team across the country. this is the foreign desk. they are in contact with our bureaus around the world. the media desk and where all the pictures come into fox news. right here on "the live desk" all those pictures will be on the right-hand side of the screen. in the top box, new photographs showing the underwear that was worn by the suspect during that botched terror attack on board in northwest flight bound for detroit. the picture shows the explosive material and help it was sewn into the garment. we will also reveal some of postings possibly written by abdulmutallab. in the middle box, the year's big winners and losers in the world of politics. and in the bottom box, it looked like a heart wrenching custody battle was over, but a brand new report that sean goldman's family in brazil is continuing their fight to try to regain custody and take the boy back from his father in new jersey. jamie: first we go to the airplane bombing investigation. authorities are eyeing al qaeda cells in yemen. the terror group claimed responsibility for the christmas day attempt, and said that it supplied the 23-year-old suspect, umar farouk abdulmutallab, with the materials needed to kill nearly 300 people aboard. here is. his underwear was packed with a powerful substance that could ever a hole through the airplane. now we are hearing the suspect may have posted his feelings of depression and loneliness on line -- online and also talked about his obsession with religion. we are learning more about the suspect through these postings. what can you tell us? >> there is no independent confirmation that they were written by the suspect that there are certainly a number of details that were consistent with his background. these posting or first carried by the washington -- ", washington post." -- "the washington post." the second one - what is striking is the real sense of loneliness and despair, someone looking for a sense of community. analysts tell us that these are the criteria that jihadists look for when the actively recruit. when you look at some of the 9/11 hijackers, richard reid, you could identify them as individuals who were social misfits, and they joined al qaeda to be part of a larger community. jamie: also interesting in terms of the device used, there were some similarities to the one that's richard reid used. have we learned more about the device? >> we have been told that dna was taken from the suspect, not only because of the legal case, but it will be used in comparison, to figure out if there are other's dna there. perhaps someone who helped him. the comparison to richard reid is not a bad one, but i am told investigators are looking at another comparison in an operation that was carried out in the arabian peninsula. this was an attempted assassination on the saudi prince earlier this year. in both circumstances, the individual acted like a mule with a bomb. in the case of the attempted assassination of the saudi prince, the material was secreted in a body cavity. it did not kill the saudi prince, but again, it shows how this group is trying to evolve to avoid the technology that is in place right now. jamie: what about the information from the suspect? initially there was word that he was talking. he is being detained at the moment and his hearing was postponed. what we expect to hear from him in the interim? >> one source told me that he is just not talking anymore and statements he made initially are being vetted carefully. at the time he was speaking, he was in severe pain because of the burns, and he was also because -- and he was also on painkillers. my understanding is he is no longer providing information to the authorities. jamie: have we learned anything more about the larger threat made by this group in the area? >> officials say that the claim is authentic and it appears that the suspect got his training as well as the material in the yemen. we are early in the investigation, though, so there could be other developments in that area. there is no way to verify whether or not these threats are real, but these types of statements are very typical for al qaeda. they are trying to maximize the fact that the world's attention is focused on a group that one well known to counterterrorism circles, but not the general public. jamie: thank you, catherine herridge. rick: now more details from just outside of the prison in detroit. he is now awaiting a hearing in the u.s. district court. phil keating is outside the federal correctional institution. good to see you. i wonder what officials are saying, whether or not they believe this is one of the most serious terror attack attempts on the u.s. since 9/11? >> as each day goes by, more evidence comes forward. number one, in confidence by umar farouk abdulmutallab, as well as the heroic actions of the passenger and crew on board northwest flight 253, which stopped this attack, only allowing a fire develop, instead of allowing a massive hole to explode in the jetliner. inside and the federal correctional institute behind me, in one of the cells is that terror suspect, abdulmutallab. he is charged with two serious charges. one, trying to destroy aircraft. two, trying to bring destructive capabilities on board an aircraft. i spoke to a prison spokesperson and they can give no details other than he is being housed here. there are 15 hundred being held here, they blow federal security prison. -- there are 15 hundred being held here, a low federal security prison. rick: the state of michigan, as we know, has a thriving muslim population. has there been any reaction from muslim leaders in michigan since this failed terror plot? >> there was a news conference this morning involving the michigan chapter of the largest muslim civil rights organization in the u.s., c.a.r.e. with them in the room was the nigerian american, and all of them collectively said it was the responsibility of all muslims, and around the world, to condemn these acts and repudiate these actions which tarnished the image of islam. they also used in the conference to address some cases of ethnic profiling they believe is going on. rick: phil keating, thank you so much. we want to hear from you. you can go to our home page, foxnews.com, and answer our question. where did you think abdulmutallab should be tried? you can click your answer -- military court or war federal court? you can also see how other people are voting. jamie: health care reform still very much in the news after clearing the senate hurdle last week, but already, some lawmakers are pushing back against the proposed bill, fearing the cost could skyrocket and force many already-cash strapped states into deep financial water. jim angle has the details from washington. tell me why the state are complaining about something the government is doing in promoting health care? >> congress found an easy way to increase the number of people with insurance under health-care reform, that is to force the states to cover the uninsured under medicaid. the problem is, states have to pick up the cost, and many are already in financial trouble. >> some say they are facing crushing deficits and could not imagine doing any kind of expansion. 48 states are in deficit. california, arizona have severe deficits. new jersey is facing an $8 billion deficit before they start the year. >> on like congress, most states are required to have a balanced budget. california is already in trouble which prompted the governor to say that recently our state cannot afford its current medicare program as structured and govern by rules, and increasing the people into the program will only worsen the situation. >> they will require us to cover about 2 million more people. that will cost us between $3 billion to $4 billion annually. republicans tried to support universal coverage here in california, but what we have said all along is we cannot do this if this is going to be another unfunded mandate. >> he has asked the members of the california, is to fix this. jamie: what about ben nelson's state where the government will be picking up the cost of medicaid expansion. is that making other states angry? >> they promised to pick up the tab after the first couple of years, but after that, the state will need to pick up part of the cost. keep in mind, in the senate bill, half of all those that get insurance from being pushed into medicaid -- meaning 15 million more on medicaid rolls. also, many states are already cutting state budget, cutting higher education, raising taxes, to meet their current difficulties. the case of california is instructive. they have a $60 billion shortfall. they just got $30 billion from everything from social programs to prisons, to salaries, and state officials say that there is no way they can pick up their time or washington's plan to expand the number of injured. jamie: thank you. -- number of insured. rick: fannie mae and freddie mac are on the hook, but now they are being handed a blank check. and it was a heartwarming story in the u.s., a man reunited with his son after more than five years apart, winning custody over relatives in brazil, but now we know the fight may not be over. how would the brazilian relatives to get him back. rick: welcome back. rising debt polls after this attack in pakistan. in the top box, 43 people are dead after yesterday's bombing in karachi. the suicide attack tearing through a crowd of people honoring a shiite muslim holy day. in the middle box, some of the pirates striking again how, hijacking a british tanker. and a panamanian vessel is also captured. they are the first to be hijacked in the past few months. in the bottom box, home prices are up in the month of october, the fifth straight month of rising home sale prices. overall, prices are still down from 7% -- 7% from the highs of octobe2008. jamie: the consumer confidence index rose 2.3 points today. this figure is based on surveys of 5000 u.s. households. it is up 20 points since february, but economists would like to see a score of 90 or above. consumer spending makes up to two-thirds of the activity in the economy. rick: the economy giving a pretty amazing christmas gift to fannie mae and freddie mac, and limited financial support for the next three years. the two companies are linchpins of the housing market, but they're hemorrhaging cash and we have cost -- and they have cost taxpayers billions of dollars. peter barnes is in washington. >> the obama administration building them quite a stocking stuffer. no limit on the amount of taxpayer money the treasury could invest in them in the next three years, something that puts taxpayers more on the hook. previously, the administration said that it would invest $400 billion in the two to keep them operating. they are critical to the markets. analysts said changes will help the company provide cash and liquidity to the mortgage markets while allowing the banks to offer mortgages to home buyers. it could help the company to keep mortgage rates low. finally, it allows the companies to out right by and modify more mortgages for struggling homeowners, to save them from foreclosure. all this will cost a lot of money. so far, the treasury has invested $110 billion in the companies, an estimated taxpayer losses will not exceed $70 billion over the next 10 years. some believe that the losses could grow to $400 billion or more. >> i think they're trying to position themselves to keep the mortgage rates from going up. fannie and freddie are in position to do that now because they have an effect a blank check. >> policy-makers will eventually have to figure out what to do with fannie and freddie long- term and permanently, including considering turning them into true government agencies or private companies with no government support. jamie: a 23-year-old nigerian man stand accused of hiding a bomb in his underwear, planning to blow up a u.s.-bound passenger plane. now we know he may have been taking orders from al qaeda group in a country that could be the new front on the war on terror. rick: in the top box, evacuations under way in the danger zone surrounding a rumbling volcano in the philippines. more than 4000 people living within 5 miles of the volcano now forced to flee their homes. scientists say the volcano is likely to remain at current risk level rather than giving way to a full-scale corruption. in the middle box, no deal yet for captured israeli soldier gilead shalit. officials tell us that they are still working on a deal to secure his release. his capture back in 2006 is part of what started the israel-gaza war. in the bottom box, gas prices are on the rise. $2.60 is the national average, up 2 cents from last week. jamie: we are continuing to learn more about the 23-year-old nigerian man suspected of trying to blow up u.s.-bound passenger jet. a yemen-based terror group calling themselves on kind in the arabian peninsula is claiming responsibility for the attempted attack. there are also reports that umar farouk abdulmutallab was traveling in yemen weeks before his attempt, a country that could be serving as a hiding place for terrorists. with me now is stephen yates. we were speaking about the fact that yemen is not new to the terror watch. they are reaching out, asking for funding for counterinsurgency plants, and we are giving them money. this year, the pentagon gave them $70 million. >> it is true that this is not a target country that stock up on us. it was 2001 the cole was attacked. recent attention on afghanistan and iraq have distracted folks from the water effort, and in the grand scheme of things, this money is noa lot to you and me, but probably not sufficient to deal with the threat there. other nations need to step in to join the fight. jamie: who should join us, and is it in their interest? >> clearly, the first enemy of al qaeda in the arabian peninsula is saudi arabia. perhaps it takes something like this to make their government more serious about helping. clearly, the united states will have to do more than just money. it is helpful for the foreign minister and others to be acting for technical and other assistance from the international community. jamie: we know that this is a place where the taliban and on kind of can find a safe haven. all are more troops headed for them in, can we handle that? >> i think there are limits to where we can be deployed, and leaders have to be weighing that tension. there are some areas of the conflict that might be easier to manage than the afghan-pakistan border. the yemen government is asking for help. they have identified hundreds of potential people that are targets of concern. so there is some headway in terms of gathering forces together and going after those targets, but what did we need to be mindful in this is a global network. when you squeeze one part of the balloon, another part may pop up in another part of the world. jamie: we have intel and troops on the ground in yemen. how good is the intelligence we get, what is the level of the corruption? >> and the effectiveness of the government will be in question. we are going to have to spend more and cooperate more with others to bring out the capacity of the country. we need to bring up every -- the capacity of every country that these people might flee. jamie: it sounds like an essential by that we cannot take on alone. thank you. rick: coming up, health care on the home front. we will find out how one small town doctor feels about the effort to reform our system. he has an old school approach to medicine. and actor charlie sheen facing serious charges after a disturbing 911 call from his wife. rick: welcome back. we have some major developments with three big stories. the first half to do with pirates who are back at it again, seizing two ships in the gulf of aden. >> that is right, two more ships seized, won a british-plant chemical tanker which has been militarily safe for the last six months. the second one is a panamanian- flagged fertilizer tanker. between the two, 45 crewmembers taken hostage. in all, nine ships into and a 37 crewmembers are currently being held across the area. rick: and janice dean is at the fox weather center. what is going on? >> we need to stay indoors today. these are current temperatures, 12 in minneapolis, 23 in cleveland here is what it feels like with the wind chill. 12 in chicago, - 7 in international falls. it feels like 4 degrees here in the city with wind in excess of 40 miles per hour. rick: thank you. also, charlie sheen's wife makes in 911 colorado after the christmas day confrontation. julie banderas. >> the phone call led to second- degree assault charges filed against actor. in colorado, that is the charge meant to cause bodily injury. the weapon used in the attack was a knife. his wife, burke mueller, said that he had threatened to kill her with it. meanwhile, he denies everything. rick: thank you. that is your news whip. jamie: do you remember when doctors made house calls? we found one, a small town connecticut physician who says he is riot -- than with the rush, impersonal environment. he has written his own prescription for health care, giving what he called immediate and quality attention to those who need it the most. rick leventhal is in southbury, connecticut with more. how does this work? >> he has about half the patients that he used to. they call them up when they need to see him, and his wife makes the appointments. then he gets into his car and drives as far as 30 miles away, and can spend up to one hour with individual patients. jamie: what about insurance, are they allowed to use it on this house call practice? >> apparently, some do. the doctor only accepts cash and check, but he gives them the paperwork they need to submit to their hmo. the pair then, many are getting reimbursed, but many say that they are willing to pay for it because they are willing to avoid the hassle of going to the doctor's office >. >> the main thing is that it saves everyone, the government, patients, hmo's. >> i might need to see the doctor for frostbite after this. jamie: how about a hat? it sounds good for the patient because they have that relationship, but it must be tough for him, having to run all over. >> he does have to run all over. he has some equipment with him as well. this is equipmenthese people ar, and he says it is more rewarding for him because he can spend more time with his patients. jamie: do not forget, cash or check only. we have some new developments to bring you. remember the bitter custody battle that tore a son and father park for five years? now the brazilian family of john goldman will fight to regain custody, even though he has just been reunited with his father david. the two are now in new jersey. it all started when david's wife visited her family in brazil. she then divorced david, kept the child, remarried, and then later died in childbirth. with me now is a family law attorney. there are many complicated issues. he wants the court to rule that he can come back to the states. this is an emotional time for him. tdo they have a basis for a case? >> the brazilian courts have already dismissed their request to have shawn hurd, and they have been interviewed by many experts, and they believe china should be returned to david. i do not think this is going to work. the battle for this child has to end. jamie: the supreme court there, well they will he could come home, at that issue their final order. anything can happen between now and then. he could even speak in the u.s.. the press has been hounding them. could they come to the u.s. and have jurisdiction, now that he lives here? >> they could make a legal argument for that. what is important from a legal perspective is the issue of parental alienation. even if sean want to go back to brazil, from the experts point of view, he has been alienated from david, to what he says will not be seen as much by the court. rick: the little boy is here in brazil -- in new best now. even if the court should change their mind, how likely are law enforcement officials in this country willing to get the boy back to brazil? >> it is called reciprocity. at the end of the day, brazil has never issued a court order to have sean returned to new jersey, so why would the u.s. do the same thing if the brazilian court wants in return? i think it is just another tactic and an outcry for the boy to come back. from a legal perspective, i think he needs to stay with his biological father, not with his grandmother or stepfather, and hopefully the brazilian court will make his final ruling. jamie: it will be up to the judge here to decide. >> you would think that he would have been returned under the hague convention, but he was not. we need to make sure we are enforcing laws country to country, not just state to state. rick: what is going on is clearly not in the interest of this little boy. i wonder -- i am sure he has an attachment to his relatives in brazil. it would have been nice if there could have been an amicable agreement where he could visit, but now it seems unlikely. >> in many cases, we see these custody cases, the emotion _ that two families have. -- the emotional dischord that the two families have. jamie: i am guessing the lawyer representing the goldman family will say, please do not put anything in writing, do not send text messages. good to see you. complicated case. rick: also, when we come back, a brand new poll asks americans who they think are the political winners and losers of 2009. are you receiving a payout from a legal settlement or annuity over 10 or even 20 years? call imperial structured settlements. the experts at imperial can convert your long-term payout into a lump sum of cash today. rick: hard to believe, but in three days, we will be ringing in a new year. in the meantime, "usa today" has teamed up with gallup asking america who are the political winners and losers of 2009. with me now is a spokesperson for newt gingrich. bernard with men is also with me, a former pollster for president clinton. -- whitman is also with me, a former pollster for president clinton. the percentages will not add up to 100 because they just put in who they mentioned. we start with the losers. in the third highest vote-getter is the congressman's from south carolina who stood up during the president's speech on health care and said " you lie." >> you also have to make a distinction between an approval pole and a winners and losers poll. joe wilson was a political loser because he was trashed in the media and their number of unintended consequences. i think a lot of americans supported what he was saying, however, the contradiction in the president's speech. rick: we will see what happens when he is up for reelection. in second place, mark sanford. 63% of people mention his name as one of the year's biggest political losers. he will not be impeached, but his wife has left him. >> i think he and tiger with me to figure out where to play golf for the rest of the year. -- woods needs to figure out where to play golf for the rest of the year. he started the beginning of the year as a potential front-runner for the 2012 nomination and gave one of the worst reaction to a speech that the people have seen, and is now hurting in the polls. rick, there is still a lot of time between now and 2012 -- rick: there is still a lot of time between now and 2012. i do not know why these were named the top political losers, but 70% of people asked said the white house party crashers, andy salahi -- the salahis -- were the biggest political losers. >> they are political losers because they were trashed through the media. if people do not like party crashers. rick: now let's go to the winners. i thought this was a very interesting. president obama, a 58% of people mentioning his name, even though his approval ratings are dropping. >> another big political winner here is the american people. one year ago the economy was careening off the rails. obama came in and made some tough decisions, not the stimulus through, stabilize the financial system, and now that looks like he will get health care down. given the fact that he remained one of the top political winners shows you how much he got done in the face of extraordinary odds. the other thing i would mention, and it is quite telling to know, three of the top winners were women. that suggests to me, coming in 2011, 2012, we may see more women in both parties challenging for open seats. rick: that can segue us into the top two vote-getters. hillary clinton receiving 70%. why is that? >> let me mention briefly with barack obama, he is a winner because he is the first african- american president. i think when you couple that with expectations, it will be instructive for the democrats. a negative poll of approval may put that next year and he will become a political loser. republicans would have wanted hillary clinton, at this point, to be the president. rick: finally, the top winner according to the gallup poll, the first lady of the united states. >> it is not uncommon for the first lady to out-poll their husbands. michelle obama took the world by storm on the campaign trail. she has continued to do it. frankly, i would say michelle obama, more than anyone else, it is the president's best political weapon. rick: thank you for being here. happy new year. jamie: speaking of the new year, have you down to get in shape? maybe next martial arts are for you. it is one of the hottest sports, and one of the hottest location where people are looking to get their start. san jose, california. we will show you what it takes. 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(announcer) zyrtec-d®. behind the pharmacy counter. no prescription needed. rick: our big stories it iis ine top box. iraq in negotiations with lukoil. the agreement is a key part to boost iraq possible oil output, a key step in postwar reconstruction plans. in the middle box, an israeli magician lower bring himself into a giant ice cube in tell the -- tel aviv. he plans to stay there for 62 hours, and attempt to beat the record set by american david blaine. in the bottom box, brand new amateur video of the attack on the pope. pope benedict and reading worshipers at christmas mass. -- breeding -- greeting the worshipers at christmas past. take a look, she hops over the barrier and pulls the pope to the ground. she turned out to be the same person who tried this last year as well. jamie: and next martial arts fad, it is becoming one of the top sports in the u.s. there is a growing legion of fans who enjoyed a combination of skill and savagery. it is tough stuff. many of the fighters looking to break into the sport are training in california, including some surprisingly big names. claudia cowen is in california. what are you seeing in terms of people training? >> we just saw a glimpse of some sparring before the break. san jose is becoming a center of the mma universe because of institutions like this, as well as this is the location of the cambridge company strike force. they started in 1994 and now has a big star sponsors, as well as that of deals that are giving up and coming fighters national exposure, including gary homeland, a fighter who has been doing this for 16 years. what does it take to become a superstar? >> rustling, boxing, just an overall athlete. you cannot be afraid to be hit. >> you need to excel at all of these things. >> exactly. we spend abouget a lot of coller is coming here, and we have to teach them a few things. >> it is caught in a cage, it looks pretty barbaric. set the record straight. >> actually, the cage is pretty safe. right now we have a chance to fall through these ropes. if we did, we could hurt ourselves to significantly. >> some other big names getting into the mma cage -- well, jose canseco gave a shot that did not last. herschel walker is now training for a fight in miami. there are a lot of people who say that he cannot make it in this young man's sport. he says do not count him out yet, and he will be donating his proceeds to charity. jamie: thank you. rick: a 23-year-old nigerian now sitting in jail, accused of trying to detonate a bomb aboard a u.s. passenger jet carrying almost 300 people on christmas day. when we come back, the latest in to the investigation of umar farouk abdulmutallab. find out more about his possible ties to al qaeda. [captioning made possible by fox news channel] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- jamie: this is a fox news alert. there is breaking news from little rock, arkansas, as a memorial for a murdered television army worker is getting under way. rick: a community is coming together to remember some haitian army major fillip lies -- salvation army major phillip wise. we will have an update on where the investigation stand. jamie: we are learning more about a plaot aimed at bringing down a u.s.-bound jetliner. umar farouk abdulmutallab is awaiting a hearing next week. authorities say he had chemical explosives sewn into his underwear. meanwhile, a global search for any accomplices is under way after al qaeda in the arabian peninsula claimed responsibility. we are outside of the correctional institute where the suspect is being held with phil keating. this is a low security facility, is it not? >> yes, it houses about 15 inmates, and right now it has a very high-profile al qaeda one of the terrorists. that being umar farouk abdulmutallab who has been housed here since sunday afternoon. he has been charged with attempting to destroy aircraft and attending to bring on board destructive elements to bring down an aircraft. any details other than the fact that abdulmutallab is here, they are not releasing anything. we do not know if he is in isolation. we know that he will be here until at least next friday, when he has a detention hearing scheduled for downtown -- at the downtown courthouse. add that time, the judge will decide to set his bail. of course, prosecutors will be arguing to keep him without bond, stating that he is a flight risk. jamie: now the connection to yemen has been made. possibly as a teammate, again explosive materials. i understand the former commander of the uss cole is speaking out. what did he have to say? >> that is right, he says with all of these connection now pointing at yemen, abdulmutallab may have had contacts there, and according to the government, he was there earlier this year. now they are criticizing the planned release -- rather, the continuum of release of detainees from guantanamo, criticizing the obama administration's effort to repatriate these prisoners. some of them put into these reform camps, trying to use culture and conducive methods to bring them away from their radical anti-american beliefs, and try to get them into a much more sedate state of mind, at least politically. however, many believe that they need to stay where they are. jamie: apparently after this incident, he feels even more strongly about it. rick: of the failed plane bombing raising new concerns about law enforcement on the war on terror. eight years after 9/11, is the law getting in the way of tracking down terrorists before they strike? abdulmutallab was on the copperhead to terror list, but apparently airlines do not have access to that. they were not able to spot him out as a threat. >> most terrorism experts i speak to say that you do not want airlines the signing who can and cannot fly, based on the sort of thing that can put you on the database. a member of the heritage foundation said that there was an up and down andal with a lot that should have screened -- that should have -- abdulmutallab that there should have been additional screening. >> he was a young kid going to the u.s. missing this and that document. all of those things together certainly would have qualified him to go into secondary screening. >> he says in view of the similarities between his attempt and that of the so-called shoe bomber richard reid, we are still not connecting doubt that we may have done so after 9/11. rick: it comes down to the debate between civil libertarians who want to preserve people's privacy, and others who just want to preserve people's safety. it is a balance between the two. >> he says the problem in this case is the laws are not being aggressively enforced. lots of people would like more information sharing between federal and state agencies, between the government and private sector. as you point out, civil libertarians point to misunderstood, that, and they say that the law is already being abused in some cases. rick: a number of top agencies still without anybody appointed to the top job at tsa, customs and border protection. they all have acting leadership. i wonder if people in washington on wondering if this is beginning to be a problem. >> some believe that leadership of those two agencies, because they are acting head, resulted in the group's not being as aggressive as they would like. in fact, the confirmation hearings have not been held. in the case of tsa, it is being held up by a republican senator. in the customs and border protection head, those were postponed for health care. jamie: pirates are back in the picture off the coast of somalia, and they are believed to be holding 45 members of the british-flagged chemical tanker as well as a second ship. hours later, pirates seized another ship in the gulf of aden. amy kellog is watching this from london. >> the statistics show there is a pirate attack every day, but of course not all of them are successful. sometimes time goes by where we do not hear about any successes. however, this british tanker was captured in the gulf of aden. that is significant because there has not been an attack there for about six months. that is because there is a good system monitored by international navy. basically, they clustered in groups at approximately the same size and speed at the time of day that they would make their passage through the gulf of aden. it is an extremely important chokepoint. according to the eu naval task force, the british ship did not travel in such a convoy, but a british, nor working out of the crane -- bahrain said that they could have helped, but they did not get the drift to stress -- the distress call in time. the panamanian tanker was carrying fertilizer to india when it was captured. 49 crew members, a real master of international folks. -- mix of international folks. we are still waiting to hear an update about their well-being. jamie: what about the last few ships that we have heard about and ransoms being paid? you mentioned that massive naval buildup. is it considered to be working, considering the additional takeovers? >> the navy in the u.s. believes that there should be security detail on board, including small arms and other measures. europeans and others are against having small arms aboard ships. the u.s. navy says that they have been good at basic evasive measures, and generally in the gulf of aden, the number of ships hijacked is about the same. however, the success rate to deter these attacks has been much greater. so the people in bahrain, the u.s. navy, and people working closely say that these ships need to be better in their evasive measures. we do know there is an uptick in the tax off of the somali coast. that area is more problematic because it is not as easy and ever area for the navy to patro. jamie: thank you. rick: in tehran, mahmoud ahmadinejad is claiming america is feeling the anti-government protests. he dismissed the demonstrations as "a play ordered by the zionists and americans." the son of one opposition leader who ran against ahmadinejad back in june saying that his father is practically under house arrest. on monday, president obama praised the courage and conviction of the iranian people. jamie: police are stepping up nevermore to find the men who shot and killed a salvation army worker, in front of his three children on christmas eve. we will get the latest on the investigation. and fouformer guantanamo bay detainees claiming association with the christmas day bombing. but what is their connection to the nigerian suspect? guantanamo, should it be closed? are you receiving a payout from a legal settlement or annuity over 10 or even 20 years? call imperial structured settlements. the experts at imperial can convert . north barack, and also, his three young children who were watching him helplessly as their father died. now police are offering a $10,000 reward for intermission leading to an arrest. with me now is a sergeant with the north lauterbach police department. good to talk to you. -- little rock police department. >> we are getting calls and following up on those needs. we do not have anything concrete just yet. we are going to need the help of the community to solve this crime. in the type of weather that we had that they would decrease the number of witnesses. rick: there was on of rain that day? >> yes, but some pretty severe brain storms. it was for cod in the afternoon. normally at 4:00 you would have a lot of people traveling around, but we did not have that many people outside due to the weather. bret: we have had this on the screen -- rick: we have this on the screen -- i understand you are looking for two african american men? >> yes, they were seen running away from the crime, toward government-funded housing just a couple of blocks away. we are still bickering and anyone with any information to contact the police department at 501-758-1234. rick: do you believe there are others out there that have information that have not come forward to tell you about it? >> homicide investigations like this, they are so different than others. [inaudible] we believe most of the time people talk, they tell someone, and we need that person to come forward. there is a $10,000 reward. we had some problems, because of the holiday break, getting the funds established, but that it is up to attend thousand dollars. if anyone is listening or watching, we encourage them to call. -- it is up to $10,000. rick: i imagine that information can be given to you on a confidential basis? >> yes, but if you want to reward, we will have to know who you are. yes today there was a press conference with the ministers in the area -- yesterday, there was a press conference with the ministers and others in the area, encouraging people to step forward. this gentlemen spent 16 years serving others. he would try to help everyone have a great christmas. without him -- he just did so much in the community. it is such a loss for his family, the salvation army family. bret: i cannot imagine -- rick: i cannot imagine. his wife was actually inside the building and was the first to call 911. this was a man that played a major role in your community. i know that you spend a lot of time on the streets. what has the reaction been? >> it seems everyone we come to -- we talk to, it is really refreshing. i actually had a soldier coming from baghdad and said that he wanted to contribute to their reward. we are people, too, and a lot of times these things affect us, like everyone else in the community. to get an outpouring from everyone in the country is -- it makes everything of little better. rick: have you come up with a motive? but it simply financial, two young men looking for the money? >> we are on the assumption that it was attempted robbery. now it is just too identifying suspects and putting them behind bars. rick: i hope our next conversation involves two armrests. the sergeant with the north little rock police department. best to you as you do your work. jamie: there is a troubling report on the plot to bring down a passenger jet over u.s. oil over -- on christmas day. could there be a connection to guantanamo bay? we will speak to a former covert cia operator. want to know how fast it took my stiff joints to feel better? one pack. 6 days. that's elations. new elations. clinically proven to improve joint comfort... in as little as six days. drinking it every day keeps it working. elations has clinically proven levels... of glucosamine and chondroitin, in a powerful form that's more absorbable... than joint supplement pills. tastes great. goodbye, horse pills. start your joints on the road to comfort... in one pack, six days. that's elations. the new standard in joint health. jamie: welcome back. let's go to the investigation over the failed bombing of the northwest airlines flight. umar farouk abdulmutallab is now in custody in federal prison, and and all kind of a group yesterday -- an al qaeda group yesterday claimed responsibility for the attack. that two men suspected of planning the plot with him or former guantanamo bay detainees. they were captured in 2001, freed a few years back. with me now is a former cia covert cia operations officer. 17 years with the cia. tell us how poorly these bad guys are being held. what do we know about them? >> you can make some assumptions without going into details, which we do not do, but the arrest we have made, about 200, half of them -- incidentally yemeni. some of them are the worst of the worst. it is not as if the bush administration did not try to get them sent somewhere else. nobody wanted them. now we are making this effort just last week, six yemenis were repatriated, and if you are afghans, and two afghanis. -- somalis. we have been pressuring the saudis to pressure the yemenis to try to get these people back. jamie, they are repatriated, but do they ultimately end up back in hand of al qaeda? it is a poor country, i do not know what skills that they have, but they know terror. senator lieberman said that we have operations on the ground. can we prevent them from re- entering, with these two? >> the short answer is no. critics of the detainee program say that this is nonsense, they are going back to the battlefield, but we know that they are. the saudis have put together a rehabilitation program. one terrorist went through this program when he was released in 1997 and then ended up as a deputy of al qaeda in the arabian peninsula. the current administration tried to get the saudis to take these yemenis and put them through the program, but the problem is, it is not of one size fits all. now we are working with the yemenis to start their own kind of program once they go back, but ultimately, it is their own country. frankly, some of these individuals -- if we send them away from guantanamo, because this is a political move -- inevitably, some will end up back on the battlefield. jamie: they need to be tracked. that will take not only the yemen government and also the saudis. rick: a very fluid situation right now with breaking news in san diego, california. the sheriff's department responded to a shot fired. this was inside a casino. apparently, there is a gaming commissioner who may or may not be armed. harris faulkner, what do you know? >> this started about 1 hour 15 minutes ago. they received a call that there were possible shops fired -- shots fired. good news for people who are actually gambling. here is what i have been able to gather. they have called in swat. no transport of anyone to the hospital. those shots made contact with anybody, we do not know about them. we are getting reports that the person may have been a disgruntled ex-employee. there is a day care center nearby. we understand that place has been evacuated safely. right now we are waiting to learn if this is over. there were reports that the suspect had a rifle in hand and was inside one of the buildings adjacent to the casino. rick: thank you. jamie: the next step for health care reform getting both houses of congress reconcile in their version of the bill. even though lawmakers are on vacation, there is some work going on behind the scenes. to other people, then don't bother watching this commercial. i've taken precautions all my life to protect my identity. i've been in law enforcement all my life... and my identity was stolen. did you know that identity theft has topped... the federal trade commission's list of consumer complaints... for the last eight years? it's a serious problem for anyone with a social security number. and it continues to get worse. fact is, on your own, there are many things... you can do to deter identity theft. protect your social security number, shred and destroy, be internet savvy, use intricate passwords, safeguard your purse and wallet. seriously, are you really going to do all that? no, really are you going to do all that... for you and your family? at lifelock, the gold standard in identity theft protection, we're here to help. we take proactive steps to deter 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mind at just ten dollars a month, and to receive your paper shredder, call now and mention "shredder." call now and mention "shredder." call now or visit lifelock.com. ♪ jamie: the new information on three stories we are following. a deal to release gilead shalit. reena ninan has new information. >> senior syrian officials said that they were unsure about the deal to release gilead shalit. they are still deliberating over whether to accept the deal. he has been in hamas custody since 2006. however, israel officials say that the delay could be a sign that they are not interested in a deal. jamie: meanwhile, the president is in hawaii. steve centanni. >> the president began his day to day with a work out near his home, as he has done every morning. meantime, reporters getting a briefing from his chief of staff, dennis madonna, telling us that investigations have been undertaken and tsa are looking at screening capabilities. the second review of the watch list has not yet begun. jamie: she is doing everything she can to prevent it, but there is another storm that we have to keep our eyes on. janice dean from the weather center. >> i will see what i can do. let's look at this possible new year's eve storm wreaking havoc across texas. dallas, you are in line for some storms. this is futurecast. this is thursday morning. the storm getting its act together, i can muster. then heavy rain for new york city, making its way up the shore friday morning. -- getting its act together, gaining moisture. jamie: thank you. that is your news whip. rick: it is the final battle in health care reform, hammering out the differences between the house and senate bills. some of the biggest distinctions -- a government-run insurance program, the public option, and federal funding for abortion. negotiations could already be under way. david drucker is an editor with "roll call." >> staffers for the president have started to look at the paperwork, trying to -- staffers for the congress people have started to look at the paperwork, trying to get in touch with other members. phone calls are occurring, but there are no face-to-face meeting this week, likely. i think we've both seen next week and a week after that, the week of january 11 and 12, and these negotiations between white house leaders and commerce officials will be working on something -- congress officials will be working on something. rickover's bill that two issues in making rick: -- rick: we spoke about the two main issues in the bills. they could cause some major problems as they go to reconcile these two bills. >> it could. interestingly enough, all of us covering the debate looked at potential problems and abortion was never on our radar. as we saw with the house, abortion became the most important issue and it blew up almost as many democratic issues to stop legislation. the same thing in the senate, it was abortion that ben nelson had to have nailed down before he provided the vote. the house bill which restaurant -- stringent language that prohibits federal money to go to abortion procedures, differs from the senate version, which says it depends on which state you live in. i think they will have to bring in the right combination of pro-joyce and pro-life democratic senators. rick: republicans say that they are not done trying to kill the bill. what legislative tools do they have in their toolbox to possibly stop this thing in its tracks before it winds up on the president's desk? >> to be honest, it is an empty tool box. republicans in the senate can still filibuster. once it is negotiated and goes back to each chamber for the vote, that vote is subject to a 50-vote minimum filibuster. but the democrats already have those votes in hand in the senate, so the bill would have to be dramatically different for some democrats to drop off. so there is not much republicans can do, from a procedural standpoint. all they can really do is keep making their case in public, which has been effective, and hope it influences the democrats in the house and senate, or both, to not go along with this. rick: anybody teetering? any votes that went for the bill, but might go the other way? >> anything is possible. that is one thing i have learned watching this thing. i would say this. if the public option does not go back into the final bill, then joe lieberman will not filibuster it. as long as there is no public option, he will not filibuster, as well as no medicare expansion. as long as the language that is in the current bill stays there, ben nelson will not filibustered. beyond those two votes, looking for members to join to block this thing is unlikely. in the house, it is possible the abortion language is weakened where some men like bart stupak may decide not to vote for it. but because the senate version is more moderate than the house bill, nancy pelosi may be able to turn to some of the blue dog democrats who voted against the house version. you never know but it looks like this should eventually pass. rick: good to talk with you, david. jamie: this is a fox news alert. we have been telling you about an active situation in san diego, that there could have been shots fired inside of a casino. what is the latest? >> all those things that you mentioned are incorrect. there is no one inside the casino, no one armed. the incident that took place earlier took place in the gaming commission offices which are not on the resort grounds. they are separate buildings, the regulatory arm of the tribal government who regulates the casino. jamie: i am glad that you clarify that. thank you. who do you believe it is possible? >> i do not know, and i do not have much respect to the actual incident. -- who do you believe is a responsible? at this point, officials have not shared anything with us or the media. they are still investigating. jamie: in this office, were there people working, and do you know how many could still be inside? >> i do not know exactly how many were there at the time of the incident. i received a phone call maybe one hour and a half ago saying that there were share to department personnel there according off the building. i am not really sure what is going on. everything is still surrounded. again, i just cannot know what is going on. jamie: we are hearing reports that the swat team has just arrived. generally, when they show up, it is because there is an active situation. do you know if there is one shooter inside, do you know any weapons involved, do you know who reported this? >> i do not know. it must have come from the gaming commission, but i am speculating there. jamie: i am sure you are aware that the shooter could be a former gaming commissioner. >> i do not know. there are so many rumors flying around. i hate to say anything that is not factual. jamie: thank you. i will ask you to stand by as we continue to monitor what is on the ground. rick: we will continue to follow this and other stories. remember cash for clunkers? some said it agreed to the auto industry. for recyclers, it is the gift that keeps on giving rick: fox news is on the job hunt. today is the cash for clunkers program, three new life into the nation's junkyards. it was a popular program, more than 678,000 people taking part in the program, training in their gas guzzlers for credits for a new fuel-efficient car. it cost the government just under $3 billion and some businesses are still reaping the benefits. peter doocy is at a &and p other parts business. >> when the program was first announced, they thought they would get 300, maybe 400 cars, but they have had 2100 come through. i am here with the owner. right now it is 7 degrees below zero, but your guys are working hard to strip these cars down to that you can sell the parts. is it usually buy this? >> we are busier in the winter than in the summer months because thingsno carrier ringcon. the delivery services, fedex, a lot of the deal that we do, they get shipped out. >> these clunkers are giving people jobs and saving lots of consumers money. rick: turn one of them on and turn on the heat. jamie: we want to go to paris falkner at the breaking news desk. more information about shots fired at the gaming commission in san diego. >> this is on the grounds of the barona resort. we haveç confirmation that a former employee of the gaming commission was fired in november. accordingç to the sheriff's department, that person walked into the security director's office a short time ago with a rifle and fired three shots. people were climbing out of windows to get out of the way. this is coming directly from the sheriff's department. evacuation's are ongoing. a couple of buildings are next to the casino. the area had been opened to traffic, but now i have learned that they have cordened off the entrances. that is the very latest. jamie: thank you. rick: when we come back, fast food and died in the nothusualy come together. the fast food diet that could help you shed pounds. . . ç rick: talk nobel is announcing a new program to shed pounds. -- taco bell. dr. and experts are divided over the program. i guess that talk nobel has put some healthy items on their menu and they are saying, look, if you have to eat fast food, choose these healthy items. >> this has been on their menu for a long time. now they have moved it to the drive-through, which is good, because if you're driving through, you are in a hurry. they reduced the cheese and replaced with salsa. you save about 100 calories each item. but the garrido supreme still has a lot of fat and salt. that is the problem. the government is only suggesting to the below grams of salt each day, and i agree with that. americans eat close to 4 grams. to is what we need. so i'm concerned about these items. you could argue that this is a small step in the right direction. they bury these items in the back. i like the small step in the right direction. mcdonald's has sallet, burger king has a vegetable burgers. but will you go there and eat the volcanic notch us? rick: if i go to mcdonald's, i am not going to the salad. >> cheese is bad for you. it has a lot of calories. salsa is better for you. but i would like to see less meat. why do we have to have a beef and chicken all the time. we can have all been. i would like to see less fat. jamie: do what you can, folks. the new year is coming. we have to cut a little short because new information in an investigation in the deadly incident at the arizona sweat lodge. what they claim went on before three people died. stay with us. one pack. 6 days. that's elations. new elations. clinically proven to improve joint comfort... in as little as six days. drinking it every day keeps it working. elations has clinically proven levels... of glucosamine and chondroitin, in a powerful form that's more absorbable... than joint supplement pills. tastes great. goodbye, horse pills. start your joints on the road to comfort... in one pack, six days. that's elations. the new standard in joint health. jamie: we wanted to give you a brand look at the centerpiece of the new york new year's eve party. it is a crystal ball that will bring in nearly 300 interlocking triangles of waterford crystal. it illustrates the organizer's team for the year, let there be courage. we like it a lot. we also like our theme, the all- american new year. send us your greeting by text. great to see you today. rick: great to be with you. time now for gregg jarrett on "studio b." [captioning made possible by fox news channel] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- gregg: in san diego, calif., a gunman opened fire and help people hostage at the offices of the verona gaming commission