tourists, canada considers the same for any tourists. canada already indicating come monday all public establishments must cut themselves town to 50% -- down to 50% capacity. all restaurants, bars, theaters must honor this. what to make of all of this. welcome, everybody. i'm neil cavuto, and a very, very world -- worried world at that trying to deal with spikes in omicron in particular that has now gotten one country after another reassessing the need for restrictions. some are just way over the top, others are making people question whether they should get together at all for the holidays. is all of that fair, right or even necessary? we're on top of it all, and you decide what you want to do in response to it all. let's first go to mark meredith in wilmington, delaware, with the president. >> reporter: neil, good morning to you. both the president and senior white house health officials are issuing stark and dire warnings to unvaccinated americans, letting them know about their risk of becoming sick. as you mentioned, a number of hospitals report that they are overwhelmed with covid cases, and some officials are warning the worst may be yet to come. >> only known about omicron for a little less than a month and, clearly, this is a very contagious virus. you can see how it's doubling almost every two or three days in south africa, u.k. and now the u.s. but to look in the crystal ball and say what this is going to look like three or four months from now, all of those are kind of guesses. but the good news is with vaccines and boosters, if you get sick, you're not going to get very sick. >> reporter: we've already seen some business owners decide to put restrictions on themselves. in new york the world famous radio city rockettes have canceled performances because of a covid outbreak. the nfl games that have been postponed, we have seen cities and states go ahead and reimpose mask mandates or require people to prove they're vaccinated to gain entry into any business. but the possibility of more restrictions coming down the pipeline could also backfire with many americans making it clear they're tired of dealing with these pandemic restrictions. >> we plan on doing business as usual and celebrating christmas. i think the president's outlook is focusing on the negatives. this country needs hope. >> reporter: the latest cdc data shows 203 million people in the united states are now fully vaccinated, that's roughly 61% of the entire population, but the white house is still urging eligible americans to go ahead and get their booster shot toen unsure they're fully protected -- insure they're fully protected. neil, overnight we also saw a federal appeals court in cincinnati decide to uphold the president's vaccine mandate that would impact larger businesses. so this is a case that's already heading to the u.s. supreme court. neil? neil: all right. thank you, my friend, very much. mark meredith with the president. let's go to medical center director, emergency room physician on what he makes of all of this. you know, doctor, obviously the runup in these omicron cases in particular has been alarming. i know in britain they've been doubling and tripling it seems listen every other day, soaring in the new york city metropolitan area and across this country. but we're told at the same time they're not as serious as you would think. so where are you on this? should we worry about this? >> well, good morning, neil. thanks for having me. yes, it is concerning. our volumes are skyrocketing in terms of people getting tested and testing positive, unfortunately. that being said, the data out of south africa and israel has been suggesting for some time that the omicron variant is less virulent in terms of its ability to cause serious illness, which is a good thing. and it's actually kind of what you'd expect because as the natural history of. pandemic is as they go on, the virus mutates. as they become more successful at transmitting itself, it becomes less dangerous over time. and that's kind of what we're seeing. so that's a good thing, obviously. but the fact that it's spreading so wildly is, obviously, very concerning, and it raises a lot of questions and concerns. neil: as a doctor, sir, do you think the response some cities and governments, countries are having is justified to go back to restrictions, capacity restraints as we're seeing in canada? that all of the matters that are coming up again? >> yes and no. i think that certain countries are doing a great job, other countries are not. i think if you truly really want to get a handle on this, i don't know that, you know, providing booster shots to healthy 20-year-olds in the united states really makes sense. i would suggest what we do is we take the g7 and the g10, you know, the most wealthy countries in the world, take all the resources that we can muster and go into the third world where you have vaccination rates below 15 percent. that's how you combat this virus globally because it is a global problem, and these new variants are not coming out of seattle, washington, or washington, d.c., they're coming out of, for the most part, third world countries. so if we can utilize our resources in the western world and go into the places that can't do it themselves because of infrastructure issues, we could really combat this. i think declaring world war iii on the virus, that's what i would do if i was a world leader, and that's how i'd combat this, globally. neil: so the existing remedies we have from pfizer, moderna and all these others, the j&j, are they enough? i mean, each one of them seems to recommend, particularly pfizer, just take an extra booster shot. that'll do the trick for the time being. others are saying i talked to dr. francis collins who said, neil, this is going to be around with us a while. we just have to get used to it, paraphrasing here, much like the flu. what do you think of that? >> i think we definitely have to get used to living with this, and it's going to be endemic. i think there's no question about that. and, you know, i hate to use this phrase, but i think the some extent we just have to get used to it and, quote-unquote, suck it up, as people say. that being said, i do think the vaccines are one leg of a table, and that table's comprised of multiple things. it's comprised of vaccines, it's comprised of treatment options of which the monoclonal antibodies are a huge participant of that. they're life-saving drugs that if you have covid or are exposed to covid could save your life. there's also these orals that are coming out. so we need to look at those as well, not just focus only on vaccination, but treatment. and then, of course, there's masking and social distancing, things like that, that we need to take to heart. neil: doctor, while i have you -- and this is a little outside your area, but maybe you could weigh in on this, there has been a great deal of discussion about how this whole wave of covid started in this country and the mistakes we might have made, how we could have done better. in talking to dr. collins yesterday, the issue came up about the pressure he was under, particularly the pressure to fire a certain doctor. i want you to respond to this. >> there were a lot of rumors flying around that maybe that was about to happen, and i think i did in several instances say i would not be willing to do that. he's probably the most respected, knowledgeable infectious disease expert in the world who is basically getting in hot water because he's speaking the truth to people who don't want to hear that. is that a reason to relieve him of his job? oh, no, absolutely not. that would have been the wrong thing to do. they would have had to fire me first. neil: the notion that he was asked to fire dr. anthony fauci, obviously, true he didn't do it, but what dud you make of that? >> -- did you make of that? >> number one, i think it's nice that he's standing up for his people. fauci looks for him, so he's being a leader and standing up for his people. i will say i have a great deal of respect for dr. fauci, but i think he's made a lot of mistakes and has undermined credibility in a lot of medical institutions. whether that was intentional or not, i don't think it was, but, you know, he says one thing and then completely changes his mind two days later. and that undermines people's confidence in the medical institutions. additionally, i think dr. fauci when he's been testifying before congress, you know, has said things like -- and i'm paraphrasing, but i am the science, and i dictate the science, things like that. i have a problem with people that say things like that. that's very arrogant, and it's not scientific at all to say something like that. so i do think -- i have a great amount of respect for dr. fauci, and i don't think he should have been fired over that, but at the same time, he does need to seek the limelight lesses and says some things he shouldn't be saying. neil: you hear it won't be anything like the heights of the pandemic when everyone was sheltering in their homes. do you think they're right on that? do you think we will avoid revisiting the worst of the pandemic? >> well, i sure hope so, and i think the things we've learned are that the young, healthy people especially given this new omicron variant is less dangerous, you know, the young, healthy people are really not at risk or dying, so we need to protect the people who are vulnerable, the elderly, the people who are immunocompromised, people with cancer, those sorts of things. and the rest of the world, we should go about our business and live our lives. catching covid is awful and terrible, but it's not the end of the world. and i think people need to put this in interprotective. i tell -- into perspective. i tell people this all the time, the most dangerous thing you're ever going to do, people say, i don't know, skydiving or something. it's not, it's getting into your car every day and driving to work. so if you put that in perspective to catching covid and dying from it versus dying in a car stent? it's night and day -- car accident? you have to look at this as a risk/benefit and what is the risk to yourself versus the benefit, and i think for most people your chances of catching and dying from covid are infinitesimally small. just live your life. neil: that's a very good perspective, doctor. dr. ron elfenbein, thank you very much. we will keep track of these closures and everything else as well as protests popping up all around the world, france, italy, germany, they don't like it any more than we do in this country when people are slapping down mandates and the like. i don't know what the german term is for are you kidding me, but we'll be going to germany. in the heene meantime, what's happening9 -- at the border, the texas governor is pursuing efforts to deal with a crisis he says the president is not. what's happening there after this. season's greetings from audi. you're a one-man stitchwork master. but your staffing plan needs to go up a size. you need to hire. i need indeed. indeed you do. indeed instant match instantly delivers quality candidates matching your job description. visit indeed.com/hire retirement income is complicated. as your broker, i've solved it. matching your job description. that's great, carl. but we need something better. that's easily adjustable has no penalties or advisory fee. and we can monitor to see that we're on track. like schwab intelligent income. schwab! introducing schwab intelligent income. a simple, modern way to pay yourself from your portfolio. oh, that's cool... i mean, we don't have that. schwab. a modern approach to wealth management. neil: all right. well, if the federal government isn't going to do it, the governor of texas today indicating he will, and it will start today. griff jenkins at the border of rio grande city, texas. the governor not too far away from making that big move, that big announcement that's already got many in washington raising their eyebrows. why now, governor? griff, what's going on? >> reporter: well, good morning, neil. the governor is doing something no one's ever done which is to take the border security issue in his own hands. remember, that border security responsibility falls to the federal government, but governor abbott feels the biden administration is skirting its responsibility. that's why he's building this wall that he's unveiling for the first time you're seeing behind me. a quick orientation though, if you look in the distance down the wall, you can see, neil, in the distance that's the old trump wall. construction halted on inauguration day when the biden administration came in to play. but this new wall will be just like that, 30 feet high with panels. we were able yesterday, neil, to go up in a helicopter exclusively with a guy you know well, lieutenant chris oliver rahs, a great guy down here on the border. he took us up to get a bird's eye view of this construction and talked about how important it is. take a listen. >> right now, griff, we're flying over the first ever texas border wall which has been initiated by governor greg abbott providing this valuable resource to law enforcement. it's very needed especially for border security and what we're doing right now to help deter mass migration and the drugs coming in. just another viable resource for law enforcement as well as for our federal partners, and it's beneficial to all of them. as you can see here, it's been moving pretty quick, and it's going to be a very viable resource for what we're doing right now in terms of securing the border. it all falls back on what the federal government's not doing and the state of texas having to step in and take action. >> reporter: and all week long, neil, aye been going out with -- i've been going out with dps' brush team chasing after the migrants that don't want to be apprehended n. this sector alone in the last 24 hours, more than 1500 apprehensions on the road i'm standing on, more than 250 since midnight. it's unbelievable. if you look at the overall november numbers, we should show them to you, more than 173,000 across the swire southwest board -- entire southwest border, up 140% from this last year. and keep in mind, this is the slow time of the year. i went into mexico, just across the border from where i'm standing, and interviewed a cartel smuggler. i asked him how would you get me in i was trying to cross that border. here's what he told me. [speaking spanish] >> translator: you would arrive in houston, but you have to go through the river. and from the river you have to walk, let's say, a walmart and then more into the united states. >> reporter: i asked him how much that would cost me, he said $5-7,000. it's unbelievable how much money the cartels are making, and it's every single day, 24/7/365. governor abbott will be here in just a few hours to unveil this wall to the world right behind me. we'll be anchoring "fox news live" from right here, noon-two, and you can see more of that interview in a fox nation special coming out in january. neil: griff, you've been incredible on this. one of the things i found that's a game which have changer here -- game-changer here is the support the governor is getting from people who own land and homes along that border who have allowed this wall building to go on on their land because they're sick of it. that's something we've never seen before. >> reporter: well, that's exactly the point, neil, they're fed up. these are people, landowners, that have been here for generations. i was just over in kinney county a little west of me where a fourth generation rancher, lisa connolly, tells me in that fox nation special she hasn't been afraid of these migrants ever in her life, now with her grandkids she was terrified because a migrant showed up on her doorstep. she had to get her gun. it's a very different dynamic now, both the level of numbers of people coming along with the narcotics and guns. don't forget, guns are going south of the border as well, and that's why the cartels are maintaining so much control right now. one thing's for sure, the governor's going to use as much state land, that's what we're on now, to build the wall about 2 miles of the area where i'm at. but these landowners willing to have the state wall built on their land will continue to try and secure the area. i've been doing this for more than temperature ten years on the border. -- more than ten years. chiefs all across, california to texas, have told me they need three things to cure the border for the nation; manpower, technology and infrastructure. by infrastructure, they mean a wall. neil? neil: they do, indeed. griff, you've been phenomenal. i look forward to seeing your two-hour coverage in about an hour and a half. griff jenkins at the border, he's been on top of this story before it became the big story it is now and has become across the world. we'll be focusing on that, also on the aftermath of those storms in kentucky a week later. as if people in that region didn't have enough to deal with, now looting. people rifling through whatever they can find and stealing it, cars, you name it. there's a special new definition of low in low when something like that happens, after this. e. ok, well it's time to go. -no, no, no, no, no! dad, we have to go back to lowe's. ho, ho, ho! dad! the tire! this it? -yeah! the holidays being at lowe's, where you'll find all you want during winterfest. ugh, carolers. let's go back to lowe's. yeah, let's go back to lowe's. c'mon! yeah! kim is now demonstrating her congestion. save it slimeball. i've upgraded to mucinex. we still have 12 hours to australia. mucinex lasts 12 hours, so i'm good. now move! kim, no! mucinex lasts 3x longer for 12 hours. at vanguard, you're more than just an investor, you're an owner with access to financial advice, tools and a personalized plan that helps you build a future for those you love. vanguard. become an owner. neil: all right, a week later assessing the damage, i don't know if you had a chance to see particularly that video on the left in a bank lobby at the time the tornado hit that area in kentucky, just demolished seconds later. the clean-up continues right now, but what has been happening is the so-called clean up a lot of looting, people rifling through other people's destroyed items and stealing those items, even cars if they can get them to work. that is what you have to deal with a week after all of this horror, still more indignity. katie byrne, fox weather journalist, following all of that. katie. >> reporter: hi, neil. well, those tornadoes happened at night in the dark when a lot of people were sleeping a week ago, and it was not until saturday morning that they stepped outside a week ago today and were able to see the damage and destruction that was left from the storm. but now we're seeing what it looked like when it happened. new video from that bank lobby in downtown mayfield, kentucky, shows us how quickly that tornado came through, in a matter of seconds. you see the power go out, the glass front doors blown out and christmas decorations go flying. then debris from outside comes flying in. another people in mayfield are dealing with is rain. it's been raining on and off for three days in a row. most homes and businesses are damaged if not a total loss, so a lot of them don't have roofs, so people's belongings are just getting soaked. we talked to a survivor who lives here, he was trapped in his house, and he couldn't get to his wife right away. he's just thankful to be alive and see his wife again. >> it was like a reunion and, you know, i don't care if the people say grown men don't cry, you're lying, because i cried. i cried when i first seen my house. but i really cried when i seen my wife. >> reporter: and then you start to hear about the ugly side of what can happen when places are going through a disaster like this. we rode along with kentucky state police yesterday to see what kind of calls they're getting, and they happened to get a call for theft. we saw them arrest six people who were stealing tornado-damaged vehicles, cars and copper, they were also caught with more than $100,000 in cash. and the kentucky state trooper we were with said that was probably the biggest looting incident they've seen so far. they haven't gotten that many calls. that was definitely the biggest one. last hour we know that 77 people have been killed because of these tornadoes in the state of kentucky, one person still missing, and the governor's expected to give us an update in a few hours. neil? neil: katie byrne, thank you very much. let's go to governor pete ricketts of nebraska. they had to deal with storms themselves, five lives lost in that series, the governor kind enough to join us now. how are things looking there now, governor? >> you know, things are getting back to more normal. we had about 35,000 people who were without power, it's down to about 3300 now. the national weather service is discerning the number of tornadoes we had. severe weather in nebraska is nothing new and, you know, our folks are resilient, so they're going to pick up the pieces and get back to normal. neil: how do you plan, governor, for storms and systems that don't normally take place this time of year? it's not that they're unprecedented though they are unusual. >> yeah, this was certainly unusual, but severe weather is not. you may recall last year we had the severe cold snap which also was -- from our perspective. we have tornadoes, we have flooding, so our team, the nebraska emergency management agency, is on call 24 hours a day. we also have great assistance from the nebraska state patrol. we had our first winter storm that came through about a week ago, and they were out on friday night last week doing about 150 accidents, so trying to keep people safe there. and then, of course, if necessary, we bring out the nebraska national guard, and we've relied heavily on them since 2019 not only for flooding and severe weather, but also to help us out with our pandemic response. neil: governor, could i swish gears a little bit -- switch gears and talk a little bit about covid. you've obviously heard about the spikes in this new omicron variant. it's spreading fast. it's not as serious as prior cases we've seen, but you've seen the response in some communities, cities and states, even countries to crack down on this with restrictions. where are you on a all of this? >> we don't have plans to put any additional restrictions in place. we want to continue to encourage people to get vaccinated. our best defense against the virus, we have gotten over 90% of our 65-year-olds and up have been vaccinated, and those are the people most at risk. we also want to continue to push people to get treatments like monoclonal antibody treatments. if you've got a doctor who won't give that to you, fire your doctor and get a new one. it is almost a miracle drug, and you have to get it early. so at the first sign you've got symptoms and confirm you've got covid, go get that prescription. that is a really a lifesaver. so it's those kind of treatments, i think, that can be helpful and, of course, just encouraging people to get the vaccine. neil: you know, governor, i know you're in nebraska, we want to have you consider places like new york, what are happening right now, the radio city christmas show shut down for the rest of the year because of some cases there, close to a dozen different shows similarly affected, mandates going into effect left and right, do you think these areover-responses -- are over-responses? how would you describe them? >> this virus is never going away, so we have to learn to manage it. our approach was to get people the information and then help them keep their businesses open, you know, give them the tools so they can keep people healthy but allow them also to get more normal life. one of the reasons, politico just did a report on which state handled it best, nebraska came out number one. we tried to take a balanced approach. we didn't let it create undue fear, but we want people to have the information they need to keep themselves healthy. getting vaccinings, getting tested before the holidays is a great idea. but we have to manage this, neil. shutting down is not managing, shutting down is trying to run away from it, and after two years we should have learned that shutting down is not the solution, and it's a bad idea. neil: all right. we'll see what happens, governor, thank you for taking the time following these latest developments on covid and this spread and particularly omicron. we're going to be gauging worldwide reaction very shortly. right now the spread is undeniable. that's clear, the cases are going up at an alarming rate. the seriousness, quite the opposite. we like to give you that balance covering that. also want to update you on, well, washington delayed but maybe not denied. build back better more like build back later, maybe? 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[laughter] should she be hostile? [laughter] if. >> i think you do pretty well with reading the betweens actually, neil. -- the tweets, neil. in the list of things you just listed that she said, very little of that has to do with the economy, and i think that's telling. this is much more than an economics bill not just to the progressive democrats, but to all the democrats. my hunch is that almost all of them share her frustrations on that, on to policy issues that she's talking about. but perhaps not enough of them share that. neil: this has been a crazy week for the markets. this is the fifth out of the last six weeks the dow was down. it's been careening on inflation concerns. there are other issues, the uncertainty of how far and wide omicron goes, i get that, but the inflation stuff back to our own polls show that americans are worried about it as well. what do you think of all of that? >> well, it's interesting, they're worried about inflation, but they're out there buying and continuing to push prices up. and even as we hit towards the very last week -- in fact, today's called panic saturday for holiday shopping -- neil: go ahead, rub it in, rub it in! >> they are buying. and we're still expecting anywhere from $10.5-11.5% more purchases, more money spent this holiday season. so despite concerns about inflation -- and, look, nobody wants to continually be paying these high prices, the american consumer is still buying and buying those higher prices. and so i think this is something that the fed is finally realizing, they've changed their projection of when their going to finish tapering. they've accelerated it, early march, and we're looking at 2-3 rate hikes next year. i think the market for the most part is somewhat sideways, down days and then an up day right after that, so i think we're going to be continuing to consolidate as we get a better feel for just how many rate hikes we're going to get. neil: if we could go back to this tax basket, the spending package if, whatever you want to say, it is delay. and i'm wondering if that means some of the tax hikes that went along with it are delayed as well. what do you think of that? >> yeah. well, some of the tax hikes weren't actually scheduled to take effect for an additional year for now, so it's good news that this package has been delayed, no question about it. early christmas present for taxpayers. but i think the tax increases still loom large, and they could take a huge bite out of this economic recovery. we talked about consumer spending, yes, it is increasing, but it's starting to taper off. we're starting to see a slower increase in consumer activity. once we get outside of this holiday season, if we are, indeed, walloped with this enormous tax and spend bill, who knows the direction of the economy. it's a huge concern for everyday americans that are dealing with inflation. neil: adam, i could be very wrong on this to brandon's point, but i had serious doubts this thing would get through, and then it gets to be the issue of the strength9 of the consumer right now, as erin pointed out, very, very much -- [inaudible] so that does reflect well on the economy here. but it also means to address that strong consumer, the spending habits, that interest rates are going to go up and maybe a lot. how do you balance that? >> well, we're getting confusing signals, right? a lot of people thought that it wasn't going to be a high inflationary environment and then it was. rates are going up and, be by the way, they're going to go up no matter what the fed do does because of what's going on in the economy. i think -- neil: i know what you're saying, the market will -- rates go up on the expectations that this activity, the fed can't control that. i'm sorry, go ahead. >> yeah, that's exactly right. and i just think we should just remind people that it almost doesn't matter. i don't mean to say that what congress does doesn't matter, but it's not the only factor in the economy. the factors in the economy will play out next year including, we would hope, the pandemic situation continuing to get better, getting better again and the supply chain problems finally getting worked out. congress isn't the only factor, is my point, neil. neil: erin, the underlying economy, i know i always get in trouble when people respond to this, it's pretty strong. it's a pretty good economy. the inflationary pressures notwithstanding, i can hear the tweets coming, but my point is this is something that is the underpinning for much of what the market had done prior to this crazy gyration. do you see that continuing? >> yes. i think, you know, we actually know that for the most part unemployment has gotten back to pre-pandemic levels. certainly, new york is very different. it's still double the rate, but for most of the country it is at pre-pandemic levels, and we are seeing higher than normal growth. it's not the 6% we were hoping for, but it still, even in the face of inflation, consumers are still buying. so i think this is still, certainly, there are a lot of unknowns that could really affect the economy and growth next year, so we're always crossing our fingers that things go smoothly with them. but overall, we're still on pace for a good year just perhaps not -- neil: sorry to cut it short, breaking news, guys. i do want to thank you. have a merry christmas. you can see all the major market averages are up double digits, third year in a a row we are looking at that. we'll see if that holds. meanwhile, facebook in some trouble again. just how private is it? your plain aspirin could be hurting your stomach. vazalore... is the first liquid-filled aspirin capsule clinically shown to cause fewer ulcers than plain aspirin. try new vazalore. aspirin made amazing! ♪ ♪ the holidays are happening at lowe's. thank you! shop our winterfest event online now for pick up at the store. bye! ♪ neil: it has happened again at facebook. it is one thing to be hacked, it's another to be spied on. susan li has the latest on what's got users very angry. susan. >> reporter: disturbing revelations on surveillance for hire companies. facebook's parent meta says 50 ,000 of its users may have been targeted byes by imagine the operators including a company that convicted movie producer harvey weinstein used to target journalists that may have been writing bad stories. four of these entities were based in israel, one in india, one in northern macedonia and one unknown chinese entity, and their targets included critickics of authoritarian regimes, human rights activists and opposition family members, and their mission was to hack into personal accounts and devices, and that included setting up fake accounts on facebook and sending out malicious links hoping users would give up sensitive log-in or password data. back in 2019 facebook sued the israeli base nso group behind the infamous pegasus spyware which jeff bezos alleged that saudi arabia had used to hack into his friends, then releasing personal pictures and text messages exposing his extramarital affair to the tabloids back in 2019. all this summer it was revealed that pegasus spyware was used to turn in thousands of people around the world including leaders and journalists. neil: all right. susan li, thank you very much for that. we're following all of those developments. tech giants, they're not getting out of their own way on this stuff. meanwhile, halfway across the world, better than 100,000 russian troops on the ukraine border. in case you're of the notion they're about to leave anytime soon, something vladimir putin just said should relieve you of that, after. after this. ♪ ♪ neil: all right, it looks like vladimr putin could be upping the ante along the border between russia and queue crane. better than 100,000 russian soldiers are there, and putin's already been told don't even consider that, big sanctions could be coming. of course, russia's among the most sanctioned countries on the planet, so that doesn't seem to be easing their behavior. lately he's threatened that he could install mediate range of missiles saying that the g7 countries and nato countries more to the point are already doing the same. so this angry tit for tat continues. to lieutenant colonel james carafano, heritage foundation vice president, retired army colonel. help us out with this, because it seems he's not blinking, but he is signaling. what is he signaling? >> yeah. the first thing we should all understand is, is forget the cia, the dia, intelligence, twitter and everything else. we'll know what vladimir putin wants to do when he decides what to do. everything is in place. i don't see where there could be an intelligence signal that could give us an advanced warning on how he plays this. he's laid the pieces out and, honestly, can take anytime a number of different directions. he's put often believable demands on -- unbelievable demands on the table which shows he's just poking the west. and i think he can play this different ways. the one that worries me the most is i talk to some folks who are the best russia followers that i really know, and i super respect them. they said what we have to worry about is, look, putin wants ukraine. if he thinks, wakes up one morning and thinks today's the day to do this, it's worth the risk, he will do that. and that's the most dangerous scenario. neil: he doesn't seem cowed to me, colonel, that all these threats of economic sanctions or shutting down, stopping pipeline deals, all the rest, none of that matters to him which could explain why even now he has 100,000 troops there to begin with. what do you make of the calculations he's made in. >> well, look, sanctions are not part of that strategic judgment because whether you're iran or north korea or russia, you have learned how to live with sanctions. these are controlled economies. you can always make sure there's cash for what you want. sanctions are there to punish and limit, not there to deter. so they have no deterrent value whatsoever. what does get putin's attention is strength. and so ironically, what we shouldn't be doing is we shouldn't be threatening him. we should be doing the opposite, we should be hammering him. we should be shutting down -- putting sea water in order stream 2 pipeline -- nord stream 2 pipeline, doing all kinds of measures sharing him we're not scared and not afraid of him. those are the things that get his attention, not threatening. he just ignores that. neil: how much do you think is being coordinated with china? >> well, i don't think a lot's been coordinated. i think they're leveraging each other. and what this really -- look, china's going to do what's best for china, russia's going to do what's best for russia. they could care less about each other, but here's the deal. they both sense that biden is weak, and the fact that they saw no risk whatsoever essentially in getting a meeting and poking him at the same time shows how little regard they actually have for the united states and how little they fear biden's leadership in the world. neil: we'll have to watch it closely. colonel, thank you very much. james carafano, heritage foundation vice president and, of course, retired army great in his own slight. a lot of valor for this country. by the way, we are stillen monitoring global reaction and crackdowns going on with the virus right now, particularly omicron and the planned protests in france and in italy, in england and in germany. and i'd asked in general what is german for are you kidding me, because people are so outraged there. richard was kind enough to e-mail me a little earlier and say that the german for are you kidding me, neil, is. [speaking german] i probably did that horribly, and i'm sorry if i did, but it is german for are you kidding me because the world is tire of this. after in. wow... that's so nice! the gift of ancestry®... is a walk through your history. do you remember who this is? where the more you discover... wow! ...the more you come together. i can see... the nose... this holiday, give the gift of family. give the gift of ancestry®. i may have moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. this holiday, give the gift of family. 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. are you taking a statin drug to reduce cholesterol? it can also deplete your coq10 levels. i recommend considering qunol coq10 along with your statin medication. the brand i trust is qunol. ♪ neil: a week ago today on this show we were just showing you the earliest signs of what had been a horrific storm that had rocked five southern states but really walloped kentucky. in that time we would learn that a 77 had died in the state, 91 across five other states. they're still trying to dig out. they're dealing with looters and scavengers and you name it. charles watson has the latest on the hardest hit area of all, mayfield, kentucky. charles. >> reporter: hey, good morning, neil. senator mitch mcconnell is expected to continue surveying some of the hardest hit areas in kentucky including mayfield where i'm sure you can see from the images here behind me that this city is still urn, still very much in a sense of disaster. mcconnell was on the ground friday in bowling green, kentucky, meeting with officials, volunteers and residents who lost everything after tornadoes carved a path of destruction through the state. senator mcconnell vowing to be there for storm-ravaged communities to the very end. >> the federal government's role in this is massive and bins to fade -- begins to fade down, and we'll run into challenges. and i want to assure you, judge, and the whole community that we'll stay with you all the way through the process. >> reporter: and, neil, in a rare effort of bipartisanship, the senate minority leader praising president biden who visited hard-hit areas on wednesday. the president promising the federal government will cover 100% of disaster recovery in the state over the next 30 days. that means everything from cleanup of debris to funding shelters and emergency services. >> 362. i promise you, we're going to heal, we're going to recover, you're going to be stronger than you were before. we're going to build back better than it was, and when i come back -- >> reporter: and, neil, fema administrator deanne criswell says fema is doing everything it can to help folks here in kentucky and other states, but she warns that this is the new normal. the ebbs tent of the damage behind me is the new normal if steps aren't taken to combat climate change. neil? neil: charles watson, thank you very much for that. from the very, very beginning, rick reichmuth was there following all of this, our chief meteorologist has the latest on not only what this recovery effort will look like, but storms that could still happen. rick? rick: yeah. really you need good weather to be able to do the cleanup that needs to be done. that said, a lot of the piles, the debris are being lifted away by dump trucks, bulldozers, etc. 52 tornadoes is what were confirmed tornadoes on the ground from this outbreak that was just a week ago, just a week ago last night. and there was the one that actually was an ef4, and that was 165 miles long. but you look back here down towards the southwest, that was the beginning of this storm. there was about a 12-mile break where the tornado with was not on the ground and, therefore, was not one continuous track. it would have been the longest, probably, we'd ever seen in history. but there was a little 12-mile stretch where the tornado had lifted up before it dropped back down in far northern tennessee. our setup with where we had -- is where we had it then. cold air up across parts of the plains and really warm air across the southeast. we're going to break all kinds of records for high temperatures, tomorrow we'll drop those temperatures, but this is that front i'm talking about. mayfield is right about there. we've got all of this rain coming in and, and it's going to make the clean-up efforts certainly not ideal. this front will move towards the south tomorrow. a really heavy rain, maybe a little severe weather there. and one last story, we've got some snow finally across parts of the northeast, areas especially in the higher elevations, parts of new england maybe 6-12 inches of. of snow. and for economic reasons, they certainly need it right now. neil: they're going to have a white christmas. if the snow stays. rick: they should be good. neil: thank you very much, my friend, rick reichmuth. we've talked to a lot of people, those who lost loved ones, homes throughout the course of our coverage of this horror in kentucky. but one of the people who impressed me most on all of my shows talking to people out there was this next fellow, pastor joe crawley, he's been working to try to help people directly in harm's way and rebuild. very inspiring guy and, pastor, i'm so glad you took the time to rejoin us. how are things looking now? >> man, i just want to tell you, number one, thank you for allowing us to be on the show to help get the word out so we can stay for the long haul of this. i will say hope is in the air. so many people are coming together and being unified under these efforts so that people can get hope and healing. so our biggest relief efforts right now is just making sure people are fed and getting warm again. weed that an incredible meeting yesterday with senator rand paul, several state representatives, several mayors of some of these towns. and, again, across the state of kentucky over 120-mile stretch that we are sending relief efforts all throughout our beautiful state. and then every single day we're giving new and new communities that are still untouched. as of this morning, 4:30 a.m., another pastor called me of about 65 displaced families that still have not got relief, and that is the benefit of getting our local heeders or together yesterday -- leaders together yesterday so the local church can help supply these needs. and then even in the months to come we're still going to be there to provide what these people need to rebuild their lives. neil: you know, pastor, and it's that part i want to talk to right now, a man who tries to counsel and help people who wonder and scratch their heads, why did this happen, why did god do this to us. what do you tell them? >> man, those questions get asked constantly, and i just, first and foremost, want to know -- want people to know that, number one, we can't ask those questions. god is not intimidated by those questions. you know, why did these, why did this horrific storm happen to so many good people. why are churches, why did churches get destroyed, and my number one thing is that god will sometimes use things to bring us together to unify the body of christ, to unify the community. and i love that verse in psalms that god is close to the broken-hearted. and so what would seem to be like devastation of what was meant to destroy us is actually going to develop us so that we can see what truly matters. and that is that we have hope, that we have healing and that people's lives and will be restored. -- can and will be restored. neil: there are a lot of kids who, you know, have felt this directly. and i know -- >> yes. neil: -- you're doing a lot for them because they look forward to christmas. looks like it's going to be a very, very tough christmas. what's going on for them? >> yes. actually, as we're -- i'm getting a text message notification of photos, we just sent truckloads of toys to mayfield, we're sending them through marshall county, through dawson springs. yes, it's been devastating. it's so tough on the parents. so we're setting up christmas malls in many different locations, one right there in mayfield middle school that they'll be able to come out on monday, i believe it's from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. they can do some shopping. there's things we can also get straight to the parents so that they can go out and feel like they're purchasing gifts for their kids as well. so we're doing everything we can to make sure that these kids have an incredible christmas. and i just can't say thank you for all of the outpouring support that we have been getting. so many people have been spending things and sending love and -- sending things and sending love and support, and there's a lot of incredible things happening in the middle of all of this chaos. yes, they did lose a lot, but i promise you we are working around the clock to make sure these kids have an incredible christmas. neil: pastor, thank you so much for joining us. just what you're doing alone, very inspirational. we'll keep following his efforts on our web site, always ways that you can reach out and help those people as well. meanwhile, bringing attention back to what's happening on the omicron front as you have heard, it is getting worse, it is spreading faster. i want to show you an image right outside of our toughs. this is the avenue of the americas, right outside our fox headquarters here. rainy day here. and to the right of your screen, you can see radio city music hall, not too far away from our american christmas temporary. but all radio city christmas shows have been canceled. there were four that were being slated yesterday that they pull at the last second. today's were pulled, and then we got word that all remaining christmas spectacular shows, which is an iconic event for new yorkers and those visiting new york, sometimes they arrive for that show, the rockefeller tree, all the pageantry and excitement in new york, but because of cases that are spreading, they canceled all those shows. they've canceled at least nine broadway shows. in one case i think it was moulin rouge, right in the broadway show. they canceled it with the audience in their seats. but nine of those canceled. we're seeing this happening across the area. we're not sure -- we're going to see what canada is daying, they're talking about reducing capacity at restaurants, at bars, the greater ontario area where they're limiting how many people that can get together. we're not at that stage, but don't give politicians the idea. we're on that and so much more after this. season's greetings from audi. 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. with directv stream i can get live tv and on demand anywhere. look, serena williams... matrix... serena... matrix... serena... matrix... ♪ ♪ ♪ get your tv together with the best of live and on demand. introducing directv stream. nile neil all right -- neil: all right, how is this for a piece of news you might to not like, predictions that gas prices could really get soaring. if goldman sachs and we get to $100 a barrel oil, gas prices could be averaging around $4 a gallon. now, there are some pricier states, new york, for example, california with higher state taxes and the like that could send that easily over $5, some parts of california over $8 a gallon. be that as it may, it would be a shocker to most folks when they fill up. don't say that andy lipow didn't warn you, kind enough to join usen on this saturday. very good to have you. first of all, to the goldman forecast here that says $100 a barrel oil. do you buy that? >> goldman has been bullish for quite some time because they tee the lack of investment in the oil patch at a time when demand is recovering, and it's actually getting worse as we go forward. i'm not convinced that we're really going to $100 a barrel because as prices rise, we do see consumer reaction, and they begin to cut back. but there have been a number of other factors that we've seen especially soaring natural gas prices in asia and europe resulting in the switching to oil, that has also increased demand. neil: andy, you could help us out with this, this notion the administration has raised that maybe these prices are being rigged as the ftc, federal trade commission, i think, looking into that. what do you think? >> well, i think that the retail prices have been a bit slow to react to the falling gasoline prices that we've seen over the last couple of months. gasoline prices are only off ten cents a gallon from their high. i think they have room to move down another 10-15 cents a gallon by the end of the year, and i think the consumer's frustrated because they hear the price of crude oil going down, but they really don't see it at the pump. neil: so when will we, if ever? for example, if goldenman is right on this longer -- goldman is right on this longer term demand going into next year, they're only going to go up. >> well, i the taoism is always -- i think time is always the key. as the consumer, we are going to see an easing of prices from now through the middle of january and possibly into february. a lot of this, of course, depends on the economic recovery throughout the world. certainly if you see omicron result in additional lockdowns in europe, canada or even the consumer staying at home here in the u.s., oil prices are going to go down, gas prices are going to go down, but i'm not sure that we really want to say, oh, it's a mayor lockdown across the world that results in this low gas prices and that's a good thing. neil: is there a connection, when gas prices rise a lot, there are a lot of people who don't remember the '70s and, you know, the energy crisis that we had. unfortunately, you know, i'm old enough to remember them very, very well. and the effect of rising interest rates. in other words, if the federal reserve starts hiking rates, does that slow the economy down, does that have the desired effect for some that will see some of these oil prices slide as well? >> well, certainly higher interest rates translate to the consumer and higher mortgage rates, higher interest rates on car purchases, and that leaves less disposable income for other things. but what we see right now is inflation is pretty high. part of it is contributed to by energy prices, part of it by food prices, and so the consumer is really stuck. i do remember in the 19803s my -- 1980s, my first mortgage was 8% on my house. doesn't leave much money for other things. so the government is kind of stuck with this inflationary spiral, if you will, that's occurring. it's the pent-up demand from the world being locked down for a year -- neil: right. >> -- that is causing a rush in demand all at once. and the oil industry is having a difficult time responding to that significant increase in demand. neil: yeah. it's as simple as that. thank you very much. andy got away better than me and my wife did. did i ever tell you that ours was 13.5%? oh, i did? apparently hundreds of times. well, perspective is everything. all right, perspective right now coming from the biden administration that essentially reinstated this vaccine and testing mandate. the administration has responded to it as very good news from the judges. we're on that and what it could mean for you after this. wait... i want a bucket of chicken... i want... ♪♪ it's the easiest because it's the cheesiest. kraft. for the win win. your record label is taking off. but so is your sound engineer. you need to hire. i need indeed. indeed you do. indeed instant match instantly delivers quality candidates matching your job description. visit indeed.com/hire do you have a life insurance policy you no longer need? 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>> great question, neil. read the fine print. that's what i will tell everybody, because the fine print when you make those purchases says it all -- neil: the fine print says you're screwed. i mean, that's what the fine print says. >> yeah -- [laughter] well, unfortunately, there is -- if the fine print doesn't give a refund, this is a contract. you as the end user, the consumer, you're purchasing these tickets, i do caution clients who have had this very issue, look at the fine print. if there's a way that you can buy insurance, defer that risk because now you can when you're buying tickets and what not. and if you do air travel, get that refundable because if you can't make it, covid's not an excuse. look at the fine print. if you do a refundable ticket, you can get your refund back. buy insurance and defer the risk on the other -- neil: yeah. the ticket to your point, the tickets themselves seem to be you're protected there for the most part. it's all the other extenuating stuff like hotel bookings and the rest because the reason you're coming into new york is gone. it's just the nature of the beast, i guess. >> exactly. and it's still to come. we're going to be living with this. the last report, and this is a senior adviser, said we're going to be in these circumstances until 2024. i'm praying that's not true. i'm fraying that we're going -- praying that at the end of 2022 we can resume some normalcy and these topics of conversation don't become the norm because, as i said, half of my day is spent on covid doubling. neil: a business -- counseling. neil: a busy day. >> yes. very grateful. neil: thank you, mercedes, for the legal ramifications. in the meantime, you probably see these smash and grabs going on, often times in broad daylight. have you ever wondered what the store owner thinks when that's going on? well, we're going to talk to one who makes sure he's sleeping in his store to make sure that it doesn't happen, after this. is b. let's open your binders to page 188... uh carl, are there different planning options in here? options? plans we can build on our own, or with help from a financial consultant? like schwab does. uhhh... could we adjust our plan... ...yeah, like if we buy a new house? mmmm... and our son just started working. oh! do you offer a complimentary retirement plan for him? as in free? just like schwab. schwab! look forward to planning with schwab. ♪ >> i'm john robert, and i've been with fox news for ten years. one of the first stories that i covered when i got to fox news was the increasing number of suicides among military members, and i met this fella and his wife. he was the grandfather of a young marine who died by suicide. and he was a drill sergeant when he was in the military, so here's a tough old guy who's used to telling the troops what to do and cracking the whip. and he literally came apart during the interview. he could not stop weeping for the loss of his grandson. and that's probably one of the most moving moments i've ever experienced as a journalist. i've really learned at fox sort of a different perspective on journalism. it's not just telling somebody's story, it's about getting involved in somebody's story, it's about caring for that person. and i think our audience appreciates that. there are -- ♪ ♪ on the first day of christmas, my true love gave to me -- ♪ a partridge in a pear tree. ♪ on the second day of christmas, my true love sent to me -- ♪ two turtle doves and a -- neil: all right. the truth of the matter is if you bought up all the things, it's the most expensive 12 days of christmas ever. for the longest time, they've been keeping track of it. the issue isn't so much the 12 days of christmas as much as the 12 scams of christmas you have to be on the lookout for. lydia hu looking at that side of the equation. lydia. >> reporter: neil, if the grinch isn't going to steal christmas, these cyber criminals are sure going to try. the better business bureau has identified what it calls the 12 scams of christmas, the most common fraudulent schemes found online all designed to steal your money or personal information. here are three of them to watch out for this holiday season. make sure you avoid misleading social media ads that are created by scammers advertising products that are either counterfeit or much different than advertised. you purchase from them, and you may never get anything at all. another variation is a fake look alike web site that looks like a name brand but is not. you may be invited to visit through an e-mail link, but the imposter's site is designed to take your money and information but offer no product. and finally, never believe the promises of free gift cards. scammers impersonate legitimate companies and ask for your information, but really they're taking it to very likely hack you later. the fbi has suggestions on how to present yourself. they include avoiding cryptocurrency and wire transfers as payment, paying with a credit card offers more protection, always to your due diligence about sellers online. check for the reviews and make sure you check your bank statement regularly. a good rule of thumb if deal seems too good to be true. it probably is. back to you, neil. neil: all right, lydia. that's ad good rule of thumb. always remember that. sometimes we forget it. in the meantime, with all these smash and grab activities, burglaries going on particularly in california where they've almost become like the daily rampage here, you can't blame retailers for saying, all right, is it worth it even staying open? one runs a very, very successful and sought after i guess shoe and sneaker store called undisputed sole. he's the owner. he's kind enough to join us on the phone right now. irwin, you had said just to be on the safe side you're sleeping in your store just in case, right? >> yes, sir. i'm staying in my store. [inaudible] nay they knew -- [inaudible] neil: we've seen some in broad daylight, but a lot of these do occur after a mall closes. so you've been sleeping in your store. are there no guards at the store? security in the mall that can help you out? what's the latest? >> ye, we have 24-hour -- yeah, we have 24-hour security, but my store is more protected if i am, you know, i'm around. the mall security is not going to risk their lives with these criminals. neil: have you had any trouble, irwin? >> not really, but i've been hearing news with what i'm doing and everything, these people are, you know, they don't like what they see -- [inaudible] neil: does your family worry about you doing this? >> yes, absolutely. neil: and you still do it. >> i have to do it. i'm going to add more security in my store, probably put in a rail, and i'll have someone in the night that will watch the store. neil: you know, looking at all of this, when did it get bad? i mean, we're so used to some of the images we're seeing of people ransacking stores whether it's during hours or after hours. when did it really start getting bad? >> a few weeks ago when i tell my friends these people are going into the stores because they knew they can sell them easily, going on apps, ebay and then -- yeah. the california law right now is very soft when it comes to smash and grabs. they say it's lawless crime or something which i don't understand. neil: yeah. i can't blame you. erwin, you can help me if aye got this wrong, you sell shoes but particularly sneakers that are in high demand. very appealing to would-be robbers, i guess, so your store itself is a draw because of some of the unique names of ?eerks you sell. -- sneakers you sell. are you worried about that? >> i am worried at the same time, that's why i'm doing. so they can't stop me for doing what i love which is selling sneakers. neil: erwin, hang in there. manages oh, man, i know you want to protect your livelihood, but we want you to be safe as well. sleeping at his store. he's seen what's happened at other stores and doesn't want to have it happen to him. we wish him well. in the meantiming something that could be revolved particularly in the virginia area, what they're calling the shopping cart killer, signs that maybe he's been apprehended. alexandria hoff has more from washington d.c. >> reporter: neil, yeah, police believe this suspect has likely killed more women on top of the four bodies they have already found. the investigation expands the entirety of the northeast looking into prior missing person cases. 35-year-old anthony robinson is now in custody. he's lived in washington, d.c., has had no criminal history prior to being dubbed the shopping cart killer. listen in to the press conference. >> he meets his victims on dating sites. he meets his victims then at motels. after he inflicts trauma to his victims and kills them, he transports their bodies to their final resting place literally in a shopping cart. >> reporter: police and family have identified three of his victims so far, 54-year-old elaine redman of harrisonberg, 29-year-old cheyenne brown of d.c. has been tentatively id'd, and the fourth woman's name is still technically pending. robinson was charged in the deaths of or or or or or or redman and smith -- of redman and smith. on wednesday the bodies of brown and the fourth victim were uncovered two hours away in alexandria, just outside of d.c., also near a shopping cart. investigators say they know robinson has traveled and has had a addresses as far away as new york. they are combing through missing person cases far and wide. we were supposed to have a sound bite there, but police do believe he certainly has more victims. they are preparing to see if other jurisdictions have missing person cases. and just minutes ago, i spoke with the sister of the woman who police believe may be the fourth victim, she identified her as stephanie harrison of california. she said she had traveled to d.c. to sight see, she did not know robin 'emson, but -- robinson, but they did stay at the same hotel. neil: alexandria, thank you. also keeping you alert as to what's happening on the border right now. governor abbott is about to speak on the border wall construction that he is leading, saying that the federal government of dropped the ball. he's going to complete that border. we'll have the latest from there after this. an 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. ♪ - modern life, and get your money right. different schedules, different meals, different times. how do you keep everyone happy? with five cooking options the cuisinart griddler is the ultimate in versatility. it has a full griddle, a full grill a half grill, half griddle, a contact grill and a panini press. redesigned with a sleek look. the griddler has a sear function, digital adjustable temperature control, a count up and down timer for precise cooking times and non-stick removable and reversible dishwasher safe plates for easy cleanup. the cuisinart griddler, it's a real crowd-pleaser. neil: you remember when texas governor greg abbott said, mr. president, if you won't build a wall on this border, i will. well, he's following through with that. in fact, a good deal of it has already been going up. the texas governor is about to discuss this at the top of the hour where he's dealing with a problem he says is out of control. bill melugin is following it as well. i think you can attest to the pact that the migrant surge has been getting out of control. bill, what's the latest? >> reporter: yeah, neil, good morning to you. that's exactly right. we all remember back in june when greg abbott first announced he was popular planning to build a texas border wall. you can see behind me that wall is starting to materialize. take a look at our live fox drone up in the air, this is are rio grande city in the middle of the rio grande valley, the busiest sector along the u.s./mexico border, and what you're looking at are the very first wall panels. this is ultimately going to be a 1.7-mile stretch designed to fill in gaps. take a look at video we shot the other day. no state has ever built its own border wall before. typically, that's the federal government's job, but governor greg abbott has said because the feds aren't building the wall because the biden administration canceled it, the state of texas has to step up and do it itself. and the contractor had previously been building president trump's wall until they were canceled. now, as you can see, they are building for greg abbott and the state of texas. this is all texas land, and it's being paid for by the state of texas. meanwhile, take a look at this video we hot the other day, migrants in that hot spot area where there is no federal wall. family units constantly pouring in, they look to give themselves up to border patrol. and a dhs source tell us us in the last 24 hours alone in the rio grande vector, there have been about 1500 migrant apprehensions, just since october 1st, more than 123,000. those numbers up 160% over the same time frame last year. back out here live, dhs also telling us as of october 1st just here in the sector there have been more than 31,200 -- 11,200 known gotaways, they just don't have the manpower to get to. final update, texas governor greg abbott will be here at this construction site to hold a press conference. it was originally supposed to be in about ten minutes or so, however, his plane is delay. that press conference now set for one hour from now, noon local, one eastern time. we'll be here to carry it live. neil: bill, interesting you noted in the beginning, this wall construction, it's the same contractor -- one of the contractors, i guess -- who was handling the federal wall urn president trump. now -- under president trump. now, obviously, there were a lot of pieces of materials that had already been paid for and done and they were available. is the governor able to utilize any of that equipment? >> they are not. and we've shown those images of those piles of steel just sitting around out here in the rio grande valley after the federal wall contract was canceled. we've been told that the state of texas went to the federal government and asked if they could potentially purchase some of that steel, the answer was, no. despite the fact that the federal government has all that steel just sitting around that they have no intention of using, the state of texas cannot use it. they're sourcing their own steel for the texas border wall, neil. neil: a surprise number of private landowners who have given up their land to allow this wall to be constructed on that land. that tells you how bad things have been getting. >> reporter: absolutely. and that's one of the things that governor abbott is expected to talk about today. he says it's not just state land, he says he's had private landowners coming to him that have been offering their land up to building the wall as well. ultimately, this first project expected to do about 8 miles of border wall. the stretch you're looking at is just a 1.7-mile stretch, but it's going to be a hybrid mix of state land and private land where private landowners willing to give their property up. again, this is the first time in the history of the country where a state starts building its own border wall. neil: just incredible. bill melugin, thank you very much. bill at the border. again, the governor running a bit delayed, later on in the next hour. meantime, we'll give you the latest on christmas shopping. christmas, not to put the pressure on, well, it's a week from today. are you ready? 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[ sigh ] not gonna happen. that's it. i'm calling kohler about their walk-in bath. my name is ken. how may i help you? hi, i'm calling about kohler's walk-in bath. excellent! happy to help. huh? hold one moment please... 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[laughter] and that would be mike gunzelman, the internate radio sun -- internet radio sensation. gunz -- [laughter] now, women if you give them a gift card, nine out of ten times they're angry about it. they think you're lazy. are you lazy? >> right, yes. i can definitely agree with that. you will probably be walking home that night if you show up with a gift card and give it to a female. i think it does -- i'm not, truth be told, i'll take any gift, any present whatsoever. but a gift card though, sure, i might be okay with it, but you kind of feel like you open it up and you're just, like, really? could you not have put a little bit more time -- neil: what about if you are the one giving it though? and, you know, the woman so fended because she said, really, gunz? this is why we are so not going out. >> right. well, i mean, i deserve that because that's probably because, you know, i waited until the last minute. it's like the same people that wake up and they're like, oh, it's the anniversary or valentine's day -- neil: you're saying women have a point. [laughter] you think that women have a point to say, hey, you lazy good for nothing, you could have gone out and gotten me something specific. >> yes. they might have a point. but does that mean i'm going to do the right thing, neil? of course not -- [laughter] it's a week away from christmas as of today, and i haven't done any shopping except for myself. neil: really? >> my problem is i'll go online, and i'll think, oh, i can actually use that. [laughter] i haven't bought anything for anybody else yet. and you put together that, you know, the supply chain issues as well as the fact that -- neil: oh, don't tell them about the supply chain thing. really? you're going there? [laughter] >> i would use any excuse at all just to save myself, neil. amazon said it wouldn't be delivered in time, so instead here's a gift card -- neil: and the gift card thing that infuriates any woman. so you're ready for this, but it sounds to me like you've got to get shopping and fast. i might point out that processed meats and cheeses are the gift that keeps giving. but what are you thinking? where are you looking? >> i mean, anything at all. you can never go wrong with, like, bed bath and beyond -- neil: there you go. >> -- maybe like an urban outfitters -- neil: not a gift card. you're going to have to go to nordstrom. by the way, they're not cheap. >> i've got to save myself any possible way, but i think you can get gift cards for, like, department stores and stuff. neil, the bottom -- neil: you're a conundrum. all right, got it. [laughter] >> i'm in trouble. neil: all right. good luck. i have a feeling you'll get out of this one way or the other. gunzelman on that. have a merry christmas just the same. 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. ♪♪ griff: texas begins building its own wall to try and help stem the record flow of migrants pouring over our southern border. you are looking live at the first panels already in place. governor greg abbott about to hold a press conference just moments from now on the project. you can actually hear them working behind us. welcome to "fox news live," i'm give griff jenkins live on the texas