. >>> it was made four americans held in teheran were freed. president obama denied it was a ransom payment. instead it was part of the iran nuclear deal, unfreezing iranian assets that had been held inside of the u.s. for years. tom cotton, arkansas senator, who sits on the intelligence committee said the money sends the wrong message to bad people around the world and the white house still has answers -- questions to answer. >> the united states groovernme was acting -- there are a lot of questions to be answered and the obama administration continues to stumble. >> white house correspondent kevin cork is traveling with the first familily as they travel in martha's vineyard. what's the administration saying about the ongoing controversy surrounding the payment to iran that some are calling a ransom for hostages? >> i have to tell you, some stories simply don't go away just because you are on vacation. this is a classic example of a story that could stick around for sometime, even as the president was out golfing today, once again, 300th round

the video was a private jet to be released from their prison in teheran. jason, the washington post correspondent out of iran. firing back at trump, president obama last night denying that the $400 million payment was ransom. >> we announced these payments in january. many months ago. we announced them. to all of you. josh did a briefing on them. this wasn't some nefarious deal. we do not pay ransom. we didn't here and we won't in the future. >> joining me now is the editor at large, steve clemons. steve, thank you very much for being here. there were payments that went to iran, but the problem is the nuclear deal is concluded that weekend. negotiated and they complied and so that was the weekend, january 16, 15, 16, 17, everything was done. the prisoners were released. and at the same time, the white house decided -- >> money happens. >> to send $400 million that was iran's money from 1981, frozen by the u.s., held in the new york fed, and sent back that very weekend that same day. and that is the decision that some in the administration decided gave iran

teheran sent a load of millions of dollars. the white house calls it a coincidence. a jet has crash landed with hundreds of people aboard. >> and dozens of our military diagnosed with the zika virus. keep watching. >>> first and you are jenurgent. in florida donald trump set to hold that town hall event any moment now. we will bring you his comments live. i'm harris faulkner in for shepa shepard smith. fox news has confirmed some of the biggest names inside the gop are hoping to meet with trump and convince him and his campaign that it's in crisis. among those behind the push the head of the national republican committee reince priebus, giuliani, and newt gingrich. it comes during a tough time. polls show him trailing hillary clinton. and yesterday refusing to endorse house speaker paul ryan and john mccain. he says he's not quite there now. now publicly switching sides. the republican congressman richard hanna of trump's home state announced he would vote for hillary clinton calling him unfit. a former supporter of chris christie said she too will be voting for hill

so then the nuke thing goes and netanyahu will bomb them and the americans stay in teheran. now, look, we've been negotiating -- >> we didn't need -- >> we have been negotiating with this government for years and got nowhere. they wanted to be bribe end i believe we did bribe them. but you're right, it was their money. this is crazy. the shah made a deal, 1979, right, made a deal, sent 400 million usa that never got to the shah because it opposed them. so the money we kept. so is it was their money. >> and you have to add the international code of justice and the hague had arbitration set up. and going against us. we would have had to pay the full amount plus exorbitant interest in the amount of $2 billion. i think is a good deal. >> four americans -- >> negotiate -- >> you want to tell their family -- >> you want to -- >> these four americans -- >> it is like having a gun battle with the bad guys -- >> you buy saudi oil -- >> all right, geraldo, the issue is, you guys can make up your own mind whether that deal was worth it. however, administration, telling the truth gerald

but what is your reporting telling you about the economy in teheran now that the money is beginning toiranians are angry, they publicly stated they're not getting enough benefits, that a lot of their banking relationships are still kind in bad shape, but the economy is growing again. it contracted in 2013, it's projected to grow by 5% next year. oil exports are basically back where they were, but the supreme leader, he's very cautious about letting this kind of flood of foreign capital come in, the people who negotiated this agreement and you've seen in the last six to 12 months the supreme leader has cracked down and he's, he's kind of got a situation now that i think he's comfortable with. and the moderates wanted to cause real reform are in check. >> does this become something which is political fallout? does it hurt the democrats in this campaign? does it hurt hillary clinton? >> you know, i don't know. this $400 million cash was conducted three years after she left the state department. so it's a bit hard to tie that to her. she was supportive of the agreement. she greed with the

at midnight an unmarked cargo plane lo to teheran. $400 million of iran's money frozen since the hostage crisis in 1981. is the payment coincidence or ran some? the president the next day claiming no connection. >> nuclear deal done, the time was right to resolve this as well. >> this was something all started by crooked hillary left office. the republican foreign affairs chairman -- >> we basically paid ran some to the iranian regime. >> reporter: the administration aggressively defending the deal. >> we do not pay ran some period. >> reporter: former prison's brother -- >> i'm grateful the administration did everything they could to bring jason home and the others as >> reporter: a no ran some policy, the obama white house sticks to when refusing to bargain with isis. >> you should never pay ran some for hostages. i'm concerned that the iranians might think that's the deal they got. >>> now to disturbing news on how the zika outbreak is affecting our troops overseas. 33 u.s. service members are now the virus and a defense official says all had recently traveled to areas affected by zik

they've been loaded up in teheran.n dollars on wooden palettes in swiss franks was delivered to the country of iran and right now people are saying, wait, that's hostage money, right? that's ransom money. the administration says it's not. it may look like it, but indeed what was part of $1.7 billion we owed to the country of iran after that 1979 arms deal in the fall of the shaw of iran. >> the settlement is resolving a decades old dispute. but others are going, this looks a whole lot like ransom money. >> do you think? >> donald trump tweeted this earlier -- he has a reason behind it. he says our incompetent secretary of state, hillary clinton, was the one who started talks to get $400 million in cash to iran. scandal exclamation. >> nothing has gotten better since we cut this deal and now we find out no one was honest with us about what's involved with this deal. bottom line is, iran can start a nuclear program after ten years. and what do we give up to get our guys back? what's happened since? two more iranian-ameri

a plane took off at the same time that a plane carrying the prisoners departed teheran. they criss crossed in the sky. they said they wanted maximum leverage, fearing iran would reneg. and they say that's ransom payment to a state sponsor of terrorism. >> and all of this was a side deal to the nuclear agreement as well. thank you very much. >>> now, have a look at this boy. for the four years he has been on this earth he has known nothing but war. he has become the new face of syria's civil war, which has claimed the lives of more than children. here's holly williams. >> reporter: for a 4-year-old who just survived an air strike, you may think that omr omran daqneesh seems unusually calm. but in aleppo, there is no child hood. he only had minor head injuries and his other two sisters and parents all survived the strike. many other killed and maimed. the syrian regime and its backers in russia try to claw back control of the city. this little boy was pulled from the rubble two days ago. bloody but apparently still alive. "god is great" shouted his rescuers, but the truth

>> how about a little something from the weapons ministry vault in teheran? >> the critics may not have liked it, and you may not be laughing, but "suicide squad" set an august box office record raking in $135.1 million record in north american ticket sales. they need to make $750 million to break even. the movie has a long way to go. >> is that a comedy? impressive. and rounding out this weekend's bad moms at just over 14 million. >>> well, it wasn't a bad mom, but more like a father figure who did an amazing thing for one blushing bride from pittsburgh on her wedding day. >> when the father of the pride couldn't be there to give her away, she got the next best thing. ? >> reporter: when jenny stepian walked down the aisle this weekend in pennsylvania -- >> it has been the best day of my life. >> reporter: the man whose arm she held would not her father. that would not have been possible. her dad, michael, was gone ten years already, snatched from his little girl's life in a murder. who was this person walking by her side? >> on your right you'll see a parki

quote the bombing runs that moscow and teheran are consolidating their ties in the wake of presidentobama's nuclear keel with iran. president assad remains in power today. >> u.s. swimmer ryan lochte is trying to keep his head above turbulent waters. police in rio have video of of what he claimed happened. >> and a fast- moving wild fire is wrecking havoc out west. >> coming up shortly. three cancer doctors to discuss the many breakthroughs in cancer treatment. have you personally been affected by cancer and do you have questions from our doctor team? go to foxnews.com/happeningnow to get your thoughts in the conversation. you don't let anything keep you sidelined. that's why you drink ensure. with 9 grams of protein and 26 vitamins and minerals. for the strength and energy to get back to doing... ...what you love. ensure. always be you. >> a fox news alert. police in rio told police that four swim team members made up a story of being mugged. they claimed they were robbed. conger and bens are in the rio police station right now and interviewed. they were with ryan lochte who told th

isn't that ironic that information that you cannot read was read in beijing, moscow, teheran, cuba.n in six months of daily, all-day interrogations, you're not going to get everything that a career spy did in 16 years. we will never fully know the damage that she did to the united states. during the time we were debriefing her, we learned a lot about her motivation for being a cuban spy. >> so, in 1984, 1985, montes was working on her masters degree in international relations at johns hopkins university, and her mutual friend saw her in class, knew her opinions, and knew that she was diametrically opposed to u.s. foreign policy and what we were doing in that time period which was 1984, 1985. ana felt that the united states did not have a right to impose their will on other countries, especially in central and south america, and really disagreed with u.s. foreign policy at the time. her friend sensed that she had this passion that the cubans would be interested in. she was introduced to the cubans via a diplomat, their undercover. he recognized she had a visceral empathy for the cuba

ways so excite they'd followed their release second by second from the time they arrived at the teheranport. they were flown to safety by our very good friends, the swiss. but one american was not part of that prisoner swap. he was left behind. missing former fbi agent bob levinson. last seen in iran on march 9, 2007. where is he? i don't know. neither does his heart broken family. but iran does. and why hasn't president obama with all his dealings with iran figured out how to put pressure on iran to at least tell the levinson family, is he dead or alive? i don't buy that it's an impossible task to get that information for the family out of iran. i just don't see the commitment. now administration claims that finding bob levinson is a high priority but it can't be that high 7 1/2 years into obama's presidency. when it comes to bob levinson, we are exactly where we were at the beginning of his presidency, nowhere. is that your definition of high priority? not mine. and that's my off the record comment tonight. results on the screen right now, should the u.s. hold off giving or returning

president vigorously denied that the money was ransomed to secure the release of four americans jailed in teheran. the money was delivered to the iranian government in january. that was the same time the nuclear dope was the hostages were released. >>> a dhl aircraft crashed through a fence at an italian airport. italy's civil aviation authority says the two person crew was not hurt and no injuries on the ground. the airport was closed for about two and a half hours. some nights were rerouted. this airport is italy's third busiest airport. >>> an american airlines flight had to return to the charlotte airport because of a cracked windshield. reported the problem. an airline spokeswoman says the crack was caused by pressure on takeoff. the plane did not hit anything. when the plane landed, medical personnel met the pilots as a precaution. no one was hurt. >>> an ohio muslim couple claimed they were removed from a return delta airline flight from europe after an airline employee singled them out because of their appearance. the airline says it is investigating. delta says it will issue a full refun

it also happened to take place as teheran released the number of americans as part of a prisoner swap. >> we just learned about $400 million ransom payment. same day just a coincidence, right? cash. >> reporter: the white house maintains that the payment was a part of a $1.7 billionsettlement over long standing claims used for the arms deal back in the 1970s. >> we don't care and we won't have a future. because if we do it and we start again, that america needs to be targeted. much of the same way that we would pay ransom, ending up paying a lot more, their citizens being taken by them. >> it is not everyone, buying their administration story that the timing of the prisoner's release wasn't a coincidence. since the cash payment, two iranian americans have been arrested in iran. >> it doesn't really matter what president obama said that it matters what they think and that it matters what the dictators and the terrorists and the gangsters all around the world would think. they clearly think it's a ransom payment. >> reporter: they are looking for answers from the administration. and the

. >> reporter: she is now an architect in berkeley, taking secret classes in teheran that helped herget into classes at berkeley. >> it is is a big violation of human rights and the world has to speak up. >> reporter: they called the movement constructive resilience. >> learning is a crime in iran. learning could never be a crime. >> reporter: amber lee, ktvu fox 2 news. >>> and we will be right back. after the break. at at&t, we believe in access. the opportunity for everyone to explore a digital world. connecting with the things that matter most. and because nothing keeps us more connected than the internet, we've created access from at&t. california households with at least one resident who receives snap or ssi benefits may qualify for home internet at a discounted rate of $10 a month. no commitment, deposit, or installation fee. visit att.com/accessnow to learn more. we could brag about what's in new light & fit yogurt. but we'd rather talk about what's not in it. like no artificial colors or preservative ingredients. and with 70 calories... maybe we're kind of bragging? new ligh

flight carrying the cash to iran took off only after a swiss plane carrying three americans departed teheranother government officials claim the payment was not ransom because the u.s. government owed iran the money after an arms deal fell through in the 1970s. russia is defending their use of an yur rain yan air base. in a statement a russian defense ministry spokesman said the u.s. state department should, quote, check their logic and knowledge on the issue. state department spokesman said they are investigated if this violated a recent u.n. security resolution. >> that's right, frances. the u.n. resolution in question basically forbids the sale or transfer of combat aircraft to iran unless specifically approved by the u.n. security council. the americans say russian air strikes could violate this resolution. russia said that's not the case. it is a war of words that's been escalated but so has the conflict. of course it is civilians who are caught in between. i do want to draw our viewer's attention to a haunting video that syrian activists released on wednesday. this video has gone viral

. >>> and obama administration is explaining why $400 million in foreign currency was flown to teheran at the same time that iran released four american prisoners. was the timing a coincidence or was it a ransom. it's 5:00 a.m. out east and 2:00 a.m. out west. this is, you know it, "way too early". ♪ >>> good morning, everyone. it's thursday, august 4th. i'm alex witt. donald trump is celebrating big new fund raising numbers. 82 million between him and the party in july, not far behind hillary clinton. and yesterday he was greeted by massive crowds in florida arenas. 8,000 people in daytona beach, another 10,000 last night in jacksonville. but a fox news poll shows hillary clinton with a ten-point lead, 49 to 39%. the latest in a string of descending national numbers for the republican nominee. compare those polls with trump's feud with khan's family and you begin to understand the panic setting in for some of his party's leadership. but yesterday trump dismissed any talk of disunity within his campaign organization and spoke optimistic about his chances while reminding republicans wha

>> how about a little something from the weapons ministry ult in teheran? liked it, and you m laughing, b "suicide squad" set an august box office record raking in $135.1 million record in nth american ticket les.ilon to eak even. the vimos a ayo go. >> ith impressive. d rounng out this weekd's but more like a father figure wh did an amazing thing for one blushingrion her wedding d. >> when the father of the pride couldn't be there to give her away, she got thnext best thing. >> reporte whe jnenny stepian walked down the aisle this weekend in pennsylvania -- it has been the best daof my life. >> reporter: the man whose arm she held would not her possible. her dad, l, w years already,snatched from his lifen a murder. who was is person walking by her side? >> on ur right you'll see a parking lot.my aunt'searing whi- >> reporter: a person she would not meet until the day before the wedding en she h to talk him through the route to the church. he was in need of a heart ten years ago, and she got jenny's dad's heart. jenny grew uknowing a living writing letters

he was welcomed home a hero in tyran teheran. he defected voluntarily.elise joins us now with more on this. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, well, carol, it is a tragic end to what was really a fascinating spy drama at the time, when mr. amiri arrived back in iran, he disappeared and there was a lot of back and forth whether he was a defector or not. you heard u.s. officials say he provided useful information. he claims he was abducted by the cia. but you know, secretary of state hillary clinton at the time, said he was free to come and free to go, and the recent e-mails that have been released secretary clinton's private server e-mails, talk about mr. amiri and the fact that he was here on his own will. it is kind of reig nienited thi whole debate. take a listen to senator tom cotton, who was speaking about mr. amiri and hillary clinton. >> i'm not going to comment on what he may or may not have done for the united states government. but in the e-mails that were on hillary clinton's private server, there were conversations among her senior advis

do not miss becky quick's interview with walmart and julio teheran -- jet.com ceo.ouncer: alvin and the chipmunks want to remind you-- bacteria can hide in food and make you ill. wow! announcer: but you can keep bacteria from ruining your day with 4 simple steps: clean. i'm ready for the rinse cycle! announcer: separate. all: woah! announcer: cook. fire in the hole! announcer: and chill. chipmunk: we chipmunks are notoriously tidy. announcer: check your steps-- the roadchip to food safety starts at foodsafety.gov. chipmunk: whoo! this is awesome! when a moment spontaneously turns romantic, why pause to take a pill? or stop to find a bathroom? cialis for daily use is approved to treat both erectile dysfunction and the urinary symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently, day or night. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, or adempas for pulmonary hypertension, as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in e

take control of the money until a swiss air force plane carrying three freed americans departed from teheran on january 17. once that happened, an iranian cargo plane was allowed to bring the cashman home from the geneva airport that day. president barack obama said that took place through two fferent channels but the ordeal raised questions from critics. then there's this also from the "wall street journal" this morning about russia. air hem using an iranian force base to bomb opposition in syria and russia is rejecting the concerns and the u.s. is asking the u.n. security county critical about whether or not russia has violated resslution 2231 which forbids the sthrie supply, sale and transfer of arms to iran without the county critical's prior approval. they escalated the war of words that that violated which was the iran sanctions deal brokered by this administration and there's also other news in the papers this morning. the situation in syria. 's worsened after five years after five years president bama's syria hopes fall short. more than 450,000 seerns have died in the civil war and m

. >>> it was made four americans held in teheran were freed. president obama denied it was a ransom payment. instead it was part of the iran nuclear deal, unfreezing iranian assets that had been held inside of the u.s. for years. tom cotton, arkansas senator, who sits on the intelligence committee said the money sends the wrong message to bad people