i'm bret baier. coming to you live from prince william county, virginia.commonwealth of virginia expected to be a major battleground for the 2012 presidential race. the election could come down to a few swing states. inside each state there are swing counties. we have identified 37 of the swing counties and 12 battleground states on the voting pattern, key issues and demographics. they're marked with yellow push pin on the map. "special report" will hit six of the swing counties across the country. the red pins will tell you where we take it live. expert analysis from the reporters who cover the area. we have talk to voters. indiana, housing is a major issue. and other places where falling income has people on edge there. my colleague bill hemmer is doing the same. talking to six other counties. cumberland county, north carolina, where military families are seen as key. orange county, florida, a place hit hard by the housing crisis. prince william county voted for statewide winner the last 12 presidential elections. lyndon b. johnson in 1964 was the last d

i'm john roberts in for bret baier.der with afghanistan that cost the american taxpayer $2 billion. it took an american apology which the pentagon and the administration have said for months would not be forthcoming. national security correspondent jennifer griffin has details. >> reporter: the apology came from hillary clinton in a phone call to pakistan foreign minister. "we are sorry for the losses suffered by pakistani military. we are committed to working closely to pakistan and afghanistan to prevent this from ever happening again." for seven months, the white house, state department and pentagon said they would not apologize for the cross-border shooting incident on novembe november 26 that left 24 pakistani troops dead. and balked at any suggestion they apologized in the aftermath. >> it was obviously no apolog apology. >> u.s. military investigation ordered by the top general in afghanistan found that the pakistani forces have fired at

i'm bret baier.obama over the flow of american money and jobs overseas. and the flow of tax money from your pocket to the treasury. chief political correspondent carl cameron begins our coverage tonight with a look at how the challenger is going on the offensive. >> governor romney. >> in the battleground state, romney used the first town hall style meeting since may to blast president for proposing extension of the bush era income tax cut for individuals earning ove over $250,000. >> he announced a massive tax increase. >> he ridiculed mr. obama as liberal reactionary whose response to last week's dismal job report is propose tax hikes this week to kill the anemic recovery. >> the very idea of raising taxes on mall business and job creators at the time we need more jobs is the sort of thing only extreme liberal could come up with. >> romney spoke at a high school where the president visited three years ago.

. >>> i'm bret baier in washington.day is a disturbing trend that has american cities finally -- filing for bankruptcy or seriously considering it. tonight on "special report," san bernadino, california, is doing it. so are two other golden state cities. even the vice president hometown of scranton, pennsylvania, cut public work torres minimum wage. report and analysis coming up. senate democrats blocked a vote on the tax policy. how much should you pay in taxes? what is fair? how do current taxes break down? detailed report from jim angle. romney ventureed to sometimes unfriendly territory for republicans addressing the naacp convention in houston. the speech and his reception to his reception. the house voted again to repeal the president's healthcare law. in the grapevine, new evidence about global cooling. "special report" from washington starts at 6:00 eastern. i'll send it back to new york and "the five." ♪ ♪ >> andrea: welcome back to "the five" and we know it. pro-anorexia blog doesn't agree and thinks kate upto

i'm bret baier.the largest american city to declare bankruptcy ever. it joins a growing list of cities that through bad debts, bad investment, or bad management have been forced to declare bankruptcy. there are many more cities or counties that seem headed in that direction. california is hard hit. most seem to surround long-term contracts made in the boom years there is a lot of focus on city overspending. people here in stockton are livid about the city borrowing money to fund this multimillion dollar arena right behind me. also a city parking gar ran. minor league ballpark. down the delta, marina. all of these city assets were supposed to make money here. they never did. we'll talk more about what it's like to live in and run a bankrupt city. that is a bit later. we begin 6,000 miles from here with mitt romney in europe. the boat agrees. the reviews of the trip have been in the main stream media, mostly bad. today, governor romney and his people had plenty to say about that. not all of it suitable

i'm john roberts in for bret baier in washington.d how the news will play out on the campaign trail. tonight on "special report," president obama asks the american people to give him four more years to get the economy going againch mitt romney goes on the offensive saying the president's time is up. carl cameron looks at how both candidates are trying to define each other in the campaign. british authorities are on high alert three weeks ahead of the opening ceremonies for summer olympics. we have the latest on a cache of weapons believed to be part of a major attack on unnamed targets. accusations that the white house bullied the f.a.a. in to giving a green light to a green energy project out on cape cod. one opponent to the project says they have found a smoking gun. plus, the friday lightning round with the panel. "special report" from washington starts at 6:00 eastern. now back to new york and "the five." ♪ ♪ >> greg: welcome back to "poetry and progressive." researchers say they figured out what makes someone cool. they had peop

i'm bret baier.s palace in las vegas, the big story is president obama taking a gamble on bill clinton. tonight on "special report," the obama campaign is putting the former president out front in the democratic convention. later this summer, mr. clinton will place the president's name in the nomination and deliver a prime time endorsement. we'll examine why and get brit hume's analysis. the man who wants to replace barack obama is on the final leg of the foreign trip. meeting with the leaders of poe land. earlier in israel, governor upset palestinians referencing a group tying israel economic success to the culture. we'll get a fresh assessment of where we are with the electoral map from karl rove and joe trippi. a new book says obama canceled the raid on usama bin laden several times before pulling the trigger. obama fights back. now back to new york and my colleagues with "the five." ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> bob: when did we get greg's baby pictures from? mayor bloomberg who has made quite a deal recently of tr

>>> i'm bret baier in washington. of foreign policy, economic and political challenges for the u.s. tonight on "special report," team coverage of battles and potential battles around the world, including syria, as fighting intensifies in damascus. former top official there says the syrian leadership may already be using chemical weapon against rebels. the u.s. is cranking up the pressure on iran. pentagon will hold unprecedented international exercise on removing mines. clear reaction to iranian threats to close the vital strait of hormuz. >>> former vice president dick cheney is on capitol hill today warning about the potentially devastating automatic cuts to military spending that are pending. the war of words between the presidential candidates escalates. we'll look at how negative things are getting. in the grapevine, the first couple gets a second chance. "special report" from washington starts at 6:00 eastern. now back to new york and my colleagues with "the five." ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> andrea: welcome back to "the five."

i'm john roberts in for bret baier in washington.ernor mitt romney's campaign messaging on obamacare. tonight on "special report" we look at a top advisor's word that seems to undercut the republican argument that the healthcare law is a tax and not a penalty. this goes against what pretty much every other republican has been saying. romney camp clarified the position somewhat. we'll have that for you. there is still some confusion about when governor romney left his old firm bain capital. we look at that, too. deadly storms leave millions without power in the mid-atlantic on one of the hottest weeks in the year. egypt's new president is saying the right thing when it comes to ties in the u.s. in treaties with israel. there are fears, though, that fellow members of the muslim brotherhood could force a course change. you won't believe how much the white house calligrapher in chief makes. "special report" at 6:00 eastern. now back to "the five." ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> bob: it's hot all right. you heard about the fires in colorado, burning a number

i'm john roberts in for bret baier tonight. just 80,000 jobs were created last month.the lower end of what economists predicted. that means the unemployment rate held steady at 8.2 president. leaving president obama scrambling to find a silver lining and putting republican challenger romney on offense. we have fox team coverage tonight. mike emanuel looks at the hard hit construction sector. carl cameron reports on how the candidates are defining themselves. and each other. but we begin tonight with chief white house correspondent ed henry who is traveling with the president. >> reporter: after taking heat saying the private sector is doing fine, president obama today brushed aside a dismal jobs report to insist the economy is on the right track. >> businesses created 4.4 million new jobs in the past 28 months, including 500,000 new manufacturing jo jobs. that is a step in the right direction. [ applause ] >> reporter: as he rolled his way through two battlegrounds the president's point was while the country has come a long way in states like ohio and pennsylvania have

good evening, i'm bret baier. republicans are on the attack and democrats are in full spin cycle after word today the economy grew at an annual rate of just 1 1/2% in the second quarter of the year. on one hand, it is the 12th consecutive quarter of growth. op the other, it's the slowest since the third quarter of last year. we have fox team coverage. jim angle looks at the reasons for the slow did you know. we begin with chief white house correspondent ed henry with what the numbers mean to the president and his reelection effort. good evening, ed. >> good evening. sunday marks 100 days until the election and this is the last possible way the obama camp wanted to celebrate it. it was just this week president obama declared the democratic approach to the economy worked in the clinton years and unlike republican policies, will again lead to recovery. >> just like we tried their plan, we tried our plan and it worked. that's the difference. that's the choice in this election. >> a much different verdict came today fr

>>> i'm bret baier in washington.ay yet in the 16-month uprising in syria, from a human rights group monitoring the country. tonight on "special report," more than 250 people are feared dead today, as the syrian forces push back hard after that bombing that killed top officials in bashar assad's regime. as fears escalate over a breakdown in the syrian government, the biggest concern there is the stockpile of chemical weapons. experts way in on the days ahead in damascus. in shadow of more bad jobs news, heated battle. president said a week ago. romney is keeping up the pressure over president obama's "you didn't build that comment." we look if it's fair or it was taken out of comments. they're hammering the president for not meeting with the jobs council in six months but helped fundraisers. we'll get white house response. "special report" from washington starts at 6:00 eastern. now back to new york and my colleagues with "the five." ♪ ♪ >> dana: if you couldn't tell, this segment is about money. money and friendship

. >> and bret baier breaking news, house of representatives, voted to hold eric holder in contempt ofongress refusing to turn over documents related to the fast and furious scandal. here is holder's reaction. >> and makes feed ner the minds of some, but both a crass effort and a grave disservice to the american people. they expect and they deserve far more. >> that story, richard, got not much press because it came in the shadow of the health care ruling on thursday. did it get the coverage it deserves? >> you know, i don't think it got the coverage it deserved in the leadup. whether or not you think it's a witch hunt or a legitimate inquiry. wherever you find yourself on the political spectrum, there is no denying the fact that doj and the attorney general, stonewalled and gave erroneous information. that alone should push coverage from the liberal media. usa today put this on 5-a. it's really outrageous that the first time the attorney general or a cabinet secretary is put through this process and the media doesn't cover it. >> jon: kirsten, liberals and democrat says it's a witch h

i'm bret baier. to be an evening of comic book fantasy disintegrated in one of the deadliest realities last night in suburban desert. 12 people brutally killed and 59 more hurt when a black-clad gunman opened fire on the crowd in a midnight screening of the new batman movie. officials do not believe it was terrorism. a 24-year-old suspect was arrested outside the theater. correspondent adam housley is also outside the century 16 cineplex in aurora, colorado. good evening, adam. >> reporter: bret, investigators here believe the suspect james holmes acted alone. he was cold, calculated as we walked through the theater. he fired off so many shots. they may not know for days how many he fired inside that theater. >> we are not looking for any other suspects. we are confident that he acted alone. >> reporter: 24-year-old james eagan holmes allegedly opened fire in a crowded colorado theater, shooting 71 people. killing 12. at the premier of the batman movie, "the dark knight rises." 911 tape captured the

bret baier is the anchor of "special report." so what's going on here? getting this word from senator patty murray who says, okay, if republicans don't want to raise taxes on the wealthiest americans, we'll just raise taxes on everybody? >> essentially, using that january 1st deadline when all of those tax cut expire. the bush era tax cuts and dozens of other provisions would go away, thereby raising everyone's tax rates. the democrats now in the form of senator patty murray, the democrat from washington, who's not just another senator talking, she's also the number four in the senate democratic leadership and the head of the democratic senator tore y'all campaign committee, so this is really kind of the thought process in the caucus one would assume, in a prepared speech today shiewl lay out that if republicans don't get off the dime on dealing on raising taxes for the wealthy, the democrats think it might be worthwhile to let all the tax cuts expire and then after the first of the year force republicans' hands, and then they would be voting on what wou

bret baier, shep smith will tell stories about their first jobs. >> my first job, i was a short order cook. >> my first job where i became a little aerobics instructor. >> i worked at a deli and i had to chop up raw fish for the fish salad this lady made. i didn't work there very long. >>. [ applause ] >> john: what was your first job. i was asking around this building, how many delivered newspapers. >> i was a delivery boy. >> newspaper girl. >> when i was delivering papers when ways 11 or 12. >> lots of people said their first job was restaurant work. >> my job was to clean up the parking lot of the dairy queen. >> i was washing dishes. >> i was 8 years old and i worked in my father's bakery. i scraped the floors. i don't think i got paid. >> john: america makes it illegal to work whether you are young but there is an exception. >> i worked at family restaurant. they started at me eight years old and i was promoted to hostess and then waitress. and i worked shift after shift. i would work all these shifts in a row. he would send all the other waitresses home. >> john: sometimes it w

. >>> i'm bret baier in prince william county, virginia, focusing on major swing county in presidential this one qualifies. tonight on "special report," the fight over taxes. president obama wants congress to extend the bush era tax cut for middle class to keep them the same for one year. opponents say it would be a tax increase for people and small businesses earning more than $250,000 a year. a report and brit hume's analysis. mitt romney and the rnc took $106 million last month. $35 million more than president obama and the dnc. carl cameron has the fall-out. house votes wednesday on republican measure to repeal the president's healthcare law. one for says he is not enforcing the healthcare law as written. we'll explain. word of a possible peace deal in syria. special report from prince william county, virginia, starts at 6:00 eastern. now back to new york and "the five." ♪ ♪ >> greg: welcome back. the worst thing about july. it's hot. just like last year, it's summer and it stinks. it's gotten worse as link fire to global warming. the media reports on thousands of broken temperature

i'm john roberts in for bret baier in washington.nal mall and maybe your hometown. to brim you the sight and sounds of america's birthday. a lot of cities and towns are not celebrating with fireworks because it's too dry, especially with the western wildfires or because there's no money in the budget. it seems almost unthinkable; particularly, on days like today, but it's actually legal now to lie about military service. lost in shuffle on healthcare, supreme court weighed in on the stolen valor act. we look at what might be ahea ahead. there could be tens of thousands of drones american air space. "special report" starts at 6:00. now back to five in new york. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> dana: welcome back to "the five," everybody. in a few minutes, one of us is going in the dunk tanks. stay with us to find out who it is going to be. right now, we'll do something you have never seen on "the five" before. a chicken wing eating contest. we have two contestants, kimberly guilfoyle, blessed with an amazing mo tablism most other fabulous things and then

. >>> i'm bret baier in washington.ion from a presidential candidate that the other is a liar. tonight on "special report," mitt romney's campaign says president obama latest attempt to tie the governor to outsourcing is dishonest. the obama campaign reacted with a surprising charge that romney could be a felon. the campaign seemed to take a different tone starting today. the economic crisis in europe and what it could mean for you. romney has been on downward track. spain, debt has euro zone worries on the rise. at home, cities in financial trouble. detroit among them. new report says former penn state assistant football coach jerry sandusky was able to prey on youngsters because head coach joe paterno and other officials looked the other way. "special report" starts at 6:00 eastern. now back to new york and my colleagues with "the five." ♪ ♪ >> kimberly: hard to believe but the rolling stones have been around for 50 years. on this day in 1962, mick, and the boys, played their first gig together in london. rolling ston

." >> bret: good evening, i'm bret baier, president obama's top campaign strategist did not deny damagingaks came from someone on the white house staff. as the trail continues to lead that way, david axlerod abandoned his position the president's people were blameless and wendell goler reports new questions about what the administration is saying to whom. >> reporter: the president's senior campaign advisor seemed less definitive than when he ruled it out. >> i can tell you the president of the united states did not leak classified information. strong signals have been sent. there are leaks out of every administration. >> axlerod left the white house in february of 2011. the controversy continued. >> it began after the killing of bin laden which the president deserves credit for but the leaks that poured out of the administration on the days and weekend following that, the agreement with sony pictures to do a film on it. >> court filings showed the c.i.a. produced more documents about cooperation with the film producers though there's no information they provided classification informatio

. >>> good evening, i'm shannon bream in for bret baier. effort to keep his job, president obama's engaging in deficit spending that could cost him his job. the money battle is part of a campaign revving up slowly after a pause in the wake of colorado shooting. carl cameron has our update. >> in cal california, mitt romney resumed campaigning with a new sign zinging the president for suggesting entrepreneurs don't build their own businesses, government does. >> i happen to think for people who have spent their entire livelihood working in government, they sometimes don't appreciate just how hard it is to start a business. >> the president sunday visited with families stricken by the attack in colorado. both the obama and romney campaigns suspended colorado tv ads. romney chastised the president for not meeting with his jobs council. >> the president has to spend time with the jobs council n six months he's done 109 fundraisers. >> romney was the gop nominee in april. the clear politics average of national polls then showed the president ahe

bret baier, shep smith will tell stories about their first jobs. >> my first job, i was a short orderook. >> my first job where i became a little aerobics instructor. >> i worked at a deli and i had to chop up raw fish for the fish salad this lady made. i didn't work there very long. hi, i'm phil mickelson. i've been fortunate to win on golf's biggest stages. but when joint pain and stiffness from psoriatic arthritis hit, even the smallest things became difficult. i finally understood what serious joint pain is like. i talked to my rheumatologist and he prescribed enbrel. enbrel can help relieve pain, stiffness, and stop joint damage. because enbrel, etanercept, suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like

." >> bret: good evening, i'm bret baier, for the second day in a row a top aide to the president refusedvolvement in national security leaks that one top military officials say are going to cost american lives. this comes as calls increase for someone outside the administration to investigate. here's ed henry. >> the pressure on president obama over national security leaks is getting more intense after white house press secretary jay carney ducked a key question. >> cuss can you say flatly nobody in the white house was involved in the national security leaks or being investigated. >> this is under investigation by two federal prosecutors. >> not as firm as the president as denial last month. >> the notion that my white house would purposefully release classified national security information is offensive. it's wrong. >> a spokesman for presumptive republican nominee mitt romney charged the white house can't get its story straight adding the time for stone wall something over. carney fired back at the romney camp an richmond williamson wednesday accused tom done lynn of leaking classified

good evening, i'm bret baier, president obama's white house is under attack from his own party.tee blames the obama administration for national security leeks officials say have damaged the country. catherine herridge has our top story. >> taking questions monday, the senior democrat and chair of the senate intelligence committee laid the blame for the national security leaks on 1600 pennsylvania avenue. >> i think the white house has to understand that some of this is coming from its ranks. >> reporter: feinstein confirmed the leaks contained in press reports about a cyber attack on iran and double agent in yemen jeopardized human intelligence. >> i can tell you without doubt we've lost assets because of it and that's who was hurt. >> the democrat from california also emphasized should does not believe mr. obama is involved. >> i don't believe for a moment he goes out and talks about it. i don't believe the briefers go out and talk about it. but who knows who else. >> this isn't a partisan issue. it's a national security crisis. >> a major foreign policy speech in nevada to the

." >> bret: good evening, i'm bret baier, for the second day in a row a top aide to the president refused to rule out white house involvement in national security leaks that one top military officials say are going to cost american lives. this comes as calls increase for someone outside the administration to investigate. here's ed henry. >> the pressure on president obama over national security leaks is getting more intense after white house press secretary jay carney ducked a key question. >> cuss can you say flatly nobody in the white house was involved in the national security leaks or being investigated. >> this is under investigation by two federal prosecutors. >> not as firm as the president as denial last month. >> the notion that my white house would purposefully release classified national security information is offensive. it's wrong. >> a spokesman for presumptive republican nominee mitt romney charged the white house can't get its story straight adding the time for stone wall something over. carney fired back at the romney camp an richmond williamson wednesday accused tom done

bret baier, thank you. you can catch bret every weeknight, 6 p.m.he anchors "special report." jenna: some growing fears in d.c. today over threats to our homeland. not necessarily, though, from where you may think. there's new information from an annual meeting today. in the past there's been concern about al-qaeda, of course, or lone wolf terrorists, but right now the fears have to do with chinese companies companies andr not they're already spying on the united states. chief intelligence correspondent catherine herridge is live from washington with more. >> reporter: thank you, jenna. the transatlantic capital terrorism group is meeting on capitol hill. the number of cyber attacks jumped 44% last year, and the head of the national security agency and u.s. cyber command in a rare public talk says the theft of american ideas is now the greatest transfer of wealth in history, but what comes next may be worse. >> what i am concerned about and what i think we really need to be concerned about is when these transition from disruptive to destructive atta

. >>> i'm john roberts in for bret baier in washington.day pakistan reopeneopened the boarr with afghanistan from nato convoys. tonight on "special report," obama administration apologized to pakistan for killing two dozen troops in november. that set off the month-long supply route blockade. the latest move in war of nerves with the west. we look at the response from the united states and the international community. the rollout of obamacare newly blessed by the supreme court means more government employees overseas support and enforcement of the law. that cost is considerable. high the deck gun boats. and grapevine rising star in the g.o.p. defected. "special report" from washington starts at 6:00 eastern. now back to "the five." ♪ ♪ >> dana: almost a dozen post office workers are upset, all the post office workers are upset over a mandate requiring the agency with benefit 25 years in advance. a dozen of them launched a four-day hunger strike to protest the upfront payment. take a look. >> people think about hunger strikes they think abo

good evening, i'm bret baier, president obama's white house is under attack from his own party. the democratic chair of the senate intelligence committee blames the obama administration for national security leeks officials say have damaged the country. catherine herridge has our top story. >> taking questions monday, the senior democrat and chair of the senate intelligence committee laid the blame for the national security leaks on 1600 pennsylvania avenue. >> i think the white house has to understand that some of this is coming from its ranks. >> reporter: feinstein confirmed the leaks contained in press reports about a cyber attack on iran and double agent in yemen jeopardized human intelligence. >> i can tell you without doubt we've lost assets because of it and that's who was hurt. >> the democrat from california also emphasized should does not believe mr. obama is involved. >> i don't believe for a moment he goes out and talks about it. i don't believe the briefers go out and talk about it. but who knows who else. >> this isn't a partisan issue. it's a national security cr

. >>> i'm bret baier in chicago. the headquarters of the obama re-election campaign. tonight on "special report," governor mitt romney talks to carl cameron about the tone of this race. president obama is hammering romney on his record at bain capital. his campaign using words like "felony." the governor tells fox this is politics worse than usual. is president obama trying to roll back the clinton era welfare reform? a new directive from the health and human services department could end strict work requirements for welfare recipients. you can imagine how that is going over with republicans. the president is working hard to keep virginia in his column. he won there four years ago and the president is trying to make it two for two. in chicago, gang violence reached alarming level. murders on the rise, former obama chief of staff, rahm emanuel is the mayor. we look at what he is doing and reaction to it. "special report" from chicago starts at 6:00 eastern. now send it back to new york and my colleagues with "the five

bret baier, shep smith will tell stories about their first jobs. >> my first job, i was a short order cook. >> my first job where i became a little aerobics instructor. >> i worked at a deli and i had to chop up raw fish for the fish salad this lady made. i didn't work there very long. et by what's getting done. 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. i have to know the weather patterns. i upgraded to the new sprint direct connect. so i can get three times the coverage. [ chirp ] [ manager 2 ] it's like working in a giant sandbox with all these huge toys. and with the fastest push-to-talk... i can keep track of them all. [ chirp ] [ chirp ] [ male announcer ] upgrade to t

." >> bret: good evening, i'm bret baier, president obama's top campaign strategist did not deny damaging national security leaks came from someone on the white house staff. as the trail continues to lead that way, david axlerod abandoned his position the president's people were blameless and wendell goler reports new questions about what the administration is saying to whom. >> reporter: the president's senior campaign advisor seemed less definitive than when he ruled it out. >> i can tell you the president of the united states did not leak classified information. strong signals have been sent. there are leaks out of every administration. >> axlerod left the white house in february of 2011. the controversy continued. >> it began after the killing of bin laden which the president deserves credit for but the leaks that poured out of the administration on the days and weekend following that, the agreement with sony pictures to do a film on it. >> court filings showed the c.i.a. produced more documents about cooperation with the film producers though there's no information they provided clas

i'm bret baier in washington.t romney on president obama's tax plan. tonight on "special report," governor romney calls the president's proposal a massive tax increase for job creators and small businesses in a bad economy. the president on the road takes his own jab at republicans, who he says are only trying to protect the wealthy. some of the president's top supporters from the left are unhappy with his record on outsourcing, particularly, regarding china. we'll explain. labor unions are losing members but they are not losing the political clout. new figures indicate organized labor spent four times as much on politicians and lobbying. big labor says there is nothing new in the report. lawmakers in the house debate republican effort to repeal the president's healthcare law. in the grapevine, showing rhode islandification to get access to an interesting speech. "special report" from washington starts at 6:00 eastern. now back to new york and my colleagues with "the five." ♪ ♪ >> andrea: welcome back to "the five

i'm john roberts in for bret baier tonight. happy fourth of july.ted states and americans around the world are celebrating the nation's independence today. our national correspondent steve centanni had been braving the searing temperatures. let me just reiterate they are searing temperatures in the national mall. and has an update for us ahead of tonight's big bash. how is it looking out there, steve? >> reporter: hi, john. 98-degrees. for warm here. unlike years past few people chose to make a long day of it out here at the mall. apparently choosing instead to stay away until later when it might cool off a little bit. earlier today, in spite of the heat, it did look like the typical independence day. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: festivities began with old fashioned fourth of july parade. plenty of color and excitement for everyone. plenty of heat, too. nearby, a cooling center, one of several located around the site. staffed with doctors and boy scout volunteers and stocked with plenty of water, big fans and even an outdoor sprinkler to cool people off. the hi

i'm bret baier. coming to you live from prince william county, virginia.ortant swing county in an important swing state. the commonwealth of virginia expected to be a major battleground for the 2012 presidential race. the election could come down to a few swing states. inside each state there are swing counties. we have identified 37 of the swing counties and 12 battleground states on the voting pattern, key issues and demographics. they're marked with yellow push pin on the map. "special report" will hit six of the swing counties across the country. the red pins will tell you where we take it live. expert analysis from the reporters who cover the area. we have talk to voters. indiana, housing is a major issue. and other places where falling income has people on edge there. my colleague bill hemmer is doing the same. talking to six other counties. cumberland county, north carolina, where military families are seen as key. orange county, florida, a place hit hard by the housing crisis. prince william county voted for statewide winner the last 12 presidentia

. >>> good evening, i'm shannon bream in for bret baier. it appears in an effort to keep his job, president obama's engaging in deficit spending that could cost him his job. the money battle is part of a campaign revving up slowly after a pause in the wake of colorado shooting. carl cameron has our update. >> in cal california, mitt romney resumed campaigning with a new sign zinging the president for suggesting entrepreneurs don't build their own businesses, government does. >> i happen to think for people who have spent their entire livelihood working in government, they sometimes don't appreciate just how hard it is to start a business. >> the president sunday visited with families stricken by the attack in colorado. both the obama and romney campaigns suspended colorado tv ads. romney chastised the president for not meeting with his jobs council. >> the president has to spend time with the jobs council n six months he's done 109 fundraisers. >> romney was the gop nominee in april. the clear politics average of national polls then showed

i'm bret baier. another california city is seeking bankruptcy protection. bernadino makes three in less than a month in that state. is it part of a growing national slide for municipal insolvency. enveloping communities all over the nation. big areas including chicago and detroit, said to be considering some kind of move. another city that could be on the list soon, place vice president biden calls home. tonight we'll talk about the economics and the politics of american cities drowning in the sea of red ink. first up, chief washington correspondent james rosen. >> everything important to my life i learned i learned in scranton. >> his hometown of scranton, pennsylvania, dear to president's heart cannot obscure how dire the financial crisis is. >> i can't pay money i don't have. >> the mayor, doherty, democrat, and the democrat controlled city council cannot agree how best to make up the $16.8 million in red ink the city faces leaving doherty to slash paycheck for the city 400 public employees to minimum wage level of $7.25 an hour. >> my members are suffer

. >>> i'm bret baier in stockton, california.ay is pushback from the mitt romney campaign on media coverage of his trip to you were. tonight on "special report," mitt romney says the media is hammering him over supposed gaffes to cover for president obama and divert attention from the economy. aide to the governor was more direct with a reporter. we'll let you hear most of that exchange. consumer spending is down for the first time in a year. the july jobs number come out friday. report blame five atf officials for much of the trouble with operation "fast and furious," the government failed gun tracking program. we will explain what went wrong in stockton and how the city went from boom to bust in a few short year. the biggest u.s. city to declare bankruptcy. "special report" from stockton, california, starts at 6:00 eastern. now back to new york and my colleagues with "the five." ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> andrea: welcome back to "the five." will kids be better off today than their parents? that's the study of a new survey and rasmussen poll sh

drop me a tweet at bret baier, maybe i will tweet back.s is "the fox report." tonight, the u.s. government is forced to release a first round of records on drones in the united states. so why were mississippi state university, cornell university, and the town of otter tail minnesota given the okay to fly them? plus, airline foods may not always taste so great. but they are not usually this dangerous. >> i took three bites out of the sandwich, and bit down hard on something that i thought was a bone. >> shepard: it wasn't a bone. it was a sowing needle. he wasn't the only passenger to get one. tonight, the investigation and delta's response. plus, desperate steps in the search for two missing children. >> we have two missing girls and we have no idea why. >> we just want the girls back. >> shepard: workers now draining a lake in hopes of finding clues. >> the lake is currently dropping at a rate of about three inches per hour. >> tonight, frantic parents, worried friends, and a sheriff's department determined to find those little girls. and

i'm john roberts in for bret baier tonight.sted the individual mandate in his healthcare law is a penalty. even though administration lawyers argued before the supreme court. that it was a tax. this is the romney campaign faces challenges with its own messaging on the issue. one thing that is clear about the mandate, it's caused ever evolving narrative on the campaign trail. chief political correspondent carl cameron has details. >> exactly a week after the supreme court ruled, the individual mandate on obamacare constitutional as a tax, unconstitutional as a penalty, the president pronounced it permanent. >> i'll work with anybody who wants to work with me to continue to improve our healthcare system and our healthcare laws. the law i passed is here to stay. >> while the president agrees with the overall decision, the aides this morning say he disagrees with the agreement that the mandate is a tax. insisting it's a penalty. >> it's a penalty. ro