omicron virus. and from drug giant glaxosmithkline says their anti-body treatment works on omicron mutations. are they cures? no. could they be relief? yes. and then some. pfizer's ceo convinced that covid could be under control by next year, a big investment firm calling ate certainty. some doctors caution that we might be getting ahead of our skis here but skeptics are relieved that the fears are not panning out and the news doesn't hurt. we have you covered with stunning developments with the former health and human services secretary tom price in just a moment. first, to molly line in boston with the very latest. hi, molly. >> good afternoon, neil. you said it. the latest headline making variant is being tracked across the country. there's positive news that treatments that vaccines are continuing to work against coronavirus even as we're getting hospitals strain under the surge across the country. here i am in massachusetts. from massachusetts to hawaii, omicron has been detected in 21 states. it may spread more swiftly but thus cautious optimism that the illness is not as severe. newly released data from pfizer shows three doses is the trick needed. pfizer noting that lab studies showing that third dose increases anti-bodies by 25 fold. the report coming from pfizer comes after a south african study shows the vaccine was less effective than omicron than older variants of the coronavirus. today president biden noted the news. >> the pfizer lab report came back saying that the expectation is that the existing vaccine protects against omicron. if you get the booster, you're in good shape. that's encouraging news. >> glaxosmithkline says research shows the anti-body treatment dubbed citrovamab is effective. lab tests done in veto showed the drug works and remaining the drug worked against the mutations on the spike proteins. now researchers are monitoring climbing case numbers. 32 hospitals innup state new york are being forced to stop nonessential surgeries. there's breaking news out of maine. governor janel mills activated the state's national guard to help ease capacity strains among a sustained surge of covid cases. the vast majority of those hospitalized are not fully vaccinated. neil? >> neil: thanks, molly. you keep hearing this con days goes but less dangerous. when referring to this virus variant. to tom price on the significance of this. secretary, good to have you back. you know, there's still so much we don't know about omicron, particularly how it hits certain countries, but even there, the cases don't appear to be nearly as severe as some had feared. what do you make of what's going on and the news that already available treatments and booster shots might go a long way toward alleviating how bad this gets? >> exactly. with this new variant, the omicron variant, as you'll recall a week or two ago, there was a lot of discussion that we need time to learn more and we learned more. the fact of the matter is that it appears that it seems to be increasing in its trans miss ability, easier to catch. the disease that you get the illness you get is not as severe. it also appears the vaccines that individuals have taken will decrease the incidence of disease. but you probably need your booster to get the fighting immunity up to fight against this new variant. >> neil: i'm wondering too, secretary, if we reached a point if this does spread far and fast but it's not severe, in a weird way are we hitting a natural immunity level or anti-body situation where we don't have to fear as much, a lethal spread of covid? >> we ought not to be fearing this. we ought to figure out how to handle it and live with it as we have talked about. >> neil: by the way, when you say "live with it," that it's going to be around awhile. it's not going away. others have expressed that as the new reality. >> i think that's the case. the average pandemic is between two and three years. we're moving to that pandemic phase to an endemic phase where it's in the background of our society and we have to make sure that when we have the variants and there's other variants that you may need a booster and you may need to add this to your annual flu vaccine. we'll be seeing this a long time. doesn't mean we need to shut down or close schools and doesn't mean we need to close society. we need to treat this as an infectious disease as it is and do the things that we know help. >> neil: so when you say do the things that might require as it is, annual treatments for flu shots, in other words. >> potentially. they're working as we speak whether or not you can give a covid booster update with the flu vaccine itself so you don't have to get poked twice. it wouldn't surprise me that you, i and everybody is recommended to receive a covid update on a routine basis annual or otherwise. >> neil: doctor, thanks for being here. tom price, the former hhs secretary of the united states. mean while, we go to john tester from the beautiful state of montana. he's been leading a charge with senator joe manchin opposing president biden's vaccine mandate push right now for the private sector. senator, very good to have you. thanks for joining me. >> thank you, neil. >> neil: your concern with the private sector push comes amid courts now sort of questioning how far the president can go, demanding if even federal contractors. where do you and how do you distinguish? >> i've been vaccinated, my family has been vaccinated and my staff has been vaccinated. i believe that people need to get vaccinated as the previous two folks have talked about. in the end, i heard a lot from my businesses in the state of montana. they say they're in a heck of a bind. so i think they should have some relief. the other side, there's other like the healthcare folks that need to get vaccinated. i'm not opposed to that. it's the right thing to do. it's common sense, neil. >> neil: where are we going with this, senator? it's an up and down depending on the headline of the day, depending however omicron goes and concerns might have been misplaced. how do you feel about where we are? >> look, i wish this thing was behind us. i can tell you we're still seeing some economic impacts from this and some business impacts. so i wish it was behind us. i think we got good news on omicron and it's -- what's going on there. but i would just say this: if you're out there and you haven't been vaccinated, i don't know about you but i hate being sick. i think that -- just get the vaccine and it will keep you on your feet and keep you working and, you know, not risk potential loss of life. it's about moving forward, getting this behind us. it may always be back in the background at some point in time. ultimately getting the vaccination and moving forward and now getting the third booster shot. >> neil: i'm with you on that, senator. i've been vaccinated. it was a break through case again. i'd be worse off if i didn't have it. your point is well-taken. i want to get your thoughts on what is happening in my neck of the woods where bill de blasio is going to force the mandate issue for all private workers by the end of the year. he only has a few weeks left in his term but some are saying you're overdoing it. you think he's overdoing it? >> i haven't looked at mayor de blasio's proposal. but i can tell you just generally, neil, i prefer the carrot rather than the stick. i think we're at a point in time and our economy and the recovery and things that have to get done, especially with the bipartisan infrastructure bill that we passed that we need to pay attention to what folks are telling us. and i can tell you in the state of montana, folks are saying business people are saying, you know, even though the owners think it's a good idea to get vaccinated, they're saying this puts me in a bind. so the mandate issue for the private sector does become problematic for business. >> neil: so let me ask you in your state, there's no forcing this issue. you know, the governor is in fact trying to get healthcare workers to come to your state. where are you on that? >> look, i think when it comes to healthcare workers, they need to be vaccinated. i hope it never happens. if i end up in the hospital and we have a shortage of nurses right now, a shortage of doctors in montana right now and throughout the country. so if we're going to have these folks get sick or worse, it's important that they be vaccinated. beside that, they're dealing with a high risk population that can't afford to get this virus. >> neil: senator, while i have you here on the build back better talks, i don't know where this thing stands. chuck schumer we're told wants to get to a vote before christmas. is that likely and do you get any sign of movement with the fellow you're working with on the mandate thing, senator joe manchin whether he has moved closer to a yay on it? >> i think negotiations go on all fronts. i don't think the timeline is important here. it's getting it done so it helps cut costs and reduce taxes. that's really what is important. i think negotiations continue on several fronts working to get this bill to a point where we can potentially get it passed before christmas. i don't think the timeline is what is important. what is important is what is in it. >> neil: we'll watch it closely. thanks, senator. >> thank you, neil. >> neil: john tester of montana. we have more coming up including south carolina republican nancy mace. she made some headlines last time she was with us. the focus today seems to be on the president's focus on this big spending package and now with all of the inflation that we've read about whether it's warranted to go much further than just talk right now after this. who's on it with jardiance? we're 25 million prescriptions strong. we're managing type 2 diabetes... ...and heart risk. we're working up a sweat before coffee. and saying, “no thanks...” ...to a boston cream. jardiance is a once-daily pill that can reduce the risk of cardiovascular death for adults who also have known heart disease. so, it could help save your life from a heart attack or stroke. and jardiance lowers a1c. jardiance can cause serious side effects including... ...dehydration, genital yeast or urinary tract infections, and sudden kidney problems. ketoacidosis is a serious side effect that may be fatal. a rare, but life-threatening bacterial infection in the skin of the perineum could occur. stop taking jardiance and call your doctor right away... ...if you have symptoms of this bacterial infection, ...ketoacidosis, or an allergic reaction, ...and don't take it if you're on dialysis. taking jardiance with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. lower a1c and lower risk of a fatal heart attack? we're on it. we're on it. with jardiance. ask your doctor about jardiance. surprise! it's a new buick. you got me new buick? oh! and there are more gifts inside. wow! i don't even know what to open first. how about this? you got me the head up display. heated steering wheel. it's a massaging seat. do you love it? okay okay, what next? watch this, mom. alexa, turn on holiday lights. this year, give the gift of technology in every buick s(you)v. >> neil: the president speaking in kansas city, missouri. he's having to benefits of the infrastructure deal that passed. he's teeing up something that he says will be very good. still sort of like icing on the proverbial economic cake, this build back better measure about $2 trillion of additional spending. he says it will bring us to a much stronger economy. but that is something that my next guest has a bit of a different view. south carolina republican congressman nancy mace with us on the transportation and infrastructure committee. congresswoman, very good to have you back. >> thanks, neil. >> neil: let's talk about what the president is talking about in missouri right now, the benefits of this infrastructure plan. a good many of you colleagues supported that in the house and the senate. you did not. you still stick to that, right? >> right. it was not overwhelmingly bipartisan. in the senate, certainly it was, but in the house, republicans were left out of the negotiations. i sit on the transportation infrastructure committee. i saw bit by bit as whether you were a democrat or republican in the house on the tni committee, you were not able to have a voice on that. that's why you're seeing chairman defazio retiring next year. he didn't get much of a say in it. the committee on the house side was taken over by nancy pelosi. all of this spending leads to more inflation, adds to the inflation woes. that's another issue that we have to take hold of right now because of the spending that we've got. >> neil: a lot of people have looked at this build back better plan and it looks dicey. i don't think any republican would be considering that. >> i hope not. >> neil: is it fair to say it doesn't come up for a vote this year? it's not happening, period? >> it's not coming up for a vote by the end of the year. it would be doa next year. i believe the left misled americans, the american people on what this thing would cost. they used the section by section score by the cbo to get a vote on the house. we're learning that that score may be actually higher. we'll see the cbo come out with a much higher number friday scoring the entire package, we think it will be between $4 trillion and $5 trillion, which is vastly different than what we were told. so i don't think it does get done by the end of the year. i think it's dead. >> neil: let's switch gears. you made a lot of news as you called out as you had already done prior to our interview fellow republicans that you thought struck a very strident tone particularly when after congress woman margie taylor green as well, taking issue with congresswoman ilhan omar and equating her as being a terrorist. it opened up a divide in the party that you didn't seem to mind the debate. where are you right now? have you two chatted since then? where do things stand? >> no, we absolutely not have not. but here's the thing. i want republicans to win next year. in order to win, we have to be united. we cannot attack one another. that's what theft wants us to do. when i get attacked by somebody that uses dishonesty about my record, i'm going to hit back. i don't care if you have an r or d by your name. i'm not a wallflower. one of the reasons i got into this gig is because i saw the dishonestly and saw the way american people were mislead on issue after issue. that's why i got into this political frey. i do believe it's important for us to show leadership in challenging times, show our policies are better than theirs. our nation is facing a crises from the border to inflation to the taxation that will get done if they get build back better done. that's where our focus should be. make no mistake, i'm not going to be somebody else's door mat especially when my record -- >> neil: i understand that, congressman. you said you hit back. but what got your goat was her criticism or criticisms of omar and that equating her with a terrorism. that's what started it. >> yeah, i condemned -- >> neil: where is that right now? you think those on that end of the party or whatever you want to call it, whether there a wing or extreme right wing of the party, that you want nothing to do with that, you think you can co-exist in the same party? how do you describe it? >> i do want to say one of the things when i condemned the remarks by congress woman boebert, i recognize she apologized for the remarks. that was the first time in a long time that anybody has done that. there's an effort to take her off of her committees. that's not the role of congress on the floor of the house. not something that i will support. that's something that our conference should take up and -- >> neil: so you don't like these punitive measures -- >> they're unprecedented and only to republicans, not democrats. there's anti-semitism on the left, members that have stoked violent rhetoric at protests and riots. so if you're going to have a standard, you have to apply it to both sides which is why i condemn racism and bigotry by republicans and democrats alike. we all should. >> neil: this "wall street journal" survey that was out, if there's another match with donald trump and joe biden, they're tied. they went about a 4.5% last year back in 2020 to now essentially even. so if donald trump were to emerge as your party's nominee, would you support him? >> i feel like i've answered this question before. yes, i would support the nominee of our party in 2024. the policies of. trump were better for every american regardless of your gender or color of your skin. we had the lowest unemployment for every walk of life. we had the first step back, a bipartisan prison reform bill, we had operation warped speed for the vaccine. he took a vaccine idea to market in ten months. that's up to the voters of this country and the voters of the party. ly support our nominee in 2024. >> neil: so the president when he moved against those that voted for legislation that he didn't like or challenge as he now has the incumbent governor, helping former senator purdue challenge governor kemp in georgia, how does feel about those type of efforts? >> i haven't seen that. i can't speak on it. i represent a swing district. i have a race next year and that's where my focus is, representing my constituents on both sides and delivering results for the community that i represent and the low country in south carolina's first congressional district. i've been passing legislation with democrats this year. i passed three bills out of the floor of the house. i'm the republican ranking member on oversight. i just got back of a bipartisan trip to the endo pacific region. i'm trying to deliver. my community is my focus versus what else is going on but thank you. >> neil: so when the president has taken offense to some of the things that you have said, you don't fear that he might want to launch or get others to launch a challenge, party challenge to you? >> oh, i'm sure he's not the only one and i believe he's said that he would. it's really not up to him. it's up to the voters of south carolina and the first congressional district to decide whether or not they want me to represent them going forward. i believe i truly represent my district and proud to and honored to. >> neil: got it. none of that would affect whether you would support him or not if he were your nominee, the presidential nominee? >> i care about the future of my country and doing what is right for everyone that i represent, my state and our district and our nation. we're going to do what is best for our country. >> neil: got it. thanks, congress woman. the fallout from those remarks and more about the crime wave that right now is really buffet ago lot of states. but it's what some are doing about it that is raising even more eyebrows. (vo) with verizon business unlimited plans, you can get 5g, truly unlimited data, and more hotspot data. because every business deserves better. and with plans as low as $30, better costs less than you think. visit us in store or book an appointment to save time and money. psoriatic arthritis, made my joints stiff,... ...swollen, painful. emerge tremfyant®. tremfya® is approved to help reduce joint symptoms in adults with active psoriatic arthritis. some patients even felt less fatigued. serious allergic reactions may occur. tremfya® may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms or if you had a vaccine or plan to. emerge tremfyant® with tremfya®... ask you doctor about tremfya® today. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ experience the power of sanctuary at the lincoln wish list event. as i observe investors balance risk and reward, i see one element securing portfolios, time after time. gold. your strategic advantage. ♪ ♪ the holidays are happening at lowe's. thank you! shop our winterfest event online now for pick up at the store. bye! >> man: what's my safelite story? my truck...is my livelihood. so when my windshield cracked... the experts at safelite autoglass came right to me... with service i could trust. right, girl? >> singers: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace. ♪ >> neil: the president wrapping up remarks in missouri where he's saying if you like what is coming out of the infrastructure plan, you'll love what could come out of build back better. really? after this. >> neil: the president just wrapped up his remarks speaking in missouri. a lot of people are beginning to wonder whether it's resonating or doing him any good, especially after a survey that shows his approval rating at or near record lows. if he were to be rematched with donald trump, they would be in a statistical tie. keep in mind, the popular vote, he won by 4.5%. right now they're essentially even at 46 to 45%. phil wegman on the politics of this. you remind me that these polls and these snapshots change. is that resonating? >> not yet. i mean, the white house continues to tell themselves that popular policy will eventually lead to a popular president. but thus far, we haven't seen that. in fact, the president remains under water in the real clear politics average. granted it's been 23 days since he signed the fracture package in to law. the numbers are concerning. when you look at the cross tabs out of the new wall street journal poll, that adds to the concern and the sort of thing that has democrats worried because their window for running on their record, for touting the things that they have done is quickly closing. we're going to get to a point that the legislating is going to be over and congress will be running for re-election. >> neil: what is interesting looking at the details of that survey and the "wall street journal" is that among undecided voters, there's great -- i wouldn't call it enthusiasm, but support for the infrastructure package but the outlines of build back better. the president is always argued, democrats have argued once these packages take hold, if build back better passed, it would be a different electorate. what do you think of that? >> there's going to be some urgency to getting this money out there and getting these projects started. if you listen to secretary buttigieg he says we're not looking for shovel-ready jobs. we're looking for shovel-worthy jobs. if that is your rubric, then yeah, maybe the money doesn't pump as quickly as possible. with this talk about infrastructure, what i'm reminded about is this summer we saw why president biden's poll numbers went down. we know americans don't approve of his job. it has to do with the withdrawal from afghanistan and the resurgence of the delta variant. now we also have sort of echos of the two things. we're wondering about what omicron is going to look like and now rather than talking about infrastructure, we're replaying that similar scenario and looking at a foreign policy situation in the ukraine. those types of headlines make it harder for everyday americans to say okay, these roads and bridges got fixed. >> neil: yeah, when it's your predecessors policies that people want to return to even though they don't flip over your predecessor personally, that's a telling finding right there. thanks, phil. good seeing you. >> thank you, sir. >> neil: another issue that is dominant on the minds of voters in a dozen city where crime is running rampant. it's their own personal safety. we've said in new york the reluctance about going to in-person work has more to do with crime than with covid. count ted williams not at all surprised. a former d.c. homicide detective. he was on top of this story more than 18 months ago talking about this defund the police movement and the rest would come back to damage people's competence in the system, the safety of the system. ted, good to have you back. what do you make of the measures that are now being taken to frantically adjust these crime spikes and whether they're enough right now. >> well, thanks for having me on, neil. i'd like to be the bearer of good news but i have to be the bearer of bad news. we're at war when it comes to crime and criminals. the sad commentary, neil, is that we're losing that war. when we look from new york to california, we can see, if you're in a store, you're looking at somebody smashing and grabbing and taking merchandise, if you're driving your car down the road, you're looking at individuals that can carjack you. homicides are up. if you go in chicago and you're there for any weekend and they're not over 50 crimes or 50 homicides, you're not in chicago, sadly. so all of these things are out there and being driven. what we need to look at is how the transition should take place what we need are prosecutors and judges to get together in these courts and to be more proactive than reactive when it comes to crime. >> neil: but they're not. they're not doing that, ted. if anything, they continue to set criminals free. some are being forced to redress that. but precious few. so that means that this goes on and on, doesn't it? >> it goes on and on. since this is a national catastrophe as far as i can see, president biden should call a crime summit and that he appoint a crime czar that can work with these local prosecutors. for instance, in california, neil, in these smash and grabs, before the ink is dry on the paperwork where they arrest these people, they're back out on the street. that should not be happening. so there's a need to change the laws to better suit and protect law-abiding citizens and we don't have that at this time. >> neil: no, not even close, ted. thanks very much. good catching up with you. be well and be safe. >> absolutely. >> neil: ted williams, former d.c. detective. no indication what was discussed in that phone call between the president of the united states and vladimir putin. what we realized is that vladimir putin was alone at a table. the president had several others at his table. but so far no indication that vladimir putin is going to change his plans or change maybe what he is planning for those 100,000 soldiers of his right on the ukrainian border. what is really going on after this. your eyes. beautiful on the outside, but if you have diabetes, there can be some not-so-pretty stuff going on inside. it's true, with diabetic retinopathy, excess sugar can damage blood vessels, causing vision loss or even blindness. so remember this: now is the time to get your eyes checked. eye care is important to your long-term diabetes management. see a path forward with actions and treatments that may help your eyes— and protect against vision loss. visit noweyesee.com and take control of your sight. bye mom. my helpers abound, i'll need you today. our sleigh is now ready, let's get on our way. a mountain of toys to fulfill many wishes. must be carried across all roads and all bridges. and when everyone is smiling and having their fun i can turn my sleigh north because my job here is done. it's not magic that makes more holiday deliveries to homes in the us than anyone else, it's the hardworking people of the united states postal service. ♪ ♪ ♪ "how bizarre" by omc ♪ no annual fee on any discover card. ♪ ♪ knowing where you came from, it gives you a sense of “this is who i am”. oh my goodness... wow, look at all those! you get hungry for more and then you're just like, “wow, i'm learning about my family.” yeah, yep. which one, what'd you find? lorraine banks, look, county of macomb, michigan? look at grandma... hey grandma! unbelievable. everybody deserves to know who they are and where they came from. ohhh...cool. this whole journey has been such a huge gift for our family. (vo) ♪ subaru and our retailers believe in giving back. that's why, in difficult times, we provided one hundred and fifty million meals to feeding america. and now through the subaru share the love event, we're helping even more. by the end of this year, subaru will have donated over two hundred and twenty five million dollars to charity. this is what it means to be more than a car company. this is what it means to be subaru. >> the idea of the united states is going to unilaterally use force to confront russia invading ukraine is not in the cards right now. >> are you confident that he got the message and knows this is different? >> i'm absolutely confident he got the message. >> neil: yesterday we had senator wicker on talking about that it might be good a good idea to send troops to the region. the president said there's many actions that we can take but that is not one of them. kirk lippold is here with us. what do you think about ruling out troops? >> i think it's a very good signal, neil. for the most part, the president biden knows that for us to act in any unilateral fashion would not help the situation at all. while president putin is doing this, what he's really doing is sending a signal to both the united states and nato that he does not want ukraine to be within the western orbit and doesn't want ukraine to become a nato member. that's the real signal that he's trying to get across and he's emphasizing it more this time than the last time we had a troop build-up. >> neil: let's say they do invade, with the threats of sanctions, shutting down pipelines, all of that and he still does it, what do we do? >> i think at that point, neil, we should be trying to get the types of weapons in ukraines now that are defensive in nature, the stinger, the javelin, surface to air missiles. those are weapons that can use to blunt and slow down. because in some ways we want to do for ukraine what we're trying to do with taiwan and china. you want to make it so expensive that if russia goes in, ukraine can't prevent them from an invasion or from taking over their country if putin and russia were hell bent on doing it. by the same token, you want to raise the cost so high that it will prevent him from doing it. so there's a lot of jockeying the next month or so, certainly until spring time which is when you'd see an offensive occur. until then, let's share the intelligence information, give logistic support to the ukrainians that should an invasion occur, it's a deterrent and if necessary, cause them to not do it. >> neil: in other words, have them relive their earliest theys in afghanistan in the late 70s, 80s. i do want to get your sense of how maybe the russians and the chinese are working in concert to sort of tempt us, test us. >> i wouldn't be surprised. in many ways, neil, the both of them are trying to draw a reaction from the united states and from other democratic countries. we shouldn't rise to the bait. i wouldn't be surprised if russia and china are doing things in concert, whether they have got it synchronized and coordinated that you'd see and invasion at the same time, i'm not sure we're at that point. i honestly believe that both countries while they want to aggravate the united states, test the united states, push president biden to see how far he can be pushed, the actual application of military force, i don't think it's going to happen and if it does, i would be very surprised as i think most of the world because the cost for those nations would end up being so high in the long run that i don't think they're going to want to give that -- to bare that price. >> neil: let's hope you're right on that, commander. good seeing you again. if i don't, have a merry christmas. >> absolutely. you as well, neil. thanks for having me on. >> neil: kirk lippold. we have brian kilmeade here. hardest working individual at forks, bar none. what you know a little bit, he's an incredible author. very successful. this latest book be taking a look at abraham lincoln and frederic douglas. you know a lot about each individually. looking at how they work with each other together is a first and a fascinating one that has lessons for today. brian is next. he's going on 23 hours without sleep. ♪ limu emu... & doug ♪ ♪ superpowers from a spider bite? i could use some help showing the world how liberty mutual customizes their car insurance so they only pay for what they need. (gasps) ♪ did it work? only pay for what you need ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ spider-man no way home in theaters december 17th your shipping manager left to “find themself.” leaving you lost. you need to hire. i need indeed. indeed you do. indeed instant match instantly delivers quality candidates matching your job description. visit indeed.com/hire that's a nice truck. yeah, it's the chevy silverado. check out this multi-flex tailgate. multi-flex, huh? wow. it becomes a step. mom, dad's flexing again. that's not all. you can extend the bed for longer stuff. is he still... still flexing. that's right! and, it becomes a workspace... you can put your laptop here. i'm sending an imaginay email. hey dad, dinner! hey! look who stopped by daddy's office. wait, you work here? the chevy silverado with the available multi-flex tailgate. find new flexibility. find new roads. chevrolet. learn about covid-19, find new flexibility. find new roads. the more questions we have. the biggest question now, what's next? what will covid bring in six months, a year? if you're feeling anxious about the future, you're not alone. calhope offers free covid-19 emotional support. call 833-317-4673, or live chat at calhope.org today. >> neil: better late than never. brian kilmeade is here. we were supposed to have him weeks ago. he's on this book tour all over the country. but it's the president and the freedom fighter, abraham lincoln and frederic douglas. it's how he puts them together and their relationship and all. it's fascinating. he has a reach touch with this stuff on history and he's funny as hell, which is not a funny book, i should say but could be. very good to see you. >> thank you. it's a pleasure. you read the books. i don't know how you do it. >> neil: i love history. this is awesome. i mentioned with bret with his book as well. this really looks at something that -- i knew douglas. everybody knows lincoln. but it's the relationship and the time of it and the war and how you deal with it. i didn't have any idea how they intertwined. >> not till the very end. you had the editor of the north star, frederic douglas who used to write for the liberator. he made waves with his speeches. douglas, lincoln douglas debates and he sees potential in him. dougly was ready to throw in the towel. he said i can't make heads or tales of this country. even though douglas born a slave, had every reason to hate it, he saw the potential. doesn't mean he didn't lose his patience. then you watch the emergence of this candidate. it's like in your family. you have such high hopes for friends and family. when they don't reach it, you're twice as angry. why did he reach out to the south and say keep your slaves. come back to the union. douglas says come on, you cannot live with four million people in slavery and 350,000 slave owners. but he had to take his time. lincoln knew he would have no country to govern. the union was not ready to fight for slavery only. >> neil: wasn't lincoln pragmatic? >> explain that to everybody else. douglas wrote his biography seven years after escaping slave accessory. he would update it, update it. he brought us to the moments when they met. it wipes out the opinion portion of the story. >> neil: you know, you never get into this. you're focused on the time period. but lincoln would be a president and also had to deal and wanted to deal with an up and coming leader as much as teddy roosevelt would do during his term and later washington. even john f. kennedy in dealing with martin luther king in all of those cases, booker t. washington, martin luther king. douglas. great inpatience. you have to do more. how did lincoln digest that? >> he was not born in a slave culture. he department have slaves. the north only had 1% of the black population, in the north. he knew about it and knew the issue. he believed there should be freedom for all. but he wasn't for equality. he said we know the black people are not as smart as the white man but they would evolve and grow. >> neil: when did that happen? this is what he was saying about blacks. >> i think it happened in his presidency when he got to know the issue well. benjamin franklin said the said thing. the smartest man on the planet ever had slaves. by the time he was in the upper years of his life, he was the ultimate abolitionist. the decisions you make is your thirst for education. they both were determined to know everything about everything. they did not have any structure. the world was keeping them away from the books. they couldn't be denied. they ended up when they get together realized how much they had in common. when i was done, neil, i think we wouldn't have needed the 60s had john wilkes booth had not wiped him out. >> neil: and near the end of the book you talk about by the end of the 20th century, lincoln came off of his pedal. douglas rose from obscurity. today these two men occupied a share space in the american experiment. doesn't lincoln have that advantage all the time? everyone knows lincoln. >> and they should. as much as frederic douglas advised seven presidents, what he was doing for women's rights, susan b. anthony, never stopped. when a man could have been living in germany, scotland like a king, he wanted to come back and fight for the 4 million still slaves. i would end like this. i would say that phil phoner brought frederic douglas back in the 40s and now he sits on a high pedestal. i think the more you study him, the more you'll understand why crt is so destructive. understand where america came from. don't white wash slavery. but also understand where we are. >> neil: where with are. "the president and the freedom fighter." brian kilmeade goes all over the country. >> i'll be in fort worth tomorrow and then dallas and then tyler. >> neil: i'm getting tired talking to him. we'll have more after this. i was just blown away by how much my 23andme reports taught me about my health. and that's why i knew how meaningful this gift would be for my family. this season give the most meaningful gift for just $129 it's a thirteen-hour flight, that's not a weekend trip. fifteen minutes until we board. oh yeah, we gotta take off. you downloaded the td ameritrade mobile app so you can quickly check the markets? yeah, actually i'm taking one last look at my dashboard before we board. excellent. and you have thinkorswim mobile- -so i can finish analyzing the risk on this position. you two are all set. have a great flight. thanks. we'll see ya. ah, they're getting so smart. choose the app that fits your investing style. ♪♪ pain hits fast. so get relief fast. only tylenol rapid release gels have laser drilled holes. they release medicine fast for fast pain relief. and now get relief without a pill with tylenol dissolve packs. relief without the water. (vo) with verizon business unlimited plans, you can get 5g, truly unlimited data, and more hotspot data. with tylenol dissolve packs. because every business deserves better. and with plans as low as $30, better costs less than you think. visit us in store or book an appointment to save time and money. hi, i'm debra. i'm from colorado. i've been married to my high school sweetheart for 35 years. i'm a mother of four-- always busy. i was starting to feel a little foggy. just didn't feel like things were as sharp as i knew they once were. i heard about prevagen and then i started taking it about two years now. started noticing things a little sharper, a little clearer. i feel like it's kept me on my game. i'm able to remember things. i'd say give it a try. prevagen. healthier brain. better life. >> neil: well, christmas is looking expensive, but right now it is looking iffy in some places like big light shows. jeff is here to explain, jeff, what is going on? >> i come from the most unique light show in the country. this is a amusement park figure land usa and you get a sense of it as the sun goes down here. this is a place to come to operate big equipment and the construction or theme in the park but this christmas it has its own challenges. i'm talking about a man who created this, 1 million bulbs and cost up 35% year to date. getting the lightbulbs themselves, they come from overseas. >> all the lights come from china. it is difficult to source them. we had significant cost escalations and 45% to 50% to get them here. >> neil, show them the school bus. it took you a week to put on the school bus? >> that is a large optic and painful to get the lights off, synchronized and taped down. >> it takes staff to do that. you are out here serving french fries yourself and cooking over the fryer. >> that is right our brother and i work in whatever it takes to get it down so the customer is happy and transparent to them. we stick together as a team and we get it done. >> every year it seems to be a unique challenge for christmas, whether covid, a unique light show this christmas in the usa. >> neil: jeff, we needed that. thank you very, very much, jeff, the light show goes on, the holidays and so does fox. here is "the five." ♪ ♪ >> jesse: hello, everybody here with judge jean pero, dana perino, greg gutfeld, geraldo, it is 5:00 in new york city and this is "the five." the biden white house coming to the realization that crime is bad after blaming the wave of violence on the pandemic and administration trying to distance itself from outrageous comments from far left democrats