airport. covid causing a travel nightmare across the country. airlines struggle to find crews to staff flights. i'm john roberts in washington. sandra, happy new year to you. >> happy new year to you, too, john. the travel challenges are what everyone is talking about today. omicron variant pushing to levels not seen in this pandemic, nearly 500,000 cases reported in a single day shattering the previous daily high set two days beforehand. throw in a winter storm with exploding case counts, all the ingredients for a massive travel headache. nearly 4,000 flights have been canceled so far today, according to flight aware. the omicron surge is leaving many airlines without crews to operate those busy schedules. >> fox team coverage starts now. standing by from the white house, but first senior national correspondent at reagan national airport outside washington, d.c., snow finally tapering off a bit. >> good afternoon, john. that's right, the snow is just slowing down a few minutes ago but has left a mess here, it's a mess getting to the airport and once you are here the good chance your flight is not taking off. about 60% of the flights that are supposed to leave reagan national airport today won't, they have been canceled. take a look at nationwide here, what we are looking at, 8,000 total delays across the country. 4,000 cancellations and we have been watching those numbers go up and up throughout the day. this is on top of the delays, by the way, from the weekend, thanks to storms in the west and midwest. travelers coming home for the holidays and covid sidelining airline staff, baggage staff, everything having to do with the operation. potomac river from here, no press briefing, and offices are closed, so are schools, federal and d.c. government workers are teleworking today. ok. across the river we have also got the mayor of washington, d.c. and her team, just given a press briefing recently and what they are saying, enough supplies to get through here to keep the roads clear, to keep everything open and ready to go once this all opens up. as we were just talking about, john, this snowstorm just ended and it really kicked up early this morning. i have to say around 7:00 this morning, the roads were just wet and then all of a sudden this is the type of snow if you don't have the right car to be driving around in, it's a really good chance you could be stuck here. it happened quick, it's wet, it's a mess. back to you. >> even the piece of sound you were looking for could not make it in because of the snow. rich, thank you. >> stuck on the road. >> thank you. >> a lack of testing, and the omicron surge is causing some school districts to start the new year off virtually, sadly, the latest from a snowy north lawn for us. so, will the president address any of this today, parents are outraged everywhere where this is happening, obviously. >> no kidding, sandra. the roads are no better over here at the white house, it does not seem to be playing a factor into what the president is doing. absolutely no events dealing with omicron, his only event today is actually about increasing competition in the meat industry as a way to deal with inflation. but the testing issue is really a big piece of the covid problem for this administration. they touted this purchase of 500 million tests as a way to address the surge in omicron cases, not only did they not arrive before everyone got together with their families for the holidays but the contract is not signed. companies are submitting information about that right now about that, the white house expects to have the contract finalized by the end of this week, but also the issue of creating the website for americans to then order the test. meantime, many districts are requiring students and staff to test negative before returning to classes. many schools opting to delay in-person and go virtual for now. education secretary addressed the need to keep schools open for in-person learning despite the increase in cases. >> making sure the children learn in-person. the impact of hybrid learning, remote learning is very real for us parents who have had to experience it at home as well. so we need to do everything in our power, includes getting access to those tests. >> also been a messaging problem with the c.d.c. and public top health officials. dr. fauci floating the possibility of yet another policy change in response to public pushback with the c.d.c. now evaluating whether to test after a period of isolation. >> i myself think it's a reasonable thing to do. i believe the c.d.c. soon will be coming out with more clarification of that, since it obviously has generated a number of questions about at that five-day period should you or should you not be testing people. >> and the c.d.c. director said it can show up to 12 weeks, and rapid tests are not a viable alternative, negative test could produce a false sense of security. so you have fauci, and her saying two different things. hopefully answers this weekend. >> at a snowy white house, thank you. and by the way, john, coming up, charles payne on the struggle it creates for so many businesses trying to operate through this, and i can't wait to talk to a doctor on the school closure in some areas of the country. that is rough on a lot of parents who are trying to get back to work. they have not quite figured out how to test and get kids back to work. what the quarantine length of time should be if there is a positive test and whether the cotton masks, whether they work, i don't know if you heard admiral giror said the era of cloth masks with the omicron variant are over. >> former f.d.a. administrator believes the same thing as well. i cannot believe how much fauci and walensky are on different pages. president biden is providing a decisive response, he told vladimir putin last week there will be a heavy price to pay, including severe sanctions. the president making that statement after his call with putin last week. putin firing back reportedly saying to reporters in russia sanctions would be a colossal mistake. morgan ortegz, get back to what the president said to putin, that the u.s. would respond decisively. do we have any idea what that entails? >> no, and i don't know if putin does either. perplexing 2021 as it relates to russia and ukraine. they have been very, very slow. jack sullivan, national security adviser, despite the democratic party losing their minds over trump doing so as well. so you have an administration that has talked a very big game on russia, yet approved the nord stream 2 pipeline, and what was somewhat laughable, the democratic lawmakers coming out on the sunday shows yesterday, adam schiff, my buddy, saying that he was basically perplexed and surprised, didn't understand why putin was making these moves. i think it's very obvious why putin is doing it. this is the same people that were in charge in 2014 when he invaded crimea, he knows there will not be a lot of consequences for his actions. will it be different this time, does biden mean more, his tough talk mean more than president obama's tough talk? i hope so. if not, you can see the dominoes begin to fall in the democratic states that surround russia. >> certainly there are a lot of people who represent an authoritarian side of governance, would like to observe more territory than they have already. wind the clock back to last week, what president biden said he told putin. >> i'm not going to negotiate here in public but made it clear he cannot, emphasize cannot move on ukraine. >> since i'm not going to negotiate but clear that he cannot move on ukraine. however, congressman michael walz of florida said there's a deep flaw in biden's policy and not doing anything to deter putin from going in, he's only saying what he would do if putin goes in. what do you think of that? is that a flawed policy? does he need to do something to deter him from making the move in the first place? >> yeah, my friend mike hit the nail on the head there. listen, a couple things can be done which the biden administration threaten. wrecked sanction their energy sector, we could look at things like in the biden administration talked about cutting off the banks in the global financial sector, so there are levers there but all things that they are promising to do if they invade. i would be doing the opposite. i think the amount of troops while it's not new that russia amasses troops on the border with ukraine, this is a number, a level we have not seen since their last invasion. so, there are things that we can begin to do now, and again, i go back to the concept of the lethal aid that could be provided to the ukrainians now. jake sullivan and others say like well, if we give them, if we give them the weapons now, that will sort of speed up the eventual russian attack. but it also doesn't make any sense, john, in my mind, to wait to give ukraine lethal aid until after the russians invade. so they are trying not to provoke russia, i understand that. i think you have to play hard ball with someone playing hard ball, and that means you have to show them that the consequences of an invasion would be so bloody and so costly that it will deter them. i think it's hard to tell a thug and autocrat like putin -- foreign policy, not one thing that works but having strength works and we did not see these actions when president trump was in power. >> we'll see how things go, meeting with russian officials in geneva the 9th and 10th of this month, we'll keep a watch and see how it guys. morgan, thank you for joining us and kicking us off today. appreciate it. >> thanks, john. >> nice to see morgan in the new year. we have been talking about, thousands of canceled flights across the country could be preventing the economy from getting off the ground. how far into the new year will covid continue to disrupt the u.s. economy? we'll ask charles payne, the money man, his analysis of the crazy situation next. >> plus, sandra, thousands of colorado residents starting a new year homeless following last week's wildfires. we'll have a live report on the ground coming up next. >> seems like it's a real experience a few days ago, you were celebrating christmas at home and hanging your stockings and now home and hearth have been destroyed. ♪ it wasn't me by shaggy ♪ you're never responsible for unauthorized purchases on your discover card. ♪♪ three times the electorlytes and half the sugar. ♪♪ pedialyte powder packs. feel better fast. dry eye symptoms driving you crazy? inflammation might be to blame. time for ache and burn! over the counter eye drops typically work by lubricating your eyes and may provide temporary relief. those'll probably pass by me! xiidra works differently, targeting inflammation that can cause dry eye disease. xiidra? no! it can provide lasting relief. xiidra is the only fda-approved non-steroid eye drop specifically for the signs and symptoms of dry 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>> so, i'm certainly not going to speculate. there is a lot at stake here, ok. but something ignited the fire in that wind on a red flag day. >> red flag day meaning conditions are ripe for a fire and prescribed burns are not allow. here is the governor. >> if there was any form of deliberate or -- or accidental arson, i fully expect any of those responsible will be held fully responsible under the law for the utter devastation caused. >> little by little folks who live here are being allowed back into the burn area. for some, that mean seeing with their own eyes the home they had to evacuate in a matter of minutes is no longer there. others may not have lost a house are still in mourning. >> this was the best christmas decoration block in town. you can see the lights on that tree, you can still see them over here, used to walk my dog here at least three times a week up and down the street. i lived in louisville 24 years and heart broken for our friends that lost everything. >> and john, even with all the sadness, a certain level of optimism we have been running into. i talked to a lot of people who say they do plan to rebuild. john. >> all right. alicia, you have to feel so terrible for those folks. what a way to go through the holiday season and start off the new year. thank you. sandra, one second your home is there, the next second it is not. wow. >> yeah, and a horrible way to start the new year. so much optimism out of things like this, so many promising to rebuild already. our best to all those folks struggling through that right now. all right, it was supposed to be the start of a new work year for many americans, thousands of employees are still trying to make it home. flight cancellations across the country due to staff shortages from covid as well as bad weather. staggering amount of omicron cases creating havoc as some are forced to reduce hours or close up shop entirely. how does this impact the economy trying to recover? fox business host charles payne. good to see you, happy new year to you, buddy. >> happy new year. >> always good to talk to you. i want to pick your brain on this. what happens when, you can pull it up on the screen here, what happens when you've got in a day 2700 flight cancellations, january 1, 2700, december 31, 1500. i mean, these are workers at many american companies, small and large, that are trying to get home so they can get back to work. what does this do to the economic recovery? >> it's devastating on top of all the other things that are going on. you know, there are two things that you have to look at with all of this, and one is behavior, and one is policies and restrictions. on the behavior side, obviously we see where, you know, people are going to go out to restaurants less, obviously this stuff you are showing here, anyone that braved through the holiday travel probably would be not getting on the plane anytime thereafter. business travel was the main thing airlines needed to pick up and to your point that's not going to happen right announcement and here is the thing, president biden's favorite economist says the omicron variant has taken g.d.p. from 5% to 2%. and what's more worrisome, sandra, impact for me at least on small businesses, small business is saying struggling to pay the rent was improving dramatically. restaurants, 41% said they were struggling in october. and that number went down to 35% last month. retail from 33 to 25%, construction, 42% to 35%. beauty salons, struggling to pay the rent in october, 47%, almost half, down to a quarter, 24%. we were obviously heading in the right direction and so this is another blow for the most vulnerable businesses out there. >> yeah, and you talk about the fitness business. we talked to gym owners throughout covid, what a struggle it has been for so many of those gyms to follow protocol, you know, many of them had to shut their doors in the middle of the pandemic and jeff sanders, new york state fitness alliance, he was on "fox and friends" earlier this morning talking about the struggles at a time when so many are trying to hit the gym to start the year. watch. >> it's such a challenge now, people are afraid or they don't want to come in with masks. this whole thing, especially in this time of year, when we really are helping people drive their goals and get back on track from where they have fallen off and that's the inner challenge because of this. >> charles, this is just such a struggle for all these business owners out there, and the gyms are a big one. >> they are. so ironic, i had ten days off and worked eight out of ten, i have a long way to go. but the point is, and i mentioned policy. new york state, i just think, has been so hand fisted, and i have to tell you this, sandra. of all the pandemic job losses, 19% from new york state alone, and 75% make less than $60,000 a year. again, it's devastating to the lowest income earners, devastating to the smallest businesses, it's just a horrifying sad story that will not go away. some i think, though, the policy has not helped and i think that's why you have a lot of confusion in the white house. >> policy and policy confusion, i would add to that. final question, charles, on this wall street journal editorial. the board at the wall street journal is looking at the impact of the federal extended jobless benefits that were going out for quite some time that eventually ended, and they have concluded this, that the pandemic jobless benefits and work, the correlation there, and this new study that shows the enhanced payments did reduce employment. and charles, this is a debate that raged for quite some time. and the board concluded the fact that unemployment claims are falling now, even amid the fast-spreading omicron suggests the virus may not be as important as many believe. this bears watching as omicron spreads in the new year. i wonder what you take away from that, charles. because there was big questions over whether or not those federal extended unemployment benefits were keeping people unnecessarily at home but now they have ended and now you are seeing the applications for jobless benefits go down. so, is this a sign that those benefits were keeping people at home and not seeking work? >> absolutely. i put a lot of work into that, i studied the numbers inside and out, and told folks when they initially stop you will see the people go out. the number to watch was savings, the savings rate was come down, one point it was like 26% and now 6%, as this comes down, more people say i'm going to go to work. good news, get out there, folks, 11 million job openings, we need to get you out there and get back on the ladder to prosperity. >> red hot job market if you are looking for it, right, charles? >> absolutely. >> charles, great to see you. hope you enjoyed the movie with your granddaughter. "sing 2." >> everybody hated me, i was singing all the songs, we started with prince, finished with u-2 and i was singing like crazy and my granddaughter was proud of me. i should have paid everyone's ticket, i think i ruined it for everyone else. go see "sing 2" if you have kids, and see it if you don't. >> good for charles, sounds like a lot of fun. local officials at the border pleading with president biden to do more to deal with the crisis, instead, the administration is in court striking down president trump's policies. are the priorities in the right place? tom homan will weigh in after the break. >> they need a new strategy and approach. what the cartels and the illegal migrants know, if they cross the border, odds are they will remain in the united states for years as their immigration court proceedings continue. and that's the issue here. pain hits fast. so get relief fast. only tylenol rapid release gels have laser drilled holes. they release medicine fast for fast pain relief. and now get relief without a pill with tylenol dissolve packs. relief without the water. of congresswoman marjorie taylor greene. they say the georgia republican repeatedly violated the covid misinformation policies. alexandria is live in washington, she has the details on this. how many times did twitter say greene broke that's policies? >> it had to be at least five. in march of last year, twitter put a strike system in place to combat covid misinformation. so five or more strikes causes the account to be permanently suspended. the tech giant did not specify the exact tweet, she tweeted that day and referenced unverified user information about covid-19 vaccines and falsely quote extremely high amounts of covid vaccine deaths. in response to the ban, representative greene took to the alternative platform telegram asking why those involved with terrorist organizations, and added twitter is an enemy to america. >> no secret the social media companies have been part of the algorithms promoting disinformation, and i think the steps are important but frankly, a little too little and a little too late. >> according to twitter, for covid-19 content to be considered a violation, it must advance a claim of fact expressed in definitive terms, demonstrably false or misleading, and cause serious harm. and opinion is not a violation. and concerns over the power of big tech during another major election year and the first decision regarding a politician under the new c.e.o. sandra. >> sandra: alex, thank you. john. >> john: the biden administration asking the highest court in the land to review the trump-era remain in mexico policy. lawmakers and local officials are pleading with the white house to address the crisis at hand rather than focussing on ending former president trump's border legacy. tom homan, former acting director of i.c.e. and fox news contributor. fifth circuit court of appeals decision that reinstated remain in mexico was based on erroneous interpretations of federal law. biden administration was denied once by the supreme court on this particular issue but looks like this particular appeal to the supreme court is going to go on their docket. could this potentially end remain in mexico? >> well, it shouldn't. i think the first court action needs to be to find the administration in contempt. their order to remain in mexico and slow rolled it for months, doing it on a small basis, i think they removed in two months like 200 migrants through the remain in mexico. under trump, we removed 200 several times a day. so it's a fraction what we do, so i was a part of the lawsuit, happy to go back to court and sue the administration again. as a matter of fact, i'm testifying at the end of january in a lawsuit against the administration for what they did to i.c.e., decapitated i.c.e. so i hope it gets to the supreme court, i think the supreme court would agree it's a right policy that protects our southern border. i've been saying for a long time, i don't care what you think of trump's policy, they are successful. and second of all, number of deaths under the biden administration in one year, 650. that is more than double what president trump had his last year in office with remain in mexico with the full throttle. so the trump policies not only secured our border at historic level, it saved lives, secure border saved lives, the biden administration is ignoring all that data. >> tom, you make the point the biden administration does not have remain in mexico, applies mostly to single males coming across the border, not to families as it did under the trump administration. but at least having that policy partially reinstated, what message does that send to migrants who might have their eyes on the southern border? >> stats, 200 people were returned in two months, we have had tens of thousands cross the border. the word is out, the whole world knows the border is only, and that's why the numbers continue to climb. 170 some thousand in november, and december is higher, historic high for december, had not put the numbers out yet, trying to figure out the way to spin it. every month has been historic. we had the most secure border in my career spanned 35 years. first year under president biden historic highs. we have never seen numbers like this in the history of the nation and he did it in months. biden administration is ignoring border security, they believe in open border policies and that's why we are not apologizing, they failed to put enforcement in place and suing back and appealing the decision to seal the border. i have never seen an administration to purposefully unsecure the most powerful border. this is not mismanagement, this is not incompetence, open borders by design. >> most recent count in november, 173,000, almost three times the number that came across in november of 2019, which was a particularly bad year, but here is what elizabeth, the solicitor general argued before the supreme court, m.p.p. is not the best tool for deterring unlawful migration but exposes migrants to risks. she said it's not the best tool for deterring unlawful migration. what would work better, in your estimation? >> m.p.p. was the most successful program, the most successful enforcement strategy we ever had on the border. it drove illegal immigration down 83%, 35-year low. that was number one change president trump made that secured our border and i would submit this to her, the solicitor general. look at the data. data clearly shows it works and as far as how bad it is for migrants, i'll say it again. twice as mean people died under the first year of the biden administration, where they did not have m.p.p., twice as many than when president trump had m.p.p. in place. it saves lives. >> john: i expect we will have time to talk with you in the next few months as the border activity continues unabated. good to see you, happy new year to you. >> happy new year to you, john. >>andra: f.d.a. ruled on covid booster shots for children 12 and up. what does it mean for kids in school. that next. >> john: and congresswoman alexandria ocasio-cortez spotted in florida without a mask. why critics say it's another case for rules for thee but not for me. stay tuned. as a dj, i know all about customization. that's why i love liberty mutual. they customize my car insurance, so i only pay for what i need. how about a throwback? ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty ♪ only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty ♪ >> vo: my car is my after-work decompression zone. ♪ music ♪ >> vo: so when my windshield broke... i found the experts at safelite autoglass. they have exclusive technology and service i can trust. >> singers: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace. ♪ >> sandra: f.d.a. approving pfizer booster shot for children and teenagers 12 to 15 years old. and shortened the recommended time between the initial pfizer vax and boosters to five months. it was, of course, at six. let's bring in dr. nicole sapphire. saphier, hello. happy new year to you. >> happy new year. >> we all hope for a great new year, although struggling with the challenges right now and so many people are making decisions about kids and vaccinations, and so many have gotten these vaccinations, where do you stand on boosters 12 to 15? >> let's be clear what came out of the f.d.a. authorizing boosters or the third doses of pfizer in kids 12 to 15. they have also shortened the length of when people can be eligible for a booster following pfizer vaccine from the six months to five months. and they also said for children 5 to 11 years old who have certain immunocompromised conditions they should be eligible for boosters. one interesting thing, the data they presented did not demonstrate any efficacy or really any clinical benefit of the booster in the 12 to 15 age group. this were no cases of myo carditis, however they pointed out a flaw saying they did not include all the diagnostic codes which may have accounted for not being able to catch some of of the rare cases. for me, i can say the decision to boost healthy adolescence, millions potentially without any efficacy data, you know, is perplexing, and i have to imagine that i don't know if that would have happened if you still had some of those higher level directors there in the summer that quit over the booster controversy. you know, i think that boosters should be targeted for high risk populations, c.d.c. data even shows of children and adolescents hospitalized with covid. two-thirds of them have co-morbidity, and obesity. i'm not sure boosting healthy adolescents is the right move and i don't believe that schools and colleges should be mandating it. >> sandra: very interesting. it's very similar to what we heard from the admiral who joined us earlier, talking to harris earlier, and questioning the use and the need for cloth masks. questioning whether or not these are even effective against this highly spreading omicron variant. here he is earlier. >> omicron is highly infectious, and the typical single cloth masks do not help. surgical mask is better or type of n95 mask is obviously the best. you have to weigh your own risk and benefit for that, but i think the era of cloth masks with omicron is probably over. >> really interesting because the pandemic response task force from the acgih put up the time it would take for the infection to spread from different masks, including cloth, surgical, n95, and then nothing at all of course would spread faster, but dr. saphier, where are you on this, knowing so many of the kids back in school are wearing cloth masks, are they effective anymore or not? >> cloth masks are really just effective for maybe reducing some of the heavy respiratory droplets that come when people are actively symptomatic, sneezing and coughing. but omicron is more transmissible, and cloth masks especially the single layer cloth masks, especially inappropriately worn by children have negligible benefits, if any. probably more harm by lack of facial recognition and other things and high quality masks should be targeted for high risk individuals. it's not practical for general population to be walking around in n95s. >> sandra: and obviously that would be the most effective at stopping the spread. but the availability of them. and lastly testing and the mixed messages on this. >> the p.c.r. test after infection can be positive for up to 12 weeks. so that is not going to be helpful. >> why not test people at that time. i myself feel it's a reasonable thing to do. >> sandra: so there's a lot of questions over how many days you need to stay home from work or school with a positive test and then getting a negative test days later. what are we supposed to think of the mixed messaging and how are people supposed to get this right? >> it's confusing, sandra, and it's not black and white. bottom line is we are not going to risk elimination. before they said stay home, stay home as long as possible to eliminate risk of transmitting. now it's about reducing your risk. when you are not symptomatic, wear a mask, but people have to get back to work. >> sandra: dr. saphier, always making sense of it for us, thank you, doctor. >> thanks for having me. >> john: sense where there is none. chicago ending 2021 with the most murders in 26 years. that's just one of many cities that saw a surge in homicides last year. can america's big cities turn around the crime crisis in the new year? we'll tackle that coming up. i brought in ensure max protein, with thirty grams of protein. those who tried me felt more energy in just two weeks! 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weight loss. your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. upper respiratory tract infection and headache may occur. tell your doctor about your medicines, and if you're pregnant or planning to be. otezla. show more of you. >> john: murders spiking in several big cities, including chicago where nearly 800 people were killed in 2021. that is the highest number in 26 years. garrett is live in chicago with the shocking statistics. almost 800 people, garrett, unbelievable. >> yeah, it really is, john. the windy city has not seen these kind of numbers since the 1990s. and chicago led the country last year with 797 homicides. that is a 61% increase from 2019, and that is in addition to more than 3500 shootings and 1800 carjackings. so, looking ahead to this year. chicago police superintendent david brown says his department cannot solve on its own and suggested prosecutors have to do more. >> we have to send a strong message to gang and criminal networks the gun violence will not be tolerated, which means we have to have significant serious consequences, we work with our state's attorney and federal partners to ensure the cases are brought for the. >> nationwide, at least 17 cities broke records for homicides last year while others hit totals they have not seen in decades. in washington, d.c., the murder rate went up for the fourth straight year, passing 200 the first time since 2003. new york city's newly sworn in mayor eric adams says he plans to go after gangs and guns to make it safe again. >> john: amazing the turn around from defund the police to do everything you can to combat crime. garrett, thank you. sandra. >> sandra: the long lines continue to stretch nationwide as americans struggle to get tested for covid. why is this problem worsening nearly two years into this pandemic? jonathan turley, john, abby, and more. it's ubrelvy. for anytime, anywhere migraine strikes, without worrying if it's too late, or where i am. one dose can quickly stop 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last year's hyper sonic missile test was just the start of the story that likely has the pentagon sweating. welcome back as "america reports" rolls into a second hour. john roberts in washington, happy new year again to you, sandra. >> sandra: and to you as well, john. great to be back together again. a former intel official is here to explain why china's weapons breakthrough puts the west technology to shame and american stealth fighters at grace risk. first another news alert. and the nation beginning a brand-new year, but president biden staring down the same pile of problems after the weekend celebrations, monday's reality is setting in. especially when it comes to covid. >> john: all the talk of putting 2021 in the rearview mirror means little to parents finding classes canceled again for remote learning and despite the pandemic entering the third year, testing is still a huge mess, many americans waiting hours to get one, days longer for results. administration now trying to buy a half a billion tests to send folks for free but it could take months. critics saying the biden administration did not do the job. >> they did not place the orders, so you saw lines closing down, tests destroyed, now catching up. >> usually it's the long lines at airports around the holidays that are making headlines, but this year there was the long lines at testing sites around the country that had people complaining. senator marco rubio says the long waits at testing sites are keeping people off the job "tweeting record numbers for a sore throat is not a crisis, but it's the hysteria that has people with no symptoms waiting hours for a test or missing work for ten days". the biden administration says that's why the c.d.c. cut down the quarantine time to help get people back on the job. >> that's one of the reasons why the c.d.c. has made this now a movement towards getting people back who are without symptoms after five days rather than ten days. so that's the exact reason for doing that. if you are without symptoms and you are capable of working, you want to safely get people back to work. >> the testing problem could be an even bigger problem if the biden administration's vaccine or test mandate goes into effect as planned on monday. the supreme court is holding a special hearing this friday to look at whether the mandate for some private businesses should be blocked. the rule applies to companies with more than 100 employees, would impact over 80 million workers. 24 states are suing the administration over this. one advocacy group led by former vice president mike pence filed a brief saying this, the biden administration is not truly seeking to mitigate workplace hazards but rather attempting to use osha to accomplish an end it has been unable to persuade congress to support, mandatory vaccination of the american public. even as a legal battle is brewing over the one-dose requirement, some cities like new york are eyeing a booster shot mandate, too. >> we require teachers, police officers, other city workers to get a booster shot. >> our next move and decision. we are going to examine the numbers. if we feel we have to get to the place of making that mandatory, we are going to do that, but we are encouraging them to do it now. >> but john, a lot of people are not stomaching a mandate for one shot, it will be interesting to see if they can convince them to get a booster shot and stomach a mandate for that on top of it. john. >> john: mandate after mandate on top of mandate, where it's going to end. thank you. sandra. >> sandra: all right, let's bring in dan, from the wall street journal editorial page and fox news contributor. great to see you, i wish we were in a better position but we are not. a heck of a lot of confusion. whiplash with what we are hearing from the health officials about what to do when there's a positive test, when to go back. just to give viewers a little example, this is some of the mixed messaging that we are hearing from, c.d.c. director walensky and dr. anthony fauci. listen. >> the p.c.r. test after infection can be positive up to 12 weeks so that's not helpful. >> why not test people at that time, i myself feel that's a reasonable thing to do. >> sandra: put your seatbelt on. it's tough for us as individuals, parents with kids in school, for employers trying to get people to stay at work or come back to work, and this is a mess. >> it's a complete mess, and implications were not so severe for the workplace and for schools it would not matter so much. because clearly most of the american people i think at this point, sandra, simply have lost the ability to pay attention to this or to follow it or much less even care because they have no idea what the authorities are trying to tell them. and that's because the authorities themselves, as dr. walensky and dr. fauci make clear are confused among themselves and raises the point in my mind, sandra, what exactly are we trying to do with all of these policies? is the goal to keep down the simple number of case loads and infections, is the goal to keep down the number of people dying from covid, a number we know is relatively flat at the moment, or is the goal to protect our hospitals? now the hospitals themselves are, it's a good thing to protect, but they themselves are suffering staffing shortages because of mandate, because of the mess over quarantining and who in the hospital should be tested, or not tested. so, we have to step back at some point, i think, and hopefully you would want someone in position of authority, whoever that may be at the moment, to tell us why aren't we doing this anymore, why are we taking all the steps that are effectively, again, shutting down much of the economy. >> john: there was a thought, dan, that with omicron being so highly contagious and yet not as virulent in terms of the progression of disease as delta and some former variants that maybe we need to rethink the paradigm how we approach this. mixed messaging, we needed ten days of quarantine, now only five, well, maybe finish that off with a test. but can't be a p.c.r. test, could it be an antigen test, don't know just yet. leading some critics to believe the public health officials are just making this stuff up as they go along. what do you think? >> i think they are. tiger by the tail and trying to deal with it. though in retrospect, the biden administration deserves criticism and blame for dropping the ball on testing. we listen to the authorities months ago they expected going into winter the number of cases would rise and be severe, right? at that time they were talking about delta. kamala harris, the vice president herself let it out they really did not anticipate omicron coming, but really what difference does it make? we knew we were heading into a difficult winter and that was several months ago and they had not ordered an appropriate amount of tests to give people, and i might even add, john, just for the sake of thinking about it, what if they had ordered sufficient tests and what if people by the millions and millions were out there being tested. could we trust the biden administration to put in place a set of protocols on the results of those tests, whether positive or negative that we could live with? i suspect the protocols would be much more severe and end results would be many, many more millions of people forced to stay home from their jobs with or without symptoms. >> sandra: ok, if that were not all enough to keep us all confused, about what is working and what is not, let's add to the equation that now it is believed and a new study out to show that cloth masks are not effective in combatting the omicron variant. admiral giroir was on earlier. he agrees. >> omicron is highly infectious and the typical single cloth masks do not help. a surgical mask is better or n95 is obviously the best. you have to weigh your own risk and benefit for that. but i think the era of cloth masks with omicron is probably over. >> sandra: we know the available supply of surgical masks and n95 is not realistic, to assume everyone if you are not a health official, can't possibly be enough supply and as dr. saphier was saying, weigh risk versus reward does not make sense to put these on kids in schools. where does this leave us, dan? >> well, i think it leaves us with a population that i mean, the whole strategy towards fighting covid was based on the willingness of the american people to comply with these regulations, right? and for two years i think by and large most people have made a good faith effort to do that. but we are beyond the point where people are, a, able to understand what it is they are supposed to comply with, and quite frankly, i think most people don't care anymore. and what that means in effect is we are going to end up going towards what we were always going to have to result in, and that is some degree of herd immunity. a lot of people will get infected. looks like consequences at the moment are not that severe. people will end up with natural immunity as dr. mccarry has said many times on this station and finally we'll have to simply get through it that way without worrying about what we should be doing or not should be doing from one day to the next. >> john: half a million, almost 600,000 infections in a single day last week toward the end of the month. dan, you have to figure this thing is out of control and more people than not will probably end up getting. so we have to change something, i think. >> ride it out. >> sandra: thanks, dan. >> john: good to talk to you, dan. how many people do you know, sandra, in the last couple of weeks have come down with covid? >> sandra: many, many. and that's why it all comes down to a local level. many. i mean -- the new york area, a lot of the suburbs of new york are struggling with case counts going up and hospitalization numbers are going up, not inundated like they were at one point. but it's -- it's spreading like wildfire. the omicron variant is definitely more contagious. back to dan's point he just made, people are realizing that it's not as severe as some were experiencing with the delta variant. so keep that in mind. >> john: as we head into the new year, a lot of businesses back to a ghost town. and who is first in line with lifesaving treatment. new york state has a policy based on who gets priority based on the color of their skin, and governor is facing pushback. and according to jonathan turley, on the screen, it could fly in the face of the u.s. constitution. jonathan joins us coming up. i brought in ensure max protein, with thirty grams of protein. those who tried me felt more energy in just two weeks! 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>> chicago public schools, sandra, are back in session in-person today, but the chicago teachers' union is threatening to walk out later this week because of the rising covid cases. the union asks the school district to implement new safety protocols to start the new year, and they asked the district to go virtual for the first two weeks of the year while they implemented those protocols. they wanted things like a testing requirement for students and staff to return back to school. they wanted 300 testing sites across the district and wanted the district to hand out better face masks like n95 or kn95, but the district has insisted classrooms are safe without those measures in place and now the union will vote tomorrow whether to walk out on wednesday. there is a similar back to school showdown in new york city between the district and the union and across the country, more than 2100 schools are closed for the first few days of the new year or back to virtual only learning for the first week or two of the new year because of rising covid cases. still, the education secretary and public health officials across the united states insist that school should take place in person. >> we have done the balance so many times over the last year about the effects of keeping children out of in physical presence in the school and it's very clear that there are some really serious effects about that. >> most of the large school districts across the country are back to in-person learning today with mitigation measures in place, but sandra, we'll find out tomorrow what the chicago teachers' union will do. it could be back to virtual learning if teachers do walk out. >> sandra: it affects so many lives and employment in that city. grady, thank you. john, another thing that reminds us or makes us feel, i guess, like it could be a year ago, i mean, this was the raging debate happening in that city about 12 months ago. >> john: just when things look like they are beginning to get a bit better, one step ahead, and three steps backwards. and with the omicron variant that's out there, it's like we have five steps backwards. really is incredible to see, feels like the change between, just before the christmas holidays and now that we are coming back. and may only get worse. omicron is not -- >> sandra: the one thing we learned, so much agreement among parents about this, that we have learned how to keep the kids in the school safely, and the teachers, you know. the vaccinations work, the mask-wearing, behind plexiglass for lunch, keep the kids in school, right? >> john: we'll see where this goes. the new york governor facing serious pushback over a statewide policy to give priority to some covid patients who need lifesaving treatment based on their race. stating it should go to those who have risk factors not just the ones like the compromised immune system, people who are older, obese, diabetes, etc., etc., but also "nonwhite race or hispanic ethnicity should be considered a risk factor as long standing systemic health and social inequity have increased risk of severe illness and death due to covid". and john turley, you believe the new new york state policy could run well afoul of the u.s. constitution. why? >> i think it does. racial discrimination is something that the constitution has worked to prevent mightily through the courts, since the civil war. this has been the battle of this country, but recently we have seen groups embrace discrimination, biden administration was found to have engaged in racial discrimination in elevating or prioritizing black farmers over white farmers. that was struck down in a bill passed by congress. now new york is doing this in the medical field and saying this is one of the so-called other risk factors would be your race. well, what's really quite perverse about the policy, identifies the conditions they are looking for, obesity and immunity problems. and then says, however, that because minority population has a lower rate of vaccination, higher rate of some of these problems, that should be considered a risk factor and left scratching your head, what? why not look for the actual medical conditions that you just listed. i mean, you know, the fact is, the minority population has a higher percentage of these conditions so if you just look for those conditions they will actually get priority as individuals, not because of their race. but because medical conditions. >> john: without the application of race in there you could identify the same people. no question there are racial disparities in the availability and application of healthcare. but doing it this way, where you are prioritizing race definitely puts you it would seem to me and your column, too, people should read it, into an area where it never needed to go. and i'm wondering why they chose to do it that way as opposed to the suggestion that you make where you just list the conditions. >> well, it's entirely unnecessary and it's also incredibly divisive. you know, we had a major blunder in the biden administration by failing to prioritize therapeutics, and the scarcity is creating long lines, a lot of tension and you are going to add this type of racial element that's totally unnecessary. but when you look at the new york policy and click on the links, it takes you to two c.d.c. reports and there is no there-there. they talk about the medical conditions you would expect and then also note about the disparity in healthcare for the minority community. but after reading it, i don't get it. why don't we just say look for these medical conditions regardless of the race of an individual. >> yeah, and jonathan, a point you made, you said that the virus is circulating among people who are unvaccinated and giving them more serious disease and they tend to be at a higher risk category, and tend to be to a large degree people who are in minority groups. yet critics have said well, people who are unvaccinated should either not get healthcare at all or go to the back of the line and you make the point what are they going to say about the fact now they should get priority? >> the level of contradiction in this policy and for those people who have advocated it is truly breathtaking. half of the pundits saying you should let unvaccinated people die or put them at the end of the line and new york saying because it's an unvaccinated population we need to give them priority. and good luck to you if you can figure that one out. >> you do your best to make sense of it. i point you to jonathanturley.com. appreciate it. good to see you. >> thanks, john. >> sandra: great discussion there. our nation's stealth fighters might have just had their cover blown. china claims it has developed advanced technology that pentagon scientists have not been able to master despite decades of attempts. and it could mean a whole new risk to our nation's fighting forces. former c.i.a. agent says this is a game changer, we'll talk about it next. >> and heard about the staffing shortages cancelling flights. if you are here in washington, d.c. you definitely know about the snow that's making matters worse. feds say there is a third problem that is coming to the nation's airways and they warn it could actually threaten planes as they are in the air. details just ahead. mm. 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>> apply now... >> ...and make a difference. >> singers: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace. ♪ with ww, i lost 30 pounds >> man, i love that song! and i feel incredible. i love the new program because the app does all the work for you. it's never too late to start. start the new year with three months free. join today at ww.com. hurry, offer ends january 3rd. >> sandra: fox news alert. airline staffing shortages that have been cancelling flights across the country, combined with brutal weather to make matters even worse. now the feds are warning that even after the storms clear there is yet another major hiccup threatening to snarl travel. live from philadelphia international airport for us, now, it looks freezing there, jeff. thank you for reporting from there. but how bad is it out there today and how many stranded travelers are there? >> well, i will get to tomorrow's disaster after i get to today's disaster which as you report, sandra, has to do with the weather as well as staffing issues. yeah, it's cold out here. the snow has stopped at philadelphia international and maybe you see an overlook of the runways. this is one of the airports that had dozens of cancellations. also pictures today from newark liberty, about 150 cancellations there. they were hit by bad weather, too. but in d.c., where john is, that was the worst of it. reagan national, over 400 cancellations. this is largely as a result of weather but exacerbated by the lack of personnel. and here are the latest numbers so far today, we have 2,856 cancellations u.s. wide, 3600 delays, and that tops the record of this past weekend. saturday we had 2700 cancellations, and almost 10,000 delays. sunday it was just about the same, 2600 cancellations and 8,000 delays. and now tomorrow's disaster. yeah, what's happening on wednesday, maybe you heard about it. the launch of 5g by at&t and verizon, great thing, yes, but the airlines say it could be a disaster for them. they have filed a petition asking that this be delayed because they say it's going to interfere with aircraft communications. i read to you from the petition that the airline trade group has filed saying that aircraft will not be able to rely on radio altimiters and thus will not be able to land at certain airports. we watch an american flight take off here, it will be fouled by the new 5g. carriers say no, we are going to do it anyway. we'll see, sandra. >> sandra: i mean, can we just add one more thing to the list? travelling is not pleasant right now. what is next, i can't tell you how many families i've spoken to over the holidays who decided to pack up the family minivan or suv and just drive wherever they were going, yeah. just to avoid all this. jeff, thank you. a chilly 30° in philadelphia, thank you. >> john: if you packed up today, you would have to deal with the snow. chinese scientist say they have a hypersonic missile so advanced it can detect almost any target that moves, even stealth fighters. a major step for beijing and escalating arms race. the new hypersonic weapon apparently uses infrared heat-seeking technology. very much like surface to air missiles. let's bring in former c.i.a. chief of station, dan hoffman. it's believed up until now g.p.s. technologies or a stationary target. the infrared technology takes it to a new level. what does this throw into the mix we did not think was there before? >> yeah, it takes it to an alarming new level, especially if china were to make those hypersonic missiles nuclear capable. they are denying that, but if they did it and no reason to think they wouldn't, alarming first strike capability and look, general secretary has claimed the strongest military by 2047, taiwan in the close hairs. hypersonic missiles are a key component of the strategy. >> the difference is, it can hit a moving target as well. >> right, absolutely. and you know, the goal is to win the fight without having to fire a shot, why we are seeing so much reporting about this capability. they want to deter the united states from becoming involved in what they consider to be their sphere of influence, one way to do it, to deny our aircraft the capability to enter that potentially contested air space in south asia and asia. >> john: typically china steals the application and then makes it themselves, but this was developed by chinese scientists, got through the barrier of infrared, heat seeking missile has to have a glass dome on the front of it, and the pressures and the temperatures they operate at would cause the glass to melt. they found a way around that. how big of a technological leap is it for china to have overcome this problem? >> it's a huge leap, and you know, technology has always been the key for the united states, for our department of defense to stay a step ahead of our adversaries, and right now we are seeing china effectively, you know, put us in position where we have to catch up, and we have had a good partnership between the department of defense and the private sector, but it's not quite good enough. we need to do better, we need to eliminate the red tape, the bureaucracy, and d.o.d. has to figure out a way to protect the private sector intellectual property as well. and why we know china is conducting so much espionage against us, better at protecting our secrets. >> john: quick last question in the 30 seconds remaining, he wants china's military to be the most powerful by 2147. a regional power or the ability to project power on a global scale? >> i think he is projecting power. he has a base, a military base, negotiated a partnership with iran, relationships with our, in our hemisphere with latin american countries. we have to be concerned about china's global reach and this is a part of it. >> john: dan hoffman, always good to talk to you. thanks for your perspective. happy new year. such as it might be. >> sandra: we hope for one, right, john? 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yeah, hang on, i'm about to break my own record. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ earn about covid-19,you need. the more questions we have. the biggest question now, what's next? what will covid bring in six months, a year? if you're feeling anxious about the future, you're not alone. calhope offers free covid-19 emotional support. call 833-317-4673, or live chat at calhope.org today. >> sandra: it seems a.o.c. is a.-ok with ditching the mask in miami, at least. that was the new york congresswoman, music playing in the background, partying up, dropping the cover while partying at that crowded bar there in florida. critics are calling her a hypocrite as covid cases spike back in her home state of new york. charlie joins us now, so charlie, is it fair that many are calling her out for being a hypocrite while partying it up in florida while her home state is battling a record covid surge? >> to be honest with you, no. i -- yeah, it is unfair. i -- i don't see why she can't go to florida and have a good time. i mean -- i kind of wish i was there. >> sandra: nobody says she can't. they are just questioning. >> it's -- it's hypocrisy if she is sitting around talking about what a bad job desantis is doing, governor desantis of florida is doing as opposed to what a great job the governor in new york is doing. then it would be hypocritical for her to go in the center of evil. it's a lot of -- a lot of democrats do that. >> charlie, she's been very supportive of a very strict measure in her home state to fight the coronavirus pandemic. florida, many democrats have been very critical of florida that has been more relaxed on some of those measures. she is choosing to vacation there and live it up without her mask on and kiss and hug. that's -- that's the hypocrisy being questioned. >> this is a fox news alert. i am going to support a.o.c. on this, and here is why. she was outside, i mean. i don't think she's -- unless you can show me, you know, some tweet or statement from her saying i think people even outside when they go jogging, eat outside, should have face masks on, then it's not hypocritical because she's outside. it pains me to say this, it kills me to say that -- i think -- i think she could do what she wants with her boyfriend outside without a mask on. i wish i was down there but i was in quarantine. >> sandra: by -- ok, we've got it. you like florida. but she and her members of her party have been very critical of that state and the leaders of the state for how they handled the pandemic. some are questioning her choosing that as vacation destination and you are choosing to give me your thoughts, that's fine. but also now calling out, wait, hold on, she's now calling out republicans who have chosen to highlight what they see, some of them as hypocrisy, but accusing them of being motivated by sexual frustrations over this, your thoughts. >> dude, no comment. >> sandra: did you not know what the segment was, charlie? >> i did see that, but listen, anything i say here gets me in trouble. i mean -- [laughter] i think she's going a little too far on the sexual frustration part. how is that? [laughter] >> sandra: wow, ok. more preparation next time, charlie. >> no, i prepared, i prepared. i prepared. i prepared, i prepared. i just -- how can i comment on her sexual frustration? >> sandra: you join us to talk about these things and inflation, ten seconds. how does this tie into inflation? >> um, you've heard of something called a joke, haven't you? i think a.o.c. needs a sense of humor and you do, kind of, too. >> sandra: the holidays are over, charlie, come back to work. thanks for being here. >> see you tomorrow, see you in the building. >> john: maybe the cost of mojitos and margaritas is going up. >> sandra: you never know what you are going to get. john, obviously there was this back and forth that captivated folks on the internet over a.o.c. taking on republicans for calling her out on this, saying that they just want to date her? >> john: i'm with charlie on this. i'm going to take the fifth. >> sandra: you are speechless, ok. >> john: intentionally so. coming up next -- i like my job. coming up next, an investigation every parent needs to hear. why so many prenatal tests pushed on moms to be end up so being very wrong. >> sandra: very important question. plus, a shocking scene on the field. antonio brown's dramatic exit over the weekend and a plea from his quarterback, tom brady. everyone remembers the moment they heard... “you have cancer.” how their world stopped and when they found a way to face it. for some, this is where their keytruda story begins. keytruda - a breakthrough immunotherapy that may treat certain cancers. one of those cancers is advanced nonsquamous, non-small cell lung cancer where keytruda is approved to be used with certain chemotherapies as your first treatment if you do not have an abnormal “egfr” or “alk” gene. keytruda helps your immune system fight cancer but can also cause your immune system to attack healthy parts of your body. this can happen during or after treatment and may be severe and lead to death. see your doctor right away if you have cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, diarrhea, severe stomach pain or tenderness, severe nausea or vomiting, headache, light sensitivity, eye problems, irregular heartbeat, extreme tiredness, constipation, dizziness or fainting, changes in appetite, thirst, or urine, confusion or memory problems, muscle pain or weakness, fever, rash, itching, or flushing. these are not all the possible side effects. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions, including immune system problems, or if you've had an organ transplant, had or plan to have a stem cell transplant, or have had radiation to your chest area or a nervous system condition. today, keytruda is fda-approved to treat 16 types of advanced cancer. and is being studied in hundreds of clinical trials exploring ways to treat even more types of cancer. it's tru. keytruda from merck. see the different types of cancer keytruda is approved to treat at keytruda.com, and ask your doctor if keytruda can be part of your story. >> john: prenatal genetic testing pushed on moms-to-be every year. a stunning report from "the new york times" suggested the report could be wrong more often than not. william la jeunesse has more. can't think of something more stressful than this. >> 35% of women get tested for genetic disorders. now medicine can and is testing for additional genetic testing. accuracy is vital. the results can determine if the pregnancy is terminated or if a child is born or not. turns out as you said, "the new york times" found out that many of these are wrong 90% of the time showing fetus has a mutation when it doesn't. >> noninnovative prenatal testing can show a valuable option for a number of pregnant women. it's important when a test like this is offered that the pregnant couple and their doctor have the opportunity ahead of time to decide which condition they want screening for. >> so the tests cover a range of potential defects, including degeorge syndrome, the p-36 syndrome, which can cause seizures and muscle disabilities or the prader willie syndrome. some doctors say these tests are preliminary and will be used to trigger more advanced scanning. some say they want to use it to prohibit false climbs. mostly depending on a woman's age, they say hey, order the test without discussing what a positive means. only to find out some women have gotten an abortion and to find out later that the test was wrong. >> john: it's amazing that they're wrong nine out of ten times. >> i talked to the former-fda director and he says they should. >> john: thanks. sandra? >> sandra: all right. a shocker on sunday afternoon. buccaneers wide receiver antonio brown stripping mid game and storming off the field. the wide receiver leaving the stadium after he repeatedly refused to into into the game. brown took off his uniform and threw parts of it in the stand. after the game his coach said simply that brown was no longer a buc. let's bring in abby hornacek. what do we know happened here? >> yeah, this is one of the more bizarre things that we've seen in the world of sports. it's not clear why he left the field. he posted the sarcastic comment saying that he left that he was a super gremlin, which is referring to a song posted by kodak black and posted a link to his own song. i'm not sure if that played anything to it. you mentioned that bruce arians said that he's no longer a buc but he missed out on contract incentives. he needed one more receiving touchdowns, 55 yards and eight more receptions to get three separate bonuses worth $333,000 each. if he got all three, that would have been a million dollars. i don't think surprised many with his problems in the past, the raiders, steelers and now the bucs. it's sad to see him throw away talent that he has on something like this. >> sandra: we'll see what happens next. tom brady is coming to his defense. listen. >> i think everybody should find -- do what they can to help him in ways that he needs it. you know, we all love him, care about him deeply. you know, we want to see him boo his best. it won't be with our team. everybody should be very compassionate in difficult things that are happening. >> sandra: important leadership there to say we don't know all the details and he showed his support. >> that's what makes tom brady one of the greats. antonio brown is obviously going through something. for tom brady to come out and showing leadership. we need to find a place in our hearts for somebody going through a tough time. for the sake of antonio brown and the entire nfl, hopefully he gets the help he needs. >> sandra: abby, great to see you as we start off the new week and the new year. happy new year. >> thanks for having me. happy new year. >> sandra: thanks for joining us. i'm sandra smith. john, great to be back with you in the year 2022. >> john: hopefully it will be better than last year. i'm john roberts. "the story" starts right now. >> martha: thanks. great to see you both. good afternoon. happy new year. i'm martha maccallum at fox news headquarters here in new york city. in moments, we will speak to dr. robert redfield, our go-to person when it comes to all of this covid confusion, the jumble of messages surrounding whether or not we go back to school or business. he will tell us what makes sense and what does not. first, more on the administration's admission that the cutting of quarantine