brother, my safe place, and the terrorists taking him hostage took the safe place. every one of them need to come home and not in coffins. >> that was 47 days ago that my heart has been buried in gaza. >> john: right now, american and israeli families anxiously waiting to reunite with their loved ones after israel and hamas secured a deal following several weeks of negotiations. we are awaiting an update from israeli officials in the next hour. the first time israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu will publicly address the deal since it was approved. hello, i'm john roberts in washington. and good wednesday afternoon to you. >> gillian: good to be with you, sandra is out today, this is a special edition of "america reports". take a look at what we know right now this hour, the deal r free at least three americans, they are among 50 women and children hamas will release in exchange for 150 palestinian prisoners. all going to happen during a temporary ceasefire that is slated to last four days. >> john: timing of when all of this will happen is still up in the air. hamas says the pause will start around 10:00 a.m. israel time but israel has still yet to confirm that. so, what would that deal look like and will a pause give hamas a leg up to reposition its fighters? we'll be talking in a little while with former navy seal cameron hamilton, he has trained idf members and has knowledge of the region. >> gillian: trey yingst just returned from touring tunnels underneath the hospital in gaza, share with us what you've seen. >> yeah, hey, gillian, with an expected ceasefire just hours away, israeli forces are still battling hamas in the heart of gaza city. we were there today amid the battles and as the israelis uncovered new tunnels, take a look. right now we are under gaza's al-shifa hospital complex. the tunnels israelis say used to move weapons and fighters. this clay, this is it what hamas was digging through when they built these tunnels. the dark and damp corridors give you a sense what it was like for those hostages when they were taken into gaza on october 7th. you can hear there the israelis are still conducting new airstrikes against the northern part of the gaza strip. it is shaking the ground but in the tunnels beneath gaza's al-shifa hospital complex, you can see a bathroom, there is a kitchenette, fighters were meant to stay here for weeks or months at a time and israelis see this tunnel network is the tip of the iceberg. >> what we are getting now is the network of the tunnels. we got a command control system room in a tunnel is hundred meters from the hospital to the north underneath the school is booby trapped, we are going to collect it, we are going to demolish it. >> we had an opportunity to speak with palestinian civilians, many of whom are evacuating to the southern part of the strip. more of that story tonight on special report. all this comes as anticipation is growing with the possibility of a ceasefire just hours away, both israel and hamas say it's going to happen. we are waiting for details on timing. it could see dozens of israelis return to their loved ones after 47 days of waiting. gillian. >> john: it's john here, you had an extraordinary opportunity to see some of the tunnels underneath the hospital. what part of the hospital were they under, and do you get the sense that there is a much more extensive network that israel has yet to uncover? >> we were with rear admiral daniel hagari, the top spokesman for the israeli military, and the tunnel we were in connects to an exit in a school down the street. and gives you a sense of just how expansive the tunnels are. they are not just within the hospital complex but giving hamas and islamic jihad the ability to move without being detected. also gives you a sense how close these tunnels are to patients. when we went into that tunnel, just over a dirt mound, we saw palestinians sheltering waiting to be evacuated to the southern part of gaza. >> gillian: trey, thank you nor joining us, appreciate it as always. >> john: remarkable opportunity he had there. cameron hamilton, former navy seal who has trained israeli defense forces and the question, i don't know how much you got to see there, but trey was in a tunnel under al-shifa hospital, would seem to verify everything israel has been saying that the tunnels do go underneath the complex and what else could they be used for except for hamas. >> you are absolutely right. i think we have seen quite a bit of sophistication on the part of hamas, hospitals, other municipal buildings, it's an interwoven network and some of the damage you find in the tunnel systems, you don't know where they are go, they spent, i think israel pulled out in 2005, 2006, quite a bit of time, research and effort into building them out over the course of the last two decades. >> gillian: so trey's reporting there included shots of bathrooms in the tunnels equipped with running water. does that surprise you to see the infrastructure they have built out under there? >> not at all. i think we find the elements in hamas that want to live there long-term or sustain operations, they have to have the creature comforts for daily life. basic clean air, clean water, clean electrical grids to run power, run the computer systems, so they are run similar to a military bunker. not surprising at all. >> john: makes you wonder how big the complex might be underneath the hospital. this deal announced that may begin 10:00 local time, 50 hostages in exchange for 150 palestinians held in israeli jails, clearly the family members are very excited about this, a lot of trepidation and anxiety whether their loved one will come home. how the wall street editorial board saw, even as israelis rejoice for the women and children who will return home, hamas is rejoicing, too. its war crimes have been rewarded. talk to us from the military and operational standpoint of this. this is a p.r. victory for hamas. they got israel to stop the shelling, stop the ground operation, they got the world now to stand up and take notice of what a ceasefire would look like. and at the same time, they get a lot of time to regroup and rearm. >> you are right about that. you have worked and reported on foreign policy for quite a while and unfortunately a common thread that terrorism is highly profitable for a motive and not seeking necessarily financial gain. what they are seeking is the p.r. campaign, like the tet offensive. what i would expect a consequence of this, more terrorist elements pursuing avenues to obtain favor and placate, and israel is making a negotiation of likely combatants for hamas versus those who are civilians, innocent women, children, a huge distinction that should be made there. so i think everyone needs to understand that israel is in position where they should negotiate for their best effort, they are going to pursue things in the best interest of their country to bring civilians back and they have expended quite an about the of resources to do so. we should have serious consternation of the long-term impacts of reward. i hope every hostage comes home safely and soundly but what are the long-term implications with negotiating with groups like this and how does it ripple across the other frameworks. so unfortunately i think it's going to be a long and nuanced answer we won't like. >> gillian: picking up on that point, everything could go smoothly tomorrow, 100% according to plan, that would be great. but we all know that these things don't always work that way. one or more elements could go awry. could you foresee a situation where the situation for the remaining hostages becomes more dangerous as a result of this? >> absolutely. i think hamas will leverage whatever resources they can to placate and garner favor for their benefit. if they can gain more from the nation of israel i think they will pursue it. right now hamas has gain add strategic victory in their people, which is fractured and barely holding on to power because they are interested in ensuring that they have a ceasefire to bring in more humanitarian aid. by hamas looking like an entity that brokers a ceasefire they have a semblance of legitimacy of their people. another factor as well. >> john: i was about to say that, you negotiate with somebody you give them legitimacy. i'm sure international pressure will ramp up to make the ceasefire permanent, see how it unfolds. great to talk to you. thanks for coming in. >> we are worried. >> got in last night from albuquerque, full flights. this morning, thankfully, staying at the hotel here. >> i love to travel, so i'm kind of used to the stress. >> gillian: you probably know this already, but the holiday rush is on. millions of americans are trying to get to their loved ones in time for thanksgiving tomorrow. a wintry mix of rain, wind and snow, to further disrupt their plans. thousands of domestic flights have been delayed. fox team coverage, and more on what drivers are up against. first c.b. cotton is at laguardia airport in new york. c.b., how are things looking out there right now? >> hi, gillian. the worst of security wait times between here at laguardia, newark and jfk, no more than 20, 25 minutes, good news for travelers. what we have seen increase are the flight delays and cancellations. a little more than 1800 flights are delayed and a little more 50 are canceled. according to tracking site flight aware. rain, snow and wind creating travel worries for many as the final leg of this storm system clears the east coast. rain showers and winds tracking along the i-95 corridor this morning and parts of new england, sleet and snow. right now, fort lauderdale, denver, laguardia and new york city are facing the worst of the delays. >> i was a little worried about cancellations, paid attention to the forecast and said the rain this morning and then i checked my emails from the flight. >> some great news for him. according to tsa, not only do people want to travel, they want to keep it as stress-free as possible. tsa says it has a record number of precheck users. pandemic lockdowns reinvigorated people's desire for travel and are now budgeting for it. >> what it says to us, people want to pick up where they left off or surpass. people have a desire to travel and they are willing to make cuts in other areas of their life, perhaps cutback their budget in different areas. >> now with so much influx today, always a good reminder, check your flight status before you leave home. gillian. >> john: the rainbow bridge. >> gillian: c.b. cotton. >> john: travelers hitting roadblocks as heavy rains and winds are causing hazardous conditions for travel and take a look at this nightmare in los angeles. hundreds of cars seemingly parking on the 405 freeway as drivers tried to get their holiday week started early, more travel troubles as they had on the east coast. live in pennsylvania, i hope the traffic is better where you are than it was on the 405. >> well, john, i'll start with the bad news, and that is the traffic is starting to build here, but the good news is that the worst of that storm has really moved out. that happened this morning and it's a relief to the millions of people heading home for the holiday tomorrow. you can see what we were dealing with, a mixed bag in the last 24 hours. it could be rain, ice, wind or snow, depending where you live in the northeast. cities like philly and new york city picked up around two inches of rain, the first soccer we have had in a while, a couple months for us. further north in massachusetts, snow coated the roads there. conditions calmed down early this morning. now traffic has been building and today will be one of the busiest days for drivers. i met bill cooper, he was stopping here along i-95 northbound at the rest stop, and he says i-95 looked good this morning but worried about the trip home later that could be tricky. >> it wasn't light traffic but really wasn't any slowdown. it's not a normal day, i'll be coming home about 4:30, 5:00, usually that's not good. but who knows about today. >> according to aaa, the worst time to drive is almost here. supposedly from 2:00 to 6:00 tonight. but looks like that might be starting up a little bit earlier. i don't know if you can see all the brake lights behind me. >> all right, thank you for the update. really appreciate it. so we have some breaking news here to tell you about. this is just coming in, trying to make sense of what's going on here. there was some sort of explosion at the rainbow bridge which connects niagara falls, canada with the american side of the niagara river. we don't know what the source of this explosion was, whether it was a vehicle, i've seen some pictures on the ground that show a lot of twisted metal, a lot of smoke and fire as well. but again, this is -- this is not -- this is a crossing between canada and the united states. and it's a popular crossing as well. it's very scenic, you can see niagara falls, the horseshoe falls and the american falls as you are going over it. it's not as widely used as, say, the queenstown bridge is or the bridge that comes out of buffalo, but does get a lot of traffic. so, it's shut down at this point because of some sort of explosion. we are working our sources to try and figure out exactly what happened here and again, we are just in the early stages of this. you have some news from the governor? >> gillian: governor of new york has tweeted she's been briefed on the incident at the rainbow bridge and says officials are closely monitoring the situation. state agencies are already on-site, preparing to assist, don't know anything about as of now damage to infrastructure, injuries to people in the area. we'll bring you that information as it comes into the newsroom. but for now, we'll be tracking this closely. >> john: and again, none of these are cleared for air, because they are people's personal property but looking online, scenes of twisted metal, fire, looks like a guard shack or checkpoint area has been partially torn apart, so we will keep monitoring this situation for you here as we get more news from the authorities on exactly what happened here. initially by looking at scenes from the ground and what we can see there in part of this live picture, definitely looks like something blew up. we just don't know what. >> gillian: what that was, aside from the reports from the two eyewitnesses who say it seemed as if this vehicle exploded. we'll bring you the details as we get them this hour. as we await more developments there, take a look at this. brand-new polling indicates the issue of crime may end up being a deciding factor for single issue voters. americans heading to the ballot box in 2024. how the biden campaign is trying to get ahead of its messaging. >> john: the iowa caucus is a few weeks away, and one candidate is packing the schedule with stops across the state. vivek ramaswamy still struggling to move up in the 2024 gop primary race. so, what is it going to take for him to turn things around? 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>> gillian: violent crime is still on the rise across the u.s. leaving record numbers of americans feeling anxious about their safety. a new poll finds 40% of americans are afraid to walk alone at night in their neighborhoods. that marks the highest rate in three decades. and key indicator that crime could very well be a deciding factor for voters in 2024. so let's bring in joe concha, let's start with this. according to this poll, for folks in the control room, don't need the call for for this yet, 40% of americans say they are concerned for their safety when they are walking after dark outside near where they live, 28% worry about being murdered and a 3 don't drive in certain areas of their own neighborhoods because they are afraid of crime. pretty chilling. >> gillian, you would expect that in other less developed countries, not the united states of america where you have 28% of people fear they may be murdered in their lifetimes, americans, really. and you see what's happening in new york, gillian, mayor eric adams, a former police officer, he's now forced to cut the number of police on the street because of migrants who came to this country illegally and they are prioritized in the annual budget above the public safety of those who live here legally. everything is upside down. the nypd force will be at the lowest levels since the mid 1990s, and not a pleasant time in new york city, and connect the dot to the biden administration and the failure to prevent the flow of millions into the country and what it's doing to local budgets in major cities and see attorney generals even after police officers do their job, make arrest, and that criminal is back on the street to commit crimes again and again and so frustrating for people who play by the rules and continue to see themselves being victimized. and perhaps that's one of the reasons we are sealing donald trump at 23%, 22% among black voters, unheard of for any republican and among latino voters where joe biden doubled trump support in the 2020 election, new basically a toss-up, because the folks in urban areas don't feel safe and feel like the leaders are doing the jobs they are supposed to be doing, to protect the citizens that they represent. >> do your point, take a look at the latest fox news poll for approval ratings. this is high disapproval of biden's job performance among key groups, men, 63%, voters under age 45, 62%, hispanic voters 60, college degree holding voters 57% and black voters 41 erz p. you would be hard pressed as a political and lift to make the case that does not reflect some of the concerns we have been talking about. >> absolutely. i mean, when you see the president who got 90% of the black vote in 2020 now is at a disapproval rating of more than four in ten among black voters, it's so telling and obviously why you are seeing the david axelrods of the world coming out and begging joe biden not to run again. there is a branding problem. and there are cameras everywhere. whether it's on the phone or the closed circuit type of security cameras, so people are seeing this in their newscast and online on a daily basis. horrific crimes being done, some in broad daylight, some in places you would not expect. chicago is a complete mess, you have brandon johnson, the new mayor, somebody who advocated for defunding the police, 28% approval for six months. you can see immigration a huge issue, the economy, number one issue on top again, but crime is something that impacts everybody in this country, it seems, or at least they know somebody or perhaps they have been impacted and people are going to vote that way as a result of who will be tougher on crime, the democratic nominee in biden or trump or whoever wins that nomination. >> gillian: and tougher in particular, joe, on violent crime. one thing to be scared someone is going to break into your house or steal your car, it's another thing to fear for your own life. you have to leave it there. thanks for taking time with us and happy thanksgiving if we don't talk to you tomorrow. >> take care. >> john: back to the news we brought you earlier on the incident at the u.s.-canada border, fbi buffalo office released a statement confirming that there was a vehicle explosion at the rainbow bridge. they say they are coordinating with local, state and federal partners in this investigation. they add the situation is very fluid at this time as you can imagine. that goes without saying. what you are looking at now is, that's a shot of -- that's a shot of the american side and if that is where the vehicle exploded, you can't really see it from this angle. the american side and the canadian side of this bridge look very much the same, so it's sometimes difficult to discern which is which, but we do know that this video was taken from the american side and kind of looks like that's a fire hose down there on the ground, maybe to put out the flames. but the pictures that we are seeing online, there's a lot of flames, a lot of twisted metal, that is either the toll booth or it's the customs check-in. difficult again to know from this angle exactly which is which. >> gillian: john, this just in now to the newsroom, sounds like fox news has confirmed one male has been taken to the hospital with some kind of injury resulting from this incident, whether it was an explosion of a vehicle or something else. it sounds like this is the first confirmed injury to a person that we know good as the story is developing. >> john: yeah, well, you can imagine if there were people in the vehicle and the vehicle blows up, there may be other casualties. this is a real mystery at this point. was there an explosive device in the vehicle, was there some catastrophic malfunction, cars don't usually just blow up. they can catch fire but the authorities are only at the very beginning of looking into this. we'll get more information on this as time progresses. we are also reaching out to our contributors to see what they and their sources know, so stick with us on this. because this is really puzzling. we do know according to christopher wray, who has testified twice in congress, there is an elevated threat of terrorism against the united states an as a result of all the unrest in the middle east. we are not saying this is terrorism, but just to say that there is an elevated threat when a vehicle blows up, your spider sense starts tingling. >> gillian: and federal authorities are investigating, hopefully we will get new information out of there over the remainder of this hour. we will bring it to you as it comes in. >> john: updating from the hospital, a male, 27, at niagara falls memorial hospital with minor injuries, back pain, minor cuts. we don't know if it was a person in the vehicle, if it was somebody who was working one of these toll booths or customs checkpoints. status of this patient not severe, which is good news. no other victims in the hospital at this time. but then, if some reports that we are hearing multiple people in the car when it exploded are correct, then there is bound to be other casualties. >> gillian: stick with us. in the meantime, turn our attention to this. a transgender college swimmer in new jersey is making some waves today, after breaking her school's record after transferring from the men's team over to the women's. megan cortez fields smashed the 100 yard butterfly record on saturday. now facing fierce backlash from some critics, including riley gaines who joins us now. riley, to actually -- i'm going to quote you, i don't usually like to do, you told fox news earlier, those who choose to remain blind to the injustice of allowing mediocre male athletes to become record breaking female athletes are incompetent or misogyny. women are asked to step aside while stripping ourselves of opportunity, privacy and safety. >> i mentioned about the first piece, the evidence is there. this is really this issue, this gender ideology movement, only adversely affecting as it pertains to sports, at least, adversely affecting women. we don't see biological women, which i want to be clear, i hate using that word, we don't see females going into men's sports and becoming record smashers. this is only going one way. that's what i mean by that. and the other part of that statement, speaking from direct experience, my real life lived experience because we were asked to smile, we were told we were the problem if we felt uncomfortable undressing next to a male, we were told we needed to be kind, we needed to be inclusive, we needed to apologize if we didn't feel it was fair or just to allow men to take our spots on the podium: so again, that's entirely out of my own lived experience. >> john: let's just put out -- the performance record of megan cortez fields. she set a record, first place in the 100 yard butterfly, 57.22, second place in the 200 yard individual medley, 2:12. unfortunately we don't have any photographs we have the rights to to show, but like lia thomas, a full head taller than her teammates and clearly it's a transition that happened after puberty. this swimmer was swimming with the males and was sort of like lia thomas, mediocre in competition and then getting into the women's category and blows records away. >> you are right. as a swimmer myself, i can attest to the times and what they mean. 57 seconds in a 100 yard butterfly for the men is atrocious, for lack of a better word. that's not competitive by any means. and so it's very clear again who this is going to be affecting as it pertains to sports, but also if you look at the broader picture of this, i mean, even prisons, we see men identifying as women going into women's prisons, impregnating these women, it's not happening the other way. it shows that we are innately different from a physical perspective, as well as our characteristics, and i say that because if this was happening to men, if men were being infringed upon, men would not stick up for this, they would not allow this for one second, but we as women, because we tend to be more agreeable, more empathetic, emotionally driven, we are allowing this to happen, even if it meant we are erased in the process. >> gillian: riley, you've been one of the only young people to frame this issue as women's rights, for lack of a better term, protecting the interest of women, female athletes, what do you see as a sort of -- not an issue that's going away, it's becoming more prevalent. what do you see in terms of solutions out there? you have talked a little about leadership. what else do you see? >> well, that's exactly what we need. we need strong leaders, whether it comes from the ncaa who have been total cowards on this issue, including president charlie baker who testified in front of the senate judiciary committee a few weeks ago and gave answers that were incredibly lackluster and a letter to the ncaa that they prioritize fairness in women's sports, signed by other governors, we need accountability, we need people to acknowledge and understand how it's harming women and how the argument is not anti-trans. we are not trying to ban anyone from competing. i'm actually an advocate everyone should compete, regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, whatever sport you play. everyone should compete because there are so many benefits to competing. it's just playing where it's fair and safe. we cannot prioritize fairness and safety, or we cannot prioritize inclusion over fairness and safety and that's what we are seeing happen by allowing men into our sports. >> john: riley, you mentioned this letter the governors sent to the ncaa, quote from part of that, the ncaa has the opportunity to guarantee a fair environment for women's sports, policies that allow men and women to compete against each other, validate an average male athlete stealing the recognition from a truly remarkable female athlete. you are mentioned widely in that letter. put a button on it for us here. because i mean, this is lia thomas 2.0, i think we could say and not the last time it's going to happen. >> no, it happened at roanoke college, and now of course in new jersey. other instances around the country. look at massachusetts, a young woman's safety was jeopardized, had her teeth knocked out, and had to undergo reconstruction surgery because of a male on the team, and peyton mcnab, a year and three months as she was spiked in the face, partially paralyzed on the right side and has to have special competition for testing at school, in the name of inclusivity, we are excluding female athletes, everything that title ix was passed to prevent from happening. >> gillian: we have to leave it there. thanks for looking at all the angles of this developing challenge. appreciate it. talk to you soon. >> john: thanks, riley. happy thanksgiving. president biden has a new plan to curb the flow of fentanyl. does it give countries like china and mexico too much control of this american crisis? former dea special agent will dig into the plan and whether a more secure border will help. >> gillian: plus the israeli government agreeing to a hostage deal with hamas. a lot of the details right now this hour still remain a little bit murky. we are going to be joined next, and we will be told what she has learned what went on behind the scenes. that's coming up next. >> every day i wake up, it's the same day. and i wait a minute or two to listen for the familiar sounds that i'm used to hearing and there's nothing. but i wonder if you just take a few seconds to pray with me real quick. in the name of the father and son, holy spirit. amen. lord jesus, come to us now. help us to surrender ourselves completely to you. help us to listen to your voice. even when we're distracted or tired, we pray this in the name of the father and of the son of the holy spirit. amen. thank you so much. i just want to encourage you 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of this. so it's not just the rainbow bridge that's involved, it's the queenstown bridge, peace bridge and the other bridge as well. anybody trying to get across the border right now, between canada and new york is likely going to find those border crossings at least for the moment closed. again, according to channel 4 in buffalo, this vehicle had transited the bridge from canada and was at the u.s. customs checkpoint which you see there in this video when it exploded. again, we are just in the early stages of this. we don't have any official confirmation from any of the major agencies other than there was a vehicle explosion. we don't yet know what the nature of it was, was this a bomb, was it something else that happened, was this a terrorist attack, was this some other kind of an event. we don't know any of that just yet. but we are going to continue watching it. >> gillian: this as well, the governor of new york, kathy hochul, says in a statement she is on her way or is imminently travelling to buffalo, going to meet with law enforcement and emergency responders there to talk about this and get updated, she says she will share an update with new yorkers once she has more information coming out of that briefing. so that pretty important news there, john, with the development. >> john: wkbk, channel 7, says the rainbow bridge is closed but wibv says all four bridges in the area of western new york, go across the niagara river, have been closed until further notice. i mean, if this were to be, god forbid, a terrorist attack, this would be very big news, particularly on the eve of thanksgiving, and that would be with the perpetrators have intended to detonate whatever it was that they had at this bridge or were they destined for somewhere else. >> gillian: as we heard from our reporters covering the travel season, katie burns, c.b. cotton, already the busiest travel season on record for americans travelling more than 50 miles to celebrate the holidays. this is obviously, no matter what this is, it's going to have implications for americans looking to get to canada, for canadians looking to visit their relatives and friends in the united states. regardless of what this is, this has -- this story, john, already has some pretty big impacts for a lot of folks. >> john: and not to suggest it was a terror attack, we don't know that, we are in the very early minutes of this after this explosion, but we should remind you that the fbi director, christopher wray, told two congressional committees in the last few days that literally the terror alerts are blinking red as a result of what's happening in the middle east. that the threat to the united states is at a greater level than it has been since isis was running around and perpetrating attacks of terrorism around the world, including here in the united states. yes, oh, here we go, oh, alexis mcadams is reporting that according to high level police source, the explosion was an attempted terrorist attack. a lot of explosives in the vehicle at the time, the two people who were in the car are deceased, one border patrol officer was injured. driving from the u.s. apparently to canada, and trying to drive toward the cbp building, so all bridges in the area have been closed. all government buildings in the area have been evacuated. >> gillian: and just like that, it's a major story for us this hour, john, as we laid out the eve of thanksgiving, millions of americans trying to get on the road, take to the skies to travel domestically as well as overseas. a lot of those folks heading to canada, a lot of them might now be blocked at least temporarily from doing so in the wake of this attempted, reportedly attempted terrorist attack. >> john: so if it's true that this information is correct that the vehicle was going to transit the rainbow bridge from the american side to the canadian side, that this may be an act of terror that was perpetrated against the border facility. so, put that together with what we have seen on our southern border and then the news from the fbi director that the terror threat alert level is at the highest it's been in years, and if you put those two things together, this could be a direct attack against our border security operations, and that would be a very big deal, indeed. >> gillian: senator chuck schumer tweeting on x, he's closely monitoring the situation on the rainbow bridge crossing between the u.s. and canada and niagara falls. federal, state and local law enforcement are on the ground, guidance from emergency officials, and thanks brave first responders. the fbi has taken the lead in this investigation, john, an early sign toward reporting we are getting this was likely an attempted terror attack. >> john: and the fact that new york governor kathy hochul is on the way to the scene would give some sense of urgency in terms of the state response to this, why again we thought initially that this could have been a terror attack and the fact that she is going there would certainly fit into that idea. the governor typically does not go to things unless they are very serious in their nature. and with her on the way there, that will mean that later this hour we will likely hear from her directly as to what this is. the president is in nantucket celebrating not only his birthday but the beginning of the thanksgiving holiday. it's likely that he is being briefed on this and i don't know if we will actually hear from the president but we will likely hear from the white house as well. this is the most serious act of terrorism, if indeed that's what it turns out to be, that we have seen in this country for some time. >> gillian: we are learning the fbi has brought k-9 units to each of the international bridges in this area of western new york, precautionary measure. the fbi is on the scene, they are placing k-9 officers on the international bridges in the area again for precautionary measures, indicates at least some considered concern now about the potential for more attempted attacks at other bridges connecting western new york with canada. >> john: it's sort of puzzling as to why this would be targeted, why a bridge that connects the united states to canada over the picturesque niagara river, the reason they call it the rainbow bridge, you can see the horseshoe falls on the canadian side from it, and there's typically a rainbow that's over the horseshoe falls, and so people will drive across this bridge just for the picturesque view of the falls. we have eric shawn with us on the phone. he's following this, or is he on camera, not sure which, he's on camera, who is following this story, so eric, the fact that this is being looked at as an act of terrorism certainly would seem to bring a lot of credence to what the fbi director was saying in hearings on capitol hill recently, and very shocking development here as we see these -- this unrest in the middle east that has spilled out past israel to many other countries knowing that there could be operatives in this country sympathetic to terrorists who want to send a message. what are you reading? >> that's what fbi director christopher wray testified saying because of the unrest in the middle east, fbi was monitoring a variety of possibilities that there could be a radical islamic terrorist attack here in the united states, including potentially covered by hamas. not saying that is the case here, but we have a story up on fox news this morning which that is exactly what is in the hamas charter, seeking to go after middle american targets and this sort of thing, and any type of american western value representative of a situation. according to alexis mcadams, two men in the vehicle, according to high level police sources, are dead. the vehicle, the car packed with explosives, we are told. that car tried to drive right into that customs and border patrol building, the gate, the watch gate. you stop when you present your passport to go through the border. the injured man is 27-year-old potentially, that is the customs and border patrol officer, he's in good condition we are told at a local hospital. when you are talking about radical islamic terrorisms and attacks against the you state, this has happened before. 1987 a suspect found with explosives walking from canada into vermont along a train track, 1999, another radical islamic terrorist caught at the border on the west coast from canada into the state of washington. the target then was the millennium plot to try and bomb lax and i've covered cases of al-qaeda suspects nabbed at the northern border trying to enter the united states to carry out attacks. we have seen vans and cars used, car bombs, the van bomb in 1993 in new york, the car bomb that exploded in the garage underneath the world trade center, the attempt to take down the gleaming twin towers did not succeed that time, but led to 2001. new york subway bomber was trying from colorado to new york, he was stopped on the george washington bridge and arrested. so, this seems to fit the m.o. of potential terrorists to either attack a known location, one that could be relatively soft potentially, just driving right into the booth in which the customs and border patrol officers, you know, check your papers and your passports and this sort of thing, to try and send a message, again, fox news being told by high level local police sources that two men are dead, we have no further confirmation about that, those two men in the car, that car we are told full of explosives. the fbi only saying on the record at the moment that the fbi buffalo field office is investigating the explosion on the rainbow bridge and coordinating with local authorities, the fbi buffalo office in charge of this unfolding developing potential terrorist attack happening right now in, on the border between canada and our country, john. >> john: ok, eric shawn, thank you. and again, we are getting reports that all of the border crossings between the united states and canada and western new york, there's three large car bridges, pedestrian bridge, and then there is a rail bridge that would be included in that are closed until further notice. and i don't know if that's just out of abundance of caution or if there actually have been threats against those targets. gillian, it is likely very fortunate that if this car was trying to get to the cbp building there at the rainbow bridge on the american side, that it blew up where it did because there were minor injuries to one person who we believe is the customs and border protection employee, but if it got to that building and blew up, the casualty count could have been much, much higher and as eric shawn was saying, two people reportedly in the car, both of them dead. >> gillian: this just in now john, and from the nfta, the airport in buffalo, they are increasing security system wide, cars will undergo security checks, travelers can expect additional screenings, the buffalo and niagara falls airports are fully operational. they are advising travelers to give themselves lots of extra time for these security precautions. we can only imagine, john, they are going to stay in place through the long holiday weekend. reasonable to expect they will be in place for some time, resulting from this attempted terror attack. >> john: and this being the busiest travel day of the year so far, a tremendous amount of traffic that was coming across the bridges from canada into the united states. the rainbow bridge, it's a smaller port of entry than the peace bridge or the queenstown bridge are, but still a lot of traffic coming across the rainbow bridge. but if all vehicular traffic and potentially rail traffic between canada and the united states has been suspended, that is going to create a very large back-up on this, the busiest travel day of the year. >> gillian: bring in former fbi investigator bill daly, he's joining us by phone. bill, before we get into the specifics, what's your reaction to what we are seeing transpire? >> certainly disheartening and the eve of a holiday, but certainly a time you would expect if there was going to be any type of incident it may happen during busy travel times when areas are congested with people maybe otherwise distracted because of the upcoming days off and time with family, etc. so it's disheartening to think we have a terrorist incident occurring, or one that was attempted, that it's happening here at any time in the last year, just before the holidays. >> john: bill, when you take a look at terror attacks that have occurred in the united states, this is an unusual target, and if this vehicle as some eyewitnesseses have said was trying to drive towards the customs and border protection building and then exploded at one of these border checkpoint kiosks, that would not follow with a lot of what we have seen in the past where terrorists seek out a high value target, whether it be the building in oklahoma city, the world trade center or the pentagon, being to target a bridge is rather y unusual. >> it is, and especially on the level of the bridge, most likely not going to dramatically impact the super structure, because the blastways would go out and away from the bridge itself. may create a small crater in the bridge. so the question does rise to my mind's eye, whether or not they were transporting these explosives, as you suggested, maybe just the other side of the bridge or elsewhere, could have been a more high value target and may have been some other accidental eruption of these explosives as a result of whether attempted intercession by border personnel or just because it went off in error. >> john: bill, just to throw another thought into that mix. apparently the vehicle was going from the american side to the canadian side. and not to say that canada is immune from terrorism, but you would expect if there was going to be an act of terrorism, it would be perpetrated on the american side and not the canadian side. >> yeah, i mean -- certainly that's our immediate assumption. again, we don't know what the plan designs were of these individuals. i'm assuming we will quickly know once their identities are found out by the fbi and various intelligence agencies who they may be, but it does raise the questions when incidents like this have occurred, 9/11 is the benchmark on that, also looking for othe