could get 32 free home covid tests per month. the problem is at least right now, you can't find the covid test for insurance to pick up. the administration promises they are coming. but this comes as there are increasing concerns about confusing pandemic messaging and the credibility of the policy coming from the white house and the centers for disease control. we'll talk live with former assistant health secretary admiral brett giroir in just a few minutes. now we go to white house correspondent peter doocy live on the north lawn. good evening, peter. >> good evening, bret. soon insurance companies will have to pick up the cost of 8 covid tests per person up to 32 per family of four. but, separately, officials here are announcing they still haven't even signed the contract for all those 500 million free at home tests that they have been promising for weeks. which means that officials here missed the window to prepare for what they have been describing as a winter of severe illness and death. and instead they are now preparing for a surge in the spring. >> there has been a massive surge in cases. >> peter: seven day average of positive cases is near triple a year ago. >> the overwhelming number of deaths over 75% occurred in people who had had at least four co-morbidities. >> peter: two days after that helpful answer the cdc director less helpful. >> bret: do you know how many of the 836,000 deaths in the u.s. linked to covid are from covid or how many are with covid but they had other co-morbidities. do you have that breakdown? >> um, yes, of course. those data will be forthcoming. >> peter: white house officials have combated covid disinformation for months. they are silent on this statement by justice sonia sotomayor. we have over 100,000 children, which we have never had before, in serious condition and many on ventilators. even though that number is 20 times too high. a transcript has been updated to show justice gorsuch never said the flu kills, i believe, hundreds of thousands of people each year. to instead accurately reflect he said the flu, i believe, kills hundreds, thousands of people each year. new york state officials are advising hospitals to consider race when tweeting covid. nonwhite race or hispanic latinoeth nils city should be risk factor as long understanding will activities increased risk of severe illness and death from covid-19. >> there was clear data out there that shows that race is independent risk fact for dying from covid-19. we shouldn't be usings race to decide who gets treatment. >> peter: white house officials know the numbers are rising. >> there has been unprecedented demand for tests. >> peter: it's unclear when officials realized that. >> peter: the president there on television talking about winter of severe illness and death. while he is saying that publicly, why weren't you doing more to prepare for the winter? >> everyone decides where they are going to go get a test. and we make a range of options available. >> peter: but the tests are hard to come by. some of the things that officials here are saying just are not consistent with what people across the country are seeing. and that is even though president biden has promised to always give it to you straight from the shoulder, the good, the bad, the truth because, when it comes to covid, he hasn't said anything since friday. bret? >> bret: are have they been defending the fact that the president, they say, answers a lot of questions but in comparison to other presidents really doesn't? >> peter: not a ton on camera with that. but they have historically said that it's okay, he doesn't hold a lot of one-on-one interviews or print interviews or formal press conferences because he likes to mix it up in informal settings. but, that only works if he is mixing it up in informal settings. and we haven't had that in several days. certainly not about the one thing that is affecting everybody in this country right now and that is omicron. >> bret: peter doocy, live on the north lawn, peter, thank you. the chicago bulls will play the detroit pistons at home in front of a stadium full of fans tomorrow night at the united center. but, again today, chicago kids could not go to class in chicago public schools. day 4 of no class there. as the district and teachers union continue their standoff over covid-19 policies. correspondent garrett tenney is in chicago tonight. >> [horn blowing] >> on day four of no classes, the chicago teachers union healed day of action with called for better safety measures. buff some parents made it clear they don't appreciate the union forcing the schools to shut down. >> shame on you. it's not an answer. >> we care about your children. >> now don't. all of us has to work. stop treating their children like yo yos. >> the union is also now facing a lawsuit from seven parents who want the courts to force teachers back into the classroom. >> they are basically using our children as pawns. our kids have been pawns since the beginning of this pandemic, started two years ago. we want them back in the classroom. where they belong. teaching our children. >> the union is blaming the ongoing standoff on chicago mayor lori lightfoot for not compromising enough. it says it wants teachers back in the classroom this week just without students until the number of covid cases goes down or until it gets a deal that includes more robust testing. >> the mayor has been rebentless but she is being relentlessly stupid. she is being relentlessly stubborn. she is relentlessly seeking to refuse accommodation and we are trying to find a way to get people back in school. >> staffing shortages are impacting other schools across the country as well. in minneapolis, several districts held class virtually today due to a shortage of bus drivers and teachers infected in the current surge. and in connecticut the rising number of cases in several districts forced schools to shut down and prompted a group of parents to push for the state to allow remote learning as an option for any family that wants it. >> i should not have to risk my child's education because i don't feel it's safe for them to be in school. >> here in chicago, negotiations are continuing tonight. but barring any kind of a major break through, classes are to once again expected to be canceled tomorrow for a fifth straight day. bret? >> bret: we will follow it garrett tenney in chicago, thanks. there are alarming reports tonight about the psychologic damage being caused to the nation's students by the covid pandemic. correspondent gillian turner has that part of the story tonight. all right, we will bring that you story in just a bit. we didn't have sound for that piece. let's bring in former assistant health secretary admiral brett giroir. thanks for being here. let's start there with the effect that this has had on kids, admiral. >> well, thanks for having me on. and we certainly anticipated this. this is why we, in the trump administration, never advised schools to close. what you are seeing right now is a loss of socialization. loss of learning. some irreparable. kids not being screened for physical and mental disabilities. american academy of pediatrics declared there is a natural crisis in mental health among our children. so this is all the result of the pandemic. there are so many things we could do to support them but, number one, two, and three, is get children back in school. that's the one thing we need to do and do it now. >> bret: you know, i had the cdc director on "fox news sunday" this weekend. and tried to press about some specifics. i know you tweeted out about that interview. are you concerned about the messaging and where do you think the cdc is now? >> i thought your interview, you were asking straight up questions. you were not being, you know, argumentative or disruptive. these are straight up questions that the american people want to know. and, quite honestly, i was very disappointed with the cdc director. even simple things about correcting justice sotomayor who was on a different planet from the real data. or talking about this is not just a pandemic of the unvaccinated. so, look, i think they are trying -- you know, i think what they are thinking is if we don't just say vaccination is everything and avoid everything else that people are going to get confused. i disagree with that tell the american people the way it is with some of the nuances and people will make the right decisions. so i am very disappointed. i think the messaging has been confusing, and the leadership has been chaotic. and that's why americans are struggling to know what to do for themselves and their families. >> bret: understanding that they want the message to get the vaccine, to get the boosters and how significant that is, statistically, and you agree with that as far as doing it, however, i guess there are a lot of people questioning the testing regime. and, you know, the more tests you get, the more you don't have symptoms and you test positive and you are out of work for five days. 10 days maybe for some universities and some major companies. it's a major disrupter to the country. we are stuck in this situation because the biden administration failed to order rapid tests between january and september. they still haven't fulfilled this 50 million to fq 8 cs that they promised in december. and these 500 million tests are going to be delivered by their requested proposal over a three month period of time. we need to be strategic with the testing. not testing everyone who wants a test. not testing all the children going to school. that's ridiculous. but preserving those for the elderly. those who can period of time from the oral drugs look the federal government has the medical rolls, they know who is at risk. that is who should get the rapid home tests not everyone on a first come first serve basis. >> bret: talked about therapeutics and what's on the line as far as that. is this the new normal? is this something we will have to come to grips with as a country that covid is going to be here one variant or the other? >> well, certainly we don't expect to have three or 4 million case as day which is probably what we are having if all the underreporting is taken into account. but, yes, code will become a seasonal coronavirus. hopefully with a very low level of hospitalization. that we need layers of protection. vaccination, but certainly those oral antiviral drugs like we take tamiflu for influenza. they are very, very important. monoclonal antibodies for certain groups. these are all important. yes, we cannot have, as president trump said, the disease be the cure be worse than the disease. and we are at risk of doing that especially with the variant like omicron, which has a much less severe illness. >> bret: admiral brett giroir, we appreciate your time. >> thank you. >> bret: the internal revenue service says it will begin accepting 2021 individual income tax returns january 24th. administration officials are already warning of a frustrating season for taxpayers as the agency grapples with a lack log of returns from previous years. the irs commissioner says his staff will be unable to deliver the service and enforcement needed in many areas. he says employees will do everything possible with the resources available to them now. stocks were mixed today. the dow lost 163. the s&p 500 was down 7. the nasdaq gained 7. up next a beloved actor and comedian dies mysteriously in florida. the death of bob saget. fox 5 in new york where at least 17 people are dead, including nine children after an apartment fire in the bronx. officials say a malfunctioning space heater sparked that fire. investigators want to know why safety doors failed to close when the fire broke out. they say smoke inhalation likely killed most of the victims there. more than a dozen people are still in critical condition. fox 11 in los angeles says a dramatic body camera video shows the heroic rescue of a pilot. police officers and bystanders helped free the pilot. he was hospitalized and the train conductor managed to stop very quickly, the cause of the emergency landing is under investigation. and this is a live look at indianapolis, the big story there tonight from fox 59, alabama and georgia face off in college football's championship game at lucas oil stadium. it's a rematch for the two southeastern conference teams, georgia's only loss of the season came in the sec title game to alabama last month. the crimson tide also lost one game this season to texas a&m. this shoud be a doozy tonight in indianapolis. that's tonight's live look outside the beltway from "special report." we'll be right back. ♪ we hit the bike trails every weekend shinges doesn't care. i grow all my own vegetables shingles doesn't care. we've still got the best moves you've ever seen good for you, but shingles doesn't care. because 1 in 3 people will get shingles, you need protection. but, no matter how healthy you feel, your immune system declines as you age increasing your risk for getting shingles. so, what can protect you? shingrix protects. you can protect yourself from shingles with a vaccine proven to be over 90% effective. shingrix is a vaccine used to prevent shingles in adults 50 years and older. shingrix does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients or to a previous dose. an increased risk of guillain-barré syndrome was observed after getting shingrix. fainting can also happen. the most common side effects are pain, redness, and swelling at the injection site, muscle pain, tiredness, headache, shivering, fever, and upset stomach. ask your pharmacist or doctor about shingrix. shingles doesn't care. but you should. superpowers from a spider bite? i could use some help showing the world how liberty mutual customizes their car insurance. ow! i'm ok! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ only in theaters december 17th. [♪♪] ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ if you have diabetes, it's important to have confidence in the nutritional drink you choose. try boost glucose control®. it's clinically shown to help manage blood sugar levels and contains high quality protein to help manage hunger and support muscle health. try boost® today. every day in business brings something new. so get the flexibility of the new mobile service designed for your small business. introducing comcast business mobile. you get the most reliable network with nationwide 5g included. and you can get unlimited data for just $30 per line per month when you get four lines or mix and match data options. available now for comcast business internet customers with no line-activation fees or term contract required. see if you can save by switching today. comcast business. powering possibilities. ♪ >> bret: ohio republican congressman jim jordan says he will not sit for an interview with the committee investigating last year's capitol riot on january 6th. jordan says he has no relevant information for the panel. he joins fellow republicans scott perry in rejecting the committee's request. a panel spokesperson says the committee will consider appropriate next steps and respond in detail soon. but what they are, we do not yet know. colorado democratic congressman ed pearl mudder says he will not seek re-election in a competitive district in suburban denver. the 26th democrat to announce he is leaving the house during an election cycle that is expected to be difficult for the democratic party. achin' was the democratic nominee in a largely rural district in 2014 but lost to incumbent renee elmers. new york rae heir robert durst has died. durst was serving a life sentence for killing his best friend in the year 2,000. durst lawyer says he died today in a state prison hospital facility in stockton, california, from natural causes due to a number of ailments. durst was facing trial in new york for the killing of his wife who disappeared in 1982. robert durst was 78. authorities in south florida are investigating the death of actor and comedian bob saget. he was found unresponsive in an orlando hotel room sunday. correspondent phil keating has the latist tonight from miami. >> i am stoked whatever that means. >> millions of americans grew up watching bob saget on tv. stand-up comedian at heart, he was best known as the neurotic but lovable dad on the show "full house." apparently dying in his hotel room in orlando. >> we don't have too many people in hollywood these days who kind of bring everybody together. i hope that's what bob's legacy will be. >> according to the orange county sheriff's office, it received a call about an unresponsive man and found saget dead inside his room sunday at the ritz carlton. detectives say they found no signs of foul play or drug use. the medical examiner reports his left arm was across his chest and no signs of trauma were seen. saget was in florida across his "i don't do negative comedy tour" seeming extremely happy. in his last instagram post he wrote: i'm back in comedy like i was when i was 26. i guess i'm finding my new voice and loving every moment of it in los angeles, comedy houses paid tribute to saget as well. including a standing ovation in his memory. a comedian, but america really knew him as a tv star. aside from "full house" he also hosted the wildly popular "america's funniest home videos for 10 years and also the narrator on the show"how i met your mother." saget leaves behind his wife kelly rizzo and three daughters from a previous marriage. family members are devastated and inviting everyone to remember the love and laughter that bob brought to the world. the medical examiner's office will determine the cause of death likely in about 10 weeks. but it appears to be natural causes. former co-stars including john stamos and the olsen twins all expressing devastation today at the loss of their friend bob saget was 65. bret? >> bret: phil keating in miami, thank you. up next the u.s. and russia try to ease tensions with a new round of talks in geneva. first, beyond our borders tonight, this is a live look at leopold australia. big story there tonight one story. novak djokovic returns to the tennis court after winning a legal bartle over vaccine exemption. the world's number one player did not have enough time to speak to his lawyers before his visas were pulled. his lawyers say hes did not need to be vaccinated he recently recovered from covid-19. the legal battle may not be over. the country's immigration minister could still cancel his visa before the australian open begins next week. we will follow it, just some of the other stories or just one beyond our borders tonight. we'll be right back. ♪ ♪ can you hear that thunder ♪ you better run ♪ ♪ ♪making your way in the world today♪ ♪takes everything you've got♪ ♪ ♪taking a break from all your worries ♪ ♪sure would help a lot ♪ ♪wouldn't you like to get away? ♪ ♪ ♪ sometimes you want to go ♪ ♪where everybody knows your name ♪ ♪ ♪and they're always glad you came ♪ >> bret: now to the story we tried to bring you earlier. there are alarming reports tonight about the psychologic damage being caused to the nation's students because of the coronavirus pandemic. correspondent gillian turner shows us. >> gillian: three major medical associations, including the american academy of pediatrics have together declared a national state of emergency in children's mental health caused by covid. parents report grief, anxiety, and depression among children, citing school closures and forced isolations as the primary culprit. >> i can tell you that they are going to have a little bit of ptsd having to sit in front of a computer for six and a half hours a day. >> one mother tells fox news that her high school son son's behavior changed dramatically during the month his school shut down. >> he was failing. he fell into a deep depression. you could see that the anxiety was bubbling over. >> a mother to a 9-year-old son describes a similar pattern of withdrawing and lashing out. >> he was -- had daily meltdowns, daily breakdowns, screaming, crying. >> suicide attempts among adolescents rising sharply most acute 7 to 12-year-old girls 51% since the start of the pandemic. boys are not immune. >> look at my face one night before he went to bed and he said i'm really praying for you to fall asleep so i can kill myself. he was 9. >> child psychologists say it's not uncommon for children to feel intense, negative emotions when they are separated from their peers. >> despite of their development, actually want to be out with people their age and they learn what their identity is. >> they warn that crying and disruptive behavior in younger kids and inacrossed violence among adolescents are signs to which patience should pay close attention. now the cdc is reporting a dramatic rise in adolescent er visits for mental health crises. if your child or a child you know needs help call the suicide prevention hotline 1-800-273-8255. >> bret: important. thank you. round of talks in switzerland today. the goal to try to diffuse tensions russia's troop movements near ukraine and nato expansion. senior foreign affairs correspondent greg palkot reports from geneva. >> the u.s. and russia met in geneva to try to ease tensions in europe. so far it failed. russia has 100,000 troops near ukraine risking outright invasion. demanding ukraine and other nations not become members of nato and the u.s. led alliance pull back its troops and arms farther from the russian borders. russian deputy foreign minister sergei in talks with deputy secretary of state wendy shrm repeated the demands. >> we underscore for us it's absolutely mandatory to make sure that ukraine never, never ever becomes a member of nato. >> those demands are a nonstarter for the united states, it tried to steer the talks to military exercises and arms control but couldn't get around to diplomat particular stumbling blocks. >> we'll not, for example, allow anyone to slam close nato's open door policy. >> russia denied it intends to invade ukraine but did not specify unnamed security problems for the fuss their demands weren't met. the u.s. just wants those russian troops rolled back. >> if russia further invades ukraine, there will be significant consequences. >> eggs pressure of nato is long understand concern. critics believe it's the perception russia that united states might be in a weakened condition now waiting from the troubled exit from afghanistan and ripe for global security blackmail. >> the decline of influence in asia is advantage for russia. >> it's an advantage. >> it's an advantage but it doesn't mean that the u.s. will not try to regain their influence in one way or another. >> talks omove to brussels and nato on wednesday. and then on thursday, to vienna and the osce. by then, it should be evident if russia is serious about diplomacy or just bluffing. bret. >> bret: greg palkot live in geneva, thank you. millions of people in ago stan without internet service tonight as the government's crack down there on antigovernment protest rose to six days. follow violent protests and brutal response in the former soviet republic with russian troops now involved. correspondent alex hogan has the latest tonight from london. >> a day of mourning, a week after violent protests in kazakhstan, at least 164 people died, including three children. the country detained roughly 8,000 people during the blood i couldn't know rest. russian president vladimir putin is praising the efforts of his peace-keeping troops on the ground. putin promising to protect other exsoviet states as well. >> we made it just in a few hours to prevent undermining of the kazakhstan statehood total degradation of the situation and block the way to the terrorists. >> protesters clashed with police torching buildings and vehicles marching on the nation's largest city and storming the airport. the foreign ministry blamed extremists for hijacking the movement. president kasim ordering troops to fire without warning at terrorists and shoot to kill. u.s. secretary of state antony blinken over the weekend vehemently rejecting that move. >> the shoot to till order to the extent it exists is wrong and should be rescinded. >> antigovernment rallies erupted on january 2nd over corruption claims and the removal of price caps on fuel which caused costs to nearly double. during the violence, the government shut down the internet and reinstated price caps for 180 days. putin says he will withdraw his troops when the mission is over. that partnership, however, is sparking concern among other european neighbors. >> it is clear that it is not in the european interest for the central asian state to become unilaterally depend dent on russia or china. >> the biden administration said it would watch for any human rights violations, kazakhstan's national security committee says that the country is currently under control. bret? >> bret: alex hogan in london, thanks. up next, the panel on covid confusion and the latest with the coronavirus pandemic. ♪ ♪ ♪ music ♪ there's software. and then there's industrial grade software. capable of optimizing your flight by turning data into your co-pilot. meet honeywell forge. analytical software that helps assembly lines build walls against cyber threats. and makes sure you're ready for game day every day. that's honeywell forge. industrial grade software ♪ music ♪ ♪ >> bret: in this time do you think that it's fair to say that the trust and confidence of the public has gone down with the cdc? >> thank you, bret. you know, this is hard. we have ever-evolving science with ever-evolving variant. and my job is to provide updated guidance in the context of rapidly rising cases. and that is what we have done and i'm here to explain that to the american people. and i am committed to continuing to do so and to continuing to improve. >> bret: the cdc director raychel walensky talking about credibility and some of the messaging that's been coming from the white house and the cdc on covid-19. this as new poll comes out about priorities what problems would you like the administration to work on 2022. covid-19 has taken a 20 point drop there cost of living has increased and there you see inflation increasing there from year to year. let's bring in our panel fox news senior political analyst brit hume, guy benson editor of town hall.com and host of the guy benson show on fox news radio. kimberly involve editorial board at the "wall street journal" and brit hume fox news analyst. brit, what about the messaging here and what we have seen over recent months? >> brit: what you see is an administration desperately trying to catch up with this evolving variant, this evolving virus. but, instead of seizing on the good news that was coming out of the places like south africa where it was originally discovered, originally noticed that it is mild in comparison to delta, the administration has gotten panicky again. now we have new restrictions and so on and we have a nation that is to some extent still panicked. you see that in the reaction to the teachers in chicago. so the messaging out of the administration and as you pointed out, bret, and as your questioning of the evasive dr. walensky made clear yesterday the administration has been all over the place about this stuff. >> bret: one of the things is the president calling this the pandemic of the unvaccinated. jen psaki asked about that today. >> i have been triple vaxxed. i had minor symptoms. there is a huge difference between that and being unvaccinated. you are 17 times more likely to got hospital if you are not vaccinated. 20 times more likely to die. and those are significant, serious statistics. so, yes, the impact for people who are unvaccinated is far more dire than those who are vaccinated. >> bret: guy? >> i think the question posed by our colleague peter doocy people triple vaxxed with the booster shot and contracting omicron anyway why would the president continue to refer this as a pandemic of the unvaccinated? i think that's probably unfair characterization at this point. but, some of the responses there from psaki were accurate. i just wish that was the way the vaccines were talked about and sold, maybe from the beginning. saying, look, it's going to keep you out of the hospital. it's going to prevent you from dying. it's not going to be bullet proof. but, it's very, very advantageous to your health in terms of severe conditions or severe reactions should you get covid. that's all absolutely true. and it's important. but, it's, i think a little bit contradicted by the president insisting on sticking with this outdated talking point about the whole pandemic being basically pinned on the unvaccinated given the fact many fully vaccinated and boosted people have gotten omicron. fair question relatively decent answer in my opinion. >> bret: juan, the situation with chicago teachers now on fourth day, looks like a fifth day without classes and we just did a piece tonight about the mental health toll that this covid pandemic has had on kids specifically. is there this moment that the president could have a ronald reagan air traffic controller kind of moment with chicago teachers unions? >> juan: well, unlike the air trafficker controllers, the chicago teachers are not under the control of the president of the united states. that's under the city of chicago and, of course, the chicago teachers union is it's unpolitical ship here. they are the ones insisting, despite what we hear from the mayor, lori lightfoot that she wants schools open. you understand the power of that union. it's not -- it's not similar to president reagan who had direct power over the air traffic controller union and could fire them and replace them. now, i will say that, to me, in this conversation, i'm just alarmed that you know, people don't deal with the fact that i think it's 36% or so of the country remains unvaccinated. and when you hear from the doctors about the strain on our healthcare it system, they are saying it's overwhelming, it's close to 100 percent of the people who are in the hospitals for covid are the unvaccinated. >> bret: kimberley, dr. scott gottlieb somebody who is a respected source what he says why this virus is spreading. >> this is an epidemic that is not being instigated, spread, if you will, by people who get diagnosed, isolate for five days and go back into public circulation on day six. while a certain percentage of them will still be infectious. they are not driving the pandemic. the elm what is drisk only diagnosing between one in five and one in ten actual infections. people walking around with mild illness and asymptomatic infection who don't know it who are spreading it. >> bret: thoughts? >> yeah, i mean that raises this important question about whether or not we need to take a new look at the testing overall and what value there is any more of doing all of this testing, in particular, to allow people to goat into venues, et cetera. when it's not really catching all the people who are out there. it is driving a lot of panic, as bret mentioned, when you look at those numbers. the numbers that really should matter are those about how many people are actually going to the hospital with this and ending up on ventilators and questions like you were asking the cdc director and weirdly, that's the information we're not getting. most of the data we are getting is a bunch of noise. and you have some european countries now thinking of stepping back from this because if we are going to have to live with this as the new normal, this testing situation can't continue the way it is. >> bret: brit, quickly, now we have this mandate that health insurance companies going to pick up the free home testing and 8 per person, 32 for a family of four. the problem is right now you can't get them. they are saying they're coming. but, we are going from trying to get tests and analyzing the effectiveness of tests to everybody gets a test. bret. >> brit: look, not only you cannot get the test, even if you do get the test, they tell you on one day whether you have it. the next day you might have it. so you do, what, 8 tests 8 days maybe? then what? i mean, are we going to test ourselves every day in perpetuity about this spreading mild, relatively mild variant? that doesn't seem like a reasonable path. >> bret: all right. many more panels about this. up next, crucial security talks between the u.s. and russia. ty , so we only pay for what we need. -hey tex, -wooo. can someone else get a turn? yeah, hang on, i'm about to break my own record. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ he went into crimea, syria, he has conducted cyberattacks against the united states. he hannity paid much of a price. that's why it's particularly important that the united states and our allies stand strong, make clear that we're going to be unified in opposition to anything that russia tries to do against the ukraine. >> bret: former defense secretary and cia "your world" with neil cavuto talking about vladimir putin who he says senses weakness in the u.s. the "wall street journal" writing this globalization was supposed to prevent war, russia made be showing the opposite. vladimir putin may be betting the west isn't willing to pay the economic price to prevent a russian move on ukraine and an increasingly interconnected world. back with the panel, guy, why do you think people at home should care? >> guy: well, because there could be a war, right? and when there is a war involving a country like russia, an ally like ukraine, the u.s. is going to be involved in some capacity, likely not our troops but our resources and, perhaps, other aspects, you know, perhaps covert, for example. look, to me, bret, there are two threshold questions here. number one, has putin already decided that he is going to invade ukraine? because, if he has already decided yes, he is going to do it, all these talks in the flurry of negotiations it's window dressing. the second question is if he has not made that decision for sure yet, is there a combination of sticks and carrots from the west that would persuade him not to take that action? and i think a key to that would be his conviction that the west is actually serious about really tough unified action if he decides to go that direction. i'm not sure he is convinced of that, which is really part of the threat here. >> bret: juan, republicans, especially national security minded republicans are concerned about the possible carrots here. former ambassador to the united nations nikki haley tweeting out for all the noise democrats made about trump favoring russia, how do they justify biden giving sanction relief to russia's pipeline. democrats would be completely hypocritical to support him. pay attention, we will be taking names. thoughts? >> juan: i think, you know, he is talking about the pipeline, the nord stream pipeline. it would send natural gas from russia to germany and clearly germany had a strong interest in allowing that to go forward. it hasn't started pumping yet. that was a german concern. of course, germany is our ally. but, right now what we have heard initially from the talks that took place earlier today, bret, is fairly optimistic that russia, nothing concrete. but that russia is not being as broodish and aggressive in saying that they have the right to protect their borders and they have a right to interfere in the affairs of these eastern european states sounds like they are talking about stepping back. again, why are they talking about stepping back from invading ukraine, i think it's because of the power of sanctions that weeks include them from the international banking community that would punish them in terms of what goes on on the internet and, you know, just limit their ability. they don't have much ability to have economic growth outside of selling oil. so, for right now, i think there is reason to hope. >> bret: you don't think vladimir putin baked that in before all of this happened? >> brit: well, what i would say about that, bret, is that it's pretty clear from everything we have heard what putin wants here, most of all. he wants ukraine not in nato. ukraine is not in nato now. what i think he did hear, by massing the troops near the ukraine border, because the circumstances on the ground always have a profound effect on any negotiations such as the ones going on here, the facts on the ground matter. well, he created this new fact. his troops on the border, posing an obvious threat to ukraine. in the meantime he has a new fact in kazakhstan he has troops already in there i don't think that's fact he wanted to have to deal with he has a couple of leon panetta pointing out he has a couple issues on his plate. make no mistake about it the sanctions at one point about the banking system and so on, those are very real and potential sanctions. military action that would really hurt russia without harming us or our allies very much. is he vulnerable. if the west is willing to be together and act. the question then arises would the u.s. acted alone if it didn't? that's a good question. >> bret: kimberly? >> kimberly: i think from vladimir putin's perspective, he went and he figures one of two things. either he uses this threat to invade ukraine as leverage to get some sort of concessions from the united states or he says that he doesn't get those concessions and then he uses it as a pretext to invade. and he is betting that the biden administration, which has a lot of leftovers from the obama years, remember in 2014, barack obama put out a threat "don't go into crimea." putin did it anyway there was no real ramifications. so he is assuming he has a free hand here. which is why there can't be any carrots. if the biden administration wants to pass this it has to crack down and pressure germany to suspend that pipeline. it's got to do the full array of sanctions and it's got to speed up military assistance not just to ukraine but to other former satellite nations of the soviet union who don't want to fall under russia's orbit. >> bret: guy, we covered this story of kazakhstan, what's happening there. russian troops in there, and there has been violence there one of the only places covering that story. it's one of these former soviet republics where forceful action could mean a change in government there. >> guy: i think brit made an important point in his answer, this is probably an unwelcomed development for putin, and it could underline could change his calculus moving forward about whether increased aggression or invasion in ukraine is something that's in his interest right now. is there too much on his plate? could this incentivize him to really take an extra hard, second look at the aforementioned sticks and carrots from the west? >> bret: all right, panel, thank you. when we come back, tomorrow's headlines. ♪ ♪ ♪ i feel free ♪ ♪ to bare my skin, yeah, that's all me ♪ ♪ nothing and me go hand in hand ♪ ♪ nothing on my skin, that's my new plan ♪ ♪ nothing is everything ♪ achieve clearer skin with skyrizi. 3 out of 4 people achieved 90% clearer skin at 4 months. of those, nearly 9 out of 10 sustained it through 1 year. and skyrizi is 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses. ♪ i see nothing in a different way ♪ ♪ it's my moment so i just gotta say ♪ ♪ nothing is everything ♪ skyrizi may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. before treatment, your doctor should check you for infections and tuberculosis. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms... such as fevers, sweats, chills, muscle aches, or coughs... or if you plan to or recently received a vaccine. ♪ nothing is everything ♪ talk to your dermatologist about skyrizi. learn how abbvie could help you save. cranky-pated: a bad mood related to a sluggish gut. talk to your dermatologist about skyrizi. miralax is different. it works naturally with the water in your body to unblock your gut. free your gut, and your mood will follow. see blood when you brush or floss can be a sign of early gum damage. parodontax active gum repair kills plaque bacteria at the gum line to help keep the gum sealed tight. parodontax active gum repair toothpaste 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 >> woman: what's my safelite story? matc>> vo: my car is moretion. than four wheels. it's my after-work decompression zone. so when my windshield broke... >> woman: what?! >> vo: ...i searched for someone who really knew my car. i found the experts at safelite autoglass. with their exclusive technology, they fixed my windshield... then recalibrated the camera attached to my glass so my safety systems still work. who knew that was a thing?! >> woman: safelite has service i can trust. >> singers: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace. ♪ shhh... you think she's still awake? don't worry. the lexus rx, built for a modern families. get $1,500 lease cash toward a 2022 rx 350. ♪♪ some of my best memories growing up were cooking with mom. so when she moved in with us, a new kitchen became part of our financial plan. ♪ ♪ find a northwestern mutual advisor at nm.com why do people who live with generalized myasthenia gravis want a new treatment option? because we want to be able to get up and get ready for work. because the animals need to be cared for, and we like taking care of them. because we want to go out to dinner with our friends. because, in family photos, we want to be able to smile. a new fda-approved treatment for adults with generalized myasthenia gravis could help them do more of the daily activities they care about. to learn more, go to now4gmg.com and talk to your neurologist. ♪ ♪ 80% get genetically meaningful health info go to now4gmg.com from their 23andme dna reports. ♪ ♪ 80%. that's 8 out of 10 people who could get something enlightening. something empowering. something that could change everything. info that could give you greater control of your own health. and it's right there, in your dna. ♪ ♪ it's the most meaningful way to start the new year. and right now, our health and ancestry kit is just $129. ♪do you know what the future holds?♪ >> bret: finally tonight, a look at tomorrow's headlines with the panel. juan, first to you. >> juan: president biden goes down georgia to push voting rights reform, bret. meanwhile, in washington, mitch mcconnell continues to push for electoral college act reform and i think you are going to see those two have to come to some convergence. >> bret: kim? >> kimberly: senator joe manchin is still, still, still opposed to killing the filibuster. even though the president is down there in georgia and though chuck schumer promise as vote on that bill. >> bret: guy? >> guy: death star wins again. bama wins the championship tonight i hope i'm wrong joey jones and -- go dogs. >> brit: vaccinations won't keep from you getting invaded. not surprised won't keep you from getting omicron either. >> bret: can always count on you for a headline. brit, thank you. panel, thanks. tomorrow on "special report," the president talks voting rights in atlanta and we are on scotus watch. we could see a ruling from the supreme court on vaccine mandates. thanks for inviting us into your home tonight. that's it for this "special report," fair, balance wanted and unafraid. "fox news primetime" hosted by rach chem campos-duffy starts right now. >> rachel: thank you, bret. >> rachel: good evening and welcome to "fox news primetime." i'm rachel campos-duffy. nearly two years of lockdowns masks and mandates from the left. yet, little has changed in the fight against covid. 12 months into biden's push to vaccinate all of america, and we are actually worse off than before. last friday, the u.s. recorded over 800 and 30,000 covid cases which is a massive jump from the 270,000 o t