, kid! to find out more, visit theshelterpetproject.org. rick: fox news alert weather alert. forecasters issuing new warnings this fourth of july as a brutal heatwave bakes much of the central part of the country. how much longer will it last? maria molina live in the weather center. >> reporter: happy fourth of july to you and everyone. we've had this on going heatwave for a week in the midwest and southeast and we expect it to continue for today and even for the first part of the weekend

for saturday. for a long period of time we are expecting to see temperatures well into the 90s and triple digits for some. kansas city expecting a high temperature of 1010 degrees. factor in humidity it will seem higher. 99 in chicago. cincinnati high of the 5. parts of the mississippi valley are expecting generally dry weather. as we head eastward across the northeast and also the southeast we have enough humidity in place where we can see showers and thunderstorms firing up especially as we head into the afternoon and evening hours. new york city that is going to be what we are looking at in the forecast over the afternoon hours. it's going to be very isolated stuff, not everyone is going to get a shower or a thunderstorm. most of you guys will actually be seeing that sunshine and those hot temperatures into the 90s here in new york city. 9pm wednesday we are expecting the fireworks across the hudson in manhattan. we could see a thunderstorm but i think we'll be fine and stay generally dry and dry things out

basically through midnight. philadelphia could see an isolated shower or thunderstorm as well. high temperature out there or later tonight is actually expected to be at 90 degrees. atlanta you're expected to stay dry. further west, chicago, dallas, even los angeles not expecting any rainfall today. rick: enjoy the holiday, thanks so much. arthel: new details on the upcoming trial of a former illinois police officer charged with his wife's murder. the judge now refusing to admit as evidence the bathtub in which drew petersen's third wife was found dead back in 2004. so what does this mean for the state's case? joey jackson is a former prosecutor, pilar prinz is a criminal defense attorney. welcome to both of you. >> thank you, good afternoon. happy independence day. >> happy fourth. arthel: joey i'm going to start with you. is this the case of the judge throwing the baby out with the bath water or in this case the bathtub? i mean the prosecution was

calling the tub a murder weapon. how does this play out for the prosecution's case? >> ultimately they'll still be able to, that is the prosecution, they'll still be able to proceed and very effectively but they'll do it in a different way. here is why. what happened is, is help wanted the actual bathtub to be brought in to be evaluated, seen and inc inspected by the jury, the judge said no, it was overly prejudicial, did not want it lead. said it would be misleading without the context of the home. the better course of action was to allow the photographs. i believe, however that the jury should have had the right to review and evaluate that. trials are about a search for the truth. how do we get to the truth? we get to it by the jury being focused, engaged and being able to see everything in making their own conclusions. i don't think this signals a death knell at all in the prosecution's case, they'll have to use and rely upon photographs as opposed to the actual bathtub. arthel: pilar let's get to you now on this. perhaps the judge, i don't know

what the judge's thinking was, perhaps it was an attempt to avoid any potential courtroom histrionics. there is a possibility, though, that the judge says, hey i may consider the idea of the jury taking a field trip of sorts, having them reconstruct that tub back in the old home of the couple so they can take a look at it. what do you think is behind the judge's decision? and how does this play for the defense? >> first of all, i think it was the right decision. it would have been theatrical, prejudicial, confusing, i think very damaging for the jury if they had just wheeled this bathtub into the courtroom because it would be totally taken out of context without seeing where it was in the bathroom, everything else that was in the bathroom. i have to say that i'm personally opposed to the judge, and he hasn't done it yet, but i'm opposed to the judge letting the state put this bathtub back into a bathroom where it was taken out of four years ago and let th-g jury go into this house to see it. the purpose of letting a jury visit a scene is to assist the

jury in figuring out what happened. now i don't know what happened that day, and neither does joey jackson, but i do know this. taking that jury into this home is not going to help them figure it out either. this home is owned by another family, and we all know that a home takes on the life of the people that live in it. now we've got another family's things in it, their furniture in it, their children, their grandchildren running around in it, you can't take what existed in 2004 and recreate it today because it's a completely different feel and situation and it would just confuse and mislead this jury. >> pilar raises a great point i think. they can't have it both ways, that is the defense. ultimately the prosecution is saying that this is the murder weapon. as a result of that the jury has the right to evaluate that piece of evidence, and determine whether it was likely -- >> i disagree with you. >> i know you do. >> hold on a minute. here is why. if he drowned by petersen's hands as the state is claiming he did then the murder weapon is no more the bathtub than it

would be the water. the bathtub is part of the scene of the crime it's not any kind of a murder weapon. >> you have to evaluate it in context. she had injuries that they are saying were consistent with a fall. if it's consistent in a fall in the bathtub the bathtub has evidentiary value because it's the addition of the bathtub that makes it significance. arthel: you know that also -- excuse me, pilar, what you're talking about is things that could be taken out of context. and with that we -- last point we talk about this, the idea of admitting hearsay into the court. now apparently the judge is going to have the divorce attorney of the third wife answer questions, but will not allow video featuring petersen, including network interviews that he's done, the judge saying those are just grossly prejudicial. >> prejudicial. arthel: right. and then you have petersen's pastor who will be called in to testify, who testified actually more than two years ago saying

that his third wife, stacy peterson the body was found and stacy peterson said that she saw drew petersen dressed in black and putting his clothes and another woman's clothing into their washing machine. again, we are talking about some hearsay being brought in to this hearing, and perhaps not. joey let me go with you on this. how do you feel about owl of this. and this possible testimony that might come to bear? >> well, ultimately here is what the judge is trying to avoid. he's trying to avoid a couple of things. one is appealable issues. if there is a conviction there are going to be appeals based upon evidence that the defense said should not be admissible. at the same time understand what hearsay is, it's an out-of-court statement by someone who is not there to give it and you can't cross-examine. if you're talking to me about something someone else told you i can't cross-examine that someone else, i can only cross-examine you. in that con text admitting any kind of hearsay becomes problematic. however, that being said in the event that the hearsay could be

deemed reliable, we know that they just passed this law in chicago as a result of this. you know, very -- this very instance, i think then perhaps i think the hearsay, if it's reliable should be admitted and would tend to prove an additional fact. arthel: all right, pilar you get the last word. >> you disagree with that too. [laughter] >> i'll give you credit for some of it. joey is right about some of it. the judge is being very careful because he doesn't want to create error in this high profile case. there are different areas, whether it's the pastor, whether it's stacy peterson who obviously can't testify herself, there is some suggestion that a former mistress they want to let in which in my opinion is highly unreliable. the judge really has to piece through each person and piece of evidence and decide fact by fact what he's going to let in and what is too prejudicial and too dangerous to give to the jury. arthel: pilar as i said you had the last word there. joey, by the way if i ever make any prejudicial remarks regarding you you can believe that they will be in your favor.

>> our so sweet,. >> nice to see both much you. >> you as well, happy holidays. rick: the american flag, let's talk about the origin of the flag, a symbol of course of our freedom and independence and a key part of the july fourth celebrations. but the history of the stars and stripes a little bit clouded and there is mystery about it. there is a flag that flies out in front of fox news world headquarters in midtown manhattan. no one is sure exactly where the idea for old glory came from. it may have started with a revolutionary war soldier and the horn he used to carry his gunpowder. it dates back know march 1776, the horn has a flag carved on it. take a look at that, one that had 13 stripes, and a pattern very similar to the union jack. it also had little dots on it which john milar who is a spare time part time historian interprets like stars. others say it looks like dashess, even though there aren't enough of them.

he sees stars and he flies the interpretation of that flag at the inn he runs in williamsburg, virginia. 13 stripes, 13 stars representing the 13 colonies. a little different from what we are used to seeing, one person's interpretation. we like that. we love it when our viewers help us bring you the new. today being july fourth we wanted to show you a couple of these 16-month-old charlie polski there he is from redding ton beach florida getting into the patriotic spirit. the picture sent in by his dad ethan. >> sandy yarboro getting farm dog buster all decked out for the fourth of july festivities. very nice. if you have any photos or videos you'd like to share with us you can upload them by logging onto foxnews.com/ureport. the letter u report. when we come back a look at diplomatic relations between the u.s. and can today. are we on the same page with our

long-time ally or headed in different directions? [ male announcer ] this is anna, her long day teaching the perfect swing begins with back pain and a choice. take advil, and maybe have to take up to four in a day. or take aleve, which can relieve pain all day with just two pills. good eye. st $14.99. start with soup, salad ancheddar bay biscuits then choose one of 7 entrees plus dessert! four perfect courses, just $14.99. come into red lobster and sea food differently.

but last year my daughter was checking up on me. i wasn't eating well. she's a dietitian and she suggested i try boost complete nutritional drink to help get the nutrition i was missing. now i drink it every day, and i love the great taste. [ female announcer ] boost has 26 essential vitamins and minerals, including calcium and vitamin d to help keep bones strong and 10 grams of protein to hp maintain muscle. all with a delicious taste.

your favorite patient is here! [ dad ] i choose great taste. i choose boost.

rick: welcome back, everybody, happy holidays. the u.s. and canada have a lot in common besides their long border. an essay in a u.s. foreign policy journal says that president obama is turning his back on our friendly neighbor of the north. we have a minister of state of foreign affairs in canada, a member of parliament. a belated happy canada day, which i know was celebrate ned your country a few days ago, 145 years, very nice. >> yes, we are just a baby country compared to you, but it's very good to be here in washington to join you for your independence day celebration, and our american friends and canadian friends have a lot to celebrate. rick: thank you very much, minister. how are u.s.-canadian relations

now. >> we see them as very strong. there have been a number of cooperative measures being taken to especially to free up our common border to facilitate the billions of dollars in trade each day, and the hundreds of thousands of visitors each day that go back and forth between our two countries. rick: what do you make of this article that i referenced just a moment ago in a foreign affairs publication here, they talked about a strained relationship, strained over the keystone pipeline project, strained over problems between the two countries over trade. is there anything to that? >> well, there is always bumps in the road in any relationship, any human relationship, but we are very happy with the relationship we have with the united states. we have deep ties. our border and our relationship are the most open and intimate arguably in history, and as we discuss issues we find solutions coming forward, particularly on

the perimeter, arrangements that we are entering into with the united states, and we believe that projects between our new countries will continue to be discussed. if there is a good case for them, if jobs are created we believe they will go forward, and we hope that cooperation will continue. rick: i want to ask you about global affairs outside of north america, iran in particular. i know that your foreign affairs minister john baird has been a part of those talks between western nations and iranians to try to get them to halt their nuclear program there. how big of a threat does canada see iran's nuclear program. >> rick, we state it very strongly and starkly. we believe that iran is the greatest threat to global peace and security right now, and we are calling on iran, we have some of the toughest sanctions in the world on iran, we are calling on them to respect their

international obligations to cooperate with the international atomic agency, and we are very pleased to see stronger sanctions being put into place, just on sunday by the european union, and we believe the pressure on iran is building, and we are hopeful that that will pressure them to comply with the obligations and the requests of the p-5 groups. rick: i like how you put it there are always going to be little bumps in the road. such an important relationship between our two countries and we continue be happier to have you join us today. the honorable diana blonzie who is a member of parliament. thank you very much. enjoy your time in the states. >> i will and then i'm going to the 100th anniversary of the calgary stampede. rick: isn't that nice. enjoy that as well. thanks so much for your time. >> thank you, rick. arthel: growing up in the shadow of the statue of liberty.

in three minutes we will hear what life was like for several families who once called liberty island home. also, an incredible new research on dinosaurs, the amazing discovery comparing t-rex to a bird. to a little girl who saw flames reach her home as her family pulled out of the driveway, this isn't just a teddy bear. it's a step towards normal. it's why allstate catastrophe teams didn't just arrive at these fires with cold water and checks to help the grown-ups start the rebuilding... they also brought thousands of these teddy bears for kids. people come first. everything else is second. [ female announcer ] allstate customers affected by the recent wildfires call 1-800-547-8676. visit a mobile claims office, your agent or allstate.com [ music plays, record skips ] hi, i'm new ensure clear. clear, huh? my nutritional standards are high. i'm not juice or fancy water, i'm different.

i've got nine grams of protein. twist my lid. that's three times more than me! twenty-one vitamins and minerals and zero fat! hmmm. you'll bring a lot to the party. [ all ] yay! [ female announcer ] new ensure clear. nine grams protein. zero fat. twenty-one vitamins and minerals. in blueberry/pomegranate and peach. refreshing nutrition in charge!

arthel: we thought we would bring you a unique american story this fourth of july, growing up in the shadow of lady liberty. dan perkins' story is in this month's reminisce magazine. he was one of several military families who lived on what was called bedlow's island in the 1930s, now liberty island, spending part of his childhood on a army post next to the statue of liberty.

joining me via satellite is mr. dan perkins. hi and happy fourth to you mr. perkins. >> thank you. it's good to be here. good to be above ground. arthel: absolutely. i understand that. we are happy to have you. first of all, did you and your brother realize that your neighbor was a pretty big deal? >> yes, it was quite a thing for us, because a lot of people came there to visit, and in the old days they came up to the front of the statue to visit her and they had a covered pier, and now they have a pier behind her, so they approach her from the rear, and it's quite a walk, and it used to be pretty short, and they had steps going up to the statue, but i guess that is progress for you. arthel: progress for you, indeed, because you're talking about walking. you and your brother weren't enable to walk to school in

those days because you had to take a boat, a ferry to school, is that correct? >> that's correct. we went on what the excursion boat called the hook mountain, and we went to fortj, which was governor's island, which was an army post at that time, and we went to school every day on a boat, and one day it was kind of foggy, and a ferry collided with us, and the cat walk protruded into the boat, but no problems arose, and they took the hook mountain off the run for a while and got her fixed, and then we went on a boat called a favorite. arthel: lots of boating, because i read your story and there was only one truck on the island and that was a one-ton ford army truck. you're here mr. perkins because

we are fascinated that your neighbor was the statue of liberty. and on this day, considering you grew up in such a patriotic way, what is it that you would like to tell fellow americans, in terms of being patriotic? >> well, i live in a small town, and i was kind of put out when the american legion came by with the american flag, a lot of people seemed to be oblivious. even though i sit on a swing on the front porch, i did get up and hold my hand over my heart, because i've got a deep reverance for my country and the united states army because my father was in 30 years and my brother was in 27. arthel: happy fourth to you and your family.

we are so glad to have you to help spread the patriotic feelings here on this independence day. thank you so much mr. dan perkins. and we will be right back after this. mine was earned off vietnam in 1968. over the south pacific in 1943. i got mine in iraq, 2003. usaa auto insurance

is often handed down from generation to generation. because offers a superior level of protection, and because usaa's commitment to serve the military, veterans and their families is without equal. begin your legacy, get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. cheeseburger. you know what, got any salads ?

b-ball, anyone ? and then take your leg wide out to the side. you can do it, dad ! thanks, girls. i'm really proud of you, dad. make the most of your network with verizon. more 4g lte coverage than all other networks combined. this is a test ember that escapes from a wildfire can travel more than a mile. you can't control where that ember will land only what happens when it does

get fire adapted now at fireadapted.org arthel: welcome back. a fossil that was formed 150 million years ago, shedding new light on dinosaurs. here is the fossil. the predatory dinosaur shows the whole body was covered with feathers. it was the first evidence of feathers on a dinosaur that is not closely related to birds. the discovery has scientists considered a theory that all predatory dinosaurs were covered in feathers. rick: very cool. one of our producers sent in this picture. let's take a look. a grandmother, mary kaye henderson, and her grandchild, claire megan therese. look at them. they are celebrating early in kansas. a happy fourth of july to all of

you and you claire henderson on "happening now." if you have any photos or videos you would like to share, upload them by logging onto fox news.com last you report. is she just adorable or what? arthel: she is adorable. happy fourth of july to you and your families. stay safe and be well. nonetheless, thank you for joining us on "happening now." i am arthel neville and hosting with rick folbaum. megyn kelly is here with "america live" and she has lots of news. megyn: fox news alert for a brand-new threats from iran and that the united states and israel. welcome to "america live." i am megyn kelly. this threat came with an aggressive run toward industry firing off missiles in the desert. a top desert with the elite revolutionary guard telling an iranian news agency that iran

could destroy u.s. bases and strike israel within minutes. within minutes undreamt minutes of any possible attack could take. take a look at this map. the long-range missile is believed to be able to strike the area in yellow. that highlights where u.s. forces are stationed, and of course, israel. leland vitter is live with more. reporter: the revolutionary guard is not directly threatening the united states and its forces in the middle east. we know from our reporting yesterday that in the last 24 hours, a large buildup has been going on, including the f-22s, now based in the middle east, possibly capable of eight attacks inside iran. iranians may the iranians may be worried about an american attack as they are an israeli attack or