elections. i am edward lawrence in for neil cavuto. this is cavuto life and we are bringing in the new year with 2022, many of the same covid challenges as 2021, covid cases rising to the highest level since the pandemic started forcing businesses to change course and americans to sort through the change in guidance, business owners left to sort through mixed messages at all private employers are forced to impose vaccine mandates. it is a huge burden on his business is already hurting from covid cancellations. he joined me now. happy new year to you and let's hope 2022 is for the foodys a better year for you. the incoming mayor eric adams says he will keep the vaccine mandate in place and this is one of the most strict and far reaching in the nation. what do you think of that mandate and its effect on you? >> it is excellent in that health is the priority, to get ourselves through covid. saving keeping customers and personnel the priority. edward: are you seeing customers start to stay home because of the omicron variant? >> yes, a rate of 50% to 60%, the transmission rate of the omicron is a fast pace, people are safekeeping themselves at home instead of going out and getting the omicron variant of covid 19. edward: in your businesses and the restaurant industry as a whole handle another period of time when customers just aren't there? >> not really, many restaurants will close down because it is physically impossible to maintain through another slow down and all the expenses keep going regardless if you do $10 or $2. edward: you have a message for the customers who maybe want to stay home? >> i wish everybody to keep themselves safe and hopefully this omicron will be a fast passing through variant. it looks like the consequences are not as deadly as it was a year and a half ago, we can probably pass it very fast and hopefully by the end january can see some freedom to go out and get our lives back. >> you made adjustments to keep customers safe. >> naturally you have to do that, you have no other choice, this is not a game. you cannot play with it. edward: not just customers, are you having staffing shortages, workers who can't get to work because maybe the subways of cutdown service because of the staffing shortages, and the omicron variant? >> you have a combination of problems, not just in the restaurant, people are also afraid as the customers are and they would like to keep themselves safe. of those already gotten the omicron. of covid 19 and they around, the airline industry, the restaurant industry, no matter what it is we have a lot of people out. even if the customer likes to come to the restaurant or fly on an airplane there are problems with the omicron in every industry. edward: should mayors deal with this more infectious but less deadly variant to balance that with businesses like yours? >> keep doing what we are doing, keeping ourselves safe, make sure people are getting vaccinated because it is not something we can play with. this is life or death. i strongly believe, i would like to put out we should all get vaccinated to get through this covid 19 nightmare. edward: appreciate it, can't wait to get to new york and try some of those restaurants, some excellent food, thank you for your time. happy new year. what do business owners and all-americans need to understand about the latest cdc guidance as cases reach their highest level on record. with me is and why you associate professor of medicine, it seems very infectious, very scary for a lot of folks but should we be as concerned as we are to start the pandemic to now? >> reporter: hospitals asian death rates up and coming down compared to earlier in the pandemic so case for case things seem to be safer but we have to take precautions. when i look around, when i see people arguing about masks and vaccines, there are basic precautions we can follow. we had new year's eve last night and i saw crowds of people waiting in line for covid texting -- testing mixed in for people waiting to get to times square. that is basic principle, you see people who are sick who have symptoms, he being vaccinated or wearing a mask won't protect you, you need to follow safety control practices. another thing we have to be aware of we usually think in terms of medicine and people are more aware of politics but what is happening is people are seeing a lot of things that are affecting it just as the last person was speaking about worker's compensation issues, liability, how it is affecting the businesses, so many factors, such a complex situation that will see a lot of ripple effects if this continues in 2022. edward: this omicron variant causes few symptoms for most which is a good sign. is it also a good sign looking out for other mutations? can we read something to this? >> as the viruses evolve historically they tends to become less deadly and more contagious because they are trying to adapt so they can survive. just as we have been coming up with new treatments, vaccines, new technology to defeat the virus they are also trying to figure out how they can adapt and become more effective. if they become more contagious they can spread more effectively but they don't want to kill the host because then they diet the same time. over time they will cause milder symptoms. covid may be different but no reason to think it would be. over time we will see more variants. not that if we defeat omicron it will be over. edward: the fda's lower to improve treatment for covid 19 vaccines and boosters. on monday we expect the fda to approve the pfizer booster for people 12 to 15 years old as well as approving the boosters for kids 5 to 11 shortly after the new treatments have taken a backseat, took months to approve pfizer's treatment for example. has the fda failed to adapt with the adaptation of the covid variants? >> we can say they should approve treatments, we have to look at the data. but i do think the failure has been primarily in distribution. when we have these treatments, monoclonal antibodies that are out there that are fda approved, should have ramped up production as soon as they got fda approval and even before that as soon as there are studies that show they could be effective because there shouldn't be such a shortage at this stage when we are two years into the pandemic. on top of that there is not enough public awareness. most people who get diagnosed with covid it seems they don't get access to these treatments immediately. they have to know about the treatment and go in search of it. it shouldn't be that way. it should be the person performing the test and gets the positive result, the healthcare provider, is the one that immediately orders the treatment for the patient. edward: back to the vaccines, are we stuck with the fourth, fifth, sixth booster every six months? >> it is hard to know what will happen but as a strategy it makes more sense to overcome the variants to offer those vaccines to other developing nations so that people who want access to the vaccines can have it because the virus doesn't know about these borders. if people can get one shot can get it, that has a better chance of stopping the virus from forming more mutations. edward: i don't have my insurance card yet, the no one but the co-pay from your office in a couple weeks. appreciate it. thanks for getting up this morning. looking out west wildfires roaring through california -- colorado taking everyone by surprise, hundreds of homes destroyed and thousands evacuated. we will go live with the latest next. at you need, you'll find some of the peace-of-mind you want. at prices you'll really want. start the year fresh at lowe's. shop lowe's store & save event now in-store and online. 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 you don't get much time for yourself. so when you do, make it count with crest pro-health. matching your job description. it protects the 8 areas dentists check for a healthier mouth. the #1 toothpaste brand in america. crest. change it turns out, no one is confirmed lost in this quick blaze, this would be a new year's miracle if no one is lost in this because the damage is extensive. edward: new year's miracle no one was lost in the wildfires the leader in 99 your woman is missing. 1000 homes and businesses have been burned to the ground. alecia, this story hits close to home for you, doesn't it? >> reporter: it does. thank you for saying that. my family, my husband's family, my husband lost a business in louisville, and his brother had opened, his part "restaurant two weeks ago and it was destroyed in the fire but everyone is safe and their families homes are still standing so we find ourselves to be among the fortunate and thinking about everybody else and you mention that missing woman, still no word on this missing woman from superior, colorado. her name is nadine turnbull, she's 91 years old, was last seen trying to evacuate home with her niece as the fire was approaching, two became separated and nadine's family is bring, she was taken to evacuation center by authorities and these folks who live in superior assessment devastation, you can see from the drone images how thoroughly destructive the wind driven fire was. it is possible close to 1000 homes were lost but it may take days just to get an accurate account. i can tell you folks you're doing everything they can to help each other out. >> hides -- hard to put into words because everything happened really fast. everything speeds up and you are hoping as you watch the news you don't see your house on fire. i'm thankful beyond words that i still have a place to come home to. >> reporter: there are 13,000 customers without power. a big concern is the cold, below 10 degrees out here. of pipes freeze and burst they have a whole new problem on their hands. on a brighter note an amazon driver is being called the literal lifesaver, the stanley family was asleep with her 4-month-old baby when they woke up to smoke in an evacuated neighborhood. fortunately amazon agent luanne arrived with the delivery but ended up making a pickup. >> he opened the door, do you need help? we like yeah. i'm here to deliver a package, put on the door, we've got to go. >> it wasn't for you we wouldn't have made it out. one of those miracles that happens. >> reporter: as you could imagine there are folks not able to go into the burn area who can see what is left, to see if there's anything at all but for their own safety they are being kept out. the national guard is state out of different areas. they need to clear out the area as well so they don't have another problem. edward: a great story of the amazon driver. we hope your family's business can get up and running, thank god no one was injured. areas of georgia sorting through the rubble after several tornadoes touched down and still could be more to come. john marshall is tracking it. sean: we had some tornado warnings, radar indicated earlier this morning -- happy new year, but the new year is starting off for the rest, likelihood of severe weather. that means winds in excess of 58 miles an hour. or hail on top of that, a tornado threat for that portion you see here from nashville to tupelo over the next 6 to 10 hours. we are watching the radar closely. the bull by is the brown color here, very likely storm threat of severe weather and possibility of tornadoes. you are looking at the storm track, future track the next couple hours, areas of orange, red, those are heavier showers and thunderstorms, some of which could become severe in time. these loan cells are the one we're worried about in alabama through knoxville, tennessee, the system continues to push to the east through the evening overnight hours and tornado threat is there. they are on a scale from ef 0 to eat of 5 with 5 being most intense. there is potential for ef 2 tornadoes or higher from memphis to chattanooga, tennessee, nashville through huntsville and tupelo, mississippi. keep an eye on the sky. i know it is new year's day, a slow day for many but have your fought for their apps handy, the notifications are there for the situation that is going to unfold and what has already unfolded in the amount of rain. it has been significant, we have a likelihood of threats of flash flooding from jonesboro, arkansas through southwestern west virginia. flooding causes most of the fatalities in severe weather. edward: first day of the year we are talking tornadoes and rain, appreciate it. i've got the apps so i'm ready. it is not stopping democrats from pushing more spending in 2022. top republican senator to respond coming up plus a new move in the new year, why more americans are leaving high tax states, not just their wallets driving the choice. ♪♪ ♪ ♪ now i'm ready for someone to call me mom. at northwestern mutual, our version of financial planning helps you live your dreams today. 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! i've always been running. to meetings. errands. now i'm running for me. i've always dreamed of seeing the world. but i'm not chasing my dream anymore. i made a financial plan to live it every day. ♪ at northwestern mutual, our version of financial planning helps you live your dreams today. find a northwestern mutual advisor at nm.com edward: moving during the pandemic from high states to low tax states, the wall street journal editorial board pointing to democratic states attempting to imposter to lockdowns in school closures and republican state is a big factor. find out if it is a major cause and if it will continue and what effect it could have on the 2022 midterms joining us is sarah norman. one big question. i guess what is the root cause of the migration? is at the high taxes as the editorial board is saying, more likelihood of stricter regulations? which is what do you think? >> the claim the migration to read or low tax state is caused for those reasons is a perfect example of cherry picking data to fit a preconceived and dishonest argument. covid let's the purse ability for remote work, many people i personally know went to the sunbelt, first time in the big companies but some of the states with the lowest taxes, south dakota, alaska, wyoming saw 0 or negative growth during the pandemic. louisiana and mississippi actually lost. edward: the concentration of jobs, miami, tampa area, texas, and silicon tech companies are moving. those other states don't have job availability. >> i do think because people like me who normally i had to work in new york city, and in terms of the other breezes, people moving around other places with low taxes some of the examples you used are perfect example of that. the biggest area texas is growing is austin, a very liberal place, the biggest groups who are changing regions, the very blue areas where they can still get confident levels of government. edward: i think dallas would push back on that. they moved their facility into that area of texas. you have areas like new york city, the subway service has been slowed due to lack of workers. people can't get to businesses or spend money. it is a ripple effect. some people are fed up. >> people all over the country, you see crime rates increase, and we have a crime rate, and low tax areas. and it is higher than in california for our own government. todd: a lot more people in california or tennessee. i want to bring in the chief investment officer for wheelhouse and ask you about this. why are we seeing major migration from new york to places that don't have state income taxes, is it regulation? what is moving people? >> reporter: work from home as much as possible but a couple other things as well. i don't think it has been driven by the policy of having freedom to move around but there are other things. we had an unbelievable run in the stock market which means people have now created more net loss with savings rates in the united states at peak levels and a couple things, one is retirement, and income choices. part of that has been migration out of california or states that are not lower taxes that detracted but create -- ashley: i appreciate the conversation. we will bring you back also. democrats who move on, democrats still moving to pass some form of the build back better in 2022 but can they get voters on board? that is next. one of my favorite supplements is qunol turmeric. turmeric helps with healthy joints and inflammation support. unlike regular turmeric supplements qunol's superior absorption helps me get the full benefits of turmeric. the brand i trust is qunol. edward: democrats sitting a new year's resolution to mass the social spending bill as the congressional budget office ads it would add to the national debt. lydiahu is digging deeper. >> the country starts with $30 trillion in debt and already paying $1 billion in interest per day on that amount according to the peterson foundation. lawmakers are considering more spending with president biden's $1.7 trillion bills back better agenda, the congressional budget office found the version of the plan that passed the house in november would add $365 billion to the deficit through 2031 not including $207 billion in revenue from irs enforcement. >> you can consider us, easily 60, $70 trillion in a decade or two if we don't control this. it rises significantly faster. >> republicans calling for more oversight demanding a balanced budget amendment to the constitution. for now it seems the debt is snowballing. the debt is more than $5.6 trillion. it nearly doubled during george w. bush's administration, $10.6 trillion and doubled again to almost $200,020,000,000,000,000 during president obama's administration. almost $1 trillion added during the trump administration to reach more than $27 trillion. usd:00.org says each taxpayer widow 233,$000. back to you. edward: i don't think they will take a check. the social spending push at the start of a key midterm year now. bill cassidy is with me. welcome 22022, hope it is a better year than 2021. looking past the pledge to pass the social spending package, the latest poll numbers for president biden, recent poll showed 57% of people disapprove of the president's approval rating, does it translate into the whole party. >> raging inflation, fuel prices, food prices, the disaster at the border, we need a change in 2022. edward: if we have more lockdowns with that force another massive spending package and make it more likely for the social spending package to pass congress? >> don't think there will be more lockdown, the situation is totally different. if there were lockdown now there would have to be a different rationale than there was before. that would call into question the confidence of the administration. we can get out of this, the people have to buy into it and we have to go forward. what we have now is not being successful. edward: democrats don't have a lot of legislation to run on, the bipartisan interceptor bill was led by you and ten other senators and democrats held up in the house for months before passing it. >> i agree with you totally. they thought they could follow the infrastructure bill, a bill the american people, 70% like, they can hold it hostage to get their bills back better bill, that did not work. pooling off the infrastructure bill with our strategy. we thought we would make it less likely to pass the build back better bill, the bad bad bad bill, going into this election year democrats haven't done a very good job and the american people are going to recognize it. edward: should the bipartisan infrastructure bill passed, part of the money would have been used in the short-term on supply chains. democrats held up the bill, a massive issue with supply chains growing at the end of the year adding to inflation. do you think voters will put that together, to have more problems? >> don't know if they will connect the dots that closely. this administration has not shown much confidence period end of story. and a logistical issues, the bipartisan infrastructure bill does that but there's a heck of a lot the administration has failed that and i think voters will remember. edward: i want to ask about the tornadoes and the potential for some today. your state has done with tornadoes and hurricanes and areas affected. you are still looking at impacts for hurricane ida and laura. >> going through an area that has been devastated it makes you realize how a community comes together over 100 years. you wipe it clean, don't put it back together in one year. people have moved away need a place to move back, businesses need to grow, this is a process, i want to credit the generosity of the american people, if there is a natural disaster we come forward and we help, one of the greatest things about being an american. edward: happy new year to you. from the state of louisiana this year. thank you. hollywood didn't just lose an icon with the death of betty white. the whole country did. we look back at the legacy she left behind next. >> what a nice surprise. i was in the neighborhood. >> doing what? >> coming to see you. i thought this apartment. i've of what you have done. >> i haven't done anything with it. >> i know. edward: she knew how to make us laugh especially when we needed the most was betty white was one of those unique entertainers who connected to several generations to the mary tyler moore show to her role on golden girls and hosting saturday night live. her death came 17 days before her one hundredth birthday. let's book at the iconic entertainment figure, what was it about betty white that made her so special? >> you said it. young and old she was loved by everyone. i thought about it this one. should be concerned that she was all set? i thought about that. did she know something we don't? i thought 2021 would let us walk away quietly. betty white was so loved by all. her role on the golden girls was one of my favorite and was the last living golden girl, she won five any awards, she was a huge animal advocate. to me that was so lovely. she was so real, is the key to living forever? i stay away from green foods. i do too. there's a documentary coming out about her attorney 100, she's on the cover of people. 17 days shy for one hundredth birthday. it is tragic. i can't have them this. i will say if she was going to go on any day she picked a special day, the last day of 2021. edward: in her 80s she was making people in 20s last. how do you have that kind of reach? >> i put a meme on instagram of her with a huge martini glass saying here's to the new year. everybody associated with her, so lovable, so lovely, her late husband, he was a comedian, a lot of people say she got a lot of her jokes from him, she never married after alex, something like you can't re-create perfection. if we all can relate to her, all of us. i'm in my 30s and she was a dream interview of mine. edward: her timing was perfect, that's the key for a lot of comedians. the movie is still going to go on, the documentary you mentioned. >> reporter: the documentary is still happening. the documentary still understands. it is almost eerie i guess. she -- she was passionate about animal causes. prior to an interview, she said i feel so blessed that i feel so good at my age. i find that to be a little disappointing but our body changes when we are almost 100. edward: do you feel we will see someone like her again who will have such -- he holds the guinness book of world records for the longest female on air comedian. will we see anybody like her again? >> we will not. she held an 8 decade career, truly incredible, she will be remembered forever. i believe there one every and other betty white. she is a national treasure. she is a gem. i can't even tell you how disappointed i am. i am smiling because i think of her and i feel betty white would not want us to be sad. edward: i hear that. i believe it. thanks for the insight. the golden girls are reunited playing their roles in heaven. he needed a laugh. president joe biden and russian president vladimir couldn't hold another call this week but with tensions rising between russia and the ukraine we will see if the situation can be resolved. we are on it next. - [female narrator] they line up by the thousands. each one with a story that breaks your heart. like ravette... every step, brought her pain. their only hope: mercy ships. the largest floating civilian hospital in the world. bringing free surgeries to people who have no other hope. $19 a month will help provide urgently needed surgery for so many still suffering. so don't wait, call the number on your screen. or donate at mercyships.org. (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. edward: the talks continue, president biden planning to call ukraine's president zelinski after talking to vladimir putin thursday about his troops amassing on the ukraine border. moore from wilmington, delaware where the president is taking a holiday. >> reporter: senior administration officials closely watching what russia is doing, true position on the board with ukraine as president biden says he's willing to discuss vladimir putin's issues on one condition. edward: made it clear to president clinton that if he makes any more moves, goes into ukraine, we will have severe sanctions. >> reporter: phone call thursday with russian president vladimir putin, the white house is president biden warned unprecedented sanctions. written state media reports president putin threatening to sever diplomatic ties with western countries if they implement those sanctions. many republicans say the administration needs to be more aggressive providing weapons to ukraine. they also criticized the administration for waving congressionally mandated sanctions against russian natural gas pipeline called nora tostream 2 which would boost their position in europe at the expense of countries like ukraine. >> they got away with it in 2014, you think you can get away with it right now? >> reporter: russia has invaded ukraine, seized crimea, russia invaded georgia in 2008. ukraine's foreign minister has been talking about this, if the west falters and chooses appeasement ukraine will defend themselves and their right to exist and choose their own future. senior officials will meet in geneva to discuss these issues. white house officials say president biden and putin are not expected to be directly involved in those conversations. edward: foggy wilmington, delaware. for more on how this can play out in 2022 we are joined by lieutenant colonel danny davis. president biden held a 50 minute phone call with russian president stressing there would be severe sanctions and implied more us troops would move into europe, with aggression toward ukraine. was this morning enough? >> we got to look at the core issue, what is best for the united states. we always want to say let's put more military force in, let's threaten more things to coerce putin back and resurrection we want to go but we have to look at this in stone cold reality. as your correspondent mentioned in 2008 when putin was afraid georgia would join nato he took military action and did the same thing in 2014 with crimea. there is no reason to think if he doesn't feel pushed and threatened again he might take the same action. what would be a much better policy for the united states that many don't like but has the best chance of success is in zelinski's call should encourage them to declare neutrality so he won't go with gluten, won't go with us but that will lower their justification putin may have to do that but also put a buffer between russia and the nato countries where we have article 5 observations and lower the tension and be better for the united states because any possibility of conflict with russia could expand into nuclear exchange that would be catastrophic. edward: we don't know for sure, do that we think that was a message that was sent from the president, that will not go forward with ukraine down to the russian president to ease his concern and that was expressed. >> i doubt he did express that but something else, i haven't heard anybody talking about, the nato charter says that talks about expansion require any nation resolved internal domestic disputes among their population at any external border issues because we don't want to bring somebody into nato that will have a possibly bringing instability to the nato alliance. nowhere near being ready to do this. let's talk about what is good for the united states, not just zelinski. edward: we saw president biden won the chinese president last year nothing really changed in chinese behavior, what does this president need to do to avoid another crimea? >> we have to be firm on where our national interests lie and where our treaty obligation is lie, and not bite off more than we can chew. whether we like it or not, whether it is china or russia may take actions we don't like but don't affect national security like the 1956 time when the soviet union invaded hungary. no one liked that, and didn't take military action or make it worse. edward: it seems vladimir putin continues to push and poke, for military drills in february or march, his pipeline thanks to president biden gives russia more influence, bypassing ukraine. is he testing, where he does what he can get? >> every country is going to do that. the issue you raised brings up an important point. if germany and other countries don't feel the threat from russia is that high that they are willing to put that in that should tell us something to go beyond ukraine. because there are nato obligations activity good position and we need to pay more attention to that. edward: thanks, appreciate it. at the -- have a happy new year. >> appreciate it. edward: majority of states doing something in the new year some critics say cause prices to spike even more. it could bring a shift of power in congress where a new poll is predicting. in the first hour of "cavuto," much more in the second hour. ♪♪ (ringing) - hey kaleb, what's up? 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>> indeed, we've already had wage inflation this last year. we're well above this wage for our kitchen staff. they're averaging 19. it's going all to the servers and bartenders making 30 to $50 an hour in most full service restaurants, which is wonderful. this law provides over $5,000 of bonuses, essentially, to the highest paid workers and we have high inflation we're dealing with, we're raising prices. we're having to cut, unfortunately, several jobs and we've installed automation, for polishing, coffee making and juicing which cuts jobs. >> they're baking that in and not using the consumer price index we're familiar with. >> no cpi they're using 3.8%, old data, and we're at 6% plus. the 45% increase is much higher than the city is it telling us. >> there you have it, edward. businesses are struggling with the pandemic and i will leave you with this, the labor group that pushed for this ordinance was able to carve out for the businesses they represent. so a lot of frustration around that as well. back to you, edward. edward: kelly, good to have friends in high prices. so will the wage hikes bring workers back or add to a shortage? and we'll ask our panel, a provider, and barry, and cities counts and states will raise minimum wage today, 26 later on in 2022. ann, i wanted to ask you, i wanted to see if, you know does this encourage people to take a job or with inflation faster than job gains, does it add to more inflation? >> well, i think there are increases particularly like hospitality that tended to be lower wage applications will encourage people to get back to work coming out of this period where there had been sustained berths and i think it's going to help support unlocking some of the labor that's been sitting on the sidelines, and i'm not sure that folks factor inflation into this, and i think it's going to be hopeful for unlocking some of the labor shortage issues. >> david, we saw in the economy in 2019 had unemployment at record low, and the federal reserve says wealth for minority groups grow faster than the previous 16 years so does the government need this push on wage growth or should it be the economy? >> i think most the time when a business raises wages, it's a good thing because they're attracting employees. the government needs to be out of the way when it comes to setting wage rates at this point in time. you're will are seeing amazon, target, walmart, raising rates dramatically from that standpoint. generally, when you get the government involved, what ends up happening is you're hurting those entry level jobs for teenagers and those just approaching the work force at this point in time. these mandatory wage increases do impact dollars. if you're a small business, especially, you're having to raise the prices that you charge for goods in order to pay these higher required wages. >> and david, it doesn't affect the larger cities like new york, california, which already have starting wages that might be above minimum wage. this really affects those smaller areas. missouri one of the states, smaller towns where small businesses have to deal with this extra cost, right? >> yeah, if you're a small business owner you're directly impacted and you're directly told to raise someone's wages, if in your local market, that's a dramatic increase for you, you're going to pass that along to your customers and your customers are going to buy less and your business is going to do not as well as it could be. so, we need to get back to the economy driving growth overall, which will eventually trickle down to the employees and higher wages. >> sara, i'm sure you have something to say about this. what about the small business owners that have to deal with the extra cost as the labor and the mandate of the minimum wage rising that might not hire that next person to handle the increased costs that they're having to bear? >> look in the long run, this is good for everyone and the economy. i mean, set back for a lot of people are choosing not to work right now is proof that people weren't paid enough to work in the first place and that we need to revisit the minimum wage. but furthermore, another thing we need to look at is the importance of immigrants in our economy. the last several years we've been trying to crack down on immigration and now we have an excess of jobs that can't be filled. i mean, that is connected. immigrants help our economy and we have been actively trying to keep them out of the economy. so this is all connected. i think that raising the minimum wage in those few places will help get people back to work and, you know, bring people back into the service industry and get everyone back shopping. i fear in the short-term we might see spikes of inflation, but in the long run, this is how we get our economy back on track. edward: we'll have to see. i want to ask all of you this, starting with ann. five states are extending unemployment benefits to people who have lost their jobs due to vaccine mandate. will the c.d.c. short quarantine guidance help those people get back to work, what do you think, ann? >> i think possibly. i think more importantly, ed, there needs to be some consistency now. we've had two dozen republican states looking to end federal assistance for those who are unemployed through covid. the five states that you mentioned now trying to support those not vaccinated and a reversal of that policy. and i think we need to get consistent policy, a real visibility what business is going to have to work with when it comes to unemployment benefits, wage levels, they can start planning for 2022, and businesses cannot operate with volatility like this. david, what do you think? >> i think there's 10 million open jobs right now. so, i think that anything that we do to put people back in the labor force is good. so we need to get out of the way providing benefits when there are jobs available for people to take in 2022. >> sara? >> you know, i think you raised the minimum wage, more people will come back to work and we will be closer to getting the economy back on track, but again, it's not going to happen without also looking at immigration. we know that cracking down on immigration has meant that a lot of our lower paying jobs have not been filled and by taking immigrants out of the economy, it's hurting all of us. >> and we still have eight million people unemployed and 10 million job openings, so there should be a connection there. a great discussion, i've got to leave it there. happy new year to all of you. get ready for the midterm mania, the balance of power hanging in the balance in 2022. we will have at latest on who may control congress by the next time the ball drops. ♪♪ thinkorswim® by td ameritrade is more than a trading platform. it's an entire trading experience. with innovation that lets you customize interfaces, charts and orders to your style of trading. personalized education to expand your perspective. and a dedicated trade desk of expert-level support. that will push you to be even better. and just might change how you trade—forever. because once you experience thinkorswim® by td ameritrade ♪♪♪ there's no going back. >> so the senate returning to washington monday and then the house the following week as congress heads into a key midterm year. 34 senate seats and all 435 house seats are up for election. a recent fox business poll shows if the election was held now, the g.o.p. would win more votes than the democrats, but it's still 11 months away and who knows what will happen by then. here to break it all down is editor in chief at the hill, bob, democrats released the new year's resolution for a spending package and senate majority leader chuck schumer vowed to bring it up this month. the "monty python" line, not dead yet, not dead yet. is this what democrats are going to run on in 2022? >> they are, and they have to get a bill done. it's kind of like obamacare which certainly hurt democrats in the short-term because they lost the house soon thereafter passing it. they've got get something. they had a tough stretch at the end of the year, 2021, and 2022 looking a little bleak because they don't have consensus on this big bill and that has led to bad headlines over the holiday. edward: when do they look at the poll numbers? when do they look at the feeling of america and see that this is not what the americans want and change course to try and salvage a midterm election? >> i think that depends on joe manchin. joe manchin wants to trim this bill. i think he does want some type of deal, but he does not like what he sees right now. it's too expensive, especially with record inflation. so, i think that depends what manchin trims down and where the progressives go with that. and no republican is going to vote for this. this is going to be a very difficult january and february for democrats until they get a deal. >> and it could drag out. i mean, you saw that august is when the bipartisan infrastructure bill was passed and held up by the house as you mentioned until december. could there be this gridlock within the democratic party and how would that affect voters in next november? >> well, the problem for democrats is that they're losing key parts of the population. they're losing latino voters. they're losing independents. the left is upset because they're not getting a $6 trillion bill through. i do think that they have to pass something, otherwise there's going to be no reason for the left to show up in the midterms, and as you can see from polls, the republican party, the base is very hungry because they don't have anything now. the house and senate and the white house all for democrats so that's when the other side gets hungry and democrats have to worry about their side getting a bit not showing up in the midterm. edward: and the democrats plan to hit with president trump and january 6th. and will democrats try to attach that to other democrats? and will that strategy work? >> i think that democrats have to go more on what they've done than trump. and we saw that in the virginia race, mccauliffe mentioned trump repeatedly and did not work. i think that the democrats are going to mention the former president and january 6th, but as far as changing votes, i don't think that will happen. they have to say we passed this, it helps you whether it's infrastructure or covid, not going well for the white house and the country right now and they have to run on what they did. it remains to see what they will do because they have the big bill pending. edward: where do you see the mainly issue? is it immigration crisis, the inflation, the way that we left afghanistan and crime in cities where criminal see no punishment and aggression and where is the issue that voters will match onto, do you think? >> i think it's mostly economy, the inflation, is the transportation bill going to affect quality of life. i think that crime is part of it, immigration is always something that's a big issue for both bases in a midterm. i think overall, it's going to be inflation and the economy. edward: we'll leave it there, appreciate it. >> thanks, ed. edward: the migration surge at the border, one of the many crisis during president biden's first year in office and now texas has a message on how the president can fix it in 2022. that's next. one of my favorite supplements is qunol turmeric. turmeric helps with healthy joints and inflammation support. unlike regular turmeric supplements qunol's superior absorption helps me get the full benefits of turmeric. the brand i trust is qunol. 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! when you have xfinity, you have entertainment built in. which is kind of nice. ah, what is happening. binge-watching is in the bag, when you find all your apps, all in one place. find live sports faster just by using your voice... sports on now. touchdown irish! [cheering] that was awesome. and, the hits won't quit, with peacock premium included at no additional cost. all that entertainment built in. xfinity. a way better way to watch. >> so we know the border surge was out of hand in 2021. in fact, it got so chaotic that texas starting building its own wall. well, now it's calling on the biden administration to do more to help in 2022, so lieutenant chris olivera, from the texas department. good to see you again. let's hope for a better 2022 on the border. the remain in mexico plan is being reinstated, but seems like the government is slow-had walking it. is there a message that the u.s. border is still open? >> great to be with you, happy new year. what we saw in 2021, complete disregard from the federal government to take any action to secure the border and so many events at that took place in 2021 and there was a complete neglect on their part to safeguard americans and the border and we've seen the influx of illegal immigrants, the numbers have not slowed down and they escalate and we anticipate going into 2022 the numbers are going to increase historically compared to 2021. the federal government needs to take action and listen to the americans, the citizens that are along the border, listen to the ranchers and working with the governor of the states, texas and arizona and give them the help that they need and most importantly is to support the federal agents out there on the field. >> right. >> which they have turned them into processing agents now. they need more manpower, need more infrastructure. >> and texas stepped up. you talk about the personnel down there and texas tepid up in a way that the federal government has not. your state troopers have pitched in with other agencies, but it's not enough, right? >> right, 20211, we deployed over a thousand personnel as well as national guard to the southern border and we deployed so many state resources and funding to secure the border and of course, in december with governor greg abbott launching the construction of the texas border wall. first ever in texas history and first ever i believe in u.s. history to construct its own border wall and we're taking the measures and one thing that's challenging, some of the areas and some of the land, federal property, we cannot take any type of enforcement action or we can't construct border walls so they step in going to 2022, fulfill the agreement to follow through with the remain in mexico policy and began construction on the border wall and helped the resources and federal partners and work with the governors and with governor abbott and the arizona governor and give them what they need and the support and funding and this is not the responsibility of the state, this falls with the federal government to take action. >> you mentioned that thousands of troopers have been redeployed, that takes them off other areas and duties they were doing around the state of texas for the citizens of texas. >> you're right. so we're bringing in resources from other parts of the state to work at the southern border because of the current border crisis. again, it does leave very minimal manpower in those communities where they need to be there to safeguard their communities as well, but right now because of what's taking place and because there's no help or support from the federal government, our texas state troopers, as well as national guard. the state assets are now at the southern border fulfilling this challenge. >> so how do you fix it then? >> first of all, you they need to take action and there needs to be accountability and leadership on their part and be stricter on the immigration policies and follow through with the remain in mexico policy as well. from what i understand, it hasn't been effective at all. there are thousands of illegal immigrants coming across and family and children coming by themselves and making this journey because of the messaging. we're seeing an up-tick in human smuggling. coming through the border and becoming human smugglers. we had a texas family, a mother and daughter killed by texas smugglers. they need to provide the manpower and infrastructure to the southern border and would the states, work with texas and arizona to fulfill the challenge and that remains to be seen. right now the state of texas is going to continue moving forward and we'll continue to take measures and potential threats along the southern border, we can deploy the same resources at a moment's notice. >> there have been something like a half a million got-aways in 2021. and that raises a safety issue for people that live there. we're talking about drugs, talking other illicit activity that comes across the border. >> that's what we need to shift our focus going into 2022, we understand the families, we understand the children that are coming across, the humanitarian effort behind it, but need to focus on the criminal element. the criminal organizations and fentanyl killing tens of thousands of americans. the counterfeit pills that are being manufactured by the drug trafficking organizations, we're seeing this at an alarming rate so we need to focus on the criminal elements and go after the criminal organizations as well as the gangs and the got-aways. single adults, we have no idea what their intentions are coming across the border and we need to focus on that in 2022. edward: thank you for your time down there and your work along the border, appreciate it. >> always a pleasure, thank you. edward: gas prices soared in the last year and now a new report says it will only get worse this year. but how much worse? that's coming up next. ♪♪ >> well, think gas prices were high in 2021 # ? they may hit new levels this year. gas buddy predicts unleaded gas, $4 a gallon. >> the pbf refinery here in pal paulsboro, new jersey, no year will it cost more than in the coming here, according to gas buddy. ne do and a ul forecast and they say in 2022, we will spend 364 more dollars per household to fill up our cars and trucks than we did last year. that's going to total $76 billion more and they will be spent this year on gas as opposed to other things in the economy. the worst month they say will be in the summer as it often is, when the average price for a gallon of regular could top $4 a gallon. andy lipow explains why he thinks so. >> they're up 50% since last september, because the economies around the world have reopened on the one hand, but on the other hand there's been a lack of investment in the oil patch in order to get more oil out of the ground. >> that lack of investment and finding new oil has meant that in the past year, there has been the smallest amount of new oil discoveries than at any time in the past 75 years. 4.7 billion barrels of new oil. that compares to 12.5 billion the year before and as we've said, the smallest amount since 1946. also means that gas and oil pipelines are somewhat underused. utilization rates now at about 50%, that means about half of the nation's pipeline space is empty. ed, not good times in terms of oil exploration means not good prices at the gas pump. edward: yeah, those are just staggering. so, when will there be more pain at the pump when you fill up in 2022? price futures group center analyst phil flynn joins me now to discuss. where do you see oil going in 2022, and how does that translate to gas prices? >> you know, i think, ed, we could see oil prices get close to $100 a barrel and i think that gas buddy has it right this year and i think that we could see around $4 around labor day, because the biden administration has told investors to stay away from the old fossil fuels and those are the investments of the past, but fail to realize that the country's economy is dependent on this. this lack of dependent and discovering new oil is going to cost everybody money and we're going to see that at the pump this summer unless the biden administration changes course and they're going to have in the new year. if they don't, everybody's going to be paying for it at the pump. edward: you heard jeff flock say there that this, in the past 75 years, this is the least amount of new oil discovery that's happened. what does that mean then, not even this year, looking out to 2023 and 2024? >> it means we're in a new era of higher prices. and one must suspect that maybe some of this is being done on purpose, right? the globe is trying to get off fossil fuels and the government around the globe has conspired to do things to make prices higher. so, you kind of think that they're either not very aware of the global oil market and how it works, or there's a conspiracy to drive up prices so alternative fuels look like they make more sense. because, let's face it, they don't right now. >> this isn't happening in a vacuum, either. we should care about rising oil prices because it affects all of the u.s. >> it does. what you're seeing at the grocery store. those prices going through the roof and going for apparel and believe it or not, the build back better plan, if that ever get passed and we have to rebuild the economy it's going to take a lot of asphalt and a lot of fossil fuel and a lot more expensive if we discourage investment in u.s. oil and gas. edward: the last time gas averaged above $100 a barrel, when president obama was in office and his vice-president joe biden. you believe that prices will be $100 a barrel averaging? >> it could, but i think that people will rise up and say enough is enough. i think you'll see a pullback from the energy transition. this year jennifer granholm might step down because this he'll look for somebody for the energy prices. and when you have somebody who laughs about the gas prices when they're near record highs, i don't think they'll stay around that much longer. edward: you say that, but that hasn't happened. as of right now you could go down the administration and there hasn't been much accountability when things go bad. the poll numbers are certainly bad. this is a different time and inflation at 39 year highs and that wasn't the case when the former president was in office, from president obama when oil was $100 a barrel and the different time you think makes a difference for voters? >> it does. i think if you look back over the last couple of years, edward, you know, economists were saying, hey, the economy is growing, but inflation is low, and they couldn't figure it out. well, the reason why was the u.s. energy and gas producers, and the shale revolution changed everything. they were able to feed the economy cheap energy as the economy continued to grow and that's why we have this impressive economic boom with no inflation, now that we're pulling back from u.s. oil and gas production, you're seeing it right in the inflation numbers so that's what we need to change. we need to encourage u.s. oil and gas production. we do it cleaner, we do it better and if you're going to make the energy transition work without killing the economy, you're going to have to work with u.s. oil and gas. >> because it's not one or the other. it's not oil or electric vehicles. i mean, you can do both at the same time, and right? >> you do. exactly. and that's-- listen, i'm for electric cars, i'm for the energy transition, but you've got to do it smart. you've got to use science and right now the technologies don't exist to cut off oil and gas. you shouldn't be telling new york, don't use oil and gas because it's one of the cleanest forms of fossil fuels and you can't replace that with energy efficiently or to make sure that it runs during the high heat times and the real cold times. edward: as you know, that natural gas heats evenly. being from a cold area, it really does work. phil flynn, happy new year. >> happy new year. edward: tributes are pouring in for actor betty white as the world mourns the loss of a tv legend. we'll have some of the those tributes and a look back at her career next. were cooking with mom. she always said, “food is love.” so when she moved in with us, a new kitchen became part of our financial plan. ♪ i want to make the most of every meal we have together. ♪ at northwestern mutual, our version of financial planning helps you live your dreams today. find a northwestern mutual advisor at nm.com >> as we ring in the new year, we want to stop and take a moment to remember the life and legacy of betty white, who sadly passed away yesterday at the age of 99, just 17 days before her 100th birthday. from starring in the golden girls, to hosting "saturday night live," she was a trail blazer in the entertainment industry. with a look back at her iconic career, laura engle digging deeper into why she made us all laugh. >> talk to anybody you know and everybody's got a story of watching betty white, on tv, in the movies, listening to her, doing voiceover work. she was certainly very beloved and when she passed away yesterday, you know, a part of americana went along into the history books for 2021 is that's for sure and today the iconic actress is being remembered by so many with love and, of course, with laughter. the 99-year-old actress who got her start in 1949 had a career for seven decades. she died at her home in los angeles and while many remembered her on mary tyler moore show, and she was married three times and she met her husband allen ludden called the love of her life. she never remarried and never had children. she was passionate about animal welfare and spent four decades working with the morris foundation and the los angeles zoo and honored from fans to fellow actors who loved her like family. tributes of course are pouring in, including this tweet from ryan reynolds who a lot of people are looking at. he not only starred in the rom-com, but had a running joke. the world is different now, defying expectations and managed to grow very old and somehow not old enough. we'll miss you, betty, now you know the secret. white died just weeks before her 100th birthday. there was a huge celebration planned for her by a production team and people magazine had gone to print with white on the cover celebrating the milestone. and white won several emmys and a lifetime achievement emmy and certified as the longest female entertainment in 2014 by the guinness world records. betty white, you will be missed by so many. back to you. edward: absolutely. and before you go, i wanted to ask you, you mentioned the cover of people, they can't take that back, it's going forward. what about the movie, the documentary on her life. is that going to go forward? >> a lot of people are talking about all of the things that were in the work, and of course, i believe that that is going to go forward. of course, there will be some tweaks in that. big celebration, it was planned from coast to coast to celebrate her 100th birthday and waiting to hear how that's going to go. edward: i appreciate it. thank you, laura. she made us all laugh. have a good new year. and problems that aren't going away in the new year, smash and grab robberies have plagued some major cities, and now some retailers are taking security matters in their own hands. that's next. - [female narrator] five billion people lack access to safe surgery. thousands of children are suffering and dying from treatable causes. for 40 years, mercy ships has deployed floating hospitals to provide the free surgeries these children need. join us. together, we can give children the hope and healing they never thought possible. it's a mission powered by love, made possible by you. give today. we gave new zzzquil pure zzzs restorative herbal sleep to people who were tired of being tired. i've never slept like this before. i've never woken up like this before. crafted with clinically studied plant-based ingredients that work naturally with your body. for restorative sleep like never before. when you have xfinity xfi, you have peace of mind built in at no extra cost. advanced security helps keep your family protected online. pause wifi whenever for ultimate control with the xfinity app. and family-safe browsing gives parents one less thing to worry about. security, control and peace of mind. with xfinity xfi, it's all built in at no extra cost. >> it may be a new year, but businesses and their workers are still spooked over the spike in retail crime and now, one midwest grocery chain called high-vi is creating a security force to combat it and for the government to do more in the new year. and the california retailers association president and ceo joins us to discuss it. grocery stores are starting to post armed security guards. is this a cost that businesses should have to bear? >> actually been happening-- first of all, happy new year and the issue has been happening in california already, particularly in san francisco, and in fact, in san francisco, many retailers partner and they pay for off duty police officers to be in their stores to protect their employees and their consumers from rising organized retail crimes. while we're seeing it now in the midwest, it's something that's happened already in california, and frankly, no, it shouldn't be. you know, fundamental responsibility of government is public safety and we're seeing some progress in california, but we need to see much more in our state to find a solution to this growing epidemic. >> this affects all of us. somebody may look at it, for example, and say that's just the big cities, but we're talking insurance, too, because somebody has to pay for this, and the insurance companies, they're not going to burden that cost, they're going to spread that out over everyone, isn't that right? >> absolutely. you know, ultimately, consumers pay. we're seeing an increase in inflation, you were talking about that earlier. this adds to that and this adds to the cost. you know, prices are going to continue to go up, crime is certainly part of that. particularly when we see the criminals turning around and selling them on the marketplaces and they're making all of the money, while the law abiding citizens are the ones paying the price. >> so governor newsom, the governor of california, they have a public safety plan that they announced and says he's going to put, design more funds to deal with organized retail theft. would it really make a difference, all of these plans, if the criminals then just turn around to get out of jail right away again? >> so, we were thankful and we support what governor newsom announced, but remember, that's a budget proposal which means it still has to go through the legislature, which means it won't take effect until july 1 of 2022. so we still have a lot of work to do between now and then. i will say that in the next few days, the california retailers association is putting forward our policy priorities when it comes to this issue and we do have some ideas and some solution-based proposals that we're going to put forth to the government and to the legislature. i think that the legislature in california has the responsibility, but you're absolutely right. the problem is there's zero consequence in california for this type of behavior and until we address that, whether it's diversion programs and the job training, whether it's making sure that those who are the real criminal master minds behind the crime rings are put in jail, until we see some consequences, nothing is going to change. right now-- i'm sorry. edward: well, no, no, i'm curious on that point. do you think that now we're going to start to see businesses be more vocal going forward to get some of these changes in place? >> i do. i know i've talked to a number of particularly smaller businesses because you remember, every large national retailers that you see the smash-and-grabs happening to, there are two or three small businesses around there as well. that story has not been told as much, the impact on our small retailers, our small businesses. i think they're going to be much more vocal and you'll see communities many much more vocal. in san francisco you're seeing a change in tide in terms of what people are saying. this is not how we want to live. this is not where we want to live and we need to make the changes. edward: in the last 30 seconds, do you have a message for customers who may be looking at this video and going, i'm not going into a store now? >> you know, i will say this, our priority is the safety of our employees and our customers and retailers have been investing for years and specifically the last few months even more so to make sure that the shopping experience is safe. there are things that you see visibly, you know, armed security guards and those things, but there's a lot going on behind the scenes and a lot of communication going on between retailers and law enforcement, it's safe to-- shop, if you see something, don't intervene. go to law enforcement and don't get engaged with some of the criminal activities. know that it's safe to shop. edward: great advice. happy new year. >> thank you. edward: and hear from some of the most iconic names in business, you won't want to miss that, that's coming up next here. ♪♪ liz, you nerd, cough if you're in here! shh! i took mucinex dm for my phlegmy cough. what about rob's dry cough? works on that too, and lasts 12 hours. 12 hours?! who studies that long? mucinex dm relieves wet and dry coughs. men, you need to get off the couch and get with the program. with golo, i lost 50 pounds. it feels really good to be able to button your jacket and not worry about it blowing up. -(laughs) -go to golo.com to lose weight and get healthier. 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. >> and it's our joy to ring in the new year with all of you at home and to kick off 2022 in style, we're looking back at some of neil's best interviews with some of the biggest names in the business throughout his 25 years here at fox. take a look. >> you're watching the cavuto business report, in our behind the board room segment. >> recently dubbing him the whiz kid of wall street. >> how much of what you've been able to orchestrate, jamie, has been helped by a great stock market? today is a good example. >> there's no question everyone in our business has benefitted from the market. >> and go ahead. >> interesting. >> not really, no. >> how would say you're the guy. >> didn't we sit around in college and talk about what we want to do when we grow up. >> do you know what legendary investor john mogul wanted them to hear on wall street, main street. >> the low cost index fund, if you want to make a lot of money, manager or sponsor wants to make a lot of money, they're putting grossly excessive amounts of funds. >> and i consider the people running the company, we ran it together. >>, but you control the voting stock, don't you? >> i control this interview. >> one more thing, if you can find a better car, lee iacocca, it's like elvis entered the building. how important is it to run it to the company's image? >> we had no alternative, we were going bankrupt and the agency talked me into it and said you're a guy who has got to go out there and stay, instead of using a celebrity go back that afternoon and make sure the cars don't leak and rattle. >> and he spent $60 million out of his own pocket to become mayor of new york city, but what michael bloomberg does is anyone's guess. >> that's a greater challenge for everybody, not just for me. >> you're used to being the guy in the charge and you call the shots. >> no, i have 8,000 people at bloomberg, a company that i work with. they don't work for me, i work with them and that's why we've been successful. >> he is considered one of the most controversial billionaires on the planet and last time i checked there aren't a whole lot of billionaires on the planet. george soros. you see a slowdown coming and many agree with you, is the slowdown a recession or worse? a housing bubble that bursts or-- >> that's the $64 question and i honestly am very much concerned about it because there's no question that housing bubble is being deflated, but there are other positive developments which may counter balance it. >> and perhaps the most polarizing figure in america today. the one message that the ceo fears the most getting from their secretary, carl icahn on line one. >> we go to the company, 30%, and turn it over and done over and over and over again. and it tells you one simple thing, the companies, many of them are terribly run and there's no accountability. i grew up in queens, only in this country, this great country. only here could i have done what i've done. >> jack welch changed not only a company, but arguably a country. >> you have to get people to go beyond the wonkiness. >> your job as a leader get in the skin of everyone, show you where you're doing and how you're going to get there and what's in it for them when you get there. you get those three things going and you've got it. >> one of america's most iconic, home depot celebrating the opening of first stores 40 years ago in atlanta, georgia. and on this day, much lower taxes and stable environment, what do you think? >> first of all, it would be very difficult today. the government is really working against you, a cornerstone of our belief from day one was the people in the store. we always believed that if this was going to work, we had to not only get the right people, we had to motivate them and after we got them. we had to respect them. >> he's my brother, he may be italian, but he's my brother, brothers by different mothers. >> we are. >> his style may change, but his hair remains the same. how does he do that? i hope everyone had a fantastic year and neil will be back, and tune in coast to coast on fox business at 12 eastern. ♪♪ >> five, four, three, two, one! . alicia: the world rings in 2022 with music, fireworks and hopes for a very happy new year. welcome to fox news live, everyone, and happy new year, i'm anita vogel in los angeles. >> next time hopefully i'll be there with you, joining us from washington. happy new