square garden. everybody gets their card checked at the door. once you are in do you wear a mask or not? some people were or weren't. what section do you sit in? check with the usher. i'm massively confused not just new york and the rest of the country. >> dana: there is a rise in cases and prompted california to have a mandate. it requires folks to cover their faces indoors. they granted last-minute exceptions for gyms and offices. >> bill: california is the latest blue state to bring back the masks. william la jeunesse is live in l.a. with the latest. >> because of that confusion across the country you get less compliance. eight states all run by democratic governors reimposed the new indoor mask mandate as cdc reports a seven fold increase in omicron infections. map shows you areas with red highest transmission rates, yellow moderate, blue low. states in the southeast, florida, georgia, alabama, louisiana, texas have lower rates. california a mixed bag, north doing better. higher vaccine rates than southern california the worst. state officials feel the omicron variant is so transmissible the mandate is preventive if not always followed. >> the bottom line. we want to save lives. the way to save lives is simple. wear a mask. you get your vaccine. and if you travel, you get tested. it's pretty simple. >> but officials expect major pushback partly because of little competence in their decisions. in september officials said quote, mitigation measures like masking is going to work regardless of the variant. not true. in fact, studies show in california some counties which did not impose the mandate in june in response to the delta variant had fewer cases and the same hospitallydation rate at counties which did. we know vaccines don't prevent it and half as effective on this variant. the state health director said that the unvaccinated are to blame saying there are seven times more likely to get covid. 12 times more likely to get hospitalized and 13 times more likely to die than the unvaccinated necessitating the mandate. >> for the other counties across the state making sure that we have this protective measure to guide us through the next month is very, very important. >> still a lot of confusion, right? major questions on the manage -- i've been to major events and you get the big line but no one didn't really check very well whether or not you had the card or an exemption. mask mandate applies whether people are vaccinated or not. some counties in the north got exemptions if the office or gym is 100% vaccinated. now lastly lausd, 28,000 students did not comply with the vax mandate and they pushed it to next year because of the financial impact to the schools. >> bill: clear as mud. thank you william. nice to see you today in los angeles. >> dana: let's bring in sean duffy fox news contributor. california at least one shot, 78.8%. that's a pretty high percentage. then you have this. not just california but indoor mask mandates in hawaii, illinois, new york, washington and coming to more cities and states near you, sean. >> first it's masks, why don't they work, right? we've seen people wear masks and seen covid spread throughout the country. what frustrates me you want to believe in public health and public recommendations but when you say everybody should get vaccinated but you all have to wear a mask this is as clear as mud. i saw you in the building yesterday and i'm like who is that small blond haired woman with a mask on? you can't see people's faces. you mention the democrat states. what's important to note in colorado a very liberal democrat there said the pandemic is over and we aren't doing it anymore. it comes down to politics. do people agree with mask mandates and vaccine mandates? if they do they enforce them. democrats like polis will say my people in colorado don't like it anymore i will give freedom back to my people. even in new york state you see some counties pushing back and saying we're not going to enforce this mandate any longer because their constituents in those counties say we don't want to have this any longer and want to be done with the pandemic and freedom to make choices for ourselves and our families that are right for us not what the governor thinks is appropriate. >> bill: a quarter of new york counties refuse to become mask police despite the governor's mandate. you have pushback as well. your point about the colorado governor, he is saying we've given you all the information you need. we've given you the vaccine. we've given you the booster. this is on you if you do not want to follow any of the information we have given you because the state cannot be the parent or the police to the people who live there. that's his point. >> if i want to get on a motorcycle without a helmet is that dangerous? sure, i like the freedom of the wind blowing through my hair. if i want to not wear a seat belt i might get a ticket but people get the choice of freedom for themselves but we're not going to mandate risk requirements on people. we err on the side of freedom. that's what we're seeing more and more republican freedom leaning states and counties going with. i was in politics. you see politicians. they know the people better than anybody else and they know what the heartbeat of the folks are that they represent and when they are opposed to the mandates they'll fight back and push back against them because they want to get reelected. >> dana: one question. some of the hospitals are seeing increasing hospitalizations and i would imagine from the public health perspective those leaders are saying we can't allow that to happen. what do you think about that when it comes to all this? >> should we have specific numbers who has been hospitalized, were they vacsed, double and triple vacsed. the numbers aren't clear who is being hospitalized. if we actually recorded that data and were able to say listen, 95% of people being hospitalized are unvaccinated and didn't have covid that would be a strong message. if you don't have those numbers and it is a guessing game why? with all the billions of dollars we put into public health why don't we have the numbers of who is getting hospitalized? be clear and track that. the dirty secret is you have people getting vaccinated and william la jeunesse just mentioned this, they're getting covid and being hospitalized from covid and some dying. the symptoms are less but you can still contract it and spread it. i think the clarity on what's coming from the federal government as bill has said is clear as mud. that's why people don't trust it. you need people to trust public health. when they don't because of the mistakes that fauci and others have made is when people go no, i'm not going to partake. >> bill: cases are going up in the central part of the country. our best example is to watch what is happening in south africa. omicron is more contagious and less severe and fewer hospitalizations. that's the best case example we hang onto. great to see you. if you have not already pick up your copy of all american christmas from sean and his wife "fox & friends" weekend co-host rachel campos-duffy. merry christmas. let's talk in a couple days. >> merry christmas. >> dana: a fox news alert now. president biden heading to kentucky this morning to vair the extent of the devastation after a string of deadly tornadoes ripped through the state last week. right now at least 74 people are confirmed dead. including 12 children. dozens are still missing. alexis mcadams live on the ground in mayfield, kentucky. good morning. >> good morning. you have to see the scope of the damage in person to understand exactly what kentucky is dealing with. where i am now in mayfield is wiped out. look behind me. some crews are working and out here for a few hours this morning and they don't leave until late in the evening trying to pick up all of this wreckage. you can see large pieces of trees that were torn out of the ground but also people's belongings and memories and huge pieces of metal twisted up when the tornadoes touched down. four tornadoes on the ground for more than 200 miles in kentucky. 74 people in kentucky were killed during the tornadoes. that death toll expected to climb. 12 of those people killed were children. the governor says there are still 122 people unaccounted for and expecting they will still look through the wreckage and crews are looking for wreckage for people's personal belongings but also looking for bodies of neighbors some of them know themselves. this drone video you see now captures some of the damage across kentucky. you are seeing dawson springs in the western part of the state. president biden will tour mayfield as well as some of the other areas around the county here. the president is coming into the area after approving emergency declaration for kentucky, tennessee, illinois. this morning people in kentucky want to noef what the federal help means for them. listen. >> i know we needed help and then i could hear people hollering and screaming for help. blood kurdling hollering and screaming for help and i went through the persian gulf war and i don't have the words. >> people screaming, crying, yelling? >> they was in pain. broke bones and bloody bodies. that's all i can say. shocked, disbelief. it was bad. >> to hear those stories from so many people who were able to get out of the path of the tornadoes is unbelievable. so many of those people lost everything as you can see looking around behind here in mayfield, can en ken. most importantly they lost some of their family members and so many of their neighbors here. the death toll expected to rise. the governor will meet with the president later this afternoon when he is here to survey the damage and talk more about what the federal help with bring to kentucky. thank you. >> dana: thank you. >> bill: the construction site behind us amazing. from the hill house democrats pass had a last minute pressure to raise the debt ceiling that will take us through the mid-terms of 2022. president biden will sign into law hours before what would have been the first ever u.s. default. meanwhile democrats are still full steam ahead on the multi-trillion dollar welfare expansion. we don't know if this will pass. if it will succeed. here is the sound bite of the day. hillary vaughn asking senator elizabeth warren about that proposed spending spree just yesterday. watch. >> how high do you think the debt needs to get before it is time to cut government spending? >> one thing we need to do is get the billionaires to pay income task. elon musk paid zero in federal income tax. we have a debt problem partly because the very richest people just aren't paying. >> bill: guess who was listening to that? elon musk. >> dana: the best. so he says this senator warren says let's changed the rigged tax code so the person of the year will pay taxes. >> you remind me when i was a kid and my friend's angry mom would randomly yell at everyone for so reason. please don't call the manager on me senator karen. >> bill: a couple of things. he is the biggest salesman in america today against this bill. you could not have picked a more perfect example of the american dream than elon musk born in south africa i remind you. secondly, this war of words on twitter is not over. you can watch the conversation almost in realtime. elon musk hasn't been canceled yet on twitter. >> dana: i'm here for all of it. >> bill: so are we. >> dana: senator karen was funny. i know a few lovely karens. >> it's time that the reign of criminals who are destroying our city, it is time for it to come to an end. >> bill: that is the mayor in san francisco london breed is her name looking to crack down on the smash and grab robberies as the state's top prosecutor suggests the retailers are the ones not doing enough to stop this theft. we'll get to it. >> dana: democrats renewing their push to cancel student loans and the bill for taxpayers would be very steep. >> bill: despite all signs pointing to the contrary president biden says he likes democrats' chances in 2022. does he know something we don't? 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(crowd) business! hello, for the last few years, i've been a little obsessed 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. >> bill: so you've had a wave of smash and grab robberies many in california. the state's a.g. putting the blame on retailers saying that businesses need to do more to prevent crime in their stores with things like cameras and security guards. wow, ever hear of police? san francisco's mayor is trying to curb the rise in crime. kelly o'grady is live in l.a. to tell us about that. good morning, kelly. >> good morning, bill. i'm outside the grove where the nordstrom was hit just before thanksgiving. things have gotten so bad with smash and grabs they're installing barbed wire to keep out the thieves. it started a bit of a blame game. california's attorney general yesterday convened a number of businesses to discuss strategies to combat the trend. there are online marketplaces and use money for other crime. amazon specs person says it does not allow stolen goods in our store and work with brands to stop bad actors and hold them accountable. the blame is being put on a shortage of law enforcement professionals. london breed is seeking emergency funding to hire more police and improving realtime strategies to help the stolen goods from being sold on the streets. >> it is time that the reign of criminals who are destroying our ste, it is time for it to come to an end and it comes to an end when we take the steps to be more aggressive with law enforcement. more aggressive with the changes in our policies. and less tolerant of all the [bleep] that has destroyed our city. >> the mayor mentioned policies. california lacks bail sentencing policies are being to blame. 14 suspects were arrested in connection with the nordstrom robbery. in hours all were released without bail or posted bail. tough out here. >> bill: you will need more barbed wire. >> dana: some democrats in congress have calls for president biden to forgive student loan debt amid the concern's potential cost to taxpayer. one study claims canceling up to $50,000 of student loans per student could cost taxpayers a trillion dollars. host of american dream home cheryl casone has the details. >> the numbers if you look at it are staggering. sanders wants all loans forgiven. there seems little appetite. brookings found $50,000 per borrower were forgiven taxpayers would put more money towards student loans than unemployment, food stamps, supplemental social security income, welfare. as for the economy more government spending will lead to more inflation which would also affect the 43 million americans who currently carry student debt. brookings argues taxpayer money will be better best on low income people and people that color. those demographics are the ones struggling with student debt payment. back in 2000 costs of public university on average 13,170 a year. now 20 years later 23,150 a year. federal student aid for students over 9,000 20 years ago, now 14,000. the students or family is drowning to pay for college so that aid if they were to forgive it all falls incredibly short. >> bill: a huge moral hazard if you forgive student loans across the board. i don't think it has the momentum it once had. >> dana: i think president biden will cave. senator schumer walks around with his cancel student loan mask and concerned that alexandria ocasio-cortez could get to hit left. we can't make people start paying this again. a lot of people out there on the merits they want to go to college and make bad decisions and own the debt now, maybe there is a better way to finance it but forgiven it seems too far. i think president biden, i bet it will be in the state of the union address. >> his proposal is $10,000, not $50,000. he is on the record for that. we'll see if that what he comes back with. >> bill: you cover prices every day. skyrocketing meat prices. jen psaki had an excuse for it. >> they've both spoken to what we've seen as the greed of meat conglomerates. the prices are higher. it is in his view and the secretary of agriculture because of corporate greed. >> corporate greed. let's be clear what's driving up meat prices, the labor shortage, fuel prices. remember how do you get cattle to slaughter? you put them on a large truck and drive them there. look at things like packaging and the covid restrictions in place still at the meat supplying companies. there is only four major ones in the country to be clear. they've got to make sure their workers are safe. the drought out west actually led to cattle out west being leaner, 15 pounds leaner per cow as the granddaughter of a meat packing gentleman from texas. all of this is just unfortunately the same thing they did with energy companies. deflect, you say it's the greedy energy prices and why gas prices are higher. now they're saying it is the greedy meat producers. >> dana: what we found out yesterday is that they had a conference a call to talk about some poll tested language and blaming everything on the greed of companies that was the number one thing they should say and why they are all saying it. >> it is a talking point. this is from mark do*p, the coo of the north american meat institute a couple months ago. issuing inflammatory statements that ignore the fundamentals how supply and demand affect markets accomplishes nothing. >> dana: indeed, cheryl. thank you so much. you can catch american dream home tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. eastern on fox business with cheryl. thank you. >> bill: thank you. state department saying it helped relocate nearly 1,000 americans and other allies from afghanistan since the end of august after saying the number of u.s. citizens stranded there was far less. why the discrepancy? we'll get to the bottom of it. another brick falls in the now debunked steele dossier narrative. as the case unravels hillary clinton may have some explaining to do. >> 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. ♪ [engine humming] [clapping] “we will rock you” by queen ♪ the new gmc sierra with hands-free driving offers the most advanced and luxurious pick-up in its class. ♪ yeah, it rocks. i may have moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. ♪ or psoriatic arthritis. but we are so much more. we're team players and artists. designers and do-it-yourselfers. parents and friends. if joint pain is getting in the way of who you are, it's time to talk to your doctor about enbrel. enbrel helps relieve joint pain, and helps stop permanent joint damage. plus enbrel helps skin get clearer in psoriatic arthritis. ask your doctor about enbrel, so you can get back to your true self. play ball! enbrel may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, nervous system and blood disorders and allergic reactions have occurred. tell your doctor if you've been someplace where fungal infections are common. or if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if you have persistent fever, bruising, bleeding or paleness. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. visit enbrel.com to see how your joint damage could progress. enbrel. eligible patients may pay as little as $5 per month. >> dana: analyst the main researcher of the now debunked steele dossier back in court for a status hearing charged with lying to the f.b.i. about one of his sources who happens to be a long-time democratic operative with close ties to bill and hillary clinton. david spunt in outside the courthouse in alexandria. >> the quick hearing over in 20 minutes. status hearing, the russian analyst living in northern virginia plans to fight those five counts of lying to the f.b.i. put forward by special counsel john durham. we have shots of him heading into the courtroom 30 minutes ago and said nothing in front of our cameras as he did that. the primary source for british spy christopher steele who compiled that widely talked about debunked steele dossier full of accusations about the former president. it alleges he lied to the f.b.i. about working for steele has his primary source of information and indictment mentions danchenko's involvement with pr executive one, chuck dolan, a long time confidant of bill and hillary clinton. danchenko's attorney said the latest injustice will not stand and we'll expose how he has been unfairly maligned by these false allegations. his trial was tentatively scheduled for april. today defense attorneys asked to move it to at least september. a judge will take it under advisement. he is the third defendant to be charged in john durham's probe looking at the origins of the russia investigation. the other two kevin clinesmith pled guilty to falsifying a document used to obtain a pfizer warrant against carter page. then michael sussman, a clinton campaign attorney has been in the news recently with lying about some connections between donald trump and the kremlin. charged with lying about those connections. the basic point is john durham, special counsel, building a pattern showing some lower level operatives were lying to the f.b.i. and the big thing the attorney general merrick garland recently renewed the budget of durham and he said durham is still in action. dana. >> dana: thank you. >> bill: let's bring in byron york, chief political analyst. welcome to our program. you heard that from david. this is not over. what is next? >> well, the dossier is the absolute key to understanding what was going on with the clinton campaign in 2016. the earliest proponents of the theory that the trump campaign was colluding with russia came from the clinton campaign after the russia document leak in the summer of 2016. so it came from the clinton campaign. what we didn't know at the time was the clinton campaign was funding what became known as the dossier. and what we didn't know until danchenko indictment was that one of the key sources of the dossier was a clinton connected american who was misrepresented in the dossier among its many made-up charges. the danchenko indictment has told us a lot about the clinton connection in the dossier. >> bill: it's key to unraveling things. the "wall street journal" writes the media stone walls on the steele dossier. news companies are even more reluctant than other businesses to come clean about their misbehavior. true or not? >> trough unfortunately because we've seen a lot of media companies that made a very big deal of it in 2017, 18, 19, really not come clean but i think we need to remember the media story is part of it but the real story, the bigger story, is the intelligence and law enforcement agencies of the u.s. government. for anybody who says the dossier was no big deal, remember that in january of 2017, the intelligence chiefs of the country including the head of c.i.a. and the head of the f.b.i. briefed the sitting president, barack obama, and the incoming president, donald trump, on the dossier's findings. they thought it was a big deal and amazingly enough it leaked into public view just days after that happened. >> bill: the last point made when donald trump used to yell fake news on the steele dossier it continues turn out to be the case that he was right about that. >> he was right. and remember in january of 2017 when it had become such a big deal, the f.b.i. was desperately trying to figure out if it was true. they were doing interviews and one of the interviews a number of them were with danchenko and it is from those interviews that he is now charged with lying to the f.b.i. >> bill: thank you, byron york, watch it as it goes. thank you very much. nice to see you again. have a great holiday. thanks. ♪♪♪ >> dana: here we go. steph curry makes history at madison square garden. watch this? >> from the start. we're here -- curry for the record. it's good, there it is! steph curry. >> dana: 2,974th career three-pointing breaking allen's record. allen was there and bill hemmer and reggie miller who previously held the record. curry reached that milestone is 500 games fewer than it took allen to do the same. quite an accomplishment. >> bill: excellent read on your part. you see how big that jersey is? miller had a jersey with his name on it. allen had one but it was regular size. they had to super size the number. the guard was fired up. i've seen that guy play before. you would love to watch him play. he runs the court, dana. he is so skilled and so smart, so talented. so confident. >> dana: i could read the news and sports with confidence. >> bill: the graphic is perfect. >> dana: thank you for giving me a shot. >> bill: dana reads sports. parents at their wit's ends. students go back to remote learning. we're told some teachers have the burn-out. what about the kids, huh? 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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. >> bill: white house press secretary jen psaki explaining the discrepancy of americans left behind in august. watch the question and answer here. >> there are still americans stranded in afghanistan. >> if americans who were in afghanistan wanted to leave we would help them get out and that's something that we've delivered on. >> well, the state department admitted on monday that the u.s. helped evacuate and relocate about 900 citizens and green card holders since the 31st of august. administration said at the time there were maybe 100 or 200 americans there who wanted to leave. a lot of questions on this and other things around the world. the pentagon press secretary is john kirby. he will join dana and me in 45 minutes here in the studio. we will have a conversation about this and everything else going into the new year that has a lot of concern for folks who are watching these big stories. >> dana: he will be in town and willing to come in and see us and we'll bring it to you when it happens. parents are growing more frustrated with their children's education. teacher burn-out is forcing some school to cancel in-person classes and new covid restrictions complicating matters. ian prior, executive director of fight for schools. the study from the world bank and unicef shows the pandemic generation is at risk of losing $17 trillion in future earnings from knowledge deficits. and in iowa educators suffering -- education suffering 21 schools dropped to the lowest rating in that school's history. which is just terrible for the students, for our future, and yet looks like we might be going back into this, ian. >> it really is crazy. what are schools for? schools are to educate children. when you have teachers that want to take weeks off or burn-out, the children are the ones that are suffering. you have schools now that are canceling fs and ds in class. it's crazy. you cannot succeed unless you fail. so look, the real problem here is that kids are sponges basically and they are sponges when they are young and when you want to teach a kid a foreign language best to do it when they're young and able to absorb all the things they'll need for later in life. if you are taking away those opportunities especially at these young ages of course you will have significant long-term damage to their capacity to succeed in life. this study is not surprising to me at all. the fact that it can happen in a year and a half i think that drives a lot of what is happening with parents. they know they need to act quickly because they are in desperate straits. >> dana: a good point that it was just that amount of time and basically not come men's rat with the loss. >> you paid attention to the governor's race in virginia. democrats seem surprised that so many parents were upset by the shutdown of the schools and i feel like they aren't paying attention. colorado school called centennial elementary. they had this -- they have this sign you can see called families of color playground night. an idea to have a racially segregated families of color chance to get together for the playground and the school says the daily caller some of these families shared with us since the only time many of them see one another is at drop-off and pickup times we host events where black families can meet and connect with one another and share their experiences about the school with one another. what do you think about this? >> well, when i saw that sign the first thought is this 1955? clearly we are moving away from the progress that the incremental progress we've made in this country to get to the point where people view each other not based on the color of their skin but the content of their character. now we're moving backwards where it's okay to segregate people based on the color of their skin or ethnicity or whatever division they want to do. it is really disconcerting you would see the progress that we have made in this country being rolled back in the name of quote social justice. i think what these schools should do is stop focusing on teaching kids that the constitution and our institutions and traditions are racist and spend that money figuring out how to recover the learning loss that we were talking about. that should be priority number 1 for all schools in the country. not this push to create identity boxes and pit people against each other. >> dana: they will need each other going forward. they'll work together and have challenges and future generations to figure oust a way to compete in this world and they'll need to do it together. big topic and an important one. we'll have you back, thanks. >> bill: so late last night the house voting to hold former trump chief of staff mark meadows in contempt of congress for refusing to comply with the subpoena from the committee that is investigating the attacks from january 6. chad pergram is on that. what happens now, chad? good morning. >> good morning, bill. the vote to hold mark meadows in con sement was mostly along party lines. only two gop members voted with democrats adam kinzinger and liz cheney both serve on the 1/6 committee. democrats said the vote on meadows was essential to the integrity of the house. >> the truth is not an excuse for not honoring a subpoena. of this congress. >> meadows served in the house before becoming white house chief of staff. republicans defended their former house colleague. >> he is a good man. he has done more work with democrats than probably any republican. we know what a good man he is. sth as wrong as it gets. you all know it but your lust for power and get your opponent is so intense you don't care. >> meadows defied a subpoena and text between meadows and lawmakers during the attack. mitch mcconnell said he never reached out to meadows during the siege. >> i do think we're all watching, as you are, what is unfolding on the house side. and it will be interesting to reveal all the participants who were involved. >> meadows is the second figure held in contempt by the house after the riot. it is now up to the justice department to decide to prosecute meadows, former white house advisor steve bannon faces trial next summer for defying a similar subpoena. bill. >> bill: chad pergram watching it from the hill. >> dana: the white house facing criticism not doing enough to combat the recent surge in smash and grab robberies. you may remember this? >> tell me that this is dangerous but right next to me is a slap in my face. >> dana: that's angela slamming unfair covid restrictions in california last year. how does she feel about her state bringing back the mask mandate? find out, she will join us after the break. veteran homeowners- you deserve more. more cash, more savings, and more financial peace of mind. newday can help you get it with the newday 100 va cash out loan. it lets you borrow up to 100% of your home's value: up to $60,000 or more. and veterans are saving an average of $615 every month. with more ways to help more veteran families, no bank, no lender, no one knows veterans like newday usa. ♪ christmas music ♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ if your dry eye symptoms keep coming back, what?! no! over the counter eye drops typically work by lubricating the eyes and may provide temporary relief. xiidra works differently, targeting inflammation that can cause dry eye disease. it can provide lasting relief. xiidra is the only fda-approved non-steroid eye drop specifically for the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease. one drop in each eye, twice a day. don't use if you are allergic to xiidra. common side effects include eye irritation, discomfort or blurred vision when applied to the eye, and unusual taste sensation. don't touch container tip to your eye or any surface. after using xiidra wait 15 minutes before reinserting contacts. ♪♪♪ this holiday, ask your doctor about xiidra. umph! [uplifting music playing] ask your doctor about xiidra. ♪ i had a dream that someday ♪ ♪ i would just fly, fly away ♪ >> bill: we mentioned this top of the show. if you want to dine out in california, you will need to bring a mask. starting today patron will be required to wear a mask regardless of your vaccination status. that's going to affect people like angela, owner of pineapple hill saloon and grill. we've spoken to you many times since this pandemic began. i want to play a clip of you that got our attention in the parking lot of your restaurant about a year and a half ago, i think. watch. >> tell me that this is dangerous, but right next to me is a slap in my face. >> bill: that was december of 2020. those are some dark days. how are you doing now? what are you up against today? >> yeah, ironically that was december. we're in december, right? around this time last year i was -- yeah, saved by the people of this country. but a special thanks out to brooks burgers in florida. they were big people that helped me. the mask mandates have been in effect since august in l.a. county. the strictest mandate of anywhere in the united states. personally i think the community itself would rather just be a choice but, you know, i'm not -- if somebody wants to wear a mask, let them wear a mask. if they don't want to wear a mask what am i supposed to do? get in a fight with them over them not wearing a mask, you know? i think the real issue is the mandates that they continue to do the vaccine mandates, the mask mandates are on, they're off, it is the up and down and it is the unknown. businesses are suffering. like in san francisco they did a poll of the restaurants there after the vaccine mandates. they are losing 60% of them are losing 15 to 20% of revenue. we are talking about a time where already companies are leaving left and right. but the small mom and pop shops we're brick and mortar and can't pick up and leave and we don't have that kind of money and so invested in our community we don't want to leave. so i think there is more a pandemic of i would say politicians that are out of touch and hypocritical. we just saw the mayor of san francisco partying without a max on her birthday. these things add up and really affect the perception of the people and it affects the small businesses tremendously. we'll lose a lot more small businesses after the first of the year. there is no way we're not. >> bill: what would be a better solution do you think in california? >> i actually have a better solution. i'm glad you asked. i worked very hard on this all last year because i knew based on the science that covid would probably be a problem in the fall. i beg and plead for the city of l.a., los angeles, to invest in bipolar ionizing air systems. they kill all viruses and covid 98.99% of the time and monitored by a health company. you can get a health certificate. i have purchased one with the grant money i got and put it in my place. i have not had a covid outbreak. and i just plead with them to start thinking outside the box. this is something they can give grants to, they can put it in small businesses, and also it's green so they keep saying they want to be a leader in green. so why don't they give the money to these small businesses to put these in to keep the public safe and to keep people together? there are so many other things out there but it is like they just put a band-aid on it and say we're doing our job. if they truly care about the people of this state they will invest in something like this that basically keeps the air safe for people. and i wrote the city council, i wrote the board of supervisors. i've put the unit in and have a health company monitoring my air on a daily basis and yet nobody read my letter. nobody cared to look at it. >> bill: that really must make you feel helpless. listen, we want to get back in touch with you and listen to your voice and thank you for the idea. maybe someone is listening. if not in l.a. maybe sack -- sacramento. angela back in california. thank you for your time. >> dana: smash and grabs, car jantion, home invasions, brutal assault and murder. the white house short on answers when it comes to a solution to fix the growing problem. welcome in a new hour of "america's newsroom." i'm dana perino. >> bill: i'm bill hemmer. welcome at home. hanging tough? the white house says the feds are using every tool available. law enforcement officers on the front lines who see the problems firsthand every day say the biden administration is not doing enough. republican senator john kennedy offering this idea from last night with will. >> well, the president could start, i think many members of congress already have, by talking straight up to the american people and say stop disrespecting the police. and then say stop defunding the police. >> bill: well, team fox coverage claudia cowen is in california. first to jackie heinrich on the north lawn of the white house who begins a new hour for us. >> hi, we've been asking about this -- asking the white house and the department of justice almost every day for the last couple of weeks and starting to hear them recycle their answers. they are telling us that they are taking aggressive action to mitigate crime by offering federal resources to the states and cities that are dealing with these problems. they wouldn't weigh in on whether lax prosecutor or bail reform is creating a cycle of repeat offenders. they did respond to investigators in california many of the smash and grabs were coordinated on social media apps by people who didn't know each other but believed that in numbers they could get away with it. >> we believe there should be investigations that should occur to determine the origin and what prompted any of these thefts. we've offered the f.b.i. and d.o.j. in contact with affected jurisdictions to offer assistance with investigations including identifying how these incidents are planned and oerg niceed. certainly we don't believe any platform should be used to conduct robbery or theft. >> the spike is crime is so sharp that two republican senators are calling for a judiciary committee hearing on it. they write ineffective bail policies, cumbersome restrains on police officers and progressive prosecutor movement are making the surge. given the many other cities that are impacted by the crime surge we believe it would be even more useful if we can explore these problems on a national scale with the full committee. republicans in the house are calling on the president to more vocally address this. >> we need the president to take a strong stand and say enough is enough. we saw it with president trump and remember when president trump got out there and said we are going to federally go after those individuals who destroy monuments and destroy federal buildings guess what happened? it stopped. >> yesterday there was a group of mayors here at the white house supposed to just meet with cabinet secretaries but the president made a surprise visit and we're told that crime came up. atlanta mayor said one solution they discussed was getting youth into jobs and apprenticeships and families into housing talking to the housing secretary to make sure the root causes of crime are addressed. that was the latest we heard, though, from the president and it was through the mayor who came out and spoke to cameras afterwards. >> bill: my sense is you have more questions. >> we do. >> bill: thank you. >> dana: san francisco mayor appearing to reverse on her course promising to defund police as there are smash and grab robberies. she have is trying to stop the crime serve including securing emergency funding for law enforcement. who would have thought? claudia cowen is live in cal with details. >> london breed is fed up with the crime wave that is destroying one of the most beautiful cities in the world. her frustration on display announcing new initiatives to beef up police activity. >> it's time that the reign of criminals who are destroying our city, it is time forist to -- for it to come to an end and it comes to an end when we take the steps to be more aggressive with law enforcement, more aggressive with the changes in our policies, and less tolerant of all the [bleep] that has destroyed our city. >> other things breed says she wants to clean up the tender loin. it forces pedestrians to have to walk in the street and the pipeline of illegal drugs has fueled a surge in gun violence and overdoses. to critics who don't like the idea of more police the mayor says too bad. >> to be clear, what i'm proposing today and what i will be proposing in the future will make a lot of people uncomfortable and i don't care. at the end of the day the safety of the people of san francisco is the most important thing to me. and we are past the point where what we see is even remotely acceptable. >> breed says while san francisco prides itself on second chances and compassion it is not a city where anything goes, at least she hopes not anymore. some say her measures won't really mean anything unless more criminals are prosecuted. san francisco's embattled district attorney was notably not at yesterday's press conference standing alongside the mayor, the police chief and sheriffs. he faces a recall next year. >> dana: change of heart. something must have happened that broke the camel's back to have the mayor make that declaration. >> bill: she is trying to tell people i hear you. one of the most-watched stories in 2022 is in new york city. what is the new mayor going to do about the liberal progressive policies in new york and how will he change it? outrage over vaccine and mask mandates omicron is spreading and they forecast a big wave in january. how concerned should you and your family be this time? read your piece in fox news.ko*fm. how concerned should people be when they see the number of cases rising by the day? >> well, bill, i honestly think it is time for us to change our mindset looking at covid. we need to allow the pandemic to turn into an endemic. getting to zero covid cases is not reasonable and it is not reality anymore. so yes, there are rising cases right now because in is a seasonal respiratory virus in the united states. we saw the big wave in some of the southern areas and the sun belt in the summer, we didn't see that as much in the northeast. now as it gets colder out and people moving indoors and congregating for the holidays we see a rise in cases just like we see with flu a and rsv. other rest pri tear seasonal viruses. a good amount of data is coming out of south africa on omicron that the people being infected with the latest variant are reporting more mild cases. they are seeing cases in vaccinated as well as unvaccinated people. the good news is in both of those groups they report more mild cases and quicker recovery. while we are going to see rising cases throughout the winter months, the good news is it doesn't seem that there will be an equal spike in hospitalizations. we will see a rise in hospitalizations in the winter because we do. the more cases you have the more people hospitalized but this is predominantly in unvaccinated individuals and those vulnerable including those over the age of 70 and with co-morbidities. >> dana: eric swalwell said this on twitter. we can go from 60% to 80% vaccines if we require them to fly. some people like me for example there is not -- there are no cases showing the spread on planes. i'm all for being vaccinated but it doesn't make any sense. >> it occurs in households. unless they make every person live in their bubble and never interact with other people they won't stop it. you don't see high or any transmission on planes and not other settings such as schools especially those who have some public health measures to help mitigate spread. unnoortly a lot of these mandates coming forth are more knee jerk and make for good optics but not doing much to decrease the transmission. >> bill: doctor, i think what we have learned the most about this pandemic is that when the virus mutates and gets stronger we might be in trouble, but when the virus mutates and gets weaker that's a great sign because the virus is dying out. back to your example in south africa it seems to be the pattern here. yes, more contagious, but fewer severe cases and fewer hospitalizations. i think that's all very good news for us and for the world. >> well that's right, bill. as we have now moved into an era where we have vaccines, boosters and streements and we have a large amount of natural immunity in the country we should be able to move forward allowing the fact the virus is causing very mild illness in people who are vaccinated and younger populations including those people who have become boosted. there will always be people vulnerable to the virus like every year we see people vulnerable to flu and other causes of pneumonia. we need to protect them. for the rest of society it is time to move forward. we have never required a vaccine to prevent the sniffles. people have access to affordable vaccines that can reduce their risk of severe illness and boosted if they want to to reduce the risk of severe illness. it is time to move forward and allow the mild infection to circulate to build the hybrid immunity, the combination of vaccine and natural immunity which has proven to be the most robust form of immunity that will continue to build that wall of protection. >> dana: dr. saphier, thank you so much. pay-up is the message to disgraced governor andrew cuomo ordered to return every penny on his book on leadership. >> bill: president biden making a bold prediction on 2022. he is sending a warning to the g.o.p. >> president biden: now we look at 2022. i want to tell my republican friends get ready, pal, you are going to have a problem. veteran homeowners, if you've been dreaming about improving your home but think your dream is out of reach, think again. you can make it happen with your va home loan benefit and the newday100 va loan. by borrowing up to 100% of your home's value, you can take out up to $60,000 or more, and lower your payments by an average of $615 every month. no one knows veterans like newday usa. 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>> because they say he used state resources to pay for it. former new york governor andrew cuomo caused a firestorm when he signed a book contract early in the covid pandemic for 5.1 million dollars. the new york state ethics watchdog has ruled he did violate ethics laws by writing the book american crisis from the covid-19 pandemic. commission did okay the book last year but they said cuomo illegally used government resources, aides and staff of the state government to help him write that book and that's a no no. cuomo critic ron kim whose uncle died of covid in a nursing home told us the former governor should face criminal charges. >> it's criminal. there is no other way to describe it. it is a violation of public law and public fraud. you can't especially when you are sitting at the top level public official governor of new york use your platform to promote wrong information to sell books. >> cuomo put $1 million of the book proceeds into a blind trust for his daughters and donated $500,000 of the advance giving it to the charity the united way. cuomo spokes people reacted calling it political hypocrisy and duplicity at its worse. the lawyer says if the commission goes through with this he will fight it in court. >> dana: thank you, eric. book didn't sell many copies, did you know that? >> how many? >> dana: i heard it was in maybe like up to 60,000. most sitting in the warehouse. he got all that money. staff that taxpayer funded staff do the work, he gets all the money. daughters get a million dollars. giving it back. >> bill: what was the title? i can't remember. >> dana: i don't know. >> bill: most unmemorable. >> dana: something about a pandemic. >> bill: from washington last night you heard this. >> democrats we know what we're for. republicans don't see before anything. name me something they're for. we have to keep making the case and if we do i believe we are going to win. let me say this again for the press, we are going to win in 2022. >> bill: there you go, confident claim from the president. last night's dnc holiday party in d.c. the president's bold mid-term prediction comes despite recent polling that says he is in the ditch on a number of things. bret baier, anchor of "special report". hello. this abc poll came out sunday or monday. i don't think it got enough attention. here is what we find. on inflation he is at 69% disapprove. on crime he is at 61. immigration 63. relations with russia 55. not a ton of good news in that. what do you see? >> it is upside down and big issues that translate for voters especially in suburbs and independents and when you ask those questions, those numbers are dismal. so when you hear the president saying what he is saying about watch out, pal, to republicans, we'll win in 2022, there is not a lot of data to back that up right now. a lot can change in a short time. i would also like to say, dana, i would like to have that cuomo book deal. >> dana: right, especially if you wrote your own book. >> right. >> dana: i wanted to ask you about this. you will hear it from biden and pelosi and they'll say this until the day of the election. they will win. so just set that aside. there is something brewing within the left i want to ask you about. the squad and progressives seem to not understand what just happened in virginia and new jersey. one of the things they're saying is that if they do not cancel the student loan debt that that will be a real bummer for the party and they are saying on all the progressive issues if you don't move forward and come our way and get things done in that regard they won't help try to win in 2022. so there are problems internally that are continuing. >> they are exacerbated by the inflation situation. that ppi number we just got this week 9.6%. the biggest increase we've ever seen since they've been taking numbers that data back in 2010 is significant. on top of that you are dealing with build back better that looks like it is faltering as far as votes and yet you are right, the progressive side of the party is really pushing the student loan forgiveness. the other break you have with democrats are governors deciding that the mandates and the mask mandates are not sticking and they are looking at their election prospects for colorado, michigan, others saying we're not going with the company line on that, either. >> dana: it's possible in colorado, for example, you could see senator michael bennett have a real run for his money there and a republican has won in colorado in the past. maybe not the recent past but it could happen this year. >> republicans have their own problems internally and they have the situation with the former president whether he runs or not. what he says and how they are going to react to it. but it seems like policy-wise the inflation situation and what is pending on capitol hill really is trouble for the democrats. >> bill: i don't disagree with that. approve or disagree with congress doing their job. high percentage disapprove. your point about inflation back to the abc poll, independents are at 71% disapprove on his handling of inflation. that's going to have significant carryover into the new year. >> it's massive. remember the white house started saying this is transitory. that 17 nobel laureate said it wouldn't be a problem. joe manchin said the laureates were young and now jen psaki saying it's the beef companies behind the rising prices of beef. those are not good answers and they are going to have to change again as they evolve that messaging as inflation looks like it will be into next year. >> bill: see what the fed does this afternoon. >> dana: favorite topic, mid-terms. thank you. there is a new admission by the state department revealing that hundreds more americans than first claimed were left behind in afghanistan. plus this. >> it is a good sign that there are diplomatic engagements and discussions continuing including with russians, ukrainians and european partners. >> dana: growing alliance between the russia and china. john kirby, the state department press secretary, is up next. >> man: what's my safelite story? 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why was that so hard to nail down? >> it is a great question, dana. it was a bit of a moving target throughout the evacuation. as you know, we don't require american citizens to register their presence in afghanistan. some of them are -- most of them were dual nationals so they were struggling with whether to leave or not. sometimes we get an indication that i want to go and then they might change their mind and taken off the list. the number was a bit of a moving target. what i think is encouraging. almost 1,000 have been brought up and we are continually to look for others that want to go. >> bill: the problem with the numbers that you were off by 90%. >> again, it is not a science, bill. not like they register on some sort of list we have that is static and permanent. >> bill: as they crossed the border into pakistan or what was the assumption? >> lots of assumptions. maybe they left over land to pakistan or didn't want to declare they were ready to go. part of the issue is that as we have proven successful at getting more out, more and more are becoming more comfortable saying we want to go, too. again we don't think it's a bad thing the numbers increased. it is a good thing and we'll continue at this. even though the military mission is over the mission to help americans leave afghanistan is going on. >> dana: veterans groups are still working to try to get people out and we interviewed a guy last week, an american citizen born in afghanistan, served as an interpret he for us, came to america, lives in queens. american citizen now. his wife and son went to kabul in june or ju. he goes to rescue them because they can't get out through the airport. he goes to rescue them and now he is in a uae refugee camp and they can't get back because the state department can't get the paperwork organized. a congresswoman is trying. veterans who are calling the suicide hotline distressed about this we can't figure out a way to get an american citizen back. >> we understand the frustration there and every veteran of the war is processing that and we respect that and know there is a lot of still anxiety about friends, translators, interpreters people and family members there and why there is a task for. interagency task force led by the state department. we encourage get us the information. get it to us. >> dana: ill oh -- i'll get you more. >> bill: you said you do not believe vladimir putin has the intent to go into ukraine based whoon? >> what i said was we don't believe he has made a decision yet. big difference there. we are still watching this very closely, bill. he still has a massive amount of forces arrayed along the border with ukraine, north, east and south and it is not exactly dleer what his intentions are and why it was important for us to reach out to putin by biden to make it clear we're watching it closely and there will be consequences and reaching out to our allies at partners at defense and state to make sure they're seeing the same things we are. >> bill: do you think it would send a stronger signal to putin if you offered more weapons to ukraine or offered more support. secretary austin was there in october and it didn't happen. >> we just completed a $60 million package of security assistance to ukraine. small arms and ammunition. that shipment included two island class patrol boats and javelin anti-tank missiles. we haven't taken off the table additional security assistance. you heard jake sullivan talk about that and something that's being considered. >> dana: russia and china are talking. dangerous decline. they say whether war breaks out how badly beijing and russia -- when i say all that china and russia are getting together it has been increasingly the way that they like to try to do business and try to push back against the united states. how much does that occupy your time thinking about china not just the taiwan piece but the fact they have the huge technological advantage on hypersonic missiles? >> secretary has called china the number one challenge for the department. we've spent a lot of this year focused on the china challenge. he gave a speech about that. they are developing capabilities and pursuing concepts and behavior in the pacific that runs against our national security interests and those of our allies and partners and why we are putting so much energy into this. the other thing you heard the secretary say we have advantages, too and approach the china with confidence not trep digs. they aren't 10 feet tall. china and russia can speak. these are two countries that don't have a lot of friends except each other and even that friendship i'm sure is not ceded in a lot of trust and confidence. >> bill: austin says we aren't seeking an asian version of nato. blinken has been touring southeast asia and because of the covid scare they are calling the trip to thailand short but trying to assembly some sort of coalition that may perhaps resemble nato. is austin telling us what's going on or is blinken's actions telling us what's happening? >> i this i the secretary of state and secretary of defense are in the same place. it isn't about forming a formal coalition. it is however about reinforcing the alliances that we already have in the region. five of our seven treaty alliances are in the pacific. reinforcing partnersships and friendships that are still important to us. indonesia, thailand. all kinds of countries in the region that we don't have some formal treaty alliance with that are concerned where china is going and want to see the united states care about it, too. want to see our leadership out there. we aren't asking these countries to choose between the united states and china but we're asking them -- >> would the united states be better off if we did? >> no, i don't think so. i think look, you have to understand a lot of these countries have economic ties to china that they are concerned about and we respect that. what we want, though, is for the community of nations in the pacific to realize what china is doing with this aggressive behavior and willing to push back on that. >> dana: one last question. active duty military service members vaccinated, 96.4% one dose. 90% fully vaccinated. some have been let go. but defense contractors, there is a pause i understand on that. >> a court order. >> dana: where do you see this going? >> with the force the numbers are trending in the right direction and i think you can see the vast majority of our men and women in uniform are doing the right thing and getting the vaccine to protect themselves and their units. there will be small numbers without getting an exemption will refuse and have to be dealt with in the appropriate service-specific administrative way. i think the numbers will be really small. ever since we made the vaccine mandatory the numbers of fully vaccinated have continued to increase and good for force red' niese. -- readiness. >> when you come in the military you sign up to take vaccines. >> bill: amtrak reversed itself on the tracks of the vaccine mandate. do you see the pentagon doing the same? >> no, i do not in terms of the mandatory vaccine no. it is a valid military medical requirement and signs has proven it makes you more safe against this virus. if you want a strong national defense and troops protected. it goes from body armor to a vaccine that you get in your arm. >> dana: you have family still serving. >> my son is an active duty sailor in the navy and my son-in-law is as well. >> bill: you are welcome to come back any time. we have 1,000 questions every commercial break. >> i'm ready for them. >> dana: showing daylight between state department and d.o.d. he has been around that track before. >> bill: historic inflation hitting home this holiday season. the response from the federal reserve. >> what kind of progress have you made on build back better? >> rising prices aren't slowing down. senator tim scott will answer that coming up next live after this. ♪♪♪ (vo) for fourteen years, subaru and our retailers have been sharing the love with those who need it most. now subaru is the largest automotive donor to make-a-wish and meals on wheels. and the largest corporate donor to the aspca and national park foundation. get a new subaru during the share the love event and subaru will donate two hundred and fifty dollars to charity. earn about covid-19, 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. >> bill: so we and the rest of the country are waiting to hear from the fed chair later this afternoon how the central bank plans to deal with inflation. at the highest level we've seen in four decades. rising prices outpacing wage growth which means you get a pay cut. senator tim scott, republican from south carolina. how are you doing? good morning to you. a lot of people -- it has gone up so fast in such a short amount of time and we do not know where the end of this tunnel will be or will lead us. your thoughts on that this morning. >> bill, there is no doubt when you think about inflation it's bone crushing and life changing and job killing inflation. there is no doubt in my mind that i'm thankful it is no longer considered transitory. finally chairman powell is speaking the truth. this is unprecedented. the last time inflation was this high i had an afro. that's a long time ago. early 1980s. the truth is that we have to find a way to forge forward by reducing spending from the federal government and allowing raises to increase in the private sector. that means that we have to pull back on this build back broker plan that the democrats are still trying to weave together. it is not good for the american family. it is not good for single moms working paycheck to paycheck. this is not good for rural america where you have one grocery store or one gas station and you simply can't keep it all together. let's have a christmas surprise and not pass the bbb. >> dana: you mentioned rural america. i think -- if you think about south carolina, the rural parts of the state are amazing and also you have a lot of military, right? >> yes. >> dana: inflation affects them active men and women in the military very much. >> 100%. we are the home where we actually make marines at paris island, we train the army folks at fort jackson. if you think about an 81 or 82 eligible for public assistance because they get paid so little on a person working paycheck to paycheck they drive up to the gas station and now gas is up almost 75%, $1.99 last year, $3.40 this year. you think about increasing the temperature in your home and you are increasing the amount of money leaving your account by more than 25% increase in a single year. those are things that you cannot afford in a dual parent household. can you imagine someone serving our nation, 81e2, e3 eligible for public assistance and they simply cannot put gas in their cars while they defund our nation? >> bill: makes for a tough holiday. larry summers tweeted this week, he worked on the clinton team. i can understand why some in the administration are clinging to the idea that inflation is caused by bottleneck and recede to normal levels. there is uncertainty but the idea that inflation will revert to levels anywhere near the fed's target looks like a long sho.ist was 2%. yesterday we're up 9 1/2 and 10%. is inflation the arrow from the quiver that kills build back better? >> i certainly hope so. every sign we've seen from joe manchin he is concerned about two things. one is inflation because he understands that the average person in south carolina or west virginia cannot take anymore. median income in this country is $35,000 a year. when you think about what this inflationary impact is on folks living paycheck to paycheck, it means that you have to choose between sometimes your healthcare, sometimes your energy, sometimes the utilities in your house. those are too hard choices to force on americans because you poured too much fuel on the fire and inflation explodes. we can change that by stop spending money in washington allow the american people to catch up. that means putting more focus on incentive-based economy. we let the private sector do what they do really well and getting the government out of the way. those are two simple facts that could change the outcome in 2022. >> dana: i'll go look up some pictures of you from back in the day. thanks for that. >> yes, ma'am. >> dana: thank you, senator tim scott. we were talking about the military. christmas can be difficult for soldiers working overseas. one new york teen is spreading holiday cheer and you'll find out how next. your kindness outshines your highs and lows. your strength can outlast any bad day. because you are greater than your bipolar i, and you can help take control of your symptoms - and ask about vraylar. some medicines only treat the lows or highs, once-daily vraylar is proven to treat depressive, acute manic, and mixed episodes of bipolar i in adults. full-spectrum relief for all bipolar i symptoms. elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis have an increased risk of death or stroke. call your doctor about unusual changes in behavior or suicidal thoughts. antidepressants can increase these in children and young adults. report fever, stiff muscles or confusion which may mean a life-threatening reaction, or uncontrollable muscle movements which may be permanent. high cholesterol and weight gain, and high blood sugar, which can lead to coma or death, may occur. side effects may not appear for several weeks. common side effects include sleepiness and stomach issues. movement dysfunction and restlessness are also common. you are greater than your bipolar i. ask about vraylar. veteran homeowners, you are greater than your bipolar i. newday's rates have dropped again. it's time to refinance. newday's low rate refi offers their lowest rate in history. two and a quarter percent. just 2.48 apr. save thousands every year and there are no upfront costs. not one dollar. the newday low rate refi. take advantage of these record low rates so you and your family can save. look! oh my god... oh wow. ♪ i want my daughter riley to know about her ancestors and how important it is to know who you are and to know where you came from. doesn't that look like your papa? 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"the faulkner focus". america's crime crisis top of the hour. >> dana: new york teen spreading holiday cheer to u.s. soldiers stationed overseas. trey rolnick turning his family's garage into a santa's workshop and sending packages to troops in italy including his sister. i'm glad you played hooky a little bit to be on our show today. what got you started on that endeavor? >> thank you for having me. it is awesome to be here. in november 2020 covid hit and these soldiers have been working so tirelessly throughout the pandemic and my main focus and i shared this message with my parents, they -- i just wanted to spread them some holiday cheer and show that we love and care for them. so i started this and we reached out to family and friends and thankfully it grew so much that we said time for round two this year and amazing how we did. i truly believe it is a great cause for some great people. >> bill: you are exactly right. the first year you sent 100 care packages after you raised $12,000. what was in the care packages, trey? >> so we sent them waterproof socks, hand warmers, blankets, travel mugs, blender bottles, protein powders and a ton of other things they might need we were able to send them 100 pounds of coffee. just things that we thought they could use in the field and things that they would really enjoy. >> dana: tell me about your sister. >> where do i even begin? my sister is the kindest, most selfless person someone will ever meet. she is always there for you. she is loving and she is proud of everyone no matter who they are. she loves everyone equally. she loves serving her country and she is such a great person. i love her to death. >> dana: what is her name? >> sam. >> bill: this year you raised a lot of money. how can people help? just know you are about to get an avalanche of support, okay. go for it. >> you can donate to the gofundme page operation santa, sam soldiers 2021. these soldiers do not ask for a single thing but they appreciate everything. so, i mean, whatever you can, thank you so much. it means the world to me and the troops. >> bill: they are lucky to have you. >> dana: your parents don't mind that your garage got taken over by your project. >> not at all. >> bill: have a merry christmas. a big shout-out to your school and the teachers giving you the day off. you are making a lot of people happy. >> dana: merry christmas. >> bill: well done. >> dana: he is so cute. he is so cute. >> bill: how about the way he thinks of his sister? >> dana: i know. i had to ask. "the faulkner focus" and her special on crime is up next. >> harris: government federal, local authorities share one job, security for the citizens of this great country. most americans also cherish one thing, having a safe place to live and follow their dreams as business owners, families, you name it. in the last few months we've all witnessed an explosion of violence in our major cities and the scrutiny is not just on those committing the crimes but on the justice system now that is letting all of this happen with bail reform and the li