receiving shipments of military aid from the u.s. and other allies. the white house calling the alleged puppet government plot, by the way, deeply concerning and warning that any russian aggression in ukraine will be are met with, quote, swift and severe consequences. eric: we have team fox coverage for you with. greg palkot is life in kiev -- live in kiev, but first to david spunt live on the north lawn of the white house with the latest on what the administration is doing to confront vladimir putin. david in. >> reporter: no question that tensions are escalating, but the big question right now, what will russian president vladimir putin do, what exactly are his intentions. you just mentioned many that intro to greg and i about this british report, this british intelligence report that uncovered an alleged plot to put a pro-russian sympathizer atop government in ukraine, specifically in kiev, to replace president vladimir zelensky. we know for months on the border of ukraine and russia, russian forces have been there with military equipment, tanks and other type of tactical gear, clearly taking an aggressive posture. this weekend that a report by british intelligence claims that russians want to put a man by the name of vladimir -- on top. according to the u.k. intelligence report, it says, quote, we have information that indicates the russian government is looking to install a pro-russian leader in kiev as it considers whether to invade and occupy ukraine. but this is interesting, eric, the u.s. two days before, on thursday, essentially warned the same thing with no serious noise if made. quote: russia has directed its intelligence services to recruit current and former ukrainian government officials to prepare to take over the government of ukraine and to control ukraine's critical infrastructure with an occupying russian force. secretary of state anthony if blinken was in switzerland late last week to meet face to face with his russian counterpart, sergey lavrov. this morning blinken offered this take: >> well, i can't comment on specific pieces of intelligence, but, you know, we've been warning about just kind of tactic for weeks, and we've spoken to that publicly. and just last week we sanctioned four agents of russia, ukrainians in ukraine, seeking to destabilize the government. >> reporter: this all comes as president biden who right now is at camp david meeting with advisers this weekend on foreign policy, his approval rating just 41% with a disapprove priewfl rating of 54 percent. eric, beginning as early as tomorrow u.s. officials may indicate to those family members living overseas of diplomats in ukraine, specifically in the kiev area possibly, to evacuate if the situation deteriorates. eric? eric: all eyes on that border. david, thank you. arthel? arthel: eric and david, with more than 100,000 russian troops massed along their border, ukrainians say they are ready to fight any invasion and to help the u.s. has delivered 80 tons of weapons to ukraine on top of friday's delivery of 100 tons of weapons and ammo. senior foreign affairs correspondent greg palkot is live in ukraine's capital city in kiev there with more. greg, what more can you tell us? >> reporter: arthel, you're absolutely right. the u.s. is ramping up military aid to ukraine, and it might be just in time. the shipment arriving tonight in kiev is the second installment of a new $200 million weapon allotment from the states. an earlier delivery packed a punch, mostly ammunition for ukrainian soldiers fighting russian-backed separatists in eastern ukraine. this could be more of the same. and that is a good thing. in the east today it's reported those rebels are using multiple rocket launchers newly deployed by russia. moscow's been sending a lot of other stuff including fuel if, other weaponry and even mercenaries. and the word from neighboring belarus, big new movements tonight of russian troops and hardware. record numbers, it's called. the total strength of russian forces encircling ukraine is said to be well over 125,000. some are just about 30 miles from the border. that is more than enough bad news to have people flocking to area churches today saying prayers, lighting candles and hoping for the best. take a listen to what some told us. >> translator: i'm scared. i used to believe that russia was our friend. >> translator: i am scared. it is outrageous that a russia is doing something like this. >> translator: we are praying and hoping that it's not going to happen. >> translator: oh, everything's going to be fine. >> reporter: everything is going to be fine. [laughter] well, not looking that way tonight, but let's hope for the best. back to you. arthel: let's hope for the best. greg palkot live in kiev, ukraine, thank you. eric: tragedy unfolding overnight in texas as men and women in blue mourn the loss of another one of their own. harris county constable deputy charles galloway was killed overnight during an apparent traffic stop. police say the suspected gunman ambushed the deputy by getting out of his car and opening fire and then drove off. that suspect right now still on the loose. christina coleman joins us with the latest developments. >> reporter: eric, a manhunt is underway for the suspect in the brutal murder of 47-year-old corporal charles galloway. deputies say galloway pulled over for a traffic stop early this morning in southwest houston, and the driver in the other vehicle got out and fired into galloway's patrol car multiple times and took off. witnesses described seeing an assault-type weapon. it's unclear why the suspect shot galloway, but what is clear is that this is yet another deadly attack on a member of law enforcement. >> these are men and women who go out there on a daily basis not because of the bay and -- the pay and not because of the days off and not because they like to work day shifts or night shifts, it's because they want to make a difference in their community. and this is what's happened. we have to address this across the board, and this county and the city of houston has made that commitment. >> reporter: corporal galaway was a 12-and-a-half year veteran with harris county. he leaves behind a daughter and a sister as well as numerous officers he trained. his colleagues say he was loved very much by the people he served. authorities describe the shooting suspect as a hispanic male who was last seen driving a newer model white toyota avenue a loan. houston's police chief says this suspect and others who commit these acts of violence need to be held accountable and to serve time for their crimes. >> and my call to everyone, we have got to get intentional, damn intentional, about locking up viability individuals -- violent individuals and leaving them. >> we cannot have people like this on our streets. i don't want to raise my family, my grandchildren in a county where type of crime is running rampant. >> reporter: police urge the suspect to turn himself in peacefully. houston mayor sylvester turner also has a message for galloway's killer. quote: the person responsible for taking his life will be found and brought to justice. it is just a matter of time. there is no place you can hide. the mayor also extends his prayers and condolences to corporal gallowayway -- galloway's family saying he served with horn and distinction. honor and distinction. arthel: nypd officer wilbert mora is fighting for his life after a shooting in harlem that killed fellow officer 22-year-old jason rivera are. the community held a candlelight vigil for officer a rivera last night. alexis mcadams is live in our new york city newsroom. >> reporter: the family of that fallen nypd officer is planning his funeral, and we're also hearing new audio from officers at the scene in harlem which shows just how quickly this tragedy all unfolded. listen. >> reporter: now, this is where it all happened. the shooting happening inside of this harlem apartment complex on friday night. look at that heavy police presence there. three nypd officers responding to a 911 call from a woman who says she was fighting with her adult son, but she did not tell investigators anything about weapons being many that department. so two officers try to speak with this man, and that's when they say he opened fire. that ambush left one officer dead and another in critical condition. nypd identifying the officer who was killed as 22-year-old jason rivera, a husband, a friend and a son. he became a police officer, he said, to make a change in his own community, sharing this video with his new york high school inspiring younger students to go after their goals. >> he had -- i had to put in the work. i had to put in 900% effort. -- 100%. and you know what? if it takes some time after school, you know, then so so be it. because you got to do it. if you don't do it, you're not going to make it in life. >> reporter: only 22 years old, and he accomplished a lot as an officer here in new york city. investigators say this is the gunman here, the previous mug shot. at the time of the shooting in harlem, investigators telling fox news mcneil was on probation for a felony drug charge. his rap sheet, arrested nearly a half dozen times in other states for a variety of serious offenses. the second police officer who shot, 27-year-old wilbert mora, he's in critical condition. the nypd telling us he'll be transferred to another hospital and remains in critical condition. just this month five nypd officers have been shot. earlier today 61-year-old man was pushed onto the subway tracks here by an attacker who then ran off. police are trying to find that man. he is expected to be okay, the person who was pushed, but this comes one week after a 40-year-old woman was fatally pushed onto the tracks in times square so, arthel, a lot happening here on the crime wave in new york city. arthel: alexis mcadams, thank you so much. eric. eric: well, those ambush shootings in hard a lemm and the one overnight in houston are the latest in what's a really disturbing trend for police officers across the nation. in fact, the national fraternal order of police says 346 officers were shot in the line of duty last year. 63 of those officers died of their wounds. ambush attacks on officer as up 115% from 2020. for more on this, let's go to former nypd officer thomas sheffield, now the president of the nassau county police benevolent association representing the officers in the huge county right next to new york city. thank you for joining us, and we are thinking and support the law enforcement across the country, those members who are out there protecting the public. the disturbing -- >> thank you for having me. eric: of course. the disturbing trend of these ambush attacks. why now these increasing ambushesesome -- ambushes? >> well, i think that it's a combination of things. it's the defund the police movement, they demonized the mis, now you have bail reform, but there's no consequences for committing these crimes. and some, like new york city, the d.a. isn't even going to prosecute resisting arrest. you're inviting criminals to attack police officers. and then you have police reform. it's a combination of all of these things. when you defund the police, you're stopping cops from doing their job, you're stopping prevention of climb. -- crime. and when you demonize the police, you're actually -- the world's upside down. they're turning police into the bad guys, and the criminals are not. so there's no respect out there, and it's sad, it's heartbreaking what's going on right now. officer rivera, my heart goes out to his family and the entire nypd. this is going to continue. if we don't come together and stop this, there's no surprise here how we got here. you know, this has been, like you said, this is -- it's an upward trend that's been going for the last few years. eric: what happened to the respect for police officers? you know, i see them, i walk by them, i just thanked one, like, just before the newscast went on air. a gentleman here. what happened to that sense of respect of authority, the sense of respect of law and order and the seven of respect -- and the sense of respect and appreciation for the men and women who are out on the streets who most people would call for help if they were in trouble in. >> absolutely. so it was, it became political, and i don't know why the safety of our communities is political. you know, they demonize the police. they made us to be the bad guys. a few innocents that happened across -- incidents that happened across the country, and the next thing you know all cops are bad. it just, it has to stop, you know? you don't see kids dressing up as cops anymore for halloween with w. we're not viewed as heroes anymore. i'm going to tell you something for everybody out there in the community. we leave our families, these police officers that died in the line of duty, they left their families and loved ones, they hugged them and kissed them. think about that for a second, to go out to the street to work day and night to protect you. they risk their lives every day for strangers. how are we the bad guys? it does not make sense to me. eric: yeah. some of the progressive politicians, the new d.a. in manhattan, alvin bragg, and others say defunding the police is just moving resources to another area. for example, the local city councilwoman for harlem, for the area where the shooting occurred on friday night, has called for not just defunding the police, but totally dismantling the new york city police department. and they also talk about social workers and sending social workers out to some of these situations. what would have happened if this guy with the glock comes out, opens the door, starts shooting and there were social workers there? >> well, i mean, obviously he wouldn't have been shot himself, so who knows who else would have been harmed. i mean, he could have killed his family and strangers outside. we don't know. it could have turned into a barricade situation. so, you know, at the end of the day that's not going to work. you need police, and the police are not the bad guys. we're here to help. we are community. that's what people don't realize. we are your neighbor. we are the people that care. we wouldn't do what we do. we don't do it for the money. eric: and, finally, what would you say to the folks who are watching right now? how can they support the police and the efforts of law enforcement to e gain that respect -- regain that respect and sense of respect and appreciation? >> i would say we all are numb right now in the police community. you know, we are at a has for words with what happened. but it's great when the community comes out and supports us when we do have a tragedy like this, but we need them to support us every day. we put ourselves in between evil and the community. and we need the community to have our back every day. call their politicians and push for tougher on crime. we need tougher laws on crime. we need bail reform change. they just went too far. and they used us in their political battles, and it's not right, and things need to change. eric: thomas shevlin, former police officer, president of the nassau county police benevolent association speaking about respect and authority of police officers as we now mourn two officers in two different parts of the country, new york and houston, who were victims of what police say were ambush attacks. thank you for your service. >> thank you. thanks for having me. eric: arthel? arthel: well, eric, a tragic accident near the southern border claims the life of a texas public safety officer. the state now mourning special agent anthony salas, the first death linked to operation lone star. we're going to have more from texas coming up. ♪ ♪ ♪ easy tools on the chase mobile app. simplicity feels good. chase. make more of what's yours. okay everyone, our mission is to provide complete balanced nutrition for strength and energy. woo hoo! ensure, complete balanced nutrition with 27 vitamins and minerals. and ensure complete with 30 grams of protein. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪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 ♪ your kindness outshines your highs and lows. your strength can outlast any bad day. because you are greater than your bipolar i, and you can help take control of your symptoms - and ask about vraylar. some medicines only treat the lows or highs, once-daily vraylar is proven to treat depressive, acute manic, and mixed episodes of bipolar i in adults. full-spectrum relief for all bipolar i symptoms. elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis have an increased risk of death or stroke. call your doctor about unusual changes in behavior or suicidal thoughts. antidepressants can increase these in children and young adults. report fever, stiff muscles or confusion which may mean a life-threatening reaction, or uncontrollable muscle movements which may be permanent. high cholesterol and weight gain, and high blood sugar, which can lead to coma or death, may occur. side effects may not appear for several weeks. common side effects include sleepiness and stomach issues. movement dysfunction and restlessness are also common. you are greater than your bipolar i. ask about vraylar. arthel: -- in an atlanta suburb say a stray bullet killed an astrophysicist visiting from england. 31-year-old matthew wilson died after the bullet pierced a wall and hit him in the head. charles watson is live in atlanta with more. charles. >> reporter: hi, arthel. police here in the atlanta area tell us the victim, dr. matthew wilson, was a british national who had only been in the state for a couple of days prior to being shot and killed. the 31-year-old astrophysicist was here visit ising his girlfriend in brook haven, georgia, a suburb just north of atlanta. it's also the place where wilson would take his last breath. his longtime girlfriend tells the "atlanta journal-constitution" the two were awakened by the sound of gunshots near her apartment complex early last sunday. when she tried to see where the gunfire was coming from, she tells the ajc, wilson sat up in bed and within moments the 31-year-old was hit by a stray bullet in what police describe as an about of violence. an act of violence. >> it appears that it was just a random act of individuals engaging in reckless discharging of firearms. >> reporter: now, brook haven police who were already in the area, we're told, investigating shots fired at another apartment complex say wilson was breathing when they responded for help but later died at an area hospital. detectives are investigating this case as a homicide. meantime, the victim's family back in england trying to make sense of a senseless shooting. wilson's sister telling multiple outlets that it is hard for the family to even comprehend such a tremendous loss. and right now, arthel, police say they are at a loss as far as any leads in this case. they're really desperate for the public to reach out and help them figure out who's responsible for this senseless murder. arthel? arthel: and when they find the guy, i hope they do -- this poor man is gone. oh, boy. charles watson in atlanta, a thank you. eric: and in texas, a texas department of safety officer has become the first one to be killed there in the line of duty while working on the border protection program operation lone star. the department says 37-year-old special agent anthony salas was involved in a tragic accident on friday night. bill melugin live on the border in la jolla, texas, where the border agents are doing this work. bill? >> reporter: good afternoon to you. tragically, that texas state trooper was killed on the job while he was assist cysting border patrol in apprehending a group of illegal immigrants. this is 37-year-old dps special agent anthonying salas, a former u.s. marine and part of a special operations group with texas dps who embed with border patrol and help them with their board operations. we're told he was in eagle pass, texas, friday night working with border patrol when they were involved in a single-vehicle accident. the details of that have not yet been released, but he died in the hospital yesterday morning. and as you mentioned, he is the very first line of duty death associated with operation lone star. texas governor greg abbott releasing a statement yesterday, if we can pull that up, offering his con doll p lens and saying in part, quote: this tragedy is a somber reminder of the selfless sacrifices our law enforcement make to keep us safe, end quote. meanwhile, if we can pull up this wild video out of border patrol easel paso sector. what you looking at here is border patrol and national guard trying to repel migrants from getting into the country. you can see there are groups of these migrants on the other side of the border wall, some climbing on top of it, shifting around trying to get into the country, and border patrol and the national guard are driving back and forth trying to stop these people from getting in. in the background of the video there's more groups of migrants, dozens of them off in the distance also trying to make a run on the border. but, again, national guard soldiers and border patrol agents doing everything they can do to stop them from interdicting. in border patrol's tucson, arizona, sector, they just caught this sex offender. he is a mexican national arrested after crossing illegally. he's got a previous conviction of third-degree rape in the state of new york. and back out here live every single day border patrol in different sectors all along the border report they are catching these criminals, many times sex offenders just like this. dozens have been captured here in the rio grande valley this fiscal year alone. back to you. eric: all right, bill. down at the southern border, thank you. arthel: beijing is now warning olympic athletes that they could face punishment for criticizing china during the winter games. coming up, we're going to hear from dr. john carlos, one of two olympians who made national headlines by protest anything 1968. ♪ ♪ with downy infusions, let the scent set the mood. feel the difference with downy. every business is on a journey. and along the ride, you'll find many challenges. ♪ your dell technologies advisor can help you find the right tech solutions. so you can stop at nothing for your customers. i didn't know my genetic report could tell me i was prone to harmful blood clots. i travel a ton, so this info was kind of life changing. maybe even lifesaving. ♪do you know what the future holds?♪ feel stuck with credit card debt? move to sofi and feel what it's like to get your money right. ♪ move your high-interest debt to a sofi personal loan. you could save with low rates and no fees. earn $10 just for viewing your rate and get your money right. ♪ eric: the kremlin denying a bombshell british report claiming russian president vladimir putin is trying to install a pro-russian government in ukraine, that ahead of his possible invasion of that country. meanwhile, more russian forces are heading to that border as the diplomatic talks with the u.s. have stalled for now. senior foreign affairs correspondent amy kellogg is in moscow with the very latest from russia. hi, amy. >> reporter: hi, eric. well, not only is russia's ministry of foreign atear if -- affairs calling those british allegations that moscow wants to put a puppet government into place in kiev, quote, nonsense, but the man allegedly tipped to be that very puppet has spoken out at long last saying that he finds it all, quote, funny and ridiculous. adding that he has been under russian sanctions since 2018, can't even travel to russia and, therefore, wouldn't be a logical choice. the ministry of foreign affairs with a tweet saying that the whole idea was a fake and they put a big red stamp on it when they posted the story tweeting, quote: disinformation by the foreign commonwealth and development office is an indication that it is the nato members led by the anglo-saxons who are escalating tensions around ukraine. we urge the foreign office to cease these provocative activities. now, the kremlin plot story is not getting much play here in moscow, but this story sure is. the head of germany's navy having to resign after stating at a think tank conference in india that ukraine will never get crimea back. he claims he said it in an informal capacity, but he was categorical, and he also basically accused the west of not handling russian president vladimir putin very skillfully. >> he wants respect. and like us, giving someone respect is -- the. [inaudible] so if i was tasked, it is easy to give him the respect he really commands and probably also deserves. >> reporter: as russian troops continue to maneuver close to ukraine's borders, a poll by a liberal radio station in moscow found 15% of listeners here think military action is very likely. 27% think it is likely and 58% think it is unlikely. so the question remains tonight how do both sides come down from this cliff edge, and one very well connected russian analyst and journalist told me what he's concerned about is that all of these accusation is the and demands between the two sides have been made very much in public. so it will be extremely complicated to find a way for both sides to come to an agreement feeling that they have won. eric? eric: all right, amy. amy kellogg in moscow. appears to be a standoff for now. thank you. arthel? arthel: a all right, eric. athletes are being warned that they could be punished for criticizing china or making political statements during the beijing olympics next month. the warning comes as china faces intense scrutiny over its human rights record. but officials in beijing say they are enforcing the rules set by the international olympic committee. the ioc athletes' commission guidelines state, quote: no kind of demonstration or political, or religious or racial propaganda, is permitted in any olympic sites, venues or other areas. let's bring in dr. john carlos, bronze medalist in the men's 200 of -- 200-meter race in the summer olympics in mexico city, also that historic, iconic protest with his fellow american, tommy smith, who took home the gold. dr. carlos, nice to have you with me again. what do you think about china's warning, and should athletes adhere torrent? -- or not? >> well, first of all, it's an honor to be on your show again to share with you. as far as the demonstration go in japan and china, beijing, excuse me, it's a restriction that's put on them by this particular rule 50 that they have with the olympic committee. it appears to me that the curtain or the drape has been dropped relative to no political endeavors whatsoever involved in the olympic games. because this is a clear cut political oversight as well as economic oversight. and when they tell the athletes as americans, see, we were in a whole lot different mess, we were boycotting while america should have taken a step forward and disallowed the whole team from going. but to send the young athletes there that might have humanitarian concerns just here in the united states, not to mention the atrocities going on in china. to be voiceless, to not be able to make a statement or a jess gesture of concern about humanity is absolutely absurd. and once again aisle -- elle tell you that the united states and the international olympic committee need to get their acts together. heir putting a tremendous amount of pressure on these young athletes. arthel: a i want to listen right now to representatives michael wallet, republican of florida, and a democrat of virginia on a bipartisan push to halt tax taxpayer funds to the international olympic committee. let's take a listen are. >> we don't think the taxpayers, american taxpayers, should be subsidizing the ioc as a 501c4 which means it's a social welfare organization to then turn its back on these types of atrocities and put our athletes in a position of threatening their safety but also having to choose between competing or turning a back on their values. >> yeah. and it's exceedingly clear that they have moved away from their original, original mission of sports and, you know, companionship and also of human rights. arthel: so they agree with you that, basically, the ioc should not be doing business with china. and you mentioned the pressure that this puts on the athletes. tell us more about that. >> well, first, i'd like to commend those two politicians for bringing the legislation about. and i'd like to tell the young lady that this is not new, current situation for the international olympic committee in terms of bringing politics into the game. politics has always been in the games, but they like to put the curtain up when they feel it's to their advantage. and when it's too their disadvantage, they like to curtain it off again. relative to the pressure being put on the various athletes, they're censoring their text messages, they're censoring their telephones, the international olympic committee is telling them don't bring your computers or phones because you will be censored. this is worse than actually being in the military going to a middle east country in a war zone. arthel: when you're talking about the athletes and all athe ten dees are required to download a health tracking app. but according to a canadian cybersecurity group, i believe it's called citizen lab, that app has security plays, and there is apparently a list of political keywords and and a feature to report politically sensitive content. so, you know, listen -- >> we're walking right into a country that's known for, you know, hacking and so forth. so it'd be no problem for them to hack into any gadgets on the internet, what have you, to find out what's going on, where the various athletes are and to hold them up. i'm just saying shame, shame, shame on the international olympic committee that they would put these kids in the middle of it. and they're still not man enough or strong enough to make the right decision and realize that humanity is what brought these games about altogether. arthel: in the first place -- >> -- would be upset and ashamed with them right now. arthel: without the ioc, you don't have the games, and, you know, all these world class athletes who want to participate. what should happen with the ioc? >> i think, first of all, the united states putting economic pressure on the international olympic committee would make them start to take this thing a little more seriously. they seem to think that they're a dictatorship and they can do have whatever they want whenever they want, to whomever they want. and like i spoke last time, they are at the end of the road, and the ceiling is falling in. like they say, the house is on fire, and they better wake up to it and try and resolve these issues as quickly as they can. they can't keep sticking it under the rug. arthel: do you think there needs to be a reorganization at the top there at the ioc? >> well, not only a reorganization at the top, i think their bylaws are outdated. i think they need to reconstruct their bylaws and look at themselves in terms of where we are in modern times. arthel: got it. >> we could put a new head on, but if the body is still the same, the snake's just as poisonous no matter who the head is. arthel: gotta an -- gotta an -- got that an is city, definitely. dr. john carlos, thank you so much. >> thank you. you have a great day as well. god bless you. arthel: god bless you. eric? eric: thanks, arthel. well, it's tough times for some restaurant owners in new york city even if your business is famous. coming up, joe germanotta is here other than of the joanne at thely ya named after his daughter, lady gaga. he'll tell us how he's trying to keep his place afloat under the city's strict covid mandates. ♪ ♪ >> 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, felite replace. ♪ [♪♪] 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. (burke) with farmers auto multi-policy discount, the more policies you have with us, the more you could save on your auto insurance. (man) hey, hon! (wife) hi, honey! (man) like what? (burke) well, you'd get a discount for insuring your jet skis... and boat...rv...life... ...home and more. you could save up to forty-five percent. (man) that's a whole lot of discounts. (burke) well, we offer coverage for a whole lot of things, and you could save a whole lot of something with farmers policy perks. (kid) sup, dad! (burke) eeseventeen-car garage you got there? ♪we are farmers♪ ♪bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum♪ ♪♪♪ my name is austin james. as a musician living with diabetes, fingersticks can be a real challenge. that's why i use the freestyle libre 2 system. with a painless, one-second scan i know my glucose numbers without fingersticks. now i'm managing my diabetes better and i've lowered my a1c from 8.2 to 6.7. take the mystery out of managing your diabetes and lower your a1c. now you know. try it for free at freestylelibre.us ♪ >> i am so looking forward to, just so you know personally, to lift all these restrictions put in place for the right reasons. but i know there'll come a time, and we'll not be the last ones. we're going to be very thoughtful about this. we'll make sure we do this, and i'm looking forward to those announcements in the near future. eric: new york governor kathy hoe cull defending the state's restrictions, and many small business owners say the lifting can't happen soon enough n. new york city, all private employees are required to be vaccinated. anyone age 12 or up must show proof of full vaccination to go inside a restaurant and eat indoors. one restaurant owner who's been speaking out about this is joe germanotta, owner of the italian restaurant joanne trattoria near lincoln center. he founded the business with his daughter, stephanie, who you may have heard of, lady gaga. joe germanotta joins us now. joe, welcome. how's business? >> hi. eric, thanks for having me on. eric: sure. >> how's business? well, between, you know, there's three things that are really hurting us, all our restaurants, is the crime and the messaging and the mandates. i mean, the customers, you know, they're thinned out quite a bit, and, you know, i can only ask that our leaders keep their eye on the ball, right? and start working on those three key issues. because customers are scared. right? i've had people write to me, you know, we have regular customers that come in from out of state, they write to me and tell me their travel agents are telling them not to come to new york because it's too dangerous, right? that's not good. that's not good for any of our businesses here. eric: and then you have -- well, in order to eat, you have to be vaccinated, you have to show a vaccination card. when -- >> right. eric: -- will we get through this, do you think? some places in the country you can go right in a restaurant and eat, and here you've got those outdoor sheds that are indoors/outdoors like fish bowls. it has caused con confusion and uncertainly. some restaurants are packed and other places no one's inside. >> right. well, as far as the mandates go, i mean, for us to be policing or if somebody has taken a vaccine, i mean, first off, i mean, there's so many bogus cards out there, i'm sure, all right in and i'm having a hostess stand at the door and, you know, validate these things. that's not right. i've got friends that have been triple boosted, all right? [laughter] triple vaxxed, and hay still got it. so, mine, what's the value? you're going to get it and you're going to transmit it, all right? even if you have the vaccine. so why keep pushing us, right, to do the police work for the, you know, for the administration so that they want to force people to get the shot? you know? as far as the outdoor seating, i took mine out. i mean, i think they're a hazard, personally. customers, a lot of customers aren't sitting in there now because it's too cold and, you know, you can't be heated well enough. in addition to that, i mean, it causes, you know, a problem. the streets are dirty. okay? because they can't clean the streets properly. it takes up parking, so customers that want to come into the city, there's not enough parking spaces. you know, i just, i don't see the value of it anymore. eric: you know, they, in terms of the shots, they say -- the medical science shows that you won't, chances are you won't die and you won't be hospitalized, and even if you get it, it will be milder. of course, you have long covid potentially. what do you think will, you know, when do you think we'll get through all this? do you see a better spring coming? >> well, i hope so. i mean, i hope if they -- you know, if the mayor would do something about the crime and, you know, we could get some real, definitive, you know, action steps, i mean, i can remember we used to see it, we used to see the police used to come into the restaurant, they would say hi, tell us what's going on in the neighborhood. that habit happened in a long time. there's -- hasn't happened in a long time. there's not as many cruisers out on the street. we used to see cars cruising the neighborhood. there's not as many out there anymore. you hardly see them. it's -- when are we going to get behind it? i think it's the crime, and when the mixed messages are gone, all right, and people want to go ouu know, new yorkers are tough and they're smart. and if they're sick, they stay home. if they're afraid, they stay home. [laughter] i mean, i wouldn't go out with the flu if i had flu-like symptom. i mean, it's just the bottom line. they've got to start putting faith back into the new york city population. eric: we've been through worse before here in new york city, and we have a new mayor who's a former police officer himself. who certainly appears to have gotten the message and understands it. joe, finally, on the new york thing on a different note, you're a great man. you've got white clam pizza. mr. g's chopped clam pizza. that is a connecticut thing -- >> that's right. eric: i mean, that is the most amazing -- i'm a new yorker, i mean, i go by the price, but white clam pizza is fantastic. why'd you put that on the menu? >> that's my favorite. everybody everything wow. >> it's my favorite. i used to eat at pepe's too. eric: all right, joe, thank you so much. and your daughter, that guy from astoria, tony bennett, wonderful. >> ah, tony bennett, yeah. eric: her heart, inspiration an- >> love to tony. tony's the best man in the world. thank you. eric: new yorkers talking here. joe germanotta, thank you. arthel: i'm not a new yorker by birth, but i love new york too. go to joe's restaurant, support the cause, everybody. meanwhile, the ncaa is making changes to rules for transgender athletes, but not everyone is pleased with the new policy. we'll have that story up next. ♪ ♪ and we need more time. so, we want kisqali. women are living longer than ever before with kisqali when taken with an aromatase inhibitor or fulvestrant in postmenopausal women with hr+, her2- metastatic breast cancer. kisqali is a pill that's significantly more effective at delaying disease progression versus an aromatase inhibitor or fulvestrant alone. kisqali can cause lung problems, or an abnormal heartbeat, which can lead to death. it can cause serious skin reactions, liver problems, and low white blood cell counts that may result in severe infections. tell your doctor right away if you have new or worsening symptoms, including breathing problems, cough, chest pain, a change in your heartbeat, dizziness, yellowing of the skin or eyes, dark urine, tiredness, loss of appetite, abdomen pain, bleeding, bruising, fever, chills or other symptoms of an infection, a severe or worsening rash, are or plan to become pregnant, or breastfeeding. avoid grapefruit during treatment. ask your doctor about living longer with kisqali. ♪ ♪ arthel: transgender swimmer lia thomas racking up more victories just days after the ncaa updated its policies for trans athletes. alexandria hoff has more. >> reporter: trans athletes policies are shifting to a sport-by-sport basis. previously, they were eligible to compete the they had proved they had received treatment for at least a year prior. that's the case for lia thomas who has been breaking records on penn's women's swim team. the new policy requires hormone testing for championships. caitlin jenner sounded off this week. >> i'm disappointed. basically, the ncaa just kicked the can down the road, and it's unfortunate. i am out there to protect women's sports. >> reporter: jenner added that even void of testosterone, she still outperforms women. south dakota governor christie oklahoma said on "fox news sunday" that she's pushing a bill to protect sports for biolodge logical women and girls. >> this is about fairness, making sure that our girls have a chance to be successful and compete if, to win scholarships, potentially go on to play professional sports beyond that. >> reporter: usa swimming provided a lengthy statement on twitter reading in part, quote: we also strongly believe in competitive equity, and like many, are doing our best to learn and educate ourselves on the appropriate balance in this space. trans athletes like chris nosier have also taken issue with the policy change. he feels it was rushed and provides no safeguards for trans student athletes. arthel? arthel: alexandria hoff thank you very much. thank you for joining us. that's it for today. we appreciate your time. enjoy rest of your cay. (excited yell) woo-hoo! ensure max protein. with thirty grams of protein, one gram of sugar, and nutrients to support immune health. it's my 4:05, the-show-must-go-on, migraine medicine. it's ubrelvy. for anytime, anywhere, migraine strikes. without worrying if it's too late or where i am. one dose can quickly stop my migraine in its tracks within 2 hours. unlike older medicines ubrelvy is a pill that directly blocks cgrp protein, believed to be a cause of migraine. do not take with strong cyp3a4 inhibitors. most common side effects were nausea and tiredness. ask about ubrelvy and learn how abbvie can help you save. it's time for sleep number's january sale on the sleep number 360 smart bed. what if i sleep hot? ...or cold? no problem, the sleep number 360 smart bed is temperature balancing so you both sleep just right. and it senses your movements and automatically adjusts to keep you both effortlessly comfortable. so, you can really promise better sleep? yes! you'll know exactly how well you slept, night after night. we take care of the science. all you have to do is sleep. and now, save $1,000 on the sleep number 360 special edition smart bed, queen now $1,999. plus, 0% interest for 36 months. only for a limited time. >> i'm trace gallagher withwelcy show", here's what's on tap tonight. >> thousands gathered to protest vaccine mandates as the cdc rings vaccination, the madness and is coming up. >> david. >> reveal americans are ready for a new