bret? >> bret: thank you.jority leader harry reid hopes to get a deal done soon with republicans over new filibuster rules. they want to require senators to be present when they filibuster. republicans are resisting that. reid hinted he may use the so-called nuclear option to change the rules, with a simple majority of 51 votes instead of the usual two-third. the dow continued its momentum, up for a fourth day if a row today. industrial average gained 67. to reach the highest closing value since halloween of 2007. the s&p 500 finished ahead two. the nasdaq increased 10-1/2. we will hear from the chairman of the house foreign affairs committee a bit later. up next, why you are giving a powerful weapon to enemy of a friend. [ male announcer ] ok, here's the way the system works. let's say you pay your guy around 2% to manage your money. that's not much you think. except it's 2% every year. does that make a difference? search "cost of financial advisors" ouch. over time it really adds up. then go to e-trade and f

bret? >> bret: thank you. first major prisoner swap at the syrian civil war is underway. 48 iranians held captive from august were freed by rebels. greeted at damascus hotel by iran ambassador. syrian government agreed to release 2,000 detainees. american officials say iran government is behind video and photographs of retired f.b.i. agent levinson who disappeared there in 2007. the "associated press" report the high quality of the images sent anonymously to his family two years ago led to the conclusion. iran denied any involvement. the administration begins a new gun control effort. we will talk about it with the fox all-stars when we come back. living with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis means living with pain. it could also mean living with joint damage. help relieve the pain and stop the damage with humira, adalimumab. for many adults with moderate to severe ra, humira is clinically proven to help relieve pain and stop joi damage. so you can treat more than just the pain. humira can lower your abi

bret? >> bret: continue to follow it catherine, thank you. secretary of state hillary clinton remains under hospital observation after being treated for a blood clot related to the concussion. she sustained earlier this month. her doctor says that clot is located between her brain and the skull behind her right ear. the doctors say it did not result in a stroke or neurological damage. the clot is being treated with blood thinners, her doctors are predicted a full recovery. looking live now at the senate floor. not a lot going on there. but a lot going on behind the scenes. senate democrats may meet the vice president may go up there. republicans talking about what they will do. there is an expectation that the senate will bring forward a piece of legislation that will be voted on tonight. we are three hours and about 46 and a half minutes away from this fiscal cliff deadline and, oh, yes, 2013. keep it here on "special report." every year we pick a new city to explore. but thanks to hotwire, this year we got to take an extra trip. because the

bret? >> bret: james, thank you.inally the immigration bill to make everyone happy or at least satisfied? or is this false optimism early? we'll ask fox all-stars when we come back. >>> this is a positive first step. but the truth is the congressional leadership will be to pass a comprehensive bill. senator from nevada, for years witnessed firsthand the difficulties are broken that presents from immigrants and the families. it's important to me personally we finally resolve the issue. i will do everything in my power as the majority leader to get a bill across the finish line. >> we have an obligation and the need to address the reality of the situation we face. adress in a way fair to the people that are doing it right way. and in essence, the hundreds of people that come to our offices every year whose relatives from all around latin america and the world are waiting in line to legally come here. we have to be fair to them. >> bret: the day before they lay out the plan. four democrats and four republicans, laying o

bret? >> bret: mike, frankly as we look live there on the the screen as the ohio clock position just outside the senate chamber, the spot where senate republicans come to speak to reporters and the reporters are mulling around there waiting for that democratic caucus meeting to finish up, but the bottom line here is that they are going to have to deal with this all again in just a few weeks as republicans are setting up, mike, to really fight the spending cut battle using the debt ceiling increase as their backstop. using the debt ceiling increase as leverage come february and it looks like that we are setting up for what could be another standoff in washington just a few weeks into the new year. >> bret, no question about that. that was something we heard the president say he did not want to go through another one of the debt ceiling fights and wanted that to be included in this deal. it is not. republicans a lot of them i talked to today are are saying we will live to fight another day in

bret? >> bret: mike, thank you.cking with the tet and deficit issues, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are talking about what to do in a worse case scenario. the government not having enough money to pay its bills. chief political correspondent carl cameron reports on a possible short-term solution that is getting a long look by some people. >> with the white house refusing to negotiate spending cuts and the democrat controlled senate unlikely to pass a budget as part of a long-term deal to raise the tet ceiling, pat toomey of pennsylvania is reintroducing legislation he says will avert the u.s. from defaulting on the debt. >> we must prioritize three categories of payments. one would be debt service, interest on the debt so we would haven't default. a second would be social curt payment to seniors so they don't worry whether the check is coming or not. the third is pay for the active duty military personnel. >> the white house is not interested. >> let's be real here. there is no off-ramp. there is no way to mi

bret?bret: we are just getting word that the senate majority leader harry reid adjourned the senate until noon tomorrow. what are the republicans saying about the possibility of amending the bill and what it means for the future of it if they choose to come out of the meeting and put the spending cuts in the bill. what are they saying about what it means? >> david dryer head of the house rules committee expressed concern about time being a factor. he expressed concern it could kill the bill and you'd have to start over with a new bill in the 113th congress that starts in less than 48 hours so there is concern about that. others are saying we were elected to cut spending in washington. we need to do this. the clock is running. waiting to see what they will do. >> bret: we'll watch it and head back to breaking news with you. what a difference a day makes? not even a day. they were on their way to pass the legislation to avert the pain of self-imposed fiscal cliff and the trappings for the tim

." ♪ ♪ >> bret: good evening. i'm bret baier. the second day in a row we begin with a new plan to fix america's immigration system. monday, group of bipartisan senators shared their though thoughts. today was president obama's term to unveil his proposal this time in glitzy las vegas. is one of plans deserving of a roll of a dice, or will congress eventually cash out again? white house correspondent wendell goler reports from sin city. >> a speech intended to pressure congress to take up immigration reform was partly rewritten to applaud bipartisan proposal announced by eight senators the day before. >> the good news is that for the first time in many years, republicans and democrats seem ready to tack thi tackle this pm together. >> president stopped short of endorsing the senate plan because aides say the legislation hasn't been written. they say the principle mirror his own. but the critics aren't so sure. the biggest difference is that mr. obama's plan would give a faster path to citizenship for the 11 million people already

this is "special report." ♪ ♪ >> bret: good evening. i'm bret baier. man who wants to be the president top diplomat stated his case to a friendly group of senators today. john kerry made it clear he knows he will have his hands full. just today, north korea said it would conduct another nuclear test and suggested it intend to have missiles to deliver warheads to the u.s.. the fighting in syria intensified in damascus today. there is still a lot of mystery surrounding last week's hostage siege in algeria. france is ramping up the presence in the fight against islamic terrorist in mali. and the mideast is still the middle east, with the speckor of a nuclear iran and what israel might do to stop it. mike emanuel tells us the easiest part for kerry will likely be the confirmation process. >> in a dangerous world where al-qaeda finds new places to operate, the second term of the obama administration will face numerous foreign policy challenges. >> usama bin laden in documents that came out of abadabad quoted as urging his cohorts to go to other places. to g

bret? >> bret: shannon, thank you.the first presidential campaign, candidate obama said he was against signing a bill in law but also attaching a statement resevening congressional right to bypass the law as end run around the provisions. he told the boston globe in 2007, i will not use siping statement to nullify congressional instructions enacted in law. last night he released one to the national defense authorization act. he wrote in part even though i support the vast majority of the provisions contained in this act, i do not agree with them all. the president issued # 2 signing statements since take office. al gore gets a big pay-out from al-jazeera. we'll explain in the grapevine. you next, president obama may have difference with the predecessors but he kept bush's war on terror policies. [ male announcer ] coughequence™ #8. waking the baby. [ coughs ] [ baby crying ] ♪ [ male announcer ] robitussin® liquid formula soothes your throat on contact and the active ingredient relieves your cough. robitussin®. don't s

. >> bret: a u.s. senator suggests delaying confirmation of new cia director until he gets answers about the benghazi terror attack. he is here to explain. meanwhile, one of the few suspects in that attack walks. this is "special report." ♪ ♪ >> bret: good evening. i'm bret baier. the already troubled investigation in to september's deadly terror attack on the u.s. mission in benghazi, libya, suffered another set-back. tunisia man suspected of involvement, has been released from custody. we'll get reaction shortly from one of the administration's biggest critics on the issue. first, national security correspondent jennifer griffin has the story from the pentagon. >> four months to the day since ambassador chrissteins and three others were killed in a terror attack on the u.s. benghazi mission, one of the only suspects in custody has been released. 26-year-old, tunisia detained in turkey was released by tunsen court due to lack of evidence according to the lawyer. he was present in the attack on the u.s

big crowd. >> bret: thank you.rgia republican senator chambliss says frustration is the reason he won't seek a third term in 2014. he does not see legislation gridlock and partisan posturing changing anytime soon. democrats identified a statement identifying georgia as the party bost pickup opportunity in senate next year. republicans have one more hole to fill. party leaders are calling for big changes in criticizing the recent campaigns with the words like the czar. offense id idiotic. a party committed to change but not necessarily at the top. >> republican national committee chairman reince priebus won a second term and warned g.o.p. leaders around the country to win elections again they need to update the message and approach. >> we can stand by the timeless principles. and articulate them in ways that are modern, relevant to the time and relate to believe majority voters. that i believe, how we will achieve the republican renewa renewal. that is how we will grow and win. >> louisiana governor bobby jindal who

. >> absolutely, bret. i think it is just a point, i mean although many legislators have said that this puts some certainty into addressing our economic troubles. in fact it doesn't at all. as you pointed out, the debt ceiling debate is up for review. so that is when you can real le start to see a lot of the bigger players not only in stocks but also bonds the ones who are lending the u.s. government all this money really start to take its toll and we have question investors are reluctant to invest when things are done on a last minute ad hoc basis as has been the case for this congress. >> bret: as more markets open around the world we would like to get your thoughts as we continue our coverage of the fiscal cliff legislation on the house floor live here on fox news channel. and nancy pelosi speaking on the house floor. stick around. >>> they want us to strengthen the middle class. >> bret: this is a fox news alert. you are looking live at capitol hill. the dome light is on because congress is in session.

this is "special report." ♪ ♪ >> bret: good evening. i'm bret baier.n with the latest on the fluid situation, the hostage situation in algeria. we're awaiting for word on the fate of several americans held by terrorists. two others from the u.s. are safe tonight after a daring escape. national security correspondent jennifer griffin is at the pentagon again tonight with what is happening right now. good evening, jennifer. >> good evening, bret. the algeria rescue appears to be over but the fate of several americans remains unclear. fox news learned two american survivors are en route to london right now. b.p. chartered a flight out of algeria for the plea employees, some of whom narrowly escaped death. kidnappers said they took dozens of hostages at the b.p. oil and gas facility in response to algeria, giving the french permission to fly to neighboring mali where the french troops are trying to push back to al-qaeda-linked rebels. >> instability in mali has created the opportunity for a staging base and safe haven for terrorists. >> more than 41 foreig

this is "special report." ♪ ♪ >> bret: good evening. i'm bret baier.d slap in the face tonight from reality. economy thought to be improving shocked experts and shrank in the final months of last year. huge falloff from gain last summer. white house correspondent wendell goler with an explanation and reaction. >> less than two weeks after the president said in the second inaugural address that an economic recovery had begun, the commerce department said not so fast. the biggest drop in defense spending in 40 years combined with a decline in exports and slow growth in company stock piles slashed economic growth from 3.1% in the third quarter to minus 1/10th in the fourth. first negative quarter since 2009. white house downplayed the report and gave the republicans part of the blame. >> home prices are starting to climb back. consumer confidence overall has been rising and consumer spending is rising. but there is more work to do. our economy is facing a major head wind that goes to your point. republicans in congress. >> carney cited comments by house s

this is special report. >> bret: good evening, i'm bret baier.dent obama is filling out his national security roster with a pair of controversial nominees whose confirmation is anything but secure. brit hume looks at the record of former republican senator chuck hagel the president's pick to run the pentagon. jennifer griffin on the first enlisted soldier to be so hoorpd katherine heritage tells us john brennan's road may be a little bumpy. let's begin with wendall goler. >> good evening. president obama is nominating the former republican senator to be secretary of defense and 25-year veteran of the c.i.a. to head the agency. >> these two leaders have dedicated their lives to protect the country. i urge the senate to confirm them as soon as possible. >> but hagel's selection grew more criticism and the choice of john brennan threatened to raise questions about water boarding that he didn't want to answer when he was considered four years ago. had a ha ge8, obama said would be an outspoken advocate for severs men and women. and his business exper

bret? >> bret: james, thank you.nt obama granted legislation to grant lifetime secret service for former presidents and their wives. after 1997 so that means himself and george w. bush reversing a 1994 law that ended protection for presidents ten years after leaving office. >>> west virginia democratic senator joe manchin says he will lead a new group aiming to get congress to get the country's needs ahead of politics. former utah republican for and presidential candidate john hunts man will be the co-chairman of no labels. the organization will host event next weekbe featuring other lawmakers with reputations as problem-solvers. joe biden says he can find common ground with the nra in an effort to reduce gun violence. the nra says it's not so sure. we'll talk about it with the fox all-stars when we return. this is $100,000. we asked total strangers to watch it for us. thank you so much. i appreciate it. i'll be right back. they didn't take a dime. how much in fees does your bank take to watch your money? if your ban

bret? >> bret: jonathan, thank you.nue the week-long look at how the flu is handled in specific areas. tonight, senior correspondent rick leventhal is in allentown, pennsylvania. >> stretcher, cot. chairs for family members. >> this is the mobile surge tent at lehigh valley hospital cedar crest set up to hand the dozens of extra people showing up at the emergency room every day with symptoms of the flu. >> the capacity was overwhelming. not only were patients seen but the patients needing a bed to be admitted. this was an attempt to decrease those who are otherwise healthy. milder flu symptoms. we can see them, treat them and discharge them. effectively and efficiently from the tent. >> in pennsylvania, officials are not calling at it flu epidemic but say the virus is widespread. the r the number of cases are rising. 4300 in the last week alone. 18 of 22 confirmed deaths. >> we haven't reached a peak yet. we don't know when that will be. the peak may be the end of january, it may be sometime in february. all we see with

i'm bret baier.ht now, behind me, the house is engaged in a battle that serves as a microcosm for epic struggle of the nation's soaring debt. on one side, the president, democrats and some republicans from the region affected who want to spend billions helping storm victims. on the other, other republicans who say much of the money many this latest bill is targeted elsewhere. and that any funds should be offset with cuts. chief congressional correspondent mike emanuel has update tonight from capitol hill. good evening,be mike. >> reporter: good evening. with debt and spending expected to be the major fight for much of the year, today it is disaster relief money for the northeast following sandy. that is in the middle of the struggle. >> tragedy like hurricane sandy shouldn't be used as an excuse for a grab bag of spending having nothing to do with emergency relief. >> many northeastern lawmakers reject that and say their constituents pay the fair share. >> these three states, new york, new jersey and

this is "special report." ♪ ♪ >> bret: good evening. i'm bret baier.ere is a hanimoon at all for president obama in the second term, it could be four months. that is how long the house republicans want to extend the debt limit with a many strings attached bill that has the critics cowering on both sides of the aisle. chief congressional correspondent mike emanuel at the capital tonight. >> reporter: house leaders are planning a vote tomorrow to increase borrowing authority through may 18. i would include the house and senate pass resolutions by april 15. if it's not passed it would withhold the salaries putting them in escrow. resistance to the debt limit vote so far comes from the rank and file house conservatives. >> we have half a budget, but raising the debt ceiling for a budget to be named later is to me something i probably won't be able to vote for. >> if you raised it for three months unconditionally, three months from now what principles do you stand on to keep you from raising it again? >> all republicans have been frustrated by the senate fa

this is "special report." >> bret: good evening. i'm bret baier.o say the last three days on capitol hill has beenty multious, tense, packed with drama might be an understatement. toe was the last day of the 112 congress. it ended with shouting. this time, over the hurricane sandy aid bill. lawmakers from new york and new jersey call the lack of progress, failing to get t a vote, a disaster. shannon bream sorts it all out. >> the most disgraceful action i have seen since i have been here. >> disaster on top of a disaster. >> house republicans who oppose quick package of the sandy aid bill are blasted from both sides of the aisle. pew lawmakers like california isssa say they would never vote for a bill with pet projects that having no to do with those devastated by the storm. >> the senate didn't do their job. they sent us pork and they left town. that was wrong. >> critics of the senate bill that was going to be broke on the separate house votes, $27 billion primary bill and $30 billion amendment says it was loaded with pork. they point to $600 mil

this is "special report." ♪ ♪ >> bret: good evening. i'm bret baier.sident obama declares the health of the american people is not a bargaining chip. the president warns against the prospect of what he called republicans holding the economy hostage. over the debt ceiling. it was the primary focus of the last news conference of his first term. we have fox team coverage. seep your political analyst brit hume will have analysis of that event. correspondent shannon bream tells us about another big topic today. gun control. we begin with white house correspondent wendell goler on the partisan tone over the debt. good evening, wendell. >> good evening. >> bret: the party that doesn't control the white house is rarely happy about raising the debt ceiling. >> reporter: recent years a genuine threat not to do so. >> raising the nation's debt ceiling, the president told reporters is a necessity caused by spending in the past. not something to trade with congress for spending cuts in the future. >> they can act responsibility, and pay america's bills. or act irre

that may be what he wants. >> bret: thank you., president obama positions himself as civil rights icon. up next, we tell obama administration forcing out country top military commanderrers. as we head to break, asheville, north carolina, high school marching band as the inaugural parade continues right in front of the previewing stand. keep it here. "special report" continues as well. music: "make someone happy" music: "make someone happy" ♪it's so important to make someone happy.♪ ♪'s so important to make meone happy.♪ ♪make just one heart to heart you - you sing to♪ ♪one smile that cheers you ♪one face that lights when it nears you.♪ ♪and you will be happy too. [ bop ] [ bop ] [ bop ] you can do that all you want, i don't like v8 juice. [ male announcer ] how about v8 v-fusion. a full serving of vegetables, a full serving of fruit. but what you taste is the fruit. so even you... could've had a v8. to help protect your eye health as you age... would you take it? well, there is. [ male announcer ] it's called ocuvite. a vitamin to

bret: it is a tradition. these nominations have been out there and but they are formally made it to the senate so they can hope that the senate will move forward in the days ahead and confirm his new cabinet. as you know, there could be some roadblocks there. questions republicans have about jack lew being nominated for treasury secretary. they are not happy about the way some of the budget negotiations have gone in the past. of course, the debt ceiling in that debate will be hanging over those hearings. john kerry coming in, nominee for secretary of state. as chris mentioned, hillary clinton will be testifying on capitol hill, both the house and senate leader on benghazi. a lot of lingering questions on now. finally coming you mentioned chuck hagel as well. a lot of questions for him and his stance towards iran and israel. he has already asked so many of those questions on the sidelines. certainly it is usual that the president gets picked a cabinet. it is certainly republicans will have their questions. meg

bret? >> bret: jim, thank you.lican party officials said last week they want their politicians to stop saying idiotic things. well, that did not last too long. we did dig deeper in the question. did president obama really do skeet shooting as we said at camp david in grapevine is next. [ male announcer ] how do you make america's favorite recipes? just begin with america's favorite soups. bring out chicken broccoli alfredo. or best-ever meatloaf. go to campbellskitchen.com for recipes, plus a valuable coupon. campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do. living with moderate to psemeans living with pain.is it could also mean living with joint damage. humira, adalimumab, can help treat more than just the pain. for many adults, humira is clinically proven to help relieve pain and stop further joint damage. humira can lower your abilitto fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer, have happened. blood, liver and nervous system problems

bret? >> bret: as you look live at the house floor we should point out that these are house controlled cameras. we don't control these familiar as. as you look at congressman dreier speaking on the house floor what you can't see is there are not that many lawmakers in the house chamber, in fact, just a few. we just got word that house minority leader nancy pelosi has walked in but there are just a few people listening to congressman dreier. you are one of them here as we have dipped in a couple of times. bring back our panel to talk about the specifics of this legislation. charles the angst in republican circles was about the lack of spending cuts. what republicans who are look at this as a positive are saying is one a permanent protection against the alternative minimum tax, the amt. the deals that they got in here that they don't think they would have gotten up to the bush tax cuts making the tax rates extending for all income up to $400,000 individually, $450,000 for married couples. are

bret? >> bret: greg palkot live in london. thank you now. find out what the american military is doing about all of this. national security correspondent jennifer griffin is live at the pentagon. jennifer,be i guess defense secretary leon panetta was asked about the americans taken hostage in algeria while he was in rome today. what did he say about it? >> well, he was quick to call it an actbe of terrorism. he said, "by all indications this is a terrorist actbe. the united states condemns the terrorists acts. it's a serious matter when americans are taken hostage along with others and i want to ensure the american people the united states will take all necessary and proper steps that are required to deal with this situation." it seems the administration learned its lesson from benghazi. so far no, u.s. assets have been moved in to help. unlike last september the consulate was attacked now they have the own commander and extremis source. a group of several cousin operators for the situation

>> bret: a fox news alert.o up on capitol hill just saying happy new year. isn't it great that you all are here. the white house believes they have a deal with senate republicans but part of the job biden is tosident bide season sell the deal to senate democrats. despite the reports that the deal is completed and finished there is not a piece of legislation that has hit the senate floor. there hasn't been a single vote in congress yet and it is being pointed out that house republicans have seen no paper. a spokesperson for the house majority leader eric cantor says there is nothing to sign off on. in fact, house republicans adjourned forb the day and they will be back january 1 at noon. joining us our capitol hill producer who is on all things for us, fiscal cliff and otherwise. chad, thanks for being here. i guess the republicans in the house side are saying we don't have anything. that this is just vice president biden and senator mcconnell and until we do it is great to read all these stories but there is no

>>bret: more on this tonight at 9:00 p.m.t is it for the panel but stay tuned for a look at an inauguration tradition. ntinuous. citracal slow release continuously releases calcium plus d with efficient absorption in one daily dose. citracal slow release. >> presidents have been making the short trip from the white house a few hundred yards to the corner of 16th and h. street tomorrow hours before the second inauguration ceremony and president obama will make the same journey. chris wallace on the man who will greet the president. >> do you know you are being part of american history and from my perspective this is a celebration of american life. >> rector of st. john's episcopal church is talking about the tradition of the president attending a worship service there on the morning of his inauguration. >> my hope is it gives the president an opportunity for a "pause" if you will, to have some time of meditation and that the president feels inspired and ready to take this oath, this awe some responsibility he is about to take

. >> bret: this is a fox news alert.ve in washington as we take a live look at the house floor. this is congressman david drier, is he the chairman of the house rules committee. the house is getting ready to debate what's called the rule, getting ready to put forward the senate bill dealing with the fiscal cliff. there was a back and forth all day today about whether conservatives in the house would let that go forward. but it looks like this will happen. let's listen in to congressman drier. >> similarly, this notion of approaching a deadline and trying to deal with an issue is something that happens in this institution and this is another example where that's the case. the issues that we are attempting to address tonight with this vote are as important as they are challenging the range of ideas proposed as the solutions are as desperate as are numerous. this body like our nation has been deeply divided over how to proceed. under these circumstances, an agreement has been extraordinarily allusive. we all know that the b

bret baier is joining us for a look at what we can expect out of the 113th. bret? >> hi, jon.he 113th congress is now in session. at 12 noon, straight up, it is now the new congress in the house. the house clerk has just, essentially, called the house to order, and the clerk, karen haas, has convened the house. you're looking there at the senate, actually, and they're saying a prayer at the beginning of the 113th congress as you look live at the senate. both sides have these -- and there's a prayer at the 113th start of the house. you know what? let's listen in to this if you don't want -- don't mind. >> significant day when once again we celebrate the peaceful transition of democratic government. though many return from the 112th congress, this people's house is a new legislative assembly. may the service of all the members here gathered give you glory and acquit well the charge entrusted to them by their fellow citizens. give each member an abundance of wisdom, knowledge and understanding that today might know best how to proceed in the work they have to do as well as the co

>> bret, good evening. and it's been quite a day out here on capitol hill in the wee hours of the morning the senate passed this and the question is what would house republicans do? a lot of leadership felt like they had a bad hand this, is passed by a wide margin, the clock running out on the 112th n congress by noon, on thursday there would be a new congress sworn in. i've got to telling talking to democrats and republicans there is a great dissatisfaction, if you will, if you were to poll them about job performance, they'd not feel good about it because they feel like all of the major deals that come up are becoming last minute deals, negotiated by two people, and the congressional committees are not picking up the deals they're not challenging or tackling big challenges of our times. whether entight element, the debt, you name it. there is grit dissatisfaction here, because here we are on newor's day after the fiscal cliff deadline passed and many republicans in this case feel like they aid gun to accep

bret, happy new year. it is great to see you. you can watch bret every weeknight. soon. the u.s. is planning to send planes and tanks to muslim brotherhood. we have former u.s. navy captain. connell: target will not rival prices all year round. details are ahead. we will be right back. school ss and taking them to work? no, i was just looking for my stapler and my... this thing. i save money by using fedex ground and buy my own supplies. that's a great idea. i'm going to go... we got clients in today. [ male announcer ] save on ground shipping at fedex office. >> i am lori rothman with your fox business brief. investors wait for the unofficial start of the fourth earnings season. alcoa will report after the bell today. the dow is down 66 points. superstar sandy will likely cost the insurance industry billions of dollars. the company says the complexity of accepting insurance losses over a wide region has created uncertainty in estimating losses. hospitals uncompensated care cost rose to more than a billion dollars last year. those cost should decline a year from no

joining me now bret stephens and peter beinart. brett, let's start with you, you essentially accused chuck hagel of being an anti-semite. >> i said there was an odor of prejudice. >> what evidence do you have thats is the case? >> he had this famous statement that i'm sure you heard several times by now about the jewish lobby intimidating a lot of people. a lot of that discussion about that quote had to do with this line, the jewish lobby. as opposed to say the pro-israel lobby which is a very diverse collection of organizations. some of them with very different motives. what got me really wasn't so much the adjective, although i found the adjective odd, it was the verb, intimidates. chuck hagel for 12 years was a senator from the state of nebraska. i looked it up. there are about 6,100 jews in the state of nebraska. i can imagine many lobbies that might have intimidated hagel when he was in the senate. the ethanol lobby, for example, the farm lobby, various other kinds of lobbies. the nra, the pro-life lobby and so on. it's hard t

this is special report. >> bret: good evening, i'm bret baier.troversial nominees whose confirmation is anything but secure. brit hume looks at the record of former republican senator chuck hagel the president's pick to run the pentagon. jennifer griffin on the first enlisted soldier to be so hoorpd katherine heritage tells us john brennan's road may be a little bumpy. let's begin with wendall goler. >> good evening. president obama is nominating the former republican senator to be secretary of defense and 25-year veteran of the c.i.a. to head the agency. >> these two leaders have dedicated their lives to protect the country. i urge the senate to confirm them as soon as possible. >> but hagel's selection grew more criticism and the choice of john brennan threatened to raise questions about water boarding that he didn't want to answer when he was considered four years ago. had a ha ge8, obama said would be an outspoken advocate for severs men and women. and his business experience will help him prioritize pentagon spending cuts that everyone knows

this happened on bret harte drive. a normally very safe area that's just become a very nervous one. that is where "today in the bay's" arturo santiago joins us live. arturo, how is this couple after that scary night, how are they holding up this morning? >> reporter: we're told that they are still doing okay, jon. this happened yesterday. any sign of police activity has since disappeared. there are sure to be lingering effects on the neighborhood throughout the day. this isn't very far from leyland high school. last night three men broke into the home of this elderly couple on the 6700 block the bret harte drive. they stole a number of items from the house after they drove off in two of the victims' cars. one of the victims was able to break free, get to a neighbor's home and call for help. nbc bay area talked to a woman who lived in the neighborhood for 16 years and has never seen this kind of crime in the area. >> freaked me out and scared me. i think like everyone it's not the type of thing that we expect and i don't know how they profiled or how they were chosen and that's frigh

little bit about the people behind it, so "right this minute" via skype from lyndon, utah, we have bret and john and their kids, brawn, drake and karsten. >> hi. >> how did you guys come up with this idea? because it's brilliant? >> the concept of the kids' stories come with kid history. >> that's a pocket. he's a mermaid. >> i don't want that again. >> can you describe the process? >> we just let the kids go, and they make stuff up. >> this is where you put your foot to get it moving. >> you mean the pedal? >> yes. >> they'll give us five minutes worth of stuff. we canay back on the ipad to mimic it. >> how much fun do you have doing this with your dad? >> a lot. >> makes up weird stuff and i just try to go along with it. >> we've used these kids a lot but not too much, because we don't need any child stars in the family. >> do the conversations between the kids get so weird you have to cut some stuff off? >> definitely. some kids go on and on. it makes sense to them, but it doesn't make sense to anybody else. >> what happens -- what is -- >> is this your 24/7 job? >> no. we do have so

into a fantastic 2013 that is fair, balanced and unafraid. >> nicely done, bret. >> well done. >> bretoom, by wait. >> they never let him out of there. >> they change the background, that is where he lives. his family comes to visit him interest tl in the studio. >> that is what happens when you sign up to work in the washington, d.c. bureau. it happened to me three years. >> you never have to wear a nice full outfit just a nice top. >> jeans and shorts it was almost 40 years ago a bank teller in richmond virginia decided to quit her job and pursue her dream of becoming a singer. >> five years later the brooklyn born woman landed a record contract, would go on to be one of the most successful female rockers. >> amazing. >> think about that on new year's eve. fill fulling your dream, following your heart. she's still touring today, here now from our fox news channel stage, pat benetar. ♪ [ music ] . ♪ [ music ] . ♪ [ music ] . ♪ [ music ] . ♪ [ music ] . ♪ [ music ] ac. ♪ [ music ] . ♪ [ music ] . ♪ [ music ] . ♪ [ music ] . ♪ [ music ] . ♪ [ music ] . ♪ [ music ] . ♪ [ music ] . ♪ [ mu