heartland. recovery efforts ongoing as families begin to process their new reality. devastating tornados leaving thousands homeless just weeks before christmas. i'm sandra smith in new york. >> trace: i'm trace gallagher in for john roberts. 88 people confirmed dead across the state and kentucky governor says 12 children are among the 74 killed in his state and more than 100 are still unaccounted for. >> sandra: hardest hit area is dawson creek, small town of 2500 are dead. the mayor saying 75% of the town is gone. >> trace: the community is trying to cope with what has happened there. >> sandra: steve harigan is live in dawson springs. this is unbelievable reality for those people there. >> this is a tough one, especially in a small town like this, where people have had to fend for themselves and others. there are people going through the wreckage of what used to be their homes, picking out whatever they can of value. just 2400 people live here, 95 people still missing and 13 confirmed dead. if you do the math, about one out of every 20 people dead or missing from the storm. it is so remote and because of the destruction, it took responders one hour to reach here. it is dead and dying thrown out to the street and it was up to neighbors like jim gordon to help their fellow neighbors. >> i told my wife, we are all right. shut the natural gas and water off to the house, dug my way out of the basement and did whatever i could do for. >> you dug your way out and went into the storm? >> yes, sir. >> what did you see when you went out? >> look around. >> how about the people? >> there were people in their driveway, people on top of their houses, people buried underneath their houses, hollering and screaming for help. >> some of these people are just amazing, that man climbing out to help his neighbors. i just spoke to ana insurance adjuster, he says every house he's looked at so far is a total loss. back to. >> sandra: so sad. steve, thank you. no matter how many images we see, it doesn't get any better, there is signs of hope, communities are saying they will stand up, rebuild as they often do in horrible circumstances and the red cross is there to help the tornado victims. we have the website on the screen and the 800 number, 1-800-help-now. red cross is there helping these people. >> trace: it is devastating. you look at pictures and you have the infrastructure out, we are talking about waste water and water and gas and electricity and that really compounds the misery in small towns. we're going to talk to kentucky senator rand paul about his state's recovery efforts and all-hands-on-deck effortss to get people electricity and water to try and comfort them in this horrifying time for them. >> sandra: so much stands out about the conversation we had with the governor. it will not be days and weeks, he's assuming months and years and doing everything he can. it is personal for him, he has family there. they are doing everything they can. all hands on deck. >> trace: joplin, missouri is still rebuilding years later. meantime, turning to the crime crisis sweeping the country. smash and grab robberies in california and minnesota were organized on social media. some criminals using snapchat as a way to communicate. senior correspondent claudia is live there. claudia. >> it is no surprise the technology we use to communicate using text or social media app is the same technology criminals are using, not just to plan brazen smash-and-grab robberies, but to teach rookies how to get into the game and pull it off. investigators say networks use messaging apps to set up private group chats and round up thieves at one time. bay area nordstrom, louis vuitton stores were organized on snapchat, where messages are capable of disappearing. what's's app, telegram and signal provide encrypted messages and tmblr has messages just for shoplifterss. >> they tell people where cameras are at the stores and teach them how to do it. somebody will post, i'm a newby, how do i do that? this is what you need to do. reaching out to a large group of people, we want to hit this particular center, let's go. >> investigators say suspects often don't know who else is involved, but communicate using keywords like hashtag, five finger discount or hashtag shop haul to describe what they stole or get feedback on how well they did. messaging sites like marketplace where sellers can remain anonymous. this theft is costing american retailers some $70 billion every year. >> trace: the pressure is mounting. thank you, claudia. >> sandra: california governor gavin newsom reimposing indoor mask mandate and applying to everyone regardless of vaccination status. gavin newsom and politicians are using this to justify their power. bring in former press secretary ari fleischer, great to see you. the state of california, put on the screen the states that have mask mandates in this countrior i should say again or now, you look across the country at the states and now california. okay. that is regardless of vaccination status and all along you have heard the left say this has to be about science. does the science say fully vaccinated individual should have to still wear their masks indoors, ari? >> ari: i think masks is the totally wrong issue here. i think vaccines is the right people, that is what people need to do and i hope people do it. you can't mandate it, that is the solution. i have no faith that masks work, sandra, none of us know. how many different situations where people in restaurants don't wear masks, i was on the airplane the other week and the announcer came on and said, you need to wear your masks in between chews and sips, on an airline where they filter the air. no one knows what they are doing with masks or if they are helpful or not helpful. that is different. masks, i have no clue, just performance art. >> sandra: we know that the vaccines work and there are most americans believe that to be the case, that is why put up on the screen, the latest cdc vaccination data. 202 million fully vaccinated, 61% vaccination status. this can be confusing, not just for individuals and liberties, but for businesses trying to see what lies ahead. many regret sending people back to work, you don't know what is coming next. return with mask at your desk mandate. face it, this is ridiculous, says "new york post." what is this all about then, ari? >> ari: yeah, i don't think it is about a power grab, i hear that all the time. it is about people in positions of authority, when something goes wrong, they think, i have to do something, that is involved in a mandate. if you do something, you want to enforce it. it is just bad judgment. sometimes you you don't have to do anything, let the populous figure it out. you don't do additional harm to the populous, you encourage people to take vaccines issue not mandate it and let life be lived, especially among those who don't have comorbidities and not inclined to have obesity, things of that nature that we know covid is much more deadly for them. you know, sandra, the analogy is 38,000 people die every year in traffic crashes. does that mean the traffic crashes and deaths, we need to mandate the speed limit be reduced from 65 to 30, from 30 to 15 on local roads? we know the slower you drive, the healthier you will be and won't have as many accidents. it is same logic that would grind us to a stop. can't be ground to a stop. that is what too many covid politicians overregulated are trying to do to society. >> sandra: your point is well taken. business leaders don't want to be held accountable if there is a threat in their office. best way is to mandate every mandate to ark void accountability, isn't that bad judgment you reference and ambiguity, isn't that bad consequences of lack of leadership that comes from the very top? you have the white house making all of this top priority, while there is smash-and-grab crimes happening in great american cities, you have the border crisis. the priorities, where is leadership through all this so businesses don't make bad decisions? >> ari: yeah, lack of leadership, bad decision-making, bad judgment. if i were in charge, what i would tell the states and cities to do, all the covid money, trillions appropriated, use to build hospital surge capacity, put tents with equipment in hospital parking lots. this new virus is very contagious, it is less likely to put people in the hospital. it is contagious and numbers could rise. prepare infrastructure to help people hospitalized, that is how you solve problems as opposed to mandates and people less likely to become infected in the first place. >> sandra: a doctor from johns hopkins says don't watch the case load, watch the hospitalization rate, the death rate, it is a more telling story when you have large percentage of your population vaccinated. great discussion, thank you. >> ari: thank you, sandra. >> trace: the parents of the michigan high school student charged with killing four during a mass shooting set to appear in court moments from now. do prosecutors have must have to go to trial? we'll take a closer look at that 6789 >> sandra: and take you back to the scene of the tornado outbreak that ripped through six states issue the death toll is devastating. the financial damage is historic, details on how high the cost could climb just ahead. >> i don't know what happens next. you know, hopefully within the next coming days, we'll get answers. our roots are here, this is where we met, this is where we raised our children. the newday 100 va loan lets you borrow up to 100% of your home's value and take out up to $60,000 or more. give them a call. veteran homeowners- with home values at all-time highs and rates at near all-time lows now's the time to do more with your home equity. veterans are calling newday at a record pace to take advantage of the newday 100 va loan. you can borrow up to 100% of your home's value to upgrade the kitchen, add a pool for the grandkids, or have the security of cash in the bank. with an average cash out amount of $60,000, you can do more. no one can deliver your mom's homemade short ribs. that's why instacart helps deliver the ingredients. and you add the love. i've spent centuries evolving with the world. that's the nature of being the economy. observing investors choose assets to balance risk and reward. with one element securing portfolios, time after time. gold. agile and liquid. a proven protector. an ever-evolving enabler of bold decisions. an asset more relevant than ever before. gold. your strategic advantage. every day in business brings something new. so get the flexibility of the new mobile service designed for your small business. introducing comcast business mobile. you get the most reliable network with nationwide 5g included. and you can get unlimited data for just $30 per line per month when you get four lines or mix and match data options. available now for comcast business internet customers with no line-activation fees or term contract required. see if you can save by switching today. comcast business. powering possibilities. >> sandra: voting to hold former white house chief of staff mark meadows in attempt of congress, following halting cooperation with the january 6 investigation committee and now suing them. chad is live on capitol hill where a full house vote on meadows is expected this afternoon, chad, what is the latest from the hill? >> chad: house has been debating the resolution and the vote will come later today. meadows helped the committee and then backed out. he did not assist the panel investigating the riot. >> it is if you engage in treasonous activity in plain sight and with colleagues gathered around you to engage in treasonous activity, you think that is okay, somehow doing it in plain sight somehow allows that to be be an okay thing. >> the one six committee has messages sent by donald trump jr. and implored the white house to convince the president to intervene. trump jr. wrote to meadows, we need an address, it has gone too far. meadows later invoked executive privilege. >> never been intent on my part. i tried to share nonprivileged information, the executive privilege donald trump is his to wave, not mine or congress' to wave. >> the one six committee obtained messages from meadowss and he demanded enforcement of subpoenas when he served in congress. this is second time the house has voted to hold trump official in contempt of congress. the first was steve bannon, who faces trial next summer. back to you. >> sandra: chad, you will keep us posted, thank you. >> trace: fox news alert. parents of the michigan high school shooter appearing in court for probable cause. the father was brought in in shackles and the mother is right there. the hearing is in connection with the attack that killed four and injured seven, they are facing involuntary manslaughter charges for their son's alleged crime. will there be enough probable cause to go to trial? let's bring in a criminal defense attorney and all-around brilliant person. you see them sitting in court there, there is a little context waiting to get up on the microphone. what happened, before the shooting at school, ethan crumbley drew a picture of a gun and bullets and on that picture, he wrote things like thoughts won't stop, help me, blood everywhere, my life is usesless issue the world is dead. the parents were called to the school and they left him in school. they would not take him home. in fairness, we should note school couplers also said they did not believe ethan crumbley was a threat. but on top of that, what prosecutors are maintaining here is that the parents also did not check their son's bag for a gun. they gave him a gun as an early christmas present and they did not check his bag. so prosecutors believe they knew their son was a risk, he was a danger and they did nothing about it. after the shooting, the father, or during the shooting, depending who the storyteller is, the father called 911 and he said, i think the shooter might be my son. at the same time, the mother actually texted that -- her son, ethan crumbley saying, don't do it. the charges, how do you prove the parents knew their son was a threat? >> prosecutors have to do more than prove the parents knew about the threat, they have to prove the parents created the situation that caused the threat, at least that is what michigan law states. charging parents criminally with act of a child is highly unusual and in this case more so because they are charging the parents with the actual deaths of the four victims. these dots are not going to be easily connected at trial. but at this stage of the game, we have preliminary hearing, will prosecutors be successful? they have a greater chance being successful at this stage because burden of proof is lower. they have to prove some evidence would bind these parents over. who is presiding over this? the same judge holding the parents with no bond opportunity, cash only, same judge that will be presiding over this hearing. >> trace: if it goes to trial, it is different. this is a quote from oakland county prosecutor, who writes, i instinctually knew, no way i was not going to prosecute them when i heard all the evidence. it is the right thing to do and if the injury decides they aren't criminally culpable, i can live with that, it sounds to me, jonna, it is based maybe on this moral prosecution more than the actual evidence prosecutor believes they have. >> i think you just hit it on the head. it is foretelling, she will take her shot. the community as a whole thinks what happened here is very egregious, we get it, we heard the same report. you shouldn't buy your 15 year old a semiautomatic gun or laugh when that child gets in trouble for shopping for ammo during school hours, i get that. when it comes to criminal liability and acts of a child, it is difficult. imagine if you have a house, wife, husband, who liked to drink vodka, they get in a car and kill somebody, should you be criminally liable for that death? it is not an easy row to hoe for the prosecution. >> trace: recent cases where young children have been out late night or early morning and gotten killed in violence and the mayor lightfoot said parents should be held responsible and other people said that and have gotten pushback. that is where we leave parents whose child out at 2:00 in the morning responsible if they are shot and killed in gang violence? >> that is very interesting. bad parenting is bad parenting, on the civil side, yes, a parent can be held responsible for the bad acts of a child. on the criminal side, that is a whole different ball game and will take a while to get there and i'm sure the prosecution wants to test that theory, she probably won't be successful, we will wait to see. >> trace: breaking news as it comes across, thank you for coming on. >> thank you. >> sandra: thank you. is federal reserve to blame for the crisis hurting american people? key government officials calling the inflation we are seeing today "transitory," and that is not exactly the case. experts say that was a colossal mistake and are calling on the federal reserve to regain control of this out of control situation. our economic panel, they are gearing up to weigh in next. ok everyone, our mission is to provide complete, balanced nutrition for strength and energy. whoo hoo! ensure, with 27 vitamins and minerals, now introducing ensure complete! with 30 grams of protein. >> man: what's my safelite story? 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>> robert: phil graham worked for me at ubs, he was my chairman. we disagreed often on his views. i found the article interesting because as the guy who started deficits and debts, he didn't say anything the last few years when deficits and debts blew up. i disagree with this article. yes, there is inflation. i don't agree the fed is the culprit, although if they don't ark just, they will add fuel to the economy. i think the economy will do better and better and wages will do better and better. there are a lot of moving parts in this post-pandemic reopening. we have to unpack a lot, i disagree. >> sandra: can it stay on this growth trajectory if we implement $3 trillion in social responding and is it possible we end up stifling growth and land in a stag-flation period where things slow down and we're paying more for absolutely everything? >> steven: i put the blame, sandra for this inflation equally on the federal reserve board for being behind the curve and robert and i have been talking about this for three or four or five months. i don't understand why they were asleep at the switch. you have the biden administration wanting to push this cheap money through the economy. we have 1.9 trillion beginning of the year, so-called infrastructure bill and according to latest budget office numbers new bill will cost between 4 and 5 trillion. add the numbers up, they are staggering. i think the worst thing we can do if we care about getting inflation under control is pass this their $3 trillion bill. inflation in the past got so bad the fed had to slam the breaks on the money supply, robert, you may remember, we had a gut-wrenching recession that threw millions out of work. >> sandra: that is a risk. robert, you are saying they are not to blame unless they refuse to change the strategy. a former obama academyist has a solution, he says it, here is his words, listen. >> the characterization of inflation is transitory, probably the worst inflation call in the history of the federal reserve. it results in high probability of a policy mistake. the fed must quickly, starting this week, regain control of the inflation narrative and regain credibility otherwise it will become a driver of higher inflation expectation that feed to themselves. >> kayleigh: okay. a former obama economist. what stood out more than him saying this is the federal reserve's fault, worst mistake in history, this could result in high probability of policy mistake. you heard the white house repeating from the fed, they were not looking at food and fuel prices out of control. i'll give you final word on that. >> robert: day one i said transitory was wrong and faulty. i think the fed needs to taper more than they are doing and we need to look to raise rates next year. we have been in agreement even before he came on. >> sandra: i'm watching the markets, as you say that. >> steven: if they take corrective action, they are so far behind the curve, we are looking at six to nine more months of high inflation. we saw the producer price index, highest ever reported. this is a crisis. >> sandra: this is a debate, i appreciate both of you. we will continue it. >> trace: good debate at that. president biden backing away from federal crime law he passed back in the '90s. >> a lot of people were jailed for minor drug crimes. was it a mistake to support it? >> yes, it was. >> trace: does the president have advice for current crime? nicole is up next with reaction. >> sandra: leaders of russia and china are getting together to deal with this country. is president biden mismatch? and nikki haley will join us, her first interview since biden and putin sat down. but it's not like that's my only interest. i also love cooking with heart-healthy, idaho potatoes. always look for the grown in idaho seal. ♪ (vo) reflect on the past, celebrate the future. season's greetings from audi. hi, i'm steve and i live in austin, texas. i work as a personal assistant to the owner of a large manufacturing firm. i've got anywhere from 10 to 50 projects going at any given time. i absolutely have to be sharp. let me tell ya, i was struggling with my memory. it was going downhill. my friend recommended that i try prevagen and over time, it made a very significant difference in my memory and in my cognitive ability. i started to feel a much better sense of well-being. prevagen. healthier brain. better life. my plaque psoriasis... ...the itching... the burning. the stinging. my skin was no longer mine. my psoriatic arthritis, made my joints stiff, swollen... painful. emerge tremfyant®. with tremfya®, adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis... ...can uncover clearer skin and improve symptoms at 16 weeks. tremfya® is the only medication of its kind also approved for adults with active psoriatic arthritis. 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. veteran homeowners- you made a smart move when you bought your home. now make another one and turn your equity into cash. with the newday 100 va loan you can take out up to $60,000 or more. veteran homeowners- with home values at all-time highs and rates at near all-time lows now's the time to do more with your home equity. veterans are calling newday at a record pace to take advantage of the newday 100 va loan. you can borrow up to 100% of your home's value to upgrade the kitchen, add a pool for the grandkids, or have the security of cash in the bank. with an average cash out amount of $60,000, you can do more. >> sandra: this is one way to raise a student's grape point average. several school districts are planning to eliminate the use of d grades. students can get a do over or more time to do the work, advocates call this competency-based education. critics say the plan will mislead kids and parents about real economic progress. i think a lot of people see this as everybody gets a trophy, i don't know. i hope there is more thought than that put into this. there is something to helping kids absorb more than focusing on tests, but there has to be accountability for students and teachers and no perfect solution, maybe that is not the one. >> trace: we did a story about barack obama middle school in los angeles, where one in 20 students can do math proficiently and now they want to lower performance to raise performance. president biden under fire over the surging crime crisis as no policies put criminals back on the street allowing them to commit more crime without fear or retripution. will congress ask lawmakers to intervene like senator biden did in the 1990s? here is biden in 1993 pushing his federal crime bill. watch. >> it doesn't matter if they are victims of society. they are about to knock my mother on the head with a lead pipe issue shoot my sister, beat up my wife, take on my son. i don't want to ask, what made them do this. they must be taken off the street. >> trace: joining me is new york congresswoman nicole, thank you for joining us, talk about a contrast there, back in 1993, then joe biden wanted criminals off the street and now the white house won't talk about far left prosecutors putting criminals back on the streets, that is a headline. >> nicole: sure, it is a different joe biden. look what they are doing in the house of representatives? you had nancy pelosi who tried to sneak in bail reform in the covid relief package and tried to push legislation that would strip qualified immunity protection and take away resources given from the federal government to nypd and other law enforcement. we need the president to take a strong stand and say enough is enough. we saw it with president trump, he said we will federally go after individuals who destroy monuments and federal buildings, guess what happened, it stopped. mauliotakis. we are seeing crime in citiess like mine because local guyss aren't doing it. >> trace: talk about headlines, here is a few. "u.s.a. today" june of this year for criminal justice reform work, biden must dismantle the bill. guardian, october 2020, things have changed can biden overcome the bill he backed? joe biden's defense of the 1994 rule in mass incarceration, that is media talking and pushing for zero consequences. >> nicole: when you come to new york city and read the newspaper, you read about individuals who have lengthy rap sheets and are being released back onto the streets. they are not being prosecuted and you have bad judges, who are letting them go. today we had someone who is not even a citizen of this country, of another country, caught drug trafficking and he was released back on to the street, instead of working with ice or homeland security to deport them. it is mixture of what is happening at local level and president biden could secure the border and stop letting those who are convicted criminals reenter. dea can be tasked to go after people selling fentanyl to our children, give them resources to do their job. he has the ability to use that bully pulpit to call out democratic mayors and governors making people of this country less safe. >> trace: i have to go, how do you force the issue, how does congress force the issue? 1993, he was talking about the victims, we need to look at the victims and now the victims are forgotten and it is about the criminals. >> nicole: we call him out, when i go on the floor, i use my bully pulpit to say this is what new york has done, don't implement the same policies, that is how we've pushed back on the anti-policing legislation. can't pass legislation until we take back the house, that day will come. >> trace: we appreciate it. >> sandra: new numbers coming in on the afghanistan evacuation, how it contradicts information given to us by president biden. >> trace: and revved up for electric vehicles as vice president harris demo at a charging station didn't go as planned. byron york joins us on that coming up. ♪ ♪ as a dj, i know all about customization. that's why i love liberty mutual. they customize my car insurance, so i only pay for what i need. how about a throwback? ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty ♪ only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty ♪ meet bob minetti, loving husband, father and pancreatic cancer survivor. i am so glad i learned what was possible for me. to learn more about the latest research, including clinical trials, visit pancreatic cancer collective.org. >> sandra: the state department giving updated figures on u.s. citizens left behind in afghanistan and it is higher than the estimate biden has been giving. it evacuated 450 lawful residentss since august withdrawal. fewer than a dozen citizens remain. benjamin hall is live at the state department with the latest update on that for us. >> for the last month, the administration has been trying to move on from afghanistan, they would like to put it behind them. it is ongoing, security is deterioraing and efforts are deteriorating. as you point out, figures from the administration of the time of the evacuation turn out to be incorrect. they were drastically higher than originally thought. president biden said at the time -- >> we believe that 100 to 200 americans remain in afghanistan with some intention to leave. >> are you committed to making sure troops stay until every americaning who wants to be out -- >> yes. >> maybe 100 to 200 americans who wanted to leave. what we're hearing from the state department, since then over 900 american citizens and lawful residents were taken out of the country, 12 remain and want to escape. state department is in touch with the americans wanting to leave afghanistan. no information on the interpreters who are in danger and want to leave. 82,000 afghans were taken to the u.s. and only 30,000 were eligible for visas, that is 40%, shedding light how poor the vetting was. >> trace: that is stunning. president biden says he will visit hard-hit kentucky to see the tornado damage first hand. kentucky's governor says people are unaccounted for. governor brish brash /* breshear will tour. nikki haley, bret baier coming up. (sighs wearily) here i'll take that! 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>> nikki haley: it would be laughable, it would be if it were not so embarrassing. that map was meant to show freedom of democracy and if you look, taiwan is free and democratic, communist china is not. the map was honest in the way it played out. the idea biden was so scared about what china would think about it is another example of why we are seeing planes flying over taiwan, why there is more aggression in the south china sea. biden is scared of them. he should have acknowledged the truth. what does it say when we are so scared of their enemies we can't have their back on that. he should have acknowledged that taiwan is a democratic society, they are different from communist china. they do have freedom of expression and china is becoming a communist state. it is embarrassing this happened. i don't care if it is a state official or the white house, this has happened year over year with bureaucracy and the fact we should be able to tell the truth about our friends and our enemiess and the fact we're not puts us more in danger. >> sandra: a situation in ukraine in the growing russian and ukraine conflict, this is "u.s.a. today" oped. need better idea than nato expansion to keep the peace. republics are proud countries, they are not with all due respect, places we should send u.s. troops to fight and die. i'll get your thoughts on how the u.s. should proceed with this growing conflict there as you see russia lining up along the border, after i get your response to this. putin yesterday warning of consequences if we stepped in. listen. this is jen psaki warning of the consequences to putin. listen. >> there was a joint statement released call og russia to abide by international activities as president biden did in his call with president putin and foreign minister warned any use of force to change border is prohibited under international law and russia should expect further aggression against ukraine would have massive consequences. >> sandra: this is the first time we've known from you since the two world leaders met one-on-one, do you believe biden will stand up and show putin's strength in this moment? >> nikki haley: not unless a miracle happens, he hadn't shown strength since being in the presidency. look at the trump administration, president trump sanctioned russians and fought the nordstream 2. same with china, we countered them and showed strength. that was for deterrence. you didn't see russia pushing on ukraine or china pushing on taiwan. the reason you are seeing that now, they smell weakness from america. putin knows it is not popular in russia for him to go to war with ukraine, what he is do being is posturing to threaten ukraine so we don't allow them into nato, that is all this is. he will keep pushing the envelope and first request, we don't want you to allow ukraine into nato and we don't want nato to do anything to russia. we need to push back on that. >> sandra: there is a tweet that stuck out to me, as you did now, you took a big picture on what we are seeing on this administration, foreign policy and other crisis. we have democrat asleep at the wheel, they are crushing our families, endangering our streets and withdrawing from the world, we are in a fight for america's future. that is a pretty dire warning, ambassador, explain your take there? >> nikki haley: i have always looked at america in way i think we can improve, strengthen and i'm proud of. when i was in small business, we wanted jobs that could grow, wanted to make sure government stayed out of our way. we wanted a country that lived within their means and as a mom, i wanted my children safe and in schools that gave them great opportunity. as wife of a combat veteran, i wanted safe america that was strong abroad. as daughter of indian immigrant parents, i wanted a country that continued to show promise of america. all that is being broken before our eyes by the biden administration and we have to put a stop to it. we put a stop to it by winning the house, winning senate, winning governor's races, put a stop to it in 2024 by showing how this can be fixed if we can self-correct quickly. biden continues to be asleep at the wheel. you can tell it is over his head. kamalais absent and congress doesn't get more you spend, the higher inflation goes and the deficit is becoming more of a national security threat because that is exactly what china wants. it is really tone deaf, but also naive in so many different ways. >> sandra: it is a big statement. we are waiting on jen psaki, she will begin speaking at the white house. she is likely to not only be asked, ambassador, about the range of issues we are discussing now, but also on a report benjamin hall brought us on the difference in what we are hearing from the biden administration and reality on the ground in afghanistan, americans left behind. it seems we are being told two different storiess and we're not getting the true picture still of that botched afghanistan withdrawal. your thoughts on that, ambassador? >> nikki haley: it is the reason people are not trusting the biden administration. they said less than 100 left. they have now brought 900 home since the withdrawal. they say this is $1.7 trillion and we find out true with joe manchin's help it is 3 trillion more on the deficit. they are not trying to teach critical race theory in school, we have prove in front of our eyes, everything the biden administration continues to tell us is wrong and the american people are starting to realize it. they say, we will spend money and it will not harm middle america, middle america feels inflation. we haven't had this much inflation since world war ii. americans are not stupid, they can see what is happening. >> sandra: press briefings are crucial. we go to her when she takes questions, she is doing so now, we will listen to jen psaki at the white house. >> with senator manchin directly. i don't have a caller meeting to announce that is scheduled at this point. you heard them both convey they will be in touch and we expect that in the coming days. >> congress is going to vote on increasing the debt limit. >> uh-huh. >> why does president biden believe it is better politically and economically to increase the debt limit? >> some are proposing that, the debt limit has been raised 82 times now -- >> more than 85. >> more than 80, safe way to say it. it represents a shared responsibility for past spending by both parties. there is plenty of time for what it should look like moving forward, no question it is a good sign we will not be on the brink of defaulting our u.s. economy or sending the u.s. economy into recession, jeopardizing payments to troops or other critical functions of government. josh, expect those who have alternate ideas or proposals for the debt limit moving forward may be outspoken. this is a good sign we'll avoid default in putting payments at risk. go ahead. >> california is bringing back statewide mask mandates, should other states consider similar action? >> we leave to states to do what needs to be done to keep communities safe. follow the guidance of the cdc and public health officials and that advice continues to be if you are in moderate or high-transmission areas, they have specific recommendations how to keep communities safe. >> in october, you suggested biden would speak on the filibuster and said in the upcoming weeks or something along those lines. any timing when he might talk about that? >> i don't have updates on timing nor will i get ahead of the president, getting votes rights done is something he's eager to get passd and signed into law. >> any response to the revelation that gop lawmakers were texting chief of staff meadows along with fox news host ahead of the january 6 riots? >> it is disappointing and not surprising, the same individuals willing to warn, condemn and express horror over what happened in january 6, in private were totally silent in public or even worse, were spreading lies and conspiracy theoriess and continue to since that time. disappointing. not surprising, we have seen a trend from the same individuals. >> it's been a week since the president had a virtual conversation with president putin. have you seen anything that leads you to believe there is a de-escalation? can you outline conversations? >> sure. let me give an update on that, phil, in terms of ongoing conversations. so as i noted yesterday, let me update on what is happenings today. we are continuing to consult can european allies and partners to determine the best format for security talks president biden and president putin agreed to and we are consulting with our partners how to proceed. as part of that, secretary of state was meeting with his counterparts over the weekend for pre-planned meetings. and there were meetings with ukrainian leaders. today she is in moscow to express our concerns about russians surrounding ukraine and underscore our commitment to help resolve the conflict in eastern ukraine. conversations are reflection of the follow-on that we expected and predicted of following the conversationss last week. of course our objective continues to be to keep this on a diplomatic path and for that to lead to de-escalation. >> any signal of de-escalation or signs from russian officials they are stepping back to some degree? >> again, we're watching closely, i don't have updates from here, it is a good sign, there are discussions that are continue itting, including with russian leaders ukrainians and european partner. >> on build back better, is the president in this moment, of the mind that the final package will look like whatever can get 50 votes? >> that is usually how it works, isn't it? >> lines laid out -- >> i didn't mean to give you a hard time. yes, i think the president is the first to say -- >> sandra: we'll get back to jen psaki in a moment, peter doocy is in the room. i want to get back to ambassador nikki haley. she received questions about the meetings between vladamir putin and president biden, he asked for update on the path forward. what is your takeaway, i heard no updates or signs of de-escalation, she did reference what the white house considers good sign diplomatic engagements are happening. your reaction? >> nikki haley: what i will continue to say, if you worry about russia moving in on ukraine, if you worry about china moving in on taiwan, the one and only thing, i know having dealt with russians and chinese, best way to deal with both of them is through strength. when you deal with strength, deterrence happens that is what biden has to start doing, man up and start standing up to putin and to xi, and showing them the american way forward. when he does that, that is when the world will be a safer place. >> sandra: i hear the sound byte cut now, president biden has to man up. thank you. by the way, "american strength," congratulations on that. appreciate you joining us, thank you very much. back to the white house now, jen psaki and her briefing and peter doocy coming up with questions shortly. >> and signed so we can give relief to the american people. i can't make predictions beyond that. >> on the president's trip to kentucky, any guidance on what he may be doing, is the first lady or members of congress going to be traveling with him? >> he invited kentucky delegation to travel with him, i leave it to them to convey their travel plans. it is only natural some may have alternate plans, we'll leave that to them. we will provide you manifest list tomorrow. i would say that while the president is there, he will be serving storm damage first hand and making sure we are delivering assistance as quickly as possible to support recovery efforts. i can tell you from traveling with the president in the past, he will ask leaders what do you need, what are you not geting and how can we make it faster for you and he will get back in the car and give an assignment to a staffer and say, get it done. that is how i expect he will approach this and will be joined by governor beshear, secretary mayorkis, fema administrator will join him and he wants those on the ground to know the federal government is to provide support needed and he will provide an update and engage with people impacted by the storms. >> one more thing, today is first anniversary of the first shot goes into arms last year. your reaction, the democratic governor of colorado said about the vaccine, he said this brought end of the medical emergency, those who get sick, it is almost entirely their own darn fault. does the president agree? >> i would say those are not words the president has used or would use. the president believes his responsibility continues to be providing access and information to the american people even those who are hesitant, even those who did not vote for him, even those who did not receive a shot. more people are getting shots and more are getting boosted and he is taking steps to protect the american people. that is his view. go ahead. >> another on vaccine, the president commented on first group of service members discharged for refusing to get the covid vaccine? >> i refer you overall to department of defense. my understanding is 99% of the air force is in compliance. we're talking about less than 1%, which to us the story it is more than 99% in compliance. i would note and they can give more detail on this, end of months of counciling and of course there were people granted exemptions. the secretary of defense said, requirement will help ensure readiness what the american people expect from their armed forces and encouraged by high level of compliance from the department. >> last night federal appeals court upheld rule for administration to reinstate the remain in mexico border policy. are there plans to file appeal to the supreme court? >> you know where we stand from a policy standpoint on this, we believe it is ineffective and humane and conveyed multiple memos in that regard, consistent with the president's view. i point you to the department of justice for any legal plans, but certainly we note that decision this morning and obviously reiterate this is a program that we disagree with, the dictation remains in sxefkt we continue to comply in good faith. >> if it didn't require you to put it in place, that is title 42, just curious is the plan to keep it in place going into next year? >> that guidance is determined by the cdc and health experts based on whether or not we are in a fight against a fwloebal pandemic and we continue to be, i defer to them on any plans or decisions to change requirements. >> curious if the administration has any opinion on sergi, the fellow opposition leader who was apparently held for 18 years in jail for organizing protest against president chenko. >> freedom of expression, right of freedom of speech by opposition leaders. i have not spoken about this case, i am happy to get you a more comprehensive comment and the pronunciation, which i'm not sure of either. >> why are americans still stranded in afghanistan? >> well, let me reiterate something tony blinken said in august, if americans in afghanistan wanted to leave whether it was three weeks from now, two months from now, back in august, we would help them get out. that is something we've delivered on our word on. i would note that since that time, we've directly assisted 479 american citizens and sid holders and applicants to depart afghanistan, that is important to convey. if they decided not to, we would help them depart and there is evidence of that. >> okay, 479 left behind is higher than the 100 to 200 that president biden was talking about at the end of august. >> 479 we helped depart since august. >> right. he said he believed 100 to 200 with intention to lead. >> there were people who determined they wanted to leave since then and it is our responsibility to help them depart. >> is this something as there are now at least about a dozen who want to leave right now, something the president works on everyday? >> certainly he receives regular updates from his team and the state department and other national security officials literally lead this effort. the united states does not track or put a tracker on american citizens traveling overseas. whether they are in afghanistan or any country around the world, that would be quite a fox news story, if we did that. we do provide range of services, even when we don't have presence in a country. many of the citizens, many have lived their whole lives there is evidence of that. >> thank you. following up on something you said yesterday, you said increase in crime over the course of the pandemic, would you consider prosecutors who are cutting people accused of many criminal offensives loose too quickly? >> again, i am not as i wasn't yesterday, going to give assessment for every motivation or reason for crime in different communities across the country. what i've noted and you see in data, there has been increase in crime since the start of the pandemic. i will let others ark assess what the reason is for that. >> smash and grab robberies are being organized on social media platform, is the administration doing anything about that? >> well, we are monitoring of course the staffs closely, we talked about in here, the videos and reports are very troubling, our state and local law enforcement partners have jurisdiction over break-ins and robberies of this time. we are using every resource at our disposal. in terms of how they are orchestrated, we refer to you law unforcement authorities, fbi, doj and other authorities on that. >> you are not ark frayed to call out social media companies when you thought they were a platform for covid disinformation you said it was a public health matter, why not call them out for this, do you not consider this a public health matter? >> there should be investigations that occur to determine the origin and what prompted any of these thefts. we've offered fbi and doj assistance with investigation including and identifying how incidents are planned and organized and certainly we don't believe any platform should be used to conduct robbery or theft. >> this is a hard day, nine years since the shootings took place at -- >> sandra: a range of issues in general that she has addressed with question from reporters. many with our own peter doocy just now asking about afghanistan and obviously spike in violence in american cities to what she attributes as main reason for that violence, still not pinned down on that, she will leave it up to others to decide. she has claimed the pandemic for that. >> trace: she did that again today, second day in a row, it is notable, in it 1993, joe biden said we need to get people off the street and the white house is resistant to say the soft on crime prosecutors in some big blue states are putting people back on the street. interesting dynamic we will delve into later on. >> sandra: bret baier will join on that range of issues in a few moments. jen psaki bringing up president biden's trip to kentucky, expected to happen tomorrow following devastation there. he will survey the damage after tornados killed 74 people in his state. bring in senator rand paul of kentucky, we are so sorry for all the pain these people are going through. it is devastation, 74 confirmed dead, 12 children among them and we know the search continues for survivors. want your thoughts on the moment and how your state is doing, sir? >> rand: we're mourning loss of life in bowling green, we have 15 people perished in warren county, bowling green where i'm from. my wife and i were there during the storm. fortunately our area wasn't hit. you surveyed the damage and it is catastrophic, areas where houses are obliterated, cubarely see the shadow of a foundation. we're in the mourning stage, grieving for those lost, many children, thinking what can we do to get beyond the despair and what can we do to repair kentucky. seen tremendous outpouring of human itarian nature and helping each other out and heartwarming to see churchs and volunteers and helping dig out from under the rubble. >> trace: we see the devastating pictures on the screen. what is less clear, what is happening in the infrastructure, waste water, electricity, trying to get it on for the people of kentucky, do you have assessment, is this all hands on deck and what is being done to lower the misery index for people of your state? >> rand: what is amazing, the whole country gets involved. on sunday 38 different states had sent linesmen to us dealing with utility lines to help. one thing i've heard that may take a while, when a transformer is destroyed by lightning or tornado, you need a whole new transformer, that means supply chain and parts. some things they have as backup, they might have a couple, but if you lost 100, you will not have 100 in stock. you will order from somewhere. in bowling green, over half, three quarters of people lost electricity, got it back within 24 hourss. they did a great job. places closest to the tornado don't have power yet and that may take a while. they shut down the power to save lives. whole power stations will be shut down so no one gets electrocuted by a downed wire. they are working hard and surrounding states are sending people in. i met people from ohio and people from a group of aa who decided part of recovery is helping others. it really has brought goodness and humanitarian nature of man out. >> sandra: people are living through destination, politics comes into play and there has been criticism of you asking for aid request for the tornado damage in your state, federal aid while some are pointing out you opposed it in hurricane sandy? >> rand: it is sad, we haven't buried our dead yet and cnn are dishonest and saying things untrue. i was first elected in 2010 and i was advocating for disaster relief for kentucky and i never really opposed disaster relief for any part of the country. i said, when it goes over budget, it should be paid for from taking money from the budget from places that are less critical. you have people who all they care about is attack, attack, we are trying to bury the dead and cnn is fighting a left-wing partisan war founded on dishonesty, i informed the cnn reporter of that yesterday and they didn't report one word i said. they will lie to people, it is why nobody wants to watch them now. it is factory of lies and partnership and i don't know how anyone can watch it anymore. >> trace: we watch and i have covered tornadic activities across the country and we've had correspondents say they have never seen anything like this. it happened in your state, governor beshear is in mulenburg touring, the president will be there tomorrow. what is priority one as they tour? it becomes a political message, but this your estimation, what is priority one that the people need more than photo opartly cloudys? >> rand: a combination of things. there will be government assistance, that takes time. there is private charity. my private charity is giving. $100,000 will go to charities on the ground feeding people and housing people and that gets to people quickly. we talked to lowe's and asked for chain saws, they gave us 10 chainsaws and gave a million dollars to the relief fund. we are a rich, generous nation, instead of people attacking each other from which party they are from, we are encouraging each other. people can go to unitedwaysouthernkentucky.org. if you want to give to a local charity, you can by going to united way. that is more constructive than trying to score political points. >> sandra: our spirit has not broken, we resolved to come back stronger than ever. your campaign donating $100,000 to the relief fund. a lot of individual charities are welcoming all donation. we will put the number on the screen for red cross. 1-800-help-now. on the ground helping people and team western kentucky relief fund governor beshear established that, as well. senator, appreciate it and best to all the folks struggling on the ground there. we will not forget this is a minute-by-minute struggle for them. >> trace: thank you. moving to organized crime, striking communities across the nation. white house is shifting blame away from progressive policies. >> sandra: bret baier is on deck and will join us on a range of topics coming up. veteran homeowners- you made a smart move when you bought your home. now make another one and turn your equity into cash. with the newday 100 va loan you can take out up to $60,000 or more. veteran homeowners- with home values at all-time highs and rates at near all-time lows now's the time to do more with your home equity. veterans are calling newday at a record pace to take advantage of the newday 100 va loan. you can borrow up to 100% of your home's value to upgrade the kitchen, add a pool for the grandkids, or have the security of cash in the bank. with an average cash out amount of $60,000, you can do more. ok everyone, our mission is to provide complete, balanced nutrition for strength and energy. whoo hoo! ensure, with 27 vitamins and minerals, now introducing ensure complete! with 30 grams of protein. people everywhere living with type 2 diabetes are waking up to what's possible... ensure complete! ...with rybelsus®. 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(♪ ♪) you may pay as little as $10 per prescription. ask your healthcare provider about rybelsus® today. >> 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. ♪ feel stuck with student loan debt? move to sofi and feel what it's like to get your money right. ♪ ♪ move your student loan debt to sofi— you could save with low rates and no fees. earn a $1,000 bonus when you refi— and get your money right. ♪ >> sandra: rapid smash and grab theft hitting cities across the country. the white house press secretary jen psaki was pressed and she would not place blame on progressive policies or prosecutorss. will voters place blame on democratic politicians when elections roll around? let's bring in bret baier. that is a good question, will there be political consequences for ignoring this? >> bret: we'll see where this stands in 10 or 11 months. this issue, crime, safety crosses party lines and really affects families, independents, suburbs and it's a big political issue no matter what the year is. if you have significant crime problem in any city or area, it is a factor how people think about how they are going to vote. yes, it is a big deal and every poll we've seen of late, it is a concern for the american people. how the white house talks about it, the fact that jen psaki over recent days has acknowledged the crime problem, which took a little while to get to that acknowledgment, they are not saying exactly why it is happening, obviously people on the ground have their thoughts about prosecutors and what they are doing or not doing. >> sandra: i go through the numbers in new york city, l.a., philadelphia, it is always almost a plus side in front of robberies and burglaries. you can't help watch jen psaki taking a question from peter doocy about crime saying they are investigating it. without showing any empathy, that is my opinion, it didn't appear that was the case, for businesses that are struggling through this and the crime is destroying these great american cities. we had chicago alderman on here yesterday talking about what is happening and it is awful and people are fleeing. >> bret: that is the ultimate decider, people who leave places because they don't feel safe or businesses shut down and say, we're not doing it anymore. then that becomes major issue for the tax base, for the city, for the locality and eventually reverberates for leaders of the area and for this president if he doesn't choose to talk about it, address it or the white house, do something significant to help these places. >> sandra: we're trying to see if we have the sound from jen psaki a few moments ago. >> again, i am not as i wasn't yesterday, going to give an assessment for every motivation or reason for crime in different communities across the country. what i've noted, what you see in data is increase in crime since the start of the pandemic. i will let otherss assess what the increase in crime is and that is what i was conveying yesterday. >> sandra: he was trying to get her to commit to what is driving this. she did go on the record and seemed to walk it back last week, bret, blaming the pandemic for the spike in crime. tough to see where the white house is on the issue and if they are not identifying the reason for the spike in crime, how can they fix it? >> bret: they are trying to find messages that works for them at this point. it is an issue. it is an issue and it will be in campaigns and heading into 2022, you will hear more about it, especially from republican candidatess trying to pen lack of action in different places. >> sandra: bret baier gearing up for "special report" tonight. good to see you. >> trace: more bad news for disgraced governor andrew cuomo, new york state ethics commission ordering cuomo to return 5.1 million in earnings from his 2020 book on the covid response issue the commission ruling cuomo violated state ethicss laws and broke promises not to use state resources. a speaksperson says cuomo will see them in court if they enforce this issue. see you in court for $5 million. >> sandra: there was a headline, omg, it is obviously huge news, he was pedalling that book in the middle of the pandemic, we all remember. >> trace: he made a bunch of money on the book. it is notable, if you look at legal things, this could drag out for years and years and most fines never get paid back. >> sandra: save room for a story you teased us early on. new video happened on monday, kamala harris trying to show she knows how to use an electric car. she had interesting questions and had a fumble with it. she was surprised she didn't hear gas guzzling. i know it was sarcasm, we will discuss that moment with the electric car. by treating the multiple symptoms of psoriatic arthritis. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. before starting...get checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections some serious... and the lowered ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor about an infection or symptoms... or if you've had a vaccine or plan to. tell your doctor if your crohn's disease symptoms... develop or worsen. serious allergic reactions may occur. watch me. ask your rheumatologist about cosentyx. superpowers from a spider bite? i could use some help showing the world how liberty mutual customizes their car insurance. ow! i'm ok! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ only in theaters december 17th. hello, for the last few years, i've been a little obsessed ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ with chasing the big idaho potato truck. but it's not like that's my only interest. i also love cooking with heart-healthy, idaho potatoes. always look for the grown in idaho seal. small businesses like yours make gift-giving possible. now, comcast business has an exclusive gift for you. introducing the gift of savings sale. for a limited time, ask how to get a great deal for your business. and get up to a $500 prepaid card with select bundles when you switch to the network that can deliver gig speeds to the most businesses. or get started with internet and voice for $64.99 per month with a 2-year price guarantee. give your business the gift of savings today. comcast business. powering possibilities. >> trace: vice president kamala harris is having trouble getting used to the idea of going electric. watch. >> there we are. >> that's it. >> and there is no sound or fumes. >> there is nothing. >> used to filling our tank, you usually can smell it and you can hear it, hear the guzzling sound. >> right. >> none of that. >> how do i know it is actually working? >> it is. >> trace: the vp joking around while promoting network of charging stations costing billions in taxpayer cash. -- byron york will weigh in for the washington examiner and fox news contributor. she messed up the electric thing a little bit, it is not a big deal, one of those things she made light of. somebody shows her how to do that, she is not getting good advice, if she is getting good advice, she is not taking it. >> byron: this is big for the administration, they announced an initiative to build 500,000 electric car chargers around the country. in the build back better bill, you have the transportation secretary pete buttigieg saying the government will give you $12,500 to buy an electric car and suggest it would be free to drive, the problem, you don't have to pay for gas. but you have to pay for electricity. biden policies will raise the price of electricity you need to run your electric car. >> trace: i go you one better saying have you to power electric stations and that is not clean energy. we are having a shortage in california on the electricity for things like that, you got to power them all, that is a different subject. i want to put this up. this is what the vice president is responsible for. the border, space council, high speed internet, leading role in ambassador of small business, focus on black mortality rates, personal interest in water quality and racial and gender equity. she hasn't accomplished much, she needs to reboot or she becomes irrelevant. your thoughts? >> byron: there has always been an effort through administration to make the vice president seem like an important job. the vice president is not the decision-maker. the biggest problem, she was put in charge of the southern border, the crisis on the u.s.-mexico border. but then immediately after everyone reported president biden placed vice president in charge of the migration crisis, they said, no, no, no, she's just in charge of looking into the root cause of the problem in guatemala, honduras and el salvador and that is what it is. we got a report this week, the president of guatemala told fox news he's talked to kamala harris all of one time when they announced the initiative. not clear what she is doing on that either. >> trace: good point, the whole concept is root cause they will put 460 million into northern triangle countries and root causes take years to discuss if the money gets to people it is intended for and there doesn't seem to be a solution. your final thoughts on this? >> byron: problem with root cause, you say you go after root cause and you don't know how to solve the problem that faces you, which is a huge influx coming across the border. >> trace: byron york, thank you. >> byron: thank you. >> sandra: good to see byron. if you are dreaming of a white christmas, why the nation's labor shortage may have you thinking twice, that is next. i brought in ensure max protein, with thirty grams of protein. those who tried me felt more energy in just two weeks! 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"the story" is now. >> martha: good afternoon. i'm martha maccallum in new york. so in a moment, we're going live to kentucky with the latest on the scene there. so many families are in need for shelter, water and power. the basic needs that they need to have met. we have seen how much the loss of life has touched everyone in this story from the governor on down. i want to show you this photo that was taken by the rackley family 15