Transcripts For FOXNEWSW Americas Newsroom With Bill Hemmer And Sandra Smith 20180816

Conduct is wholely inconsistent with access to the nations most closelyheld secrets. The very aim of our adversaries. Bill overnight the president explained it in the wall street journal. It is a witch hunt. Its a sham. It is something that had to be done. Sandra pete king will joining us in a moment but we start with kevin corke. The president has been talking about his decision. What can you tell us about why he did it . The president and white house if i can paraphrase believe that brennan is not deserving of this privilege. Its something the president made very clear in his comments to a reporter from the wall street journal. Let me share part of that conversation. The president saying this. In some cases, he is talking about the people that not only have had their security clearances revoked but others under review. He said in some cases theyve lied before congress, the Hillary Clinton investigation was a total sham. He added this. I dont trust many of the people on that list. I think that theyre very dupe list us to. I think theyre not good people. Okay. So we have that. And yesterday White House Press secretary Sarah Sanders did her best to lay out the president s reasoning and she described why he is making this decision now. The president has a constitutional responsibility to protect classified information and who has access to it. And thats what he is doing is fulfilling that responsibility in this action. For the folks who havent had a chance to see the list of those under review it reads like a whos who in the intel community. James comey, james clapper, Michael Hayden, sally yates, former a. G. Number of f. B. I. Officials and officials from the d. O. J. All of them in many cases the president feels like have not earned the right to maintain a security clearance, sandra. Sandra brennan has responded, right . He is calling this retaliation. What else is he saying . He is not only saying its retaliation, he is saying this is actually meant to silence him and other critics. Listen to what he said and how he frames losing his security clearance. Mr. Trump decided to take this action as he has done with others to try to intimidate and suppress any criticism of him or his administration. And revoking my security clearances is his way of trying to get back at me. Mr. Trump believes this is going to lead me to go away and be quiet, he is very badly mistaken. You saw brennan there. Here is what adam schiff of the Intel Committee is saying. He said in adding john brennan to his enemies list, trump, meaning President Trump, demonstrates again how deeply insecure and vindictive he is. Two character flaws dangerous in any president. To suggest this has or would silence brennan, youve seen he has been on television quite a bit. Meanwhile white house Officials Say not just those we talked about comey and others under review. He said there may be others added to the under review list. Sandra well see where it all goes this morning. Bill want to bring in congressman peter king, republican member of the house intelligence and Homeland Security committees. Brennan has been an outspoken critic for about two years now. Was this the right move, sir . Yes, it was. Again, it has nothing to do with starting the russia investigation or anything else. First of all the president has the right to do it. Secondly the only purpose of maintaining the security clearance is if a president or the Administration May want to consider you for consultation during a crisis. No one would consult john brennan in a crisis. He was very political. I believe the report that he rushed through at the end of the Obama Administration totally slanted what really happened as far as the russia involvement in the election. John brennan, you speak to any present and retired cia officials they did not respect him and the fact that he would call accuse the president of the United States of treason, that he would say that. He shouldnt be given the dignity or status around the world as having a security clearance. That is an honor and privilege, not a right. He has abused the honor and privilege. The president should have done this a long time ago. Bill the list is a whos who. Comey, mccabe, strzok, do you think more will come on that list, sir . Some could. I would say off the top Michael Hayden is a critic of the president , very patriotic, sincere in what he says and again, i would urge the president not to take away Michael Haydens security clearance. As far as comey, mccabe and strzok, i think theyve already lost them. The main offender would be brennan and also general clapper, who has really disappointed me. Bill reaction from brennan and others has been this is simply revenge. What would you say to that . No, its a common sense decision. It is saying that just because you happen to hold a position at one time doesnt give you a lifetime security clearance. Its an honor and privilege to have it. Brennan has abused it. No one will keep john brennan from speaking out. He got so involved claiming about russia being involved in the election and he is the one that voted for a communist Party Candidate for president once. If you look into peoples background, there is john brennan. This isnt revenge. I can see why the president is angry and mad but it is a legitimate government reason to take away brennans security clearance. Bill strzok is fired from the f. B. I. His lawyer. By revoking brennans clearance and threatening on officials the president has taken us one more step down the path toward authoritarianism. Brennan is quoted as saying when the president has claims of no collusion, brennan calls it hog wash. You just referred to the russia matter. Youve been knee deep in this investigation as well. Is it hog wash, sir, or not . I can tell you having sat through any number of witnesses, almost all the key witnesses, having read the transcript of the testimony, so far there is no evidence of collusion. And for brennan or strzok or any of them to say it shows the bias they have and never should have been involved in this to begin with. Peter strzoks lawyer to be commenting on anything. This man disgraced himself, the f. B. I. He certainly has lost all moral authority, any authority for anyone the listen to him speak whatsoever. Bill a lot of reaction already. More to come. Peter king, the republican from new york with us today out of new york. Sandra. Sandra well have much more on all this with congressman jim jordan. Well hear from him coming up in the 11 00 hour eastern time this morning. The president tweeting the past couple of minutes about the economy doing better than ever. Also talking about the Fake News Media again is his last tweet but we are winning. Bill waiting for jim jordan. Big hearings today behind closed doors, another one seven days from now. Jordan is coming up later today. Sandra we look forward to that. Breaking news out of afghanistan where a group of gunmen stormed an Intelligence Facility in kabul. Todays attack after isis claimed responsibility for lets go live to David Lee Miller. Sandra, lets start with the latest development here. Police in kabul saying two of the gunmen involved in the storming of the Intelligence Center compound have now been killed. That siege had been going on for at least six hours. The attackers reportedly opened fire from a partially constructed building nearby. That building at this hour were told surrounded by security personnel. No word on what group may have been behind the attack. Also today four police were killed trying to diffuse a car bomb. No group claiming responsibility. The attacks as funerals were held for 34 victims killed yesterday by a suicide bomber in kabul affiliated with the Islamic State. Relatives called for the government to stop the blood shed. The deadly blast, an Educational Center targeted students preparing for university exams. They were Shiite Muslims and ethnic minority. The Islamic State considers shiites to be heretic. The Shiite Community has been attacked at least 13 times. Afghanistans president today condemned what he called a terrorist attack that in his words martyred and wouldnted the innocent. An investigation is underway to find out how the attackers made their way into that Educational Center which has its own security force. Sandra David Lee Miller in our Mideast Bureau this morning. Thank you. Bill President Trumps former Campaign Managers trial almost in the hands of the jury. Could we get a verdict today . We arent going to make America Great again, it was never that great. Sandra you heard it. Grasps in the audience after new York Governor Andrew Cuomo made those comments and now President Trump is firing back. The rnc joins us on that. Bill this horrific story out of colorado. A man has been charged in the murder of his pregnant wife and two daughters a day after he made a plea for his familys safe return. Not something i could ever, ever fathom would happen in my lifetime and i have no inclination of where she is. I thought she went to a friends house with the kids and thats the last thing i heard and that was it. Onceweekly ozempic®. In a study with ozempic®, a majority of adults lowered their blood sugar and reached an a1c of less than seven and maintained it. Oh under seven . vo and you may lose weight. In the same oneyear study, adults lost on average up to 12 pounds. Oh up to 12 pounds . vo a twoyear study showed that ozempic® does not increase the risk of major cardiovascular events like heart attack, stroke, or death. Oh no increased risk . 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Sandra his parents marc and debra tice will join us as our headliner next hour. Join us for that. We are not going to make America Great again, it was never that great. We have not reached greatness. We will reach greatness when every american is fully engaged. Bill that comment got a lot of reaction. He is in a Reelection Campaign now. You heard grasps from the crowd yesterday to apparently talk about the make America Great again. Why do you think about the comment and the grasps in the room . Truly stunning. Unpatriotic, antiamerican commentary. Its incredible were seeing this trend not just from cuomo but just this month you had on top of that cuomo remark. Bernie sanders saying america is fundamentally immoral and wrong. Cory booker saying america is wrong. Warren saying were seeing a trend in the Democratic Party toward antiamerican rhetoric. And we must reject it. Thats a stunning remark. Bill the president tweeted after he heard it. The president said, thats the quote from cuomo, can you believe this is the governor of the highesttaxed state in the u. S. , andrew cuomo having a total meltdown. A response from the governor saying this. What you say would be great again would not be great at all. We will not go back to discrimination, segregation, sexism, isolationism, racism or the kkk. Like new yorks motto says, ever upward, not backward. Incredible response by andrew cuomo there. President trump was none of those things. He is equalizing the playing field. For cuomo not come out and apologize. For him not to come out and flatly say i was wrong, there is no place for remarks like that, this is a great country with great people in it. For him not to do that and instead to deflect blame and wield this attack against the president just shows he doesnt even know the governor believes america is great and full greatness will be fully realized when ever man, woman and child has full equality. When everyone is fully included and contributing to their maximum potential thats when america will achieve maximum greatness. Its a campaign for democrats who have been lined up against this administration. How does this play out . Right. If he has president ial ambitions, he just pretty much drowned those president ial ambitions with that statement. Were seeing with the Democratic Party we used to be able to agree on basic precepts. Were a capitalist, society, a great country. America is great. We used to be able to agree on that. Now on the debate stage on 2020 youll hear antiamerican and anticapitalist and prosocialist rhetoric. Theyre destroying the fabric of our country with comments like this and well see it from the debate stage. Bill thats perhaps where it plays out and also the ballot box on november 6. You mentioned bernie sanders. Here is what he said about the state of america today. There is growing resentment not only among young people who in many cases have a lower standard of living than their parents. I think there is an understanding there is something fundamentally immoral and wrong that a nation which we have three people who own more wealth than the bottom half of the american people. That does not make sense. Bill fundamentally immoral and wrong. How far does that message run . Its not going to run very far with the american people. We at the Republican National committee always ask what do democrats stand for . Now we know what they stand for. Calling our country immoral and wrong. Advocating for socialism. Here is the problem. A 2016 poll taken said that just 7 7 of americans agreed with the statement that america has never been great. If they want to make it their rallying cry, do it. But you only have 7 of the country that will show up and vote for that kind of message. Bill your reaction from the rnc. Thank you. Well talk again. 20 past the hour. Sandra a judge in new mexico granting bail to extremists arrested at a desert compound and now the District Attorney says no way. Telling fox news he plans to fight back. Were live on the ground with that story. Bill were getting a look into how the dea and mexico are teaming up together to crush the ruthless drug cartels bringing drugs and crimes across that southern border. The objective is to get the strongest cartels that operate within mexico and the United States and primarily this Investigative Group will dedicate itself to watch and attack the different plans of the cartels shipment of drugs to chicago. Stop fearing your alarm clock. With new zzzquil pure zzzs. A drugfree blend of botanicals with melatonin. That supports your Natural Sleep cycle. So you can seize the morning. New zzzquil pure zzzs. But prevagen helps your brain with an ingredient originally discovered. In jellyfish. In clinical trials, prevagen has been shown to improve shortterm memory. Prevagen. Healthier brain. Better life. Bill jury deliberations beginning moments from now in the Paul Manafort case. This is the first trial that stems from bob muellers investigation. Both sides said they were happy with their closing arguments yesterday that lasted four hours. Manaforts attorney saying there that the government has not met its burden of proof. Defense attorneys arguing the irs should have handled the prosecution and not bob muellers office. I said mr. Manafort was very happy with how things meant today. His defense team got to address the jury, point out the shortcomings in the governments case and explain that the government has not met their burden of proof. Bill the jury begins deliberations today at 9 30 eastern time. Six minutes from now. For manafort to get a conviction a unanimous verdict is needed from all 12 jurors for each of the 18 counts against him. Were watching that now. Sandra the u. S. And mexico working together taking action against these hightarget drug cartels. Officials say the criminals are responsible for transporting heroin and fentanyl across the border. Oftentimes using violence to make that happen. Mexicos acting attorney general sat down exclusively with fox news. Matt finn joins us live from chicago. Matt. This new action plan is a collaboration between many agencies including the dea, f. B. I. , Chicago Police and mexican counterparts. This Enforcement Group says ruthless mexican cartels are a major cause of the violence here in chicago that were constantly reporting on. They say the cartels are a cause of many deaths in this city. The dea and acting attorney general of mexico tell fox news this new initiative is meant to cut off the financial structure to these mexican cartels and take down the most wanted king pins cutting off their money equals cutting off their power. Historically mexico and the United States have shared information and partnered in the fight against cartels. The dea says whats new here is this specific Investigative Group dedicated to attacking International Drugs shipped here to chicago that end up all over america. The acting attorney general has talked with Jeff Sessions and feels that the United States and mexico are more officially exchanging information. The acting attorney general of mexico followed by Chicagos Police superintendent. We have to find a way to debilitate their financial struck tower to be able to combat them on the economic side. That way they wont have the capabilities to ship the drugs to the United States and wont be able to bring guns and money back to mexico. We know the cartels in mexico are responsible for much of the Illegal Drugs that are finding their way to chicago. We did ask mexico as acting attorney general if chicago mayor Rahm Emanuels sanctuary city status will have an effect on that. They stayed away with current relations between the mexico and the United States and did not comment on the border wall. Right now happening in chicago and across america cartels are ramping up efforts to fill a void left behind by the capture of el chapo. Sandra thats matt finn in chicago. Bill as we continue to follow the stories on the cartels. A horrific story. More than 70 people overdose in the same location, the same place as emergency crews rushed to respond. Where this happened and what went down. The details on that today. Plus there is this. When they had power they didnt stop the russians or the red chinese or the north koreans. They funded the iranians and, in fact, they are responsible for the greatest scandal in American History by interfering with our election. Sandra mark levin blaming the obama era officials like john brennan from not doing more to stop russias interference. Bill a plane passenger was governor Mike Huckabee on board. 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Bill Charles Payne was saying retail sales are growing at a better Percentage Rate than online sales. Sandra a lot of retailers are reporting theyve been strong. That is contributing to the gains were seeing in the dow this morning. Walmart trying to compete with amazon and all these online retailers, beefed up their online sales and i think they were up 40 . All that good news is feeding into quite a rally. Bill you have the concern about the tariffs and china and you have the concerns about you could always worry about something, right . If you heard larry kudlow on fox friends he was selling this economy in a big way. Sandra he said the biggest global story today is the economic boom happening in this country. Bill then he made a prediction. He said republicans are going to control the house in november. He was an optimistic man as you would expect. Sandra well talk more with Charles Payne next hour. Watching the markets. President trump justifying his decision for revoking the security clearance for john brennan. He is saying its a matter of protecting the nations classified information. Critics are calling it an attempt to silence one of his detractors. Mark levin teeing off on hannity last night. Nobody is stopping brennan from speaking. What did they do with their security pieces . The russians interfered in our election. Who was head of the cia, president , f. B. I. Its not the obligation of this president to let them retain their security clearances. There is no constitutional issue. Thats just nonsense. Sandra governor Mike Huckabee is a Fox News Contributor and former governor of arkansas. Good morning to you. Glad you made it safely there. You have a long story on a plane and travel and a mess for you this morning. Well talk about that in a minute. First you heard mark levin on hannity last night. This is not a constitutional issue he argues. What do you have to say about this . The first thing i would note is mark levin is so soft spoken. Really have a hard time understanding what his position is because he is so genteel about everything that he says. But he is dead right about this. First of all nobody has restricted brennan from having any of his ability to speak freely. He can say anything he wants. He says the most inane, ridiculous things on television every day. The issue is not whether he can speak. The issue is whether he should continue to keep a security clearance long after he no longer is working for the government. This is a guy who uses his free speech not to talk about National Security but to accuse the elected president of the United States of treason, which is a crime punishable by death. This is the same James Brennan who voted for a communist in the 1970s for president. Should we have a security clearance revoked . Why should he have ever kept it in the first place . You walk out the door, you leave your keys behind. You leave all of your Office Furniture behind and you should leave your security clearance behind. Sandra the list of clearances under review looking at james comey, andrew mccabe, james clapper, susan rice, sally yates and more. Will there be more . Lets hope to god there will be some more. I mean, how could it be possible that peter strzok, lisa page, andrew mccabe, many of these people have been fired. Others utterly discredited. James comey has been proven to be a liar. Sally yates got fired for insubordination. Go through the list of these folks. Theyre complicit in the conspiracy to derail the presidency of President Trump and for them to go around waving a security clearance is an insult to every american taxpayer. So they are saying its reviewed. It should take eight to nine seconds to come to the conclusion that none of these people ought to be having security clearances. They no longer work for the government, they no longer have really a reason to have security clearances. And if they are going to give them out like that, set out a booth at the fair, sell them for a dollar and well pay off the National Debt and everybody can have one. Sandra john brennan fired back. President s trumps claims of no collusion are hog wash. He says mr. Trump clearly has become more desperate to protect himself and those close to him which is why he made the politically motivated decision to revoke my security clearance in an attempt to scare and silence others who might dare to challenge him. What do you say to critics who say this is retaliation . I would say its just smart government. It is ridiculous that brennan has it. Where he run . The new york swine. They published it to try to make it like he is some kind of martyr. I want to remind you. He said the president committed treason, thats not saying he had bad judgment, that he did something he shouldnt have done. He accused the president of the United States of betraying the United States. That is a serious charge. There is no evidence, absolutely nothing to suggest that the president ever did anything like that. For him to say that, he is unhinged. Im looking for people to come and get him and take him away. Sandra and the president in the wall street journal interview quickly said i call it the rigged witch hunt. It is a sham and these people led it. I think its something that had to be done. That is where the president stands this morning. Meanwhile governor huckabee, were glad you made it safely into that chair. You had quite a travel experience this morning. You were headed from l. A. To nashville and what happened on board your plane . Well, it was an uneventful flight. We were at the gate and we said we cant get off the plane. Someone has a medical issue and it could be a contagious issue. Everyone will have to be kept on the plane. Then were pulled to a different gate in the far area of the airport. People came on with masks and gloves to take the passenger. She was placed on a gurney. Later they allowed us all to leave and apparently she is okay. Lets hope so. We are all okay and i want to say american airlines, they really did a great job of handling it very professionally and calmly and im kudos to them. Sandra kudos to them. Governor huckabee we have to get you on a better travel schedule. You have had some things happen to you lately. Were glad she is okay and glad you got where you needed to go. Thank you for handling it well as you detailed it. A lot of local reports about that this morning. Good to get your thoughts. Governor huckabee, good to see you this thursday morning. Bill no peanuts on that flight. A d. A. In new mexico plans to appeal a judges decision grantsing bail to the extremists. One of the women has been living in the u. S. Illegally for more than 20 years. Were live in taos, new mexico where some of the suspects could still walk even without that possible appeal. Whats the story there . Good morning, one of the Court Officials explained to me that defendants can still be released pending the outcome of an appeal but thats only if the requirements for bond have been met. Were hearing those conditions have not been met. Family members yesterday did come by the Adult Detention Center to visit the people inside. The owner of a tracking Services Company tells fox news a sponsor for the suspects reached out to obtain ankle bracelets, one of the bond requirements. However, he says, they still need to verify an address for house arrest. An attorney for one of the women held said she is concerned for her clients safety due to the threats against the judge and the courthouse. We reported the judge received public backlash and Death Threats after clearing the way for an unsecured bond for the group. The judge said she was following the law. Bill what is the update then on that compound . What have we learned . Right. Well, parts of it have been cleared out. This was done by some of the investigators. Our crew went out there yesterday to see what is left of that northern new mexico compound. Still there, rounds of ammo, flak jackets and dirty mattresses. There were 11 children there. Some of the children were given weapons training here with plans to carry out some sort of attacks. Deputies also found the remains of a young boy. Forensic testing will determine if they are that of abdul wahhaj, the 3yearold son of the suspect. Other children told investigators he died in a religious ritual at the compound and was denied medication for his epilepsy. The older wahhaj is awaiting an extradition hearing. It wont happen until september. For an outstanding warrant out of georgia for the accused abduction of his son. Bill a lot to follow on that. A lot of answers still outstanding. Thank you so much. Taos, new mexico. Sandra many of President Trumps picks claiming victory in tuesdays primaries which begs the question, what could it mean for november . Well examine it. Plus this. We know he is waiting for us. He is waiting for us to do whatever it takes to get him home free. We just cant wait for that day. Bill a family remaining hopeful six years after austin tice went missing working as a journalist in syria. His parents, marc and debra, are here to give their son a voice and how they hope to bring him home. Thats coming up in a few moments. Flintstones meet the flintstones. Theyre the modern stone age family. From the town of bedrock. Meet george jetson. His boy elroy. With instant acceleration, electric cars are more fun to drive and more affordable than ever. Electric cars are here. Plug into the present. And its also a story mail aabout people and while we make more ecommerce deliveries to homes than anyone else in the country, we never forget. That your business is our business the United States postal service. Priority you with tripadvisor, finding your Perfect Hotel at the lowest price. Is as easy as dates, deals, done simply enter your destination and dates. And see all the hotels for your stay tripadvisor searches over 200 booking sites. To show you the lowest prices. So you can get the best deal on the right hotel for you. Dates, deals, done tripadvisor. Visit tripadvisor. Com sandra hundreds of news out lets pushing back against the Trump Administration for attacks against the media. The boston globe inviting news organizations from across the country to stand up for the free press with editorials and an estimated 350 outlets have now pledged to participate. The New York Times, philadelphia enquirer, Chicago Sun Times and others posted the editorial overnight. So far no comment on that from the white house. Bill President Trump celebrating tuesdays primary results as the candidates he backed secure their nominations. Fox news contributor doug schoen writing a new oped. If nothing else primary results show the trump wing of the Republican Party is triumphant. Establishment wing has taken defeat after defeat. Whats unknown is what impact support from the president will have for gop candidates in the november election. At a time when he is deeply unpopular with democratic voters and many independents are cool to him. Chris stirewalt is cool today. Fox news political editor. Good morning to you. Our colleague doug schoen checks a lot of boxes with that. I think the one statement that sticks out on what he writes there is that the establishment wing has taken defeat after defeat. Go ahead and jump off on that first. I would maybe twist it a little bit and say this. There is a new establishment, right . The president , the chairwoman of the Republican National committee, and an increasing number of nominees of the Republican Party are populist now. Nationalist populist. The old model embraced free market conservatism. This is trump ian populism and to some degree a call to personality around trump but it is trumps party. Its not the establishment wing is losing. There is a new establishment, the establishment is succeeding. Bill tim pawlenty is trying to revive his political career. He was beat by jeff johnson. Pawlentys comment the night of his defeat. The circumstances we live in in the era of a different kind of leadership in terms of President Trump and the like. I just dont fit well into that era, into that picture. Bill he said its the era of trump and im not a trumplike politician. Said a few others recently over the past two years. Sandra no offense to governor pawlenty. You have to feel bad for a guy who tried to go back one more time and face planted. Thats a bad day. But i think he is misappropriating the blame. The situation here is clear. He was a popular governor in the state, decided he would run for president , number two, he was going to basically seek to sell influence or provide his services to wall street, to banks. He went and got mega rich and then said okay, now ill come home and you guys can take me back. Thats never a good look. Thats not a good fit. He is running against a guy running to his right. Theyve both been critical of trump but he comes back to a guy more conservative who said ive been here in hennepin county, the bread basket for republican voters. I havent been hanging out with wall street bankers getting rich. Pawlenty traded his sams club shirt with tailored stuff. Bill kris kobach winning in kansas. Back to shone. The democrats have yet to articulate a clear message at all aside from the unsatisfying standup to and resist donald trump, end quote. Is that a winner . Look, that will work in some districts. In other districts. The two best avenues democrats have to go down this year, culture of corruption, number two, health insurance. Those will work in the largest number of districts and theyll show scott pruitt and Chris Collins and keep doing that stuff and it will work in the largest number. Bill i think well keep doing this stuff for a while. 88 days i think. See you real soon. Sandra it has been almost a month now since Mollie Tibbetts went missing. Vice president mike pence is offering his prayers and met with her family yesterday in iowa. What mollies family had to say about their meeting with the Vice President. Bill a man from colorado making a plea for the safe return of his pregnant wife and two Young Children. Now that same husband has been arrested for their murder. Details on this story in a moment. She was a beautiful woman. Beautiful children. She loved them so much. It has definitely given us a very bad feeling. Insurance that wont replace the full value of your new car . Youd be better off throwing your money right into the harbor. Im gonna regret that. With Liberty Mutual new car replacement well replace the full value of your car. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty i am totally blind. And non24 can throw my days and nights out of sync, keeping me from the things i love to do. Talk to your doctor, and call 8442142424. I just want mollies family to know you are on the hearts of every american, and we will continue to work and we will continue to pray for mollies safe return. [applause] bill after his speech in iowa the Vice President mike pence meeting with the family of Mollie Tibbetts. She disappeared on the 18th of july in brooklyn, iowa when she went out for a jog that evening. Her father releasing a statement to americas newsroom this morning saying this. Like parents throughout the country, the Vice President shares in the pain of mollies disappearance. A sentiment that comforts our family. End quote. Sandra fox news alert a colorado man reportedly confesses to killing his pregnant wife, shannon watts, and their two young daughters. They were reported missing on monday. Chris watts is now in custody. Jonathan hunt is live in los angeles with the details on this. Sandra, less than 48 hours ago Christopher Watts was saying this about the disappearance of his wife and daughters. Its not something i could ever, ever fathom would happen in my lifetime and i have no inclination of where she is. Last i knew she went to a friends house. Thats the last thing i heard. That was it. It was very vague. Then last night officials in the colorado town of frederic where the watts family lives tweeted chris watts, the husband of shannon, has been placed into custody and is awaiting charges at this time. Local media is now reporting that Christopher Watts has, in fact, confessed to killing his wife, shannon, and daughters bella, who is 4, and celeste, age 3. He has offered to take police to the bodies. Shannon had last been seen at 2 00 a. M. Monday morning when a friend dropped her off at home after a work trip. She didnt show up for a planned meeting with friends later that day. Police then found shannons purse and phone inside the family home when they carried out a welfare check. Her husband admitted then he and his wife had an argument but said it was a minor issue. Sandra, police are due to hold a News Conference at 12 30 eastern. Well get more details on this then. Presumably confirmation of whether watts has indeed led them to the bodies of his wife and those two little girls. By the way, in that same tuesday interview he said of those girls, those kids are my life. Thats a quote. Sandra horrific story. Bill the parents of an american who vanished in syria six years ago say theyre confident their son is alive. Marc and debra tice join us live in a moment. Jury deliberations begin any moment now in the case against Paul Manafort. Well take you to the courthouse coming up. And a runny nose, plus nasal congestion, which most pills dont. Its more complete allergy relief. Flonase. Sandra a verdict in the Paul Manafort trial could come as early as today as his jury is set to begin deliberating at this hour. Welcome to a new hour of americas newsroom. Im sandra smith. Bill im bill hemmer. Good morning. The case was handed to the jury 30 minutes ago. Yesterday one of manaforts Defense Attorneys doubling down on his comments that the prosecution hasnt met, he argued, its burden of proof in the case. His defense team got to address the jury, point out the shortcomings in the governments case and explain that the government has not met their burden of proof. Bill peter doocy live outside the courthouse in alexandria, virginia. What have you got, peter . The presiding judge in this case who has been very critical of the mueller team throughout the last 2 1 2 weeks, told jurors that they should not consider any of the cracks that he made from the bench while they are deliberating over Paul Manaforts innocence or guilt. That is as attorneys for both sides now seem to be in agreement for the first time that the mueller teams star witness, Paul Manaforts, former Business Partner might have some credibility problems. Defense attorney Kevin Downing said he came in here, mr. Gates, trying to look clean shaven, decent person that you could rely upon. When the prep of his direct was done on the first question out of the box he fell apart and showed himself to be the liar that he is. And the mueller teams description about gates wasnt that much friendlier but the prosecutor said it doesnt really matter. He said this, first the government is not asking that you take mr. Gates testimony for statements at face value. We havent asking that or asking that you trust every word that mr. Gates said. Were not asking you to like him, either. What were asking you to do is consider his testimony and test it and verify it, test it against the testimony of other witnesses and see if it is consistent. We do expect Paul Manafort to be in the building today because when a verdict comes down once the jury is done, they dont wait a whole a very long time before they actually announce it. The big question is how long is it going to take this jury of six men and six women from Northern Virginia to come to a unanimous decision on 18 complicated counts of tax fraud and bank fraud . We do not know. And they just got started. Bill were on watch. It begins. Thank you, peter doocy, in alexandria. Sandra another big story shaking up washington President Trump stripping away the security clearance of former c. I. A. Director john brennan. Brennan a fierce trump critic firing back following a statement from the president delivered by Sarah Sanders. First at this point my administration any benefits that senior officials might glean from consultations with mr. Brennan are outweighed by the risks posed by his erratic conduct and behavior. That conduct and behavior has tested and far exceeded the limits of any professional courtesy that may have been due to him. Doug mcelway is live at the white house. In an oped in the New York Times this morning brennan fired back at the white house and at the president in particular stating that mr. Trump clearly has become more desperate to protect himself and those close to him which is why he made the politically motivated decision to revoke by security decision in attempt to scare and silence others who might challenge him. He added mr. Trumps claims of no collusion are in a word hog wash. This is a move that the white house has been considering for weeks. It was in part inspired by senator rand paul who on july 23 tweeted quote, is john brennan monetizing his security clearance . He is making millions of dollars divujing secrets to the Mainstream Media with his attacks to donald trump . Same day he tweeted today i will meet with the president and i will ask him to revoke John Brennans security clearance. Now that it has happened, senator paul is applauding the move. Representative adam schiff, the ranking democrat on the House Intelligence Committee is equating the move to Richard Nixons enemy list. The trump demonstrates how deeply insecure and vindictive he is. Two character flaws dangerous in any president. Undemocratic and unamerica. I believe this action to silence a critic is unlawful. In an interview today with yesterday with the wall street journal, President Trump said that he would have made this move last week but that things were simply too hectic and made the decision because he believes that brennan played a role in the entire russian collusion narrative. He said quote, i call it the rigged witch hunt. It is a sham and these people led it. I think its something that had to be done. The white house also warned that more security clearance revocations are under consideration for james clapper, james comey, Michael Hayden, sally yates, susan rice, andrew mccabe, lisa page, peter strzok and bruce ohr who is set to testify before congress 12 days away. Back to you. Sandra thank you. Bill the parents of the missing american journalist austin tice believe their son is still alive six years after vanishing in syria. Theyre fighting today to bring him home. He was in his final year at Georgetown Law School when he was abducted working as a freelance photographer en route to lebanon. The Trump Administration pushing for his release and the f. B. I. Offering a Million Dollar reward. His parents are with us to spread the word and good morning to both of you. I saw you last night with martha and i know you are trying to get the word out there and well do what we can to help you. Thank you. Bill i saw a comment from you the other day, debra. You said its time for the Trump Administration and the Assad Government to cooperate in bringing him home. Can you say that there has been a level of contact or cooperation at that highest level with assads government . I dont have any idea. But i certainly hope so because austin is an american being held in syria and so we believe that the shortest route to getting him home is to see those two governments cooperating in his secure release. Sandra marc, can you give us an idea what this fight has been like for you and your wife to bring your son home and where it is today . Well, ill tell you that six years is far too long to have your child away from you. And being held against his will. It is a fight that we are happy to make. We will do everything we can for our son. It takes a lot of our time. It takes a tremendous amount, if not all, of our emotional energy. Our other children, our other six wonderful children are very strong. They are supporting each other, frankly, in a time when their parents are very absent working for their brother. But everything we do and everything we experience pales in comparison to what austin is going through and that keeps us strong. Bill i bet it does. I was thinking about the may release of the americans in north korea. Another american from houston, actually, who was released from vietnam in july. How much has the Trump Administration been a partner for you in this, debra . Oh, we feel like the Trump Administration is really leaning in. We can see from as you said, i believe there has been 17 releases, im not sure about that number. But its very uplifting and encouraging to us because obviously this administration has a deep commitment to bringing americans safely home. Sandra marc and debra tice, weve been following your story and well continue to do so. Our thoughts are with you. As you continue to fight to bring your son home. Thank you for coming on the program this morning. Thank you so much for having us. Thank you so much. Bill nine minutes past the hour. We want to bring you sad news from americas newsroom. The queen of soul, Aretha Franklin, has died after battling pan pancreatic cancer. Well pause for a moment and allow the rest of the fox stations across the country to join us in progress. Im bill hemmer live from new york. If youre just joining us breaking news from the world of music and the world of entertainment. Aretha franklin at the age of 76 has died. She fought pancreatic cancer and she died in detroit. The longreigning queen of soul as she was known classics like think and respect. Words and music that you can play through your mind time after time. So as we bring you the news of the queen of soul along with my colleague, sandra smith and others, laura engel has the story of the life of Aretha Franklin and the lasting impression she has left on so many millions of fans. With those seven letters, Aretha Franklin made her mark in Music History and helped define her reign as the queen of soul for decades. Aretha franklin was more than on march 25, 1942 in memphis, tennessee to a baptist preacher father and gospel singer mother. She was one of five children and following her parents separation she moved to de2r0i9 detroit, michigan. She toured with her fathers traveling revival show. It was there she honed her musical skills. She was only 18 when she signed her first record deal with Columbia Records releasing her first album, the great Aretha Franklin. Hit the top 10 of the r b charts but crossed over and broke over to the pop charts. The release of the album i never loved a man the way i loved you debuted one of her most popular songs ever earning her respect worldwide. Respect was on the charts and it was very close to the top of the charts. An anthem for women everywhere the song catapulted her onto the big stage winning two grammys. With her fame rising franklin became only the second africanamerican woman to appear on the cover of Time Magazine and she was invited to sing at the funeral of Martin Luther king, junior. Her popularity continued to rise in the 70s winning grammy after grammy, transcending platforms and winning the admiration of fans and performers alike. I heard her voice, it is just something that she has and the way she makes people feel, you know, was something i wanted to have. A role in the Blues Brothers allowed her to shine on the big screen introducing her to yet another audience. You better think about the consequences of your actions. She topped the charts again with a number one hit, a duet with george michael, i knew you were waiting for me. In 1987 franklin broke another barrier becoming the first woman inducted into the Rocknroll Hall of fame and stood before the nation performing at president clintons 1993 inauguration and became the youngest recipient ever of the Kennedy Center honors one year later. The accolades didnt stop there. In 2005 president george w. Bush honored her with the president ial medal ever freedom, the highest award bestowed on the civilian. Generations of america has stood in wonder at the style and voice of Aretha Franklin. One record executive put it this way, aretha is still the best singer in the world, bar none. In january 2009 she performed my country tis of thee at the inauguration of barack obama and hit the stage in washington yet again in a surprise performance to honor carole king singing, a natural woman at the Kennedy Center honors in 2015. Two years later Aretha Franklin called it quits announcing she was retiring from touring. Over five decades the legendary singer scored 17 top ten hits, won 18 grammys plus two additional honorary grammy awards. More than just awards and honors, she gave fans everywhere the sound track to their lives and used her voice to spread a message of respect. Something she said is a basic human right. In new york, laura engel. Fox news. Bill what a voice. It sings so true. She sang with a smile on her face when she performed. Thats what she emitted for so many millions for so many years. Sandra that powerhouse voice. Incredibly gifted musician. Amazing piano player. She recorded some of her earliest music in the church. Her music rooted in gospel. She signed with Columbia Records and the rest is history. It was that 1967 cover version of Otis Reddings respect that catapulted her to fame. Bill a voice like velvet. A former backup vocalist for Aretha Franklin. Do you have us, sir . Good morning . How are you . Bill how do you remember the life of your friend today, fonzy . My goodness, she is one of the most magnificent people that i ever met. Just as a great lady, as a business woman, and, of course, as an amazing singer and musician. She was my childhood idol and i must say that i became acquainted with Aretha Franklin through my best friend. We used to sing background and respect and that type of stuff. And then in 1982 luther produced an album called jump to it that i sang on. Later on in 2008 that ms. Franklin called me to do what she called put her singers together. To hire the singers and being responsible for keeping them rehearsed and keeping the famous background parts in Music History in place for the concerts. I have just such overwhelming respect for her. Sandra she reportedly became gravely ill in her final days in her fight with pancreatic cancer. At peace with her journey. You mentioned her being a business woman. That is an important aspect when you look back at Aretha Franklins life. Now dead at age 76. She was the first woman to be inducted into the Rocknroll Hall of fame. Amazing accomplishments. You dont get there on talent alone. She was a very hard working woman. Yes, exactly. She also is a woman that established a genre and sound. My advice to all young singers who want to reach their audiences and who want to really move people on the level that she did, my advice would be to go back and listen to her and study her and Pay Attention to her nuances. She was not just a great vocalist. She was a great producer, a great songwriter. She was a great my job with her was to keep the singers together but it was totally under her direction. She heard every note that was wrong and everything that was right. She was an incredibly astute woman. She had a great sense of humor and we had a great relationship. Bill you used the word a moment ago. Respect. Very well stated. I made the remark a moment ago when she sings, she sings with a smile on her face. Did you see that with her when you worked with her . Absolutely. It is amazing i grew up in new york city in the johnston projects. You know, she was my idol. And to be on stage with her and to be singing chain of fools, the background parts, chain, chain, chain and to be singing just a little bit, just a little bit , it is the dream of all dreams to be a child growing up in east harlem and come to the top of the Music Industry with the most famous artist. Sandra she was awarded the president ial medal of freedom in 2003. She was the featured singer at president Barack Obamas inauguration. 18 grammy awards. She was one of the most celebrated singers and musicians of all time. Absolutely. Sandra as a friend, fonzy, when you think back of your memories of aretha what was she like when she wasnt on the stage and under the bright lights . She had a great sense of humor. She was so funny because sometimes she would call me fonzy, i have a joke for you and she would tell me the joke and then she would just have an amazing laugh. She had a robust laugh, almost like santa claus laugh. She loved a good joke. She knew again that luther and i were best friends she always wanted to hear funny stories of me and him hanging out. She said give me a funny story about luther. She loved to enjoy hers and used to invite me to her christmas and birthday parties. She enjoyed hosting people and being with people. She was a consummate amazing woman. Bill you touched on her work ethic. The great ones do what you said. They hear when its right and they hear when its wrong. And when theyre in the studio or the Recording Studio or when theyre on stage, you as a performer have to meet her level. You have to rise to her barometer of greatness. Absolutely. Bill did you feel that when you entertained with her . Absolutely. One thing that ms. Franklin was very proud of, she was such a professional herself and she was such a professional herself and she liked to surround herself with professionalism. She said very often, she said, an artists greatest joy is to have music performed properly. Are we still on . Bill we sure are. To have her music performed properly. That was one of the things that she often said and again, she knew her music. She wrote and produced a lot of this music. From call me. This is a bunch of songs she wrote. It is a woman who sings to us like she knows what she is talking about. She sung about life and love situations. She sings about that. And we can all relate to it and she sings with a voice that knows what she is talking about. Sandra some of her famous friends including the reverend Jesse Jackson were at her home to visit her in her final days. Gone too song. Aretha franklin. 76. Bill thank you so much, fonzy. You represent her so well. Thank you for being here today. Youre very, very welcome. Thank you for asking. Byebye. Bill Aretha Franklin. We were warned throughout the week she was in a situation where she may not pull through. The news crossed a few moments ago dead at the age of 76. To our fox viewers across the country watching us now. Stay tuned to this fox station for continuing coverage on this story and all the days news today. Aretha franklin gone age 76. Im bill hemmer with sandra smith in new york. Our coverage continues on the cable side and this is something, sandra, that we had anticipated. We just werent quite sure when. Sandra it was just earlier this year that she began cancelling her concerts as she fell ill. They were not being specific about what she was suffering from. What sort of illness. Then the reports came in she was battling pancreatic cancer. In recent days we were told she had fallen gravely ill and in hospice care at her detroit home. Many friends spoke out saying she was at peace with her journey. 76 years old. Born in march of 1942 in memphis, tennessee and she had an unbelievable career with her powerhouse voice and, of course, her talent as a gifted pianist as well. She began singing in the church at age 14. Bill did it so well. Great to hear the stories of fonzy relating how she was as a woman and a performer. And this is perhaps the one song, as long as you are here on the planet with all of us, that you will remember, respect. Play it. Bill such power, energy and such force. Aretha franklin right there. The mayor from detroit just issued a statement here from mike dugan in the motor city. Aretha franklin and her father meant so much to our city and deeply saddened that aretha has passed. Few people in the history of our city has been as universally loved or left as indellable as aretha. How special she was. She was a performer without peers. Throughout her extraordinary life and career she earned the love and yes the respect of millions of people. Not just for herself and for women everywhere, but for the city she loved so dearly and called home. I was honored to present aretha with a key to our city last year at her last concert if detroit. While she may have passed, Aretha Franklin will always have the key to our heart. Detroit mayor. Good words. Sandra the longreigning queen of soul dead at age 76. Her publicist said she had pancreatic cancer. She was in her home in hospice care in detroit. 1942 she was born in memphis, tennessee. And that voice transformed the Music Industry and it was fascinating, bill, to hear one of her former backup singers a few moments ago talking about the business woman that Aretha Franklin was and what it took to achieve the Great Success that she did. The queen of soul, Aretha Franklin, dead at 76. You can have the talent but without the hard work it doesnt come together. On the phone we have a music director and keyboardist who worked with Aretha Franklin several times. Thank you for coming to us today. I believe youre in los angeles. Tell us how you remember the greatness of Aretha Franklin, sir. Yes. Im still dealing with the shock, of course. But my first working experience with her was in 1981 when i worked on an album with her. The greatest part of that experience, the most memorable part of that experience, was sitting next to her at the piano while she was playing and while many people know that she was a very talented pianist. I dont think they know how talented she was. Just about as amazing at piano as she was with her singing talent. And it was just a great thrill and joy for me to sit next to her while she was playing in the studio. Sandra looking back at her life, though, and anybody that anybody that was blessed enough to know her, to get to know her over her lifetime, what more can you tell us about Aretha Franklin that we all couldnt see when she stepped off of that stage . Weve already heard some loving thoughts looking back at her life and the person that she was. Well, she was a very kind, generous person, i can say that. I knew her but there are others that could certainly give a more detailed description of what she was like. There are others that knew her better. I had more of a working relationship with her as opposed to personal, even though, you know, ive known her over several decades. But she was just fun loving, generous, and she had certain quirks like there was this inside joke about how she would demand that studio working environment be very, very warm. She needed to be very warm at all times and she was sometimes she would wear a warm coat in studio sometimes. Even with the warm temperature set for her. Bill do you think that helped her voice . Yeah, definitely. Thats something that she required. Bill do you believe that she realized the star that she was when she was living that life . I think she had to know to some degree since, you know, she rose to be such a huge star at such a young age. I think she had to know. Sandra she was performing all the way up until the beginning of this year she started to cancel concerts that she was already scheduled for. She was performing well into her mid 70s. That energy, that takes really something to get up on that stage and the way she would fill the space not with just her voice, but she had an incredible amount of energy that was just contagious when she took to the stage. She did. It affected everyone working with her. The last time i was with her was four years ago at the white house, actually, for a pbs special celebrating women of soul. She just had this way of captivating the audience and all the performers, female and male alike. It was just in her. Godgiven talent that she had that permeated the room. Sandra do you know what aretha herself looked back at what was some of her Favorite Music or her favorite songs that she would perform over her life . Cant say anything that i, you know, know she enjoyed as a favorite. But i know that she had such a wide range of genres and styles, jazz, classical. She covered it all and i would say confidently that one of her proudest moments is when she stepped in with pavarotti at the grammys. Bill i would have liked to have a ticket to that one. Thank you for joining us and thanks for bringing us good memories today. Really appreciate that and that was Something Else right there. You caught the end of the National Anthem there, wow. Carley shimkus is with us now reflecting on the life of Aretha Franklin and the memory she leaves us. How she liked to keep studios warm. I remember when she performed at obamas inauguration. She said she was unhappy with that performance because it was too cold. She said ill deal with Mother Nature later. I have a feeling she sounded just fine. Sandra one of the most recent articles where a lot of people close to her were quoted, one Music Industry executive was quoted saying everybody could relate to Aretha Franklin because when she would sing, you make me feel like a natural woman, you believed her. We have that now. Lets listen. You make me feel, you make me feel, you make me feel like a natural woman when my soul was in the lost and found, a mighty good man came along to claim it i didnt know just what was wrong with me until your kiss helped me name it now im no longer doubtful of what im living for cause you made me happy, do i really need to do more you make me feel, you make me feel, you make me feel like a natural woman sandra that same Music Executive said she had a way of connecting with people that few artists ever possessed. Bill imagine what that was like in 1968 when it came out . Such power . Carley, hang on one moment. Were reaching back in history today. Today is august 16th, the same day that Elvis Presley died. Now you have the king of rocknroll and the queen of soul passing on the same day. Thats Something Else. Sandra that is Something Else. Harvey levin is on the phone with us. The queen of soul has left us, age 76. Aretha franklin is gone. Your thoughts. Hello . My thoughts. She is one of the great people in my lifetime and not just musically. I mean everybody has talked about her musically. I literally just did an interview with one of the four tops who was really close to her and she was just revered not just by the public but by musicians, revered. And people way back in the day before she became the Aretha Franklin everybody knows, you were in her living room for 10 minutes and heard her at the piano and that was it. So people knew even before she became as famous as she is. But the thing that i think cant be forgotten is Aretha Franklin was a trailblazer really in civil rights. When you think about it, back in the 60s, the a lot of black entertainers didnt have opportunities on mainstream radio, nightclubs, and there were really several people only who really changed that. It was Aretha Franklin and the supremes, that doors opened for them and they and a lot of people followed and created enormous opportunities for black entertainers that didnt have them before. So her influence goes even beyond music. She was an incredible force. Bill a very relevant comment. Was she aware of that, do you think, during her career . She was. Aretha knew her power, she knew her influence, and she embraced it. This is it wasnt done in kind of a bragging way, but she knew who she was. And she knew how people felt about her and she never abused that. She embraced it. And that is a fine line. Listen, in my job you see celebrities and some of whom are incredibly gracious and others who are not. There really is a fine line between false modesty and being bragging. She walked that line perfectly. She really did. Sandra she dominated the charts, earning her the title queen of soul. The first woman to be inducted into the Rocknroll Hall of fame. Featured at president Barack Obamas inauguration. Awarded the president ial medal of freedom. She was in class all on her own. She was. And its so funny because we get a lot of musicians over here at tmz. We get them out at restaurants and events and whatever. And you always hear they like so and so, there is a big thing going on in r b on who is a better r b singer and entertainers throwing shade at other entertainers. Everybody seemed united when it comes to Aretha Franklin. That word queen is always used. The only controversy with Aretha Franklin is her best song. And there are its funny, because there are fierce fights over what people consider her best songs. And they run the gambit. It is so interesting that there are people who connect in such a visceral way to her whole repertoire, her whole catalog. Thats where there is debate where people say you cant like that one, this one is so much better. Thats the debate that goes on with her. Bill you present such an eloquent view of her life in a holistic way but you said something off the top. I want to paraphrase you. Correct me if i have it accurate. She was one of the most remarkable people youve ever met . For you to say that given the amount of people you meet in your life, profession and career, thats quite a statement. I have to be honest with you about that. If i said met i misspoke. I met her once but honestly it was at an art gallery in new york city once where she happened to be in there. So its not like i knew Aretha Franklin well but i know so much about her. I am a fanatic about motown and even though she never recorded for motown but she has a connection to that. And i followed her life because it is her music is literally the sound track of my life. And so i followed her just i was fierce about Aretha Franklin. And believe me, i was not the only one. So this isnt something that is happening when somebody dies. We see this all the time. In my business i see it all the time where people rewrite history and when somebody dies all of a sudden the accolades pour in even though you didnt necessarily hear them during their lifetime. In this case these accolades were there for decades and decades and decades. So what were hearing now is really nothing new because aretha richly deserved these accolades and people are just echoing what has been said for a long, long time. I mean, she has been this person deserving these tributes for all of her adult life. And this is just the latest outpouring of what weve been hearing for years. Bill well stated. Thank you, harvey levin. Thank you for jumping on the phone from los angeles with us today. Really good memories and very heartfelt, too. Sandra i think we should listen to another hit song released as a single back in 1968. Here is think, by Aretha Franklin. Sandra perhaps an even more famous version of that song, movie, anybody . Blues brothers, amazing. Bill when you think about the songs were listening to today, you can access them in a way you couldnt in 1968 in so many ways. Whether its spotify, itunes. The young generation of americans now have access to her in a way they never did before. Yes. Were going to see an out pouring of reverence an respect for this woman that few people receive in this country. There was already a tribute concert in the works before she even passed away when we got news that she was her health was failing. Maybe at Madison Square garden, possible any in november. Her publicist said she was able to watch some of the coverage honoring her before she passed away. So she was aware that there was so much love and respect taking her word and using it for her and people were really going to feel this loss when she finally passed. Which i think is a very beautiful thought if you think about it. Bill very interesting. On the phone with us now is sarah dash, member of the group la bell. She has known Aretha Franklin since she was 12. Were sorry about your loss. How do you want to remember your friend . Hang with us, folks, were trying to establish that line with sarah. Well come back to sarah in a moment here. Stand by on that. Sandra amazing the more folks we bring on that new her and worked closely with her, got to know her, musician and business woman over time, carley, how she was incredibly hard working person who really changed the Music Industry and worked out a genre of music on her own as her keyboardist laid out. What is amazing about her, she recorded her first album at 14 years old. That level of fame when you are that young, that could really mess with a person. Man, did she succeed throughout her entire career through it and she recorded her bestselling or highestdebuted album when she was 72. Four years ago. Bill sarah dash is with is now. Thank you for your time. We have the line established. Were sorry for your loss. How do you good morning. How do you remember your friend and how do you want us to remember her . Both Aretha Franklin and myself are what you call p. K. S, preachers kids. And we both started our singing career in the church, both our fathers were pastors in the church. And my first time seeing aretha was in the church. I was maybe 10 and she was 13 or something singing gospel. But i want everyone to remember her as a person who truly had a Strong Spiritual belief in god and in spite of all the things that we go through, her faith in god continued to be strong and sturdy. Aretha also was able to sing both secular and gospel music. And in order to do that, you have to have a strong spirit. And i would love the world to remember her as a child of god, as one who had the best voice ever in the world. She reigned in her vocal ability. She could make you cry, she could make you laugh. It takes a very special talent to have that ability to do that to another person. And im sorry im breaking up a little but thats how i would love america to remember her. She was a mother, she was a grandmother. She had wonderful, wonderful personality. She could make you laugh even, you know, just on a regular basis. And i loved her birthday parties. They were the best. They were at the ritz in new york, and thats all i can say right now. But she contributes. She had a strong contribution to the Music Industry and it should never be forgotten. Sandra what were some of her favorites songs to perform or her favorite thing to do when she had the freedom to choose. Play piano, sit down and play and sing aint no way. She always seemed to be in her element when she was sitting at that piano while performing. There was another kind of beauty that came from aretha when she sat down and hit those keys. And my most memorable moment of that was when she was at Kennedy Center honoring carole king. That was one of the most Beautiful Moments that i shall always treasure when she sat down in her mink coat and stood up and dropped it on the stage. Aretha was she had her aretha glamour that no one else could touch. Bill take us back to the Birthday Party at the ritz. Yes. Say that again, im sorry. Bill when you are at the birthday parties for her at the ritz. Thats a big night out. Probably something you marked on your calendar every year. I did. I looked forward to it. My first time, i hadnt seen aretha for a moment and i had just finished vocal coaching one of my students and we decided to go over to the plaza and aretha walked in and im like there she is. She said are you coming to my party this year . I could not say no. I said when, where, and she said at the ritz. It was the most fun i had had in a long time. She had other celebrities there like reverend al sharpton was there. A lot of loaded tv personalities. Jesse jackson was there. Clive davis was sitting by her side. She had there was a spread of food. The besttasting food. Libations. Charlie rango was there with his wife. She had a Cross Section of friends to help celebrate her birthday parties at the ritz and we all dressed for the occasion. Sandra she was the first woman inducted into the Rocknroll Hall of fame. Only featured singer at president Barack Obamas inauguration. How important was that to her . That moment for her was very history, first of all. Having the first black president asking you to sing at his inauguration where there was his re already being made. She knew that this would be a historical moment that will always be remembered going down in american and worldwide history. She felt like royalty, which she was, to be so honored by our first black president. It meant that she also was making a statement for all of the black female singers who were performing and hoped that all of us would have those same glorious moments in our lives. Sandra we did see barack obama there. Bill you talk about the Civil Rights Movement and you think about the height she really came on the scene, so many songs put out in 1968. So you are right in the heart of that movement. What did that mean for her, for the example she was setting for others . Did you talk about that . No, i did not have an opportunity to talk to her about the Civil Rights Movement. I saw what she did. Someone said to me a long time ago its not what you say, its what you do. And aretha supported sandra i want to jump in here. Were showing a picture of you sitting alongside your friend Aretha Franklin. I dont know if you can see us and tell us where you were and what was going on. Please continue. That is that was at the party at the ritz at her Birthday Party. That was the last Birthday Party she had at the ritz. From that point on, you know, we realized that the next party was given at the mohican sun and i wasnt able to be there. That was the last Birthday Party she had at the ritz. Bill the first time you met her you were very young in trenton, new jersey. You met her in the church. I met her in church. Her father was preaching at a church. I cant remember whether it was new york or north jersey. Bill do you remember the first time you met . The first time we met after being grown up sorry, was at a party given for i believe it was ivory brothers. I hadnt seen her in years since being a teenager. She was so sweet. Aretha always made me feel so well respected. And when you have someone who is that talented sitting in front of you and talking to you, and you think wow, this woman is really special. She has a gift from god. She has made so many people, so many records. I just was enamored with her. Its like a starstruck person. You should know. She made you feel like you were not bothering her. Thats how she made me feel. Sandra looking back weve been playing some of her greatest hits and some of the songs that she will be most known for and that will always look back and remember Aretha Franklin, whether it was respect or think that we just played. What were some of your favorites, sarah . I also enjoyed her earlier songs that she recorded that were not quite as known like sky lark, which was a favorite of mine. Of course, respect, aint no way, i say a little prayer for you. I dont think there is anything that she has ever recorded that i dont like. Pink cadillac. Just the history of that gospel cd she did with james cleveland. That was another historical moment for her when she came back to the church and recorded that cd. That was just it just wrapped itself the music wrapped itself around all of us who had been in the church who had great pastors, parents who were pastors. And, you know, i cant really pull one particular song out but her sandra there were a lot of good ones. Bill youve done pretty well, sarah. I know you bought yourself a piano and you sing as well. Im sure many times at that piano you imagine yourself to be Aretha Franklin. If i could only be onethird of aretha. Bill thank you for your memories. Remember the life of Aretha Franklin who has left us from her home in detroit, michigan, at the age of 76. To the heavens above we say, say a little prayer for us today. Back in a moment. I say a little prayer for you forever, and ever, you stay in my heart and i will love you forever, and ever, we will never will part together, together, thats how it must be to live without you would only be heartbreak for me lets take a look at some numbers 4 out of 5 people who have a stroke, their first symptom. Is a stroke. 80 percent of all strokes and Heart Disease . Preventable. And 149 dollars is all it takes to get screened and help take control of your health. Were life line screening. And if youre over 50. Call this number, to schedule an appointment. 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Call one reverse mortgage to get your information kit with no obligation. Call now and youll also get a magnifier with light call. Now sandra the music world is mourning the death of the undisputed queen of soul, Aretha Franklin. Her publicist confirming the singer died at her detroit home this morning. A family statement listing the official cause of death as advanced pancreatic cancer. She was 76 years old. More on her life and legacy coming up. Another fox news alert as we await new legal action in the case of that potential extremist muslim compound in new mexico after a judge set in motion a way for the suspects to get out of jail. Despite concerns that they were subjecting the children there to some sort of terror training camp. Welcome to a brandnew hour of americas newsroom, everyone. Im sandra smith. Bill quite an hour we had remembering Aretha Franklin. This judges decision to grant the suspects bond sparking outrage. The District Attorney there plans to appeal the judges ruling. Were live in taos with more. Whats happening now . Good morning, bill. The District Attorney tells me theyre hoping to file that appeal this week. However, under the law defendants can still be released pending the outcome of an appeal. First they will have to meet certain requirements for bond release. Were hearing those conditions have not been met, only three of the five would actually be eligible to leave jail if that hap even happens. One of the women was transferred to federal immigration authorities. One of the men is being held on an outstanding warrant. Family members showed up at the Detention Center here yesterday for a visit. They did not talk to the media. The owner of a tracking Services Company told us a sponsor for the suspects reached out to him to obtain ankle bracelets but they need to run through a lot of paperwork and do a lot of verification. An attorney for one of the women being held fox news there is no rush to get her client out and is concerned for her safety due to the backlash and threats against the judge who released the group on a signature bond. The judge said she was following the law when she made the decision. Our crew went to the compound yesterday. Investigators removed some of the things. Our guys found live ammo and flak jackets and dirty mattresses. Some of the children were trained to carry out an attack and deputies found the remains of a young boy. Awaiting confirmation if theyre that of 3yearold son of suspect wahhaj. Children told investigators he died in a religious ritual at the compound. The older wahhaj is being held on the outstanding warrant accused of abducting his son out of georgia. Bill the former c. I. A. Director john brennan firing back at President Trump after the president revoked his security clearance. He announced his decision leaking it to Robert Muellers russia matter and his administration is now defending that move. Mr. Brennan has revlageed his status as a former high ranking official with access to highly Sensitive Information to make a series of unfounded and outrageous allegations. Mr. Brennans lying and recent conduct is wholely inconsistent with access to the nations most closelyheld secrets. Bill the story lives another day. Kevin corke with the latest how we are now. John brennan feels like it was meant to silence him and he is saying he will not be silenced. You can make a compelling argument he is beginning to ramp up his criticism of the president both online and on the air. You may have read this morning he had a fairly lengthy oped in the New York Times did john brennan. For cable television, he was certainly talking about the decision yesterday including a wide ranging conversation that included this bit. Mr. Trump decided to take this action as he has done with others to try to intimidate and suppress any criticism of him or his administration. And revoking my security clearances is his way of trying to get back at me. Mr. Trump believes this is going to lead me to just go away and be quiet, he is very badly mistaken. Democratic lawmakers are rushing to his defense including nancy pelosi. She tweeted revoking the security clearance of an honorable patriot is a stunning abuse of power and pathetic attempt to silence critics. Another attempt by donald trump to distract from his administrations incompetence and cronyism. White house Officials Say its a privilege that mr. Brennan abused which is why his clearance was revoked and the clearances of several highranking officials are currently under review. Here now is what the president had to say about it in a conversation with the journal. He said in some cases they lied before congress. Hillary clinton, that whole investigation was a total sham. I dont trust many people on that list and i think theyre very duplicitous and not good people. Here is Sarah Sanders. The president has a constitutional responsibility to protect classified information and who has access to it. And thats what he is doing is fulfilling that responsibility in this action. If you missed the press briefing yesterday you may have missed the names of those who are under review. It reads like a whos who bill. Comey, rice, haden, yates, a host of former and current f. B. I. And d. O. J. Officials all who are under review having their security clearances looked at. We respect a cabinet spray coming up not long from now. Well bring it to you. Pictures and sounds coming up. For now back to you. Bill is that at the white house or new jersey . Its right here. Bill kevin corke from the north lawn. Sandra for more on this lets bring in bret baier anchor of special report. Good morning to you. What a morning it has been so far. Good to see you as well. So its been a minute since we heard this announcement from Sarah Sanders at the briefing yesterday. A lot of exchanges have taken place. Your thoughts this morning as it continues. Well, i think the white house is going to continue to say that this was an effort to after review that the security clearance was pulled. Actually the writeup was written i think july 26th, 27th. The president saying that he could have done it then but decided to hold off. John brennan saying its a matter of free speech and theyre trying to squelch his free speech writing that in an oped in the New York Times and been on a lot of different channels. You will continue to see this back and forth but clearly brennan has been a very harsh critic of this president. Really from the time that he left public service. Sandra here is john brennan on another network yesterday responding to the president s move and sharing his concern about abuse of power when it comes to the president. Watch. I am concerned that if security clearances are now going to become a Political Tool in the hands of individuals such as mr. Trump, that i think will send a very, very chilling message to individuals in the government and this is something that i believe that the press needs to shine a very bright spotlight on. Make sure that this abuse thats what i consider it an abuse of power by mr. Trump does not go without very close review and challenge. Sandra brennan making it clear he is not going away. Right. There is this battle over is security clearance a right after you leave Government Service . It expires after some time. It is in the president s purview to do this. For what reason is really the bottom line. And what the white house is saying is not just for what he is saying but what he was doing. Well see how far that goes. There is not really a recourse, i dont think, for mr. Brennan to fight for that security clearance back. And other people on the list say they dont need their security clearance. Sandra meanwhile the manafort jury starts deliberations today. Bret, if i could get your thoughts as manafort, mueller, trump, all wait on the jurys verdict. What will we see happen today . I think youll see this jury move fairly quickly from what we saw going in. This trial moved pretty fast. This judge moved it along. There is a lot of detail, a lot of documents, a lot of remember, these are just numbers. This is tax fraud, bank fraud. This is not dealing with russia or any collusion. In fact, trump wasnt even mentioned except at the end the judge before sending the jury off said mr. Trump, are you in the room . He was talking about another guy named trump and the entire courtroom including manafort broke up laughing. They really didnt talk about the campaign that much and this is about manafort and numbers. Well see how fast it goes. Sandra his fate is in the hands of the 12 men and women from Northern Virginia and well see where it goes today. Well see you tonight live at 6 00 p. M. Eastern time. Thank you. Bill thank you, bret. Were watching tea leaves inside the courtroom and figure out what we can figure out and guess and usually best to hold our fire until we get the answer. Mueller is awaiting a verdict in this case. Maybe its true, maybe its not. Hundreds of newspapers firing back against President Trumps press bashing. What they are doing today and why critics say they could be playing right into the house hands. Former press secretary Ari Fleischer knows all about this. Sandra this story. His pregnant wife and two young daughters reported missing just days ago. Its not something i could ever, ever fathom would happen in my lifetime. I have no inclination of where she is. Sandra now a Stunning Development in this case. Were live with the latest. Okay we need to get all your School Supplies today. School. Grade. Done. Done. Hit the Snooze Button and get low prices on School Supplies all summer long. Like these for only a 25 cents at office depot officemax. What might seem like a small cough can be a big bad problem for your grandchildren. Babies too young to be vaccinated against whooping cough are the most at risk for severe illness. Help prevent this talk to your doctor or pharmacist today about getting vaccinated against whooping cough. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist today booking a flight doesnt have to be expensive. Just go to priceline. Its the best place to book a flight a few days before my trip and still save up to 40 . Just tap and go. For the best savings on flights, go to priceline. Bill the news crossed about an hour ago the death of Aretha Franklin. America music and global music legend has left us at the age of 76. So many great hits. The queen of soul dying on the same day as Elvis Presley, august 16th. You think about the queen of soul, you think about respect and the songs think and so many others we reflected on an hour ago. Signature songs. So many classics that came during the Civil Rights Era of the late 1960s. Aretha franklin was right smack dab in the middle of all of that. What a legend she is leaving us with so much to be grateful for. Aretha franklin passed away today at her home in detroit, michigan. She was 76 years old fighting pancreatic cancer. We will talk about the life of aretha in a moment on americas newsroom. Sandra newspapers across the country banding together today running editorials against President Trumps war on the media and his description of the press as the enemy of the people. The New York Times, the boston globe and the miami herald are among more than 300 papers taking part. Ari fleischer is with us now. Good morning. How do you see this playing out . I have to tell you, sandra, as a former press secretary who enjoys working with reporters of all stripes and all persuasions and somebody who does not like or use the words enemy of the people because i think its inappropriate, this is one of the most meaningful exercises ive ever seen in my life. Editorials in so many ways, i think very few people read them other than reinforcement of their own ideas. It hurts the media in the Bigger Picture because it reinforces that the media is journalism and they all think alike and move in the same direction. I think it is a meaningless exercise by the press. Sandra it is important to state the latest from the president on this, he sent out this tweet. I want freedom of press for this country. There is nothing that i want more for our country than true freedom of the press. The fact is that the press is free to write and say anything it wants. Much of what it says is fake news pushing a political agenda or just plain trying to hurt people. Honesty wins. But politico writes this piece basically saying these rebuttals by the newspapers will backfire and play right into the president s hand. Politico writes most journalists agree there is a need for trump rebut always. This response is sure to backfire and provide trump with evidence of the existence of a National Press that has been convened solely to oppose him. Is that going to be the case . I 100 agree with that. First of all, we have freedom of the press. It has not been infringed in the least by donald trump. If the press really wanted, they should have gone more after the Obama Administration. As for the impact of this i agree with politico. It will reinforce the notion. It is a double standard. The press loves to go after sinclair media when sinclair has all its stations repeat the same message. All the editorialists on their own are repeating the same message. The group thing, the liberal thing. They all go the same way. If their editorials mattered that much Hillary Clinton would have been president. Every one of those papers endorsed Hillary Clinton for president. Thats my point about editorials not being influential or moving readers anymore. And it is just a group of liberal, biased reporters sharing the same thoughts at the same time. I agree with them about free speech and donald trump says things he shouldnt say. But i would not coordinate, if i was the media, its a bad move theyve done. Sandra do you think that its smart strategically for the president to stay on this message so close to the midterm elections . His Economic Advisor larry kudlow was on this morning saying the biggest global story is the economic boom happening in this country. Does this message and others that we see the president tweeting on if its not about the economy and what is winning for this white house, does it just distract . I think the president successfully engages in several messages at the same time. One should be the economy, number one. But look, republicans for decades have made a point the press is biased because they are. George h. W. Bushs slogan was ignore the media and reelect bush. That was 1992. This has been going on for a long time. Trump calls it fake news, enemy of the people. I call it bias. Im glad its being called out. I dont go as far as donald trump but the Mainstream Media has been biased for far too long. Look what andrew cuomo said. It isnt even in the paper. Someone used a dirty vulgar word. I brought it to the attention of the reporters at politico and New York Times. They love to go after republicans and omit going after democrats. Sandra im on the front page now. I dont see it at first glance. Interesting stuff. Good to have you on the program. Please come back. Thank you. Bill 20 past the hour. She was the very first female artist to be inducted into the rocknroll in the hall of fame. Condolences coming in all over the world. More on her life and what made her the legend that she is in a moment. This is a story about mail and packages. And its also a story about people and while we make more ecommerce deliveries to homes than anyone else in the country, we never forget. That your business is our business the United States postal service. Priority you are you ready to take your then you need xfinity xfi. . A more powerful way to stay connected. It gives you super fast speeds for all your devices, provides the most wifi coverage for your home, and lets you control your network with the xfi app. Its the ultimate wifi experience. Xfinity xfi, simple, easy, awesome. Bill were remembering the life and legacy and what is left behind from an icon in american music. Aretha franklin died earlier today at the age of 76 at her home in detroit, michigan. Dr. King, a niece of Martin Luther king junior, can you hear me okay . I can hear you, bill, can you hear me . Bill i can hear you loud and clear. Thank you for joining us today. I know you want to share some specific memories of Aretha Franklin. Ill give you the stage now to go ahead and do that. Well, its a very poignant time. I was hearing you play respect. Who does not love Aretha Franklin. I believe she has gone on to heaven. We love her. I actually met her. My father, a. B. King, the brother of Martin Luther king junior asked her to come and sing precious lord at the time of the home going for Martin Luther king. She came to granddaddys home. Still in atlanta today. As she was leaving. I was 17 years old. I remember she came down the steps and as she was going down the stairway i reached out my hand to grab her hand and our fingertips brushed. Miss franklin. She waved her finger and blew a little kiss and she went out to everyone, she went on down and went out of the home. Of course, the song precious lord is a very powerful song. Most known, many people sing it. It was a very beautiful memory. Im sure she will be missed. How can you not respect, gospel music. Bill a good play list. No doubt. Was she aware of her contribution in the Civil Rights Movement in the late 1960s . I believe as a young woman she was a civil rights activist in her own right. What we do as human beings if somebody can sing, theyre a singer. If somebody can write theyre a writer, if somebody is a business person, they are. You have people who have personality. I believe ms. Franklin definitely did. Family meant a lot to her. She was a mother as well. She cared about civil rights for all people and you just know that. And she even as a young girl my understanding i was a little girl when she first came in in the 50s. I was born in 1951. Im 67. She was saying to her dad can i join these people . I want to sing for them. Can i go . Her father thought it was fine to do that. So i would say she is a compassionate activist with an incredible voice. Bill how does it strike you on august 16th that the queen of soul passed away the same day the king of rocknroll Elvis Presley did. Think about that. I have books of things that are connected. So obviously there is a connection. The king of soul, the king of rock, pop, a lot of those singers have done very beautiful christian albums. I dont want to try to name all of them. Arethas roots are still in christianity and gospel music. I hope we can remember that just like Martin Luther king juniors roots. He was a gospel preacher, a Baptist Christian preacher. I dont think thats a coincidence. Bill so much comes from the pew. Thank you for sharing memories with us today. I hope you crank up precious lord a little louder today. Make sure you do that. Thank you for your time. Well speak again if person real soon. Sandra the investigation behind law makeser investigate suspicions of f. B. I. And d. O. J. Abuse in this case. Congressman jim jordan was just in that room grilling a d. O. J. Attorney. He will be here to talk to him. We will talk to him live about that in moments. Bill a pregnant woman, two young daughters disappear. Her husband initially saying he had no idea what happened to them. I thought she went to a friends house with the kids and thats the last thing i heard and that was it. Bill now he has been arrested for murder. Thats story in a moment. Whoooo. You rely on tripadvisor so you dont miss out on the Perfect Hotel. But did you know you can also use tripadvisor so you dont miss out on the best price . Tripadvisor searches over 200 booking sites to find the hotel you want for the lowest price. Saving you up to 30 so you can spend less time missing out. And more time paddling out tripadvisor. Visit tripadvisor. Com or download the app i knew at that exact moment, whatever it takes, wherever i have to go. Im beating this. My main focus was to find a team of doctors that work together. 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Director john brennan and the white house says the clearance of other former intel officials are also under review. Well see if they make a move on that in a moment. Things play out from the cameras at the White House Well bring it to you. 11 32 in new york. Sandra fox news alert. My kids are my life. That is what a colorado man said after his pregnant wife and two Young Children went missing. Now he is charged with murder after reportedly confessing to killing them. Jonathan hunt joins us from los angeles with an update on this story. Shannon watts arrived home from a work trip around 2 00 a. M. Monday morning. Her husband was at home at the time and said he left about three hours later. Shannon hasnt been seen since. As the search for her began tuesday Christopher Watts also said this. Its not something i could ever, ever fathom would happen in my lifetime and i have no inclination of where she was. Last i knew she went to a friends house with the kids and thats the last thing i heard. It was very vague. Then last night officials in the colorado town of frederic where the watts family lives tweeted this. Chris watts, the husband of shannon, has been placed into custody and is awaiting charges at this time. Local media now reporting that Christopher Watts has, in fact, confessed to killing his wife and his daughters bella, who is 4 years old and celeste, age 3. Watts has apparent offered to take police to the bodies. He said he had an emotional conversation with his wife but described it as a minor issue. Watts is now facing three charges of first degree murder and due in court at 4 30 eastern this afternoon. Police also due to hold a News Conference at 12 30 eastern, sandra. Well get more details on this then and presumably confirmation whether watts has indeed led them to the bodies of his wife and those two girls who he described as being his life. Sandra. Sandra horrific story. Thank you. Bill from the hill House Republicans investigating possible abuse by the f. B. I. And department of justice in the russia matter going behind closed doors. Deposing a man by name of george kaskis, an attorney with the d. O. J. Before talking to bruce ohr. Jim jordan is at the hearing, the republican from ohio from the hill. Sir, good day to you. Who is this man in all this and whats his connection . What you said, bill. Attorney in the National Security division. Name that kept coming up as we talked with other people in the f. B. I. As a key player in both the clinton investigation and the trump russia investigation. Someone we felt we needed to depose. Thats going on right now. The democrat hour. The democrats are asking questions. Well see what we learn. The more important one when we have bruce ohr, a key player in this whole affair and someone who has been demoted at the department of justice as well. Bill bruce ohr is behind closed doors in 12 days, august 28th is the date i have here. What have you learned from him . We know he is the key guy. Peter strzok told us the third round of questioning he admitted the f. B. I. Was getting parts of the dossier from bruce ohr, a Top Justice Department official. Step back and think about it for a second. Bruce ohrs wife worked for the firm the clintons hired to put together the dossier. He gave it to the f. B. I. It is never supposed to work that way in the United States of america but it did. We know about this dossier. They dressed it up, made it look like it was legitimate intelligent. Took it to the fisa court to spy on Donald Trumps campaign. That is a big problem. Bruce ohr has a number of questions to answer, particularly how close his relationship was with glen simson and Christopher Steele, the agent hired by fusion and working for the f. B. I. Bill slow it down a tad here. Do you think bruce ohr is the nexus to all of this . Seems like he is a key player. His name keeps coming up and we got emails two weeks ago between him and Christopher Steele. One of the interesting takeaways from the emails is how close they were. It was nelly, bruce, chris, glen, like they were all best friends. The number of times that bruce ohr interacted with Christopher Steele and glen simson as well. Thats a key take away when you look at the emails and lots of questions when we get a chance to interview him in a couple weeks. Bill Rudy Giuliani wants an answer by bob mueller by september 1. Do you think mueller is waiting on the Manafort Verdict i have no idea. No bit of evidence between the russians and trump campaign, none. What we do know and said it time and time again is the Clinton Campaign paid the law firm to pay fusion and hired Christopher Steele and who gave information to the phi and they used to spy it on the other campaign. We know that. If there is any type of conspiracy, coordination or collusion going on, there certainly was on that side. We havent seen any on the side of the trump campaign. Bill john brennan is in the news and what he wrote. What President Trump knows. He says mr. Trumps claims of no collusion are hog wash. Thats brennan talking that way. What does he know that we dont . I dont think he knows anything more than we do. I think he is mad saying this stuff and doesnt like President Trump and all the good things getting done in this country under his leadership. Brennan leaked information to harry reed. Lost his clearance. James clapper lied under oath. James comey has been fired. Andy mccabe lied three times under oath and has been fired. Sally yates, fired. Peter strzok demoted and fired. Lisa page demoted and left the f. B. I. Jim baker demoted and then left. I think all those people frankly should lose their clearance particularly when you have that kind of history where youve been fired, demoted, laoerking information, why should you have a clearance . I agree with the president. A lot more people deserve the same treatment. Bill you make an interesting case. More to come, 28th, bruce ohr. Thank you for being here today. Sandra as we continue to talk about that the security clearances of several obamaera officials under review after President Trump revoked former c. I. A. Director John Brennans clearance yesterday. Were getting new reaction from washington thats next. Mitzi Psoriatic Arthritis tries to get in my way . Watch me. mike ive tried lots of things for my joint pain. Now . Watch me. joni think id give up showing these guys how its done . Please. Real people with active Psoriatic Arthritis are changing the way they fight it. Theyre moving forward with cosentyx. Its a different kind of targeted biologic. 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A place for mom. You know your family we know Senior Living. Together well make the right choice. Ooh a lot of reaction on the death of Aretha Franklin. The president tweeted a moment ago, the queen of soul, Aretha Franklin is dead. She was a great woman with a wonderful gift from god. Her voice, she will be missed. Thats from the president of the west wing at the white house just moments ago. Its a common sense decision. Its saying that just because you happen to hold a position at one time does not give you a lifetime security clearance. Its an honor and privilege to have it. Certainly brennan has abused it. Sandra new york republican pete king earlier backing President Trumps decision to revoke John Brennans security clearance. The move has split gop lawmakers on capitol hill as the white house is reviewing security clearances for other obamaera officials. Reaction from republican congressman andy biggs of arizona. Sir, thank you for your time this morning. Was this the right move by the president . Yes, i think its the right move. It has been a long time in coming. This is not a right. You dont have a lifetime right. This is not a god given inherent right. It is a privilege to hold security clearance. Once you no longer are benefiting the National Security interest of this country you dont get to have that security clearance anymore. So just step aside from the vitriolic response of mr. Brennan and you look at his actions and some others weve been talking about this morning and you realize there is no National Security interest, no reason why they should have a security clearance that they want. Sandra dianne feinstein, a democrat is responding with this statement. The president s decision to revoke John Brennans security clearance and threat to do so with others harms our National Security and shows how petty and thin skinned President Trump truly is. Congressman, what do you say back to critics who say its retaliation on the part of the president . I dont think it is retaliation. Lets take a look what were talking about. Were talking about people an andy mccabe who has lied. Comey who leaked classified information. Lisa page, peter strzok, brennan and clapper who lied to the Intel Committee. We talked about people who have actually abused the privilege of having a classified status. And so it isnt a retaliation. It means we are actually protecting the National Security interest. So if people abuse their privilege to have a security clearance, it should be removed. Thats simple. Sandra there are other security clearances that are being reviewed as the white house has now laid out. I heard you just name a lot of the names we see on the screen right now. Are you suggesting susan rice, peter strzok, lisa page, bruce ohr, james comey, are you suggesting that you would like to see more . Absolutely. You know, for over a month ive actually been calling for the removal of these people from security clearance. If you talk to most americans, they didnt realize these people still had security clearance. The only reason that we even give security clearance when someone no longer works there is if we need to consult with them about something of national importance. And once theyve abused that privilege the question then turns on what is their credibility . None of those people we just named whether its rice, strzok, none of them have a lot of credibility left. They dont really need that clearance at this point in time. Sandra senator ron johnson was on fox news earlier this morning. Basically sharing a very similar sentiment on this being a privilege and reminding everyone of that. Watch. Security clearance is a privilege. John brennan was abusing that privilege. Look at his partisanship. Former c. I. A. Director coming out on cable news shows and the divisive attitude he was taking. Again, he certainly was never going to be consulted by this administration so why does he need it . Sandra going back to your point. A lot of americans didnt realize these people still had their clearances. I was actually stunned the first time i heard that everybody from former secretary of state Hillary Clinton to people like brennan and clapper still actually had their full security clearance. That blew my mind. I said look, this is not good. If we dont need them, they should not have that clearance. Clearance is a privilege. Not used to say atta boy, you served here that was great. When you are no longer providing consultation with us we dont need you to have that security clearance. You become a liability in my mind. Sandra got it. Congressman andy biggs. Thank you for coming on the program. Bill outnumbered is coming out in a few moments. Whats happening, ladies . A busy hour ahead. Were awaiting remarks from the president. He is meeting with his cabinet right now on the heels of huge reaction to his revoking the security credentials of john brennan, c. I. A. Director under president obama. Whether it was the right move or sets an interesting precedent to follow. Always a busy hour. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo trying to walk back his comment that america was never that great. Too late. Many folks arent happy, including the president. Whether Governor Cuomo will suffer political consequences. A lot of people not happy. Top of the hour outnumbered, back to you. Bill how did more than 70 people overdose at the same place at the same time . Well sort through this mystery next. Its a nationwide problem. People are selfmedicating for several different reasons. We received multiple calls on the green for persons experiencing overdose symptoms. There were some that were unconscious. Some were nauseous. Lethargic. Some in respiratory distress. The fire chief in new haven, connecticut, more than 70 people overdosed in the span of a few hours. A stunning event. Fox news medical ateam dr. Marc siegel professor of medicine here to talk about this. The Opioid Crisis first up in connecticut. What happened here . They didnt they thought this maybe was opioids and gave medicine to reverse it. In this case it was k2, synthetic marijuana. Were talking about how marijuana cant land you in the hospital or kill you. Synthetic k2 can. It can increase respiratory rate and give you seizures and stop breathing. You can give all the narcan and you wont reverse it. It is a lot harder to save somebody with that problem. We have a lot of synthetic stuff going on right now. Bill lets talk about what the cdc said. 72,000 deaths, 10 increase from last year on average 198 deaths a day, a threefold increase from 15 years ago. Of those deaths, 68 involve opioids. So what to do . Our viewers want to know. If it was called a National Emergency last year why is it getting worse . The answer, its synthetic opioids. That curve of 70,000, 30,000 of those Overdose Deaths are due to synthetic opioids mostly fentanyl. It is whats coming across the borders. It is made in a lab. Fentanyl is 50 times more powerful than heroin. Theyre mixing it with fentanyl. In the west they use heroin called black tar and its why in the west you arent seeing as many Overdose Deaths. Here you are seeing mixed synthetic fentanyl with heroin. Bill a note of hope . I think the note of hope is found in the New England States like rhode island, massachusetts, vermont. They have a force going together working in prisons to get rehabilitation going for opioid addicts. More education in medical schools. How do you avoid using them in the first place. How else can you treat the pain . Can you put a patient on medically assisted therapy to get them off opioids. More rehab and education and more Public Health initiatives going on. More narcan in the community. The Surgeon General said give narcan to everybody so we can hand it out to people having an overdose. Bill you are most familiar with brown university. What are they doing . They have a task force going. I met with the person in charge of the rhode island prisons and was completely taken aback by her. She said in our prisons were rehabilitating people. We have people in prisons that were getting off of opioids. Most prisons in the United States are a caldron for starting and perpetuating opioid abuse. If we can attack our prisons by getting drug abusers off opioids, its the place to start. Im not surprised to see that rhode island numbers are improving at a time when the numbers are skyrocketing. Bill a big deal. Dr. Marc siegel on both the stories today. Sandra still to come on the Fox News Channel President Trump revokes John Brennans security clearance. Will he be the first of many . Keep it here for continuing coverage. Two in one . I did mom. Wanna try it . Yes. It intensely moisturizes your hair and scalp and keeps you flake free. Manolo . Look at my soft hair. I should be in the shot now too. Try head and shoulders two in one. Sandra 76 years old, Aretha Franklin has left us. If too soon. Bill the queen of soul, two hours ago. And taking in a lot of reaction throughout the morning. We will hear a lot more throughout the day into the evening hours. The white house tweeting about her legacy. We remembered her with doctor about a king in the Civil Rights Movement and what she meant to the king family. She live such a full and complete life. Anna really loved what harvey levin had to say from tmc. Really painted a picture and such a broad way about what her contribution was to america. Sandra and her family releasing a statement, the love that she had for her children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews knew no bounds. They are touched by the incredible outpouring of love and support center since her passing. Bill the best of the family and the thoughts that are left behind. Good to have you back. Sandra good to be back. We will see you tomorrow morning. Outnumbered starts right now. Harris we begin with a fox news alert, president from holding a Cabinet Meeting at the white house right now, awaiting possible remarks from that on camera as it is closeddoor for the moment, but we are getting notes from the meeting and we will share them contemporaneously with you. Following the decision to revoke the security clearance of john brennan. That set off critics, some who accuse the president of an abuse of power. Right now the white house is reviewing the status of other former and current top intelligence and Justice Department officials. We are all over the story. This is to be 25, i am harris faulkner. Fox news contributor lisa boothe. A town hall editor