president in wilmington, delaware. good evening, rich. >> richard: good evening, bret. following that call senior administration officials say they are now watching the russian ukrainian border to see what russia does from here. just heard from white house press secretary jen psaki on this 50-minute call. she says, quote: president biden urged russia to deescalate tensions with ukraine. he made clear that the united states and its allies and partner also respond decisively if russia further invades ukraine. that decisive response, according to senior administration has been sanctioned and bolstering nato and ukrainian forces. in 2014, russia invaded and annexed part of u.k. did the same to neighboring georgia in 2008. ahead of this call it was unclear why the kremlin requested this conversation between the two presidents. still unclear. one former u.s. ambassador to russia says moscow asking for a call pretty unusual. >> i think it's a good sign. president putin rarely asks for calls. i worked in the obama administration for five years. i think i remember one time that he asked for a call. it's usually the other way around. so that means he has a message he wants to send to the president. >> republicans have criticized president biden's russia strategy for waiving sanctions against a russia gas line project to germany called nord stream 2 analysts say that pipeline would strengthen russia's position in europe at the expense of american allies like ukraine and poland. some republicans also say the white house should more aggressively arm ukraine. >> president biden has to make clear that there will be consequences to whatever putin does with ukraine. a lot of people commentating that these warmongers are trying to get us into war. hold off a little bit. there is a lot of options in between doing nothing and in between war. >> the senior white house official says the u.s. is prepared to provide ukraine further assistance to defend its territory. the specifics on that are unclear. the white house is also threatening unprecedented sanctions. this is all ahead about the next week and a half or so top american and russian officials will be meeting in geneva to discuss these issues. presidents biden and putin according to white house officials will not be directly involved in those conversations. rich, i'm just seeing some of these highlights from the senior administration official saying that the tone of that conversation substantive but again not being clear why russian president vladimir putin requested that call. it does not seem like anything definitive was reached. but the president said there were a couple of paths that russia could go. >> exactly. what the president is saying according to senior administration officials, there is two paths here, there is the diplomatic path where they figure it out and russia stays out of urk this time or the second path which involves sanctions, the u.s. and nato bolstering forces where they are and on top of that bolstering what have you got and ukraine providing them more assistance. many of the talking points that we heard from the administration on this conversation with senior officials are what we have been hearing in public about all of this. and it is still unclear, plenty of speculation surrounding it, but still nothing definitive as to why the kremlin wanted this call and wanted this today. >> bret: yeah. and no sign that any troops are leaving that border area, russian troops that is. rich edison traveling with the president, thanks. the omicron surge not seen before during the pandemic. and tests short supply little expectation of experts that situation changing soon. while hospitalizations and deaths across the country are not spiking quite as fiercely, they are on the uptick. health experts say the vast majority of are among the unvaccinated. meantime the travel nightmare at airports shows no signs of letting up as new year's eve celebrations are scaled back or even canceled across the country. and businesses close because workers are forced to quarantine. we have fox team coverage. david lee miller is at laguardia airport in new york one of many airports where flight delays are stranding travelers. we start with steve harrigan in atlanta. good evening, steve. >> good evening, bret. almost half a million new cases in the u.s. wednesday. that is nearly double the previous record. >> 15 states setting records while the cdc says hospitalizations remain comparatively low. six atlanta hospitals say they are experiencing a, quote: staggering surge of adults and children with covid in the past 8 days. the vast majority unvaccinated. for some doctors on the front lines, it is ago gone fisaing. frontline square for them. unvaccinated regret. some ask they want to be vaccinated tonight but i have to let them know it's too late. >> simple and direct guidance. >> most important role of vaccination is to save your life and keep you out of the hospital. >> the actual number of positive cases may be even larger than we know with millions of americans taking rapid home tests and not reporting the results. tennessee said it now will report cases weekly instead of every day. and michigan is refusing to follow federal guidance on cutting the covid isolation period from 10 days to five days. michigan has been hit special hard by covid with recent death tolls almost double the national average. federal guidance with upcoming holiday is grim. >> when you are talking about a new year's eve party where have you 30, 40, 50 people celebrating you do not know the status of their vaccination, i would recommend strongly stay away from that this year. >> the government of south africa now says it passed through the omicron peak without a spike in deathsna. certainly gives a lot of hope to a number of countries struggling with the variant. bret? >> bret: you know, steve, the fda has made a decision on these boosters. but for kids, for example, but it seems to be a disagreement between dr. fauci and the world health organization on this. >> bret, the w.h.o. is clearly taking a shot at the u.s. the director pretty much came out and said that the rich countries, like the u.s., should not be giving boosters to children while in much of the world there are older people dying who have never gotten a single shot. they say not only is it unfair but it will prolong the pandemic and, of course, fauci is a strong advocate of vaccines for children and we could see booster approval for 12 to 15-year-olds begin as early as next week. bret? >> bret: all right. steve harrigan in atlanta. steve, thanks. another rough day as we mentioned for air travelers around the country as flight aware reports more than 1200 cans sell labor relations of u.s. flights so far today. and experts say these disruptions could last well into the new year. correspondent david lee miller is live in laguardia airport in queens, new york. good evening, david. >> good evening, bret, for the 7th straight day now airline passengers are coping with these flight disruptions from coast to coast. there have now been more than 6,000 of these cancellations, today alone as you mentioned, more than 1200. in addition to the cancellations, we are also seeing delays increase dramatically, 5,000 more than 5,000 actually today. and it's not just covid-related staff shortages that are plagues the airlines. enough to they must cope with a forecast of severe weather, including tornadoes in the south and storms out west. one of the hardest hit airports is seattle. today more than a quarter of scheduled flights never took off or landed. many of those that did were delayed. passengers there are frustrated and angry. >> mad dash to get a new flight. there were no flights. it's a panic go online and reschedule and find a different airline. i'm not going to try to wait squeezed in to different flights. canceled and it bought a new flight. >> i was supposed to come home sunday. my plane was supposed to land in seattle at 6:00. it was canceled. we have been trying to get home since then. >> as for the individual carriers, jetblue canceled 17% of its flights. alaska 14%. >> that airline encouraging passengers to postpone travel if they can. united cab said 9% of its schedule for the day. delta 4% of flight today customers on canceled flights will be automatically rebooked. yesterday the tsa said it screened more than 2 million passengers. that's almost double for that same day a year ago. the number would have been even higher if so many flights weren't grounded. many carriers are now saying they are trying to gte give at much advanced notice as possible to passengers of cancellations. the airlines are saying before you head out the door, make sure you check your flight status online if at all possible. underscoring the importance of that tomorrow, new year's eve, already now more than 600 flights canceled. bret? >> bret: ringing in the new year. maybe in an airport. david lee miller in laguardia. david lee, thanks. the cdc is warning people to avoid cruises regardless of vaccination status because of on board outbreaks fueled by the omicron variant. if you do take a cruise, the cdc saying passengers should get tested three to five days after the trip. 90 cruise ships under observation as a result of covid-19 cases. enough to to politics. despite democrats holding the presidency and the majorities in the house and senate, 2021 proved pretty disappointing politically for democrats. key pieces of legislation put on hold over disagreements within their own caucus. but with a new year comes new priorities. here is congressional correspondent aishah hasnie. >> with razor thin majorities in the house and senate this year and a whole lot of infighting. >> i have no idea. >> i can't commit to passing something that i don't even know what it is yet. [inaudible] >> agreement is the hardest thing. >> we need a little bit more than an iou. >> congressional democrats are wrapping up 2021 with just a handful of big legislative wins, including a $1.9 trillion american rescue plan they passed alone. and the bipartisan infrastructure bill along with a national defense funding bill they got done with the help of republicans. the list of fails, however, much longer. and filled with top priorities from president biden's agenda. like his massive tax and social spending plan build back better, which one of their own, senator joe manchin blew up right before christmas. >> bret: this is a no? >> this is a no. on this legislation. >> as for any negotiations around police reform or gun reform, well, those failed. and they still haven't figured out how to deliver on immigration what's at the top of the 2022 to do list? change the filibuster and pass voting rights legislation. another uphill battle. >> working as a caucus to try make sure that we get all 50 of our members to find a path to getting this done. and january will be the make or break month for doing that. >> meanwhile, republicans are feeling pretty good about their chances in the midterms. >> i feel pretty confident about it, especially now with the far left controlling a lot of the democratic agenda. >> and with rising inflation and the resurgence of covid playing out outside the capitol, getting along inside might be the resolution for a happy new year. but, bret, will they work together? that's the question. progressives don't really seem to want to calling on the president to good it alone and take executive action on build back better while the president says he wants to keep working with senator manchin. bret? >> bret: the concern for lawmakers for americans is the national debt. more lawmakers talking about it. >> that's right. so democrats successfully raised the debt ceiling this year by $2.5 trillion. we start the new year now with nearly 30 trillion in debt, along with more spending if they pass build back better and some progressives now even talking about passing another covid relief package. going to be a tough sell for voters who are extremely worried about inflation. bret? >> bret: aishah, thank you. >> you bet. >> bret: according to data released today by the labor department jobless claims dropped by 8,000 to settle in 198,000. the numbers suggest the fast spreading omicron variant has a yet to trying ear wave of layoffs. stocks were off today. the dow lost 91. s&p 500 lost 19. both slipping off record territory in a late day retreat. the nasdaq fell 25. the white house last ditch effort enforcing one of president trump's signature border policing. we will examine the possible impact that could have on the migrant surge on the southern border. here is what some of our fox affiliates are covering tonight wbrc in birmingham, alabama severe storms struck much of southwest and central alabama wednesday night leaving damage in some areas. for turn natalie no reports of injuries. w svn in miami 8-year-old tiger at naples zoo is dead after a sheriff's deputy was forced to shoot it grabbing the arm of a man trying to pet or feed that big cat. the man was seriously injured wednesday evening when he entered unauthorized area near the tiger's enclosure and put his arm through the fence. this is a live look at st. louis from fox 2 our affiliate there. one of the big stories there tonight and across the country, the new year could get off to a hot start if anyone can pick the winning numbers in the first powerball drawing of 2022 saturday night. the powerball jackpot has now climbed to more than $483 million with an estimated cash value of 348 million. yeah, i'm going for the cash. 348. that's pretty good. that's tonight's live look outside the beltway from "special report." good luck. we'll be right back. ♪ hi susan! honey? yeah? i respect that. but that cough looks pretty bad... try this robitussin honey. the real honey you love... plus the powerful cough relief you need. mind if i root through your trash? now get powerful relief with robitussin elderberry. as a professional bull-rider i'm used to taking chances. but when it comes to my insurance i don't. i use liberty mutual, they customize your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. wooo, yeaa, woooooo and, by switching you could even save 665 dollars. hey tex, can someone else get a turn? yeah, hang on, i'm about to break my own record. yeah. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty. ♪ your shipping manager left to “find themself.” leaving you lost. you need to hire. i need indeed. indeed you do. indeed instant match instantly delivers quality candidates matching your job description. visit indeed.com/hire priceline can help you make the most of your budget, saving up to 40% on your flight. ooh, we have a comment from the airport announcers. 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(swords clashing) -had enough? -no... arthritis. here. aspercreme arthritis. full prescription-strength? reduces inflammation? thank the gods. don't thank them too soon. kick pain in the aspercreme. ♪ ♪ >> bret: entire towns near boulder, colorado are under mandatory evacuation orders as grass fires spread in that area. downed power lines and blown transformers sparked initial blazes leaving thousands without power. fox forecast center wind gusts of 60 to 80 miles per hour. that's helping to fan the flames unfortunately. fire are prompting road closures and flight delays increasing flight delays at denver international airport. two federal judges ordering the unsealing of jeffrey epstein 2009 cill settlement and accuser virginia giuffre lawsuit against prince andrew. she is accusing the duke of sexually abusing her at the age of 17. the judge's order says the documents will be unsealed on or about january 3rd. the house panel investigating the capitol riot and justice department are urging the supreme court to reject former president trump's bid to shield the documents related to his efforts challenging the 2020 presidential election results. in the briefs filed today, the committee and the biden administration say the federal appeals court ruling earlier this month ordering the material to be turned over should stand. last week, trump's lawyers urged the justices to intervene and block the release citing executive privilege. meantime the biden administration also ramping up its push to end president trump's remain in mexico policy tonight by asking the supreme court to weigh in. critics are warning that if the biden administration is successful with its plan to end that policy, the effects at the southern border could be devastating. here is national correspondent william longness from our west coast newsroom. >> my administration has ended catch and release. [applause] >> president trump implemented his remain in mexico program in 2019 to stem the flow of central americans. >> if you come illegally, you will now be promptly removed from our country. [cheers] >> the policy required migrants to remain in mexico until a judge heard their asylum claim that could take months, even years, which is one reason why president biden reversed it. >> we also have to get at the root problem of why people are fleeing, particularly to our southern border from guatemala, honduras and el salvador. >> monthly border apprehensions have more than doubled since biden took office. >> i immigrated because i believed in his promises. >> after texas sued, federal judge in august reinstated trump's migration policy, mpp now biden wants the supreme court to overturn it saying mpp is not the best tool for deterring unlawful migration and exposes migrants ting unacceptable risks and detracts from the foreign relations efforts to manage regional migration. >> the biden administration has announced steps it will take to try make things safer. >> migrant call mpp inhumane. most border agents do not. >> every single u.s. citizen should be furious about the actions of this administration trying to overturn a policy that has been proven to work. >> the fight is really over asylum. biden believes migrants are entitled to remain in the u.s. after filing a claim. trump, after watching thousands ignore deportation orders, made it harder. >> if they are not going to embrace mpp and not going to implement policy that we know work, then they need come up with another solution. >> now government data shows that under trump, 68,000 asylum seekers enrolled in the program, only 723 got asylum. half lost their case or never showed. the other half had pending claims when biden terminated the program. bret? >> bret: william, thank you. up next, suspects charged with plotting to kidnap their state's governor say they were set up by the government. we will bring that story. plus, is social media app. tiktok causing a youth mental health crisis? first, beyond our borders tonight: two former senior editors for hong kong's stand news in jail tonight after being charged with conspiring to publish seditious materials a day after police raided the pro-democracy media organization forcing a shut down of its operations. the pair was denied bail. western governments are now criticizing that move as a sign of further erosion of press freedoms in the region. tens of thousands of protesters marching through sudan's capital met with stun gas and grenades as forces crowd. demanding the military play no role in the government during a transition to free elections. thursday was the 11th ground of major demonstrations since an october 25th coup. and iran sends a rocket with a satellite carrier bearing three devices into space without specifying if any of the objects have entered earth's orbit. it remains unclear exactly when that launch happened or what devices the carrier brought with it. the blast-off comes on the back drop of negotiations in vienna to restore tehran's tattered nuclear deal with world powers. just some of the other stories beyond our borders tonight. we'll be right back. ♪ get your personalpoints plan! i'm james corden and i'm here to tell people that ww is getting even more personal. keep on shopping. ignore us. i've lost, like, 28 pounds. you look great! wow. i love that my clothes fit better. but i just love ice cream a little bit more than that. the new ww personalpoints program is particular to you. so what kind of foods do you like? avocado. ice cream. sandwiches. no food is off limits. when can i start? start the new year with three months free. join today at ww.com. hurry, offer ends january 3rd. is. >> bret: suspects charged with plotting to kidnap michigan governor gretchen whitmer say not only did they not commit a crime, but the government set them up. correspondent david spunt is following the case tonight. >> attorneys for these men accused of developing a plot to kidnap michigan governor gretchen whitmer say not only are they innocent but the fbi and justice department plot to entrap them. one of the original defendants pleaded guilty and is serving a 6-year sentence in prison. federal prosecutors say the six were upset over covid-19 staked out whitmer's vacation home in northern michigan with hopes of taking her. >> there are debraved things happening in our society. i trust law enforcement and the judicial process to get justice. >> according to a recent 20 page pre-trial motion, defense attorneys wrote in part when the government was faced with evidence showing that the defendants had no interest in a kidnapping plot, it refused refused to accept failure and continued to push its plan. >> a lot of room for mischief. the government can do a lot of enticing persuading, con geology to get people to commit a crime and it's up hill to even raise the issue of entrapment for a jury. >> defense trorns expected in trials to raise questions about the credibility of the fbi itself including the special agent in the case richard. he pleaded no contest last tweak a domestic violence charge and was fired from the fbi. prosecutors admit he also posted a tirade full of obscenities about former president donald trump on his facebook page. he and two other fbi agents in the case will not be testifying at the kidnapping plot trial. >> in front of a judge. dismiss i don't think but a trial you shouldn't under estimate that. >> trial scheduled march 8th. could face up to "fox news live" prison the fbi and justice department not commenting on the case as it is pending. bret? >> we'll continue to follow this. david, thanks. >> popular social media app. tiktok is at the center of a new controversy tonight as parents and critics argue some trends on that platform are becoming detrimental to children's physical and mental health. correspondent mark meredith shows us tonight. >> currently 36 degrees. >> amazon smart speaker can do a lot. crystal never thought it would encourage her daughter to play with a electrical outlet it? >> was a simple challenge she needed to plug cell phone charger right in to that plug and touch the prong with penny and when i heard that, i was like no, i said no. >> luckily her daughter did not get hurt removed the challenge and is quote taking steps to help prevent something similar from happening again. >> you may have heard of tiktok experience. >> the whole thing appears to stem from a trend which went viral on tiktok the social media app. which boasts a million monthly users is owned by chinese owner. the company is facing a barrage of bad headlines, the lawmakers have caused for the app. to be banned about warning about potential privacy problems. >> most americans have absolutely no ideas that the chinese communist party is getting their information. >> this month a former tiktok moderator filed a lawsuit against the company alleging moderators are required to watch hours of animal abuse, violence and sexual content without proper health safeguards in place. tiktok is not commenting on the specific case but in a statement to fox writes, quote: we continue to expand on a range of wellness services so feel supported mentally and emotionally. "wall street journal" reports a growing number of teens are self-diagnosing themselves with mental disorders because of videos viewed on tiktok. child safety experts say it's a clear warning for parents. >> they should know what their kids are posting. they should have access to who viewing with their kids and who is reacting to what their kids are posting. >> just this month tiktok announced new efforts to make sure poster do not see too many videos negative things like extreme dieting or sadness. unclear, bret, tim if those changes are working. bret? >> bret: a lot of time on tiktok for my kids. got to watch it mark, thanks. >> you bet. >> bret: up next the panel on rising tension with china plus president biden's second phone call this month with russian president vladimir putin. >> the stakes are pretty high here and really comes down to white house, president biden's resolve, determination as well as the nato leaders. ♪ >> if, in fact, invade ukraine there will be severe consequences, severe consequences. >> we must stand up and standing up for territorial integrity. we are prepared to issue sanctions like you have not seen before. >> we had the same problem with obama. we have the same problem with biden. they will draw these red lines and then do nothing about it. so what do these dictators think around the world? biden is weak. >> bret: president biden, russian president vladimir putin talking on the phone today. the white house putting out this photo of that conversation. we are told by white house officials that that call lasted for 50 minutes, a serious and substantive tone according to the senior administration officials. as you look at the map, this comes as tens of thousands of russian troops are positioned along that border and they haven't left. in fact, there is evidence that they have been fortified in recent days and senior defense officials tell fox that they are really concerned about what they are seeing and hearing from the russians. we don't know the specifics of this call. but we do know that the white house put out a statement saying president biden urged russia to deescalate tensions with ukraine. he made clear that the united states and its allies and partners will respond decisively if russia further invades ukraine. and that decisive action in the realm of sanctions according to the president and the vice president there. let's bring this our panel, fox news media analyst and fox news media buzz howie kurtz. mollie hemingway senior editor at "the federalist" and former biden campaign surrogate. mollie, let me start with you. it seems like this is very tense, would he don't have a lot of specifics on this call. but putin asked for the call. >> it was interesting to be asked for the call ahead of another discussion that they are planning here soon. but putin is going to do what he determines is in his best interest, the best interest of russia. the strength of the united states it is important that we are clear in our communications with russia about the seriousness of what they are threatening there on the border. it's why such problem that we have mismanaged so many of our foreign entanglements in recent years. the u.s. has a role to play here has a role to help ukraine and russia that has to get along as they are neighbors. negotiate peacefully and there is, because of our role in nato we can also encourage a temperance on the part of nato in how they engage with russia in terms of whether to expand or enlarge nato or whether to keep a peace in that region as well. i know people are concerned but and they should be on guard, but, we are -- there is a lot of good that can be done by the biden administration here. >> bret: howie, there is this obsession, according to the former ambassador to ukraine of putin about ukraine. and there are a number of different things that can happen, but take a listen to this. >> i think mr. putin understands the risks. on the other hand, he has this obsession with ukraine. and he doesn't want ukraine to go in to europe as ukrainians want to do. so i think he would love putin would love to have us give concessions right away without him having to invade but i think there is a real chance that he could invade. >> bret: that's really what defense officials are seeing howie the possibility are increasing that russia goes in. the real question is whether they go in full to ukraine or they try to get some kind of land bridge and carve it out to crimea which they already control. >> putin's only real leverage is those 100,000 troops on the border. that's why he manufactured this crisis. hoping to pressure even blackmail the u.s. into providing the security guarantees that he wanted. second biden call earlier on the program suggest to me is looking for diplomatic off ramp to get the u.s. to agree to the security guarantees that he wants without having to pay a price and without being able to avoid the threaten u.s. european sanctions that could really damage the fragile russian economy. the problem for the administration is, as we learned seven years ago with the crimean invasion putin can't be trusted. we don't know whether he is bluffing and he doesn't seem inclined to go along with president biden's demand that he first engage in military deescalation. >> bret: kevin, here is how foreign affairs magazine writes up about moscow. what putin learned from the soviet collapse, moscow has managed to fortify itself for a sustained competition with the united states rather than a major weakness, the economy represents a durable part of putin's strategy for ensuring regime stability, maintaining continuity and weathering western imposed sanctions. what the united states locked in a confrontation with china, russia may find that in spite of a weak economy, it has increasing room to maneuver and growing rather than declining influence on the global stage. there is not really an evidence of a foreign policy win for the biden administration, is there right now? >> well, hopefully, bret, this will be one of the key results for this administration into 2022 but what have you seen is over time putin has ruled russia with an iron first but seen nato enlarged over four times and clearly ukraine is a red line for him. he has had some egg on his face with the expansion of nato across the different borders close in to russia. so clearly this is of concern. to mollie's point, i'm much more interested in having the dialogue and that's why it's so critical the upcoming meetings in geneva that we are going to be seeing in the first parts of january with our russian counterparts. hopefully the biden administration will take a tough stance in those negotiations because this administration does need some wins on the foreign policy front. to your point, bret. >> bret: mollie, michelle obama wants to see the u.s. engaged in another military activity. ukraine is trying to get in nato and that brings in all kinds of different questions. >> that is understandably viewed as hot tile by russia in the same way that other countries would, if alliances were forming right up their border. at the same time russia is acting in hostile manner and they are adversary to many countries in that region. people in the u.s. are rightfully concerned about appeasement. that is one of the lessons that we learned from world war ii that appeasement does not work out well for the world. lesson from world war i that undue entanglements can lead to global conflict. that's why it's important for nato to be strong to have an appropriate size so it can be effective. remember, we agree that we will help out any other country the less that is a guarantee that makes sense. and this is juan of the lessons we have learned in recent decades that we need make sure that our word means something that our interventions make sense and that they can be defended. >> bret: a lot of foreign policy experts say in 2022 talking a lot more about china and this russia we will see. up next, confusion over changing pandemic guidance plus the media's covid coverage. superpowers from a spider bite? i could use some help showing the world how liberty mutual customizes their car insurance. ow! i'm ok! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ only in theaters december 17th. 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 ♪ >> over the next three to four weeks we are going to see the number of cases in this country rise so dramatically that we ever going to have a hard time keeping every day life operating. >> we want to make sure that our commitment to having in person learning is honored. and the way to do that is to ensure that every child and every adult that enters the building next week can produce a negative covid test within 24 hours. >> we have a scarcity of these tests. i would use them but the schools should have them. not a requirement to come in. >> well, a lot of mixed messages on the guidance from the cdc, from the administration, what people are facing around the country. we are just getting breaking news regarding covid from the pentagon. we are confirming that 206 u.s. marines have been kicked out since late november over their refusal to get the covid vaccine. u.s. defense officials confirming to fox news 206 marines have been kicked out of the service. the pentagon requires all service members to get the vaccine. it does not yet require them to get a booster but it highly recommends it but 206 marines are not serving because of that we're back with our panel. howie, what about the coverage of covid as you have looked at it across the spectrum and, specifically, omicron. it seems like sometimes it goes overhand and they don't really look at the severity of the cases. >> yeah. i mean, the coverage has been down right confusing to the average person because of so many mixed messages and the fact that cases are surging, of course, the death rate hasn't gone up very much thankfully because it seems to be milder. the media is struggling to cover a bottom up shut down not any government edict but because you have all these effective workers and gone easy on the biden administration having the cdc suddenly and mysteriously we only need a five day quarantine period. it's not about the science, it's about keeping businesses open and planes in the sky. the other fascinating development here, bret, more experts and this is getting a lot of media play saying even though the cases are surging, we should just stop counting because the authorities can't track at home tests even though there is a shortage of those due to the earlier miscalculation by the biden administration that may well be true. isn't it politically convenient for joe biden if the obsession with a number of new daily cases the drum beat we saw under donald trump and earlier this year were simply to vanish? >> bret: yeah, kevin, understanding that you support the administration and but in the analysis here, the testing issue seems like it really has been a troublesome spot. >> yeah, bret. it certainly has been. there has been frustrations around the country with regards to long lines with testing. i think it was a failure to some degree on this administration to not anticipate the desire for testing, to obviously protect yourselves and protect others during the holiday season, to have that negative test before traveling home. certainly, i think you are seeing an administration refocusing on the testing issue. especially in light with the schools coming out of winter break into january, wanting to have that negative test for teachers and students, especially as you saw that clip with mayor bowser of washington, d.c. so that's obviously going to be critical. you have those 500 million tests that are being produced right now that will be available to americans to request through the mail. that will help also to identify where those hot spots are so that the federal government can respond accordingly and to move resources to where we see these kind of surges with omicron, certainly. >> bret: mollie, meantime there is back and forth about kids getting boosters between fauci and the world health organization is quite something. take a listen to this. >> younger individuals have a much more robust immune response than adults, particularly among elderly. this is something that we will continue to examine as to the possibility of or a necessity of providing boost for that cohort of young people. >> the fda is currently looking at the issue of booster shots for those 12 to 15 and i know that the companies and manufacturers are working towards data for children under 5. >> there is no evidence to support boosters in young, healthy people. the w.h.o. is against boosters in young, healthy people. >> bret: that's part of the mixed messages that we're getting, mollie. >> it's been nothing but mixed messages for two years now. and the biden administration, it is worth remembering, biden campaigned and was elected on a promise to shut down the virus. he inherited a robust vaccination program, multiple vaccines that were obtained through this operation warp speed, a tremendous accomplishment by the trump administration and has done just next to nothing when it comes to testing and has been pushing vaccines not for the vulnerable elderly who really have a strong case to be made for getting the vaccine and getting boosted but for younger and younger cohorts even as we learn more about the vaccine and how contrary to what was claimed by some of these same bureaucratic elites at the onset that the vaccine, us know, we were told would prevent transmission it would prevent people from getting covid. we now know those things aren't true. and, yet, their rhetoric has not changed. it's just a mess. >> bret: okay. panel, stand by if you would. when we come back, tomorrow's headlines. ♪ trix... serena... matrix... ♪ ♪ ♪ get your tv together with the best of live and on demand. introducing directv stream. at university of phoenix, we have scholarships for everyone hard at work, no matter where you work. get up to a $3,000 scholarship, starting with your first course. explore your opportunities at phoenix.edu priceline works with top hotels to sell their unsold rooms, saving you up to 60%. ah, yes. the parental delegation? you should stay with us. it's no trouble. it's no trouble for him. fine, don't stay with us. i didn't really ask to... okay. >> bret: finally tonight, a look at tomorrow's headlines with the panel. kevin, first to you. >> well, bret, my headline foam tore this panel on the last day of 2021. biden ready to reset in 2022. >> bret: there you go. all right, mollie? >> my headline is for the late edition of tomorrow's paper which would be that alabama is headed to the national championship after defeating cincinnati in the cotton bowl. >> bret: wow. all right, howie, bring it home here. >> omicron shuts down world as last healthy pundits shout at each other post apocalyptic everyone except for two shouting heads. >> bret: thank you very much. tomorrow the good, the bad, the ugly from 2021. this is my last show of 2021. i will see you in 2022. thanks for inviting us into your home tonight and every night of this year. we have a lot of news to cover. that's it for this "special report," fair, balanced and still unafraid. happy new year. ♪ ♪ >> ben: good evening and welcome to "fox news primetime." back in september, at the annual gathering of our alist toe cratic known as the met gala one of their loudest advocates made a statement with her dress, new york congresswoman alexandria ocasio-cortez showed up with a slogan "tax the rich" emblazened on her down gown. everyone had a good laugh about it the rich after all were there at the party with her and she didn't get her invitation because they actually believe she is any threat to them. give the congresswoman this credit. she knows her business is show business. that isn't the only

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