zuckerberg and elon musk. >> bret: we begin with a weather alert. tonight, severe weather over much of the eastern part of the country. more than 130 million americans are at risk of seeing the severe weather outbreak either late this afternoon, into this evening. here in washington, d.c., federal government offices closed early today, sending employees home ahead of these anticipated storms. plane travel up and down the east coast, largely grounded at this hour. no sense of when that stops. this is the most serious threat of the storm that the nation's capitol has faced in years. fox weather correspondent katie berne is in d.c. tonight on the streets. good evening, katie. >> good evening, bret. yeah, rain is moving into d.c. now and we could feel hurricane-strength winds gusting as fast as 75 miles per hour. in fact, in a suburb of d.c., centerville, virginia people already have reports of 80 mile-per-hour wind gusts there just in the last hour or. so the storm system is impacting heavily populated areas from the northeast to the southeast. the storms hit the south first. in some parts of the region like tennessee, they saw 70 mile-per-hour wind gusts there. in north carolina, one person was hurt after being struck by lightning. now, here in d.c. we are under a tornado watch until later tonight. we know federal offices, summer camps and public pools closed early and now some locals are worried about getting home since this is hitting right at that evening commute time. >> got a small office. only a couple people there. both of them mentioned we might want to leave a little early today. try to beat the storm. i'm taking the metro. so it's just fingers crossed that works out. >> the faa issued ground stops at least 10 airports across the east of d.c. you wil you could see why. >> bret: when it comes to weather download the fox weather app. or stream fox weather on favorite connected tv device. >> bret: today, lawmakers and members of the public heard from family members of the 13 service members killed during the chaotic u.s. withdrawal from afghanistan. house republicans are essentially blaming president biden for creating the conditions that led to that attack at the kabul airport during the military pullout. congressional correspondent aishah hasnie shows us tonight. >> when our leaders called this evacuation a success, it is like a knife in the heart. >> pain, anger, and grief as the gold star families of 13 u.s. service members killed by a suicide bomber at kabul airport tell their stories together in public for the first time. >> my son was only 20 years old. >> relatives testifying at a hearing hosted by congressman darrell issa near camp pendleton where many of the troops were based. they say they waited two years for the biden administration to explain its decisions leading up to that catastrophic bombing. now, they are accusing officials of failing their children and trying to cover it up. >> we were told lies, given incomplete reports, incorrect reports. total disrespect. >> kelly barnett says she knew something was wrong when she spoke to her son, staff sergeant darren taylor hoover. >> his words were chaos, no communication, lack of leadership. >> to date, the biden administration refuses to take any responsibility for the tragedy. >> i want answers. i want the truth. >> even denying there was anything chaotic about how the withdrawal played out. >> for all this talk of chaos, i just didn't see it, not from my perch. >> to have individuals like john kirby come in and say that he did not see from the chaos from his perch is both tone deaf and ignorant. >> now these parents are calling for secretary of state antony blinken and joint chiefs chairman general mark milley to resign. have little hope that will ever happen. >> i have no allusion that anyone will be prosecuted or terminated for ignoring intelligence or making bad decisions. >> now i hear is him and his -- avenge me. >> and tonight the pentagon is responding to all of that damning testimony, writing in part now the department of defense expresses our deepest condolences to the gold star families who lost loved ones during the tragic bombing at abby gate. we are forever grateful for their service, sacrifice, and committed efforts during the evacuation operation. and you'll notice the word "successful" was notably left out of that statement. bret? >> bret: yeah. heard it before. asha has any live on capitol hill. thanks. ♪ ♪ >> bret: former president trump today met a deadline to respond to a justice department proposed order blocking him from sharing details in his january 6th criminal case. tonight we examine the effect multiple indictments and dozens of criminal charges are having on the former president's efforts to try to reclaim the white house. chief washington correspondent mike emanuel joins us tonight with the latest. good evening, mike. >> bret, good evening to you. former president trump's legal team argues the protective order is overbroad. trump attorneys arguing in a trial about first amendment rights the government seeks to restrict first amendment rights, noting president biden has continually attacked mr. trump, who is this administration's primary political opponent during an election season. >> the fake charges put forth by the biden sham. we call it a sham indictment. it is an outrageous criminalization of political speech. >> the g.o.p. frontrunner argues his legal troubles are only helping him politically. florida governor ron desantis was maintained a distant second place in primary polling says the next election must be a referendum on president biden's policies and not about the former president's legal problems. desantis was asked if mr. trump lost the 2020 election, taking the former president head on. >> of course he lost. >> trump lost the 2020 elections? >> of course. joe biden is the president. but the issue is, i think what people in the media and elsewhere, they want to act like somehow this was just like the perfect election. >> mr. trump's former vice president, mike pence, has taken a tougher tone with his old boss in recent days. republican presidential hopeful says he would testify against mr. trump if called by special counsel jack smith. >> i have no plans to testify, but look, we will always -- we'll always comply with the law. >> another contender, former new jersey governor chris christie says the g.o.p. must turn the page. >> donald trump is the nominee, he will be talking about donald trump rather than joe biden. and what we should be focused on is talking about joe biden and his record and that's why he cannot be the nominee. >> and former congressman will hurd who is also running for the nomination said the american people are eager for a reset for both parties. >> two thirds of americans do not want donald trump or joe biden on the ballot. like that is clear and that has always been the case. >> on the democratic side, "new york times" polling revealing 64% of democratic voters want someone other than biden. leaving dean phillips to consider running for the nomination. he hasn't decided personally but encouraging other democrats to jump in because, quote, democrats in the country need competition. bret? >> bret: all right, mike. just getting started. thanks, man. a federal judge has tossed out former president trump's counter suit against the writer who won a sex abuse lawsuit against him. the judge ruled the former president could not claim that e. jean carroll defamed him by continuing to say she was not only sexually abused but raped. she won a $5 million judgment against him in may and is pursuing her own defamation suit now against him. the former president's attorney says he will appeal the dismissal of the former president's counterclaim. ♪ ♪ >> bret: president biden was briefly back at the white house today after a week in delaware. he is facing growing questions over his denial of participation in business dealings concerning his son, hunter. correspondent gillian turner is at the white house with that tonight. >> my name is joe biden. i play center field. [laughter] [applause] >> at least i used to. >> president biden hosted the houston astros today and then got out of town leaving the white house facing increasing scrutiny over alleged involvement in his son's foreign business deals a new fox digital investigation finds hunter's former business associate eric swern visited the white house and presidential visit during the obama administration many more times than previously known. at least 36 visits. >> eric schwerin was the money guy. he moved money around and based on the hunter biden laptop sherwin had access to not only hunter biden's accounts but also joe biden's accounts. >> the president insisted many times he never spoke to his son about his foreign business indicates as recently as 2020 at one point he never heard of burisma the ukrainian energy company that appointed hunter to its board. >> nothing was unethical. here's the deal, with regard to ukraine, we had this whole question about whether or not, because he was on the board, i later learned of burisma. >> but devon archer, another of hunter's former business associates claimed in a deposition that president biden actually attended a burisma dinner back in 2015. biden also penned a letter to archer in 2011 after the two attended the same lunch writing, quote: hope to get a chance to see you again soon with hunter. these new developments are giving even some democrats pause. >> if hunter biden committed crimes, hunter biden should face justice and accountability for those crimes which, by the way, is a sentence that i have heard very few republicans say about donald trump for much more massive crimes. >> the president is now heading out west to highlight his green energy agenda and the climate crisis. the white house is hoping to avoid answering more questions about his son, at least until thursday when the president comes back here, bret. >> bret: gillian turner live in the white house briefing room. gillian, thank you. stocks were up today ahead of key inflation data. the dow jumps 407 and a half. the s&p 500 gained 40. the nasdaq finished ahead 85. up next, we talk live with miami mayor, republican presidential candidate francis suarez. first, here's what some of our fox affiliates around the country are covering tonight. fox 9 in minneapolis as the fourth and final former minneapolis police officer charged for his role in george floyd's death learns his fate. the was fence sentenced to 57 months in prison found it's of aiding and abetting manslaughter in floyd's death. three people die when a pair of hell fire helicopters collides over riverside county. it happened last night. all three victims were on a copter that crashed. the second helicopter managed to land safely. this a live look at grand rapids. one of the big stories there tonight from fox 17, our affiliate there in washington, d.c., will work on a section of interstate 94 begins that will make it automated vehicle corridor first of its kind in the world. first part of what is expected to be a multi-year job with several phases. that is tonight's live look outside the beltway from "special report." we'll be right back. ♪ life is a highway ♪ i want to ride it all night long ♪ booking.com, booking.yeah ♪ ♪ >> woman: why did we choose safelite? >> vo: for us, driving around is the only way we can get our baby to sleep, so when our windshield cracked, we needed it fixed right. we went to safelite.com. there's no one else we'd trust. their experts replaced our windshield, and recalibrated our car's advanced safety system. they focus on our safety... so we can focus on this little guy. >> singers: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace. ♪ municipal bonds don't usually get the media coverage the stock market does. in fact, most people don't find them all that exciting. but, if you're looking for the potential for consistent income that's federally tax-free, now is an excellent time to consider municipal bonds from hennion & walsh. if you have at least $10,000 to invest, call and talk with one of our bond specialists at 1-800-217-3217. we'll send you our exclusive bond guide, free. with details about how bonds can be an important part of your portfolio. hennion & walsh has specialized in fixed income and growth solutions for 30 years, and offers high-quality municipal bonds from across the country. they provide the potential for regular income... are federally tax-free... and have historically low risk. call today to request your free bond guide. 1-800-217-3217. that's 1-800-217-3217. (inspirational music) - [narrator] wounded warrior project helps post-9/11 veterans realize what's possible. with generous community support. - aaron, how you doing buddy? - [narrator] we bring warriors together and empower them to become stronger inside and out. - it's possible to begin healing - to get the help you need. - to find peace. - [narrator] and as each warrior's needs evolve, so do we. because these last 20 years are just the beginning. ♪ >> bret: we w are a little more two weeks away from the first candidate from the g.o.p. season. the debate milwaukee, wisconsin august 23rd hosted here on fox. tonight we talk with one of the hopefuls still trying to qualify to be on that stage. joining us this evening miami mayor francis suarez. mr. mayor, thanks for being here. >> thanks for having me, bret. >> bret: i ask all candidates who come on. we have been trying to talk to everybody this first question and that is: what do you think is the most important issue facing the country right now? >> i think the most important issue facing the country is the out-of-control inflation and rising interest rates that are created by a deficit that has been getting increasingly larger. i'm the only public official and the only candidate that has actually cut a public sector budget by the equivalent percentage that you need to cut the federal budget to balance it. what i find ironic is that in the context of this debt ceiling debate that we had just a few weeks ago and in the context of the federal government being downgraded in its bond rating, the city of miami, the city that i run, the government that i run, was upgraded by s&p by its highest rating ever. we have the best reserves we have ever had in our history. we have annual surpluses. the lowest tax rate we have ever had and we have seen 14% growth, double dignity growth in our city. and so i want to take that same prosperity, that same austerity and i want to take it national to balance our budget and create prosperity for the american people. >> bret: why are you the best candidate in florida? you have a florida governor. you have a former president who lives in florida. and now you have a miami mayor. why are you the best of those three to get the nomination? >> i have the best combination of policy background and policy and personality to be the president of the united states. first on the policy side of reduce taxes to its lowest level. i just talked to you about that. i have reduced crime to historic levels. last year we were at a 19 per capita low. homicides. this year 37% below that number. that's something that is plaguing all of urban america. as a republican candidate you have got to be able to attract urban voters. i have done that in miami-dade county. you have to have the personality to build relationships not only across the aisle. i was elected by 850% and ree -- 85%. you have to build relationships with foreign leaders and create credibility for the united states and get things done to strengthen our country. >> bret: some statistics say you are a little green and hugh hewitt's show and he asked you about the uyghur. you said what is a uyghur. chinese minority that is obviously in the news. do you feel like you are up to speed on foreign policy issues? >> you know, i'm the mayor of an international city. i was president of the u.s. conference of mayors and in my year and a half as president of the conference of mayors, i not only traveled across america but i traveled across the world and built relationships in the middle east with middle east leaders. i went to asia and, of course, created relationships with leaders in our own hemisphere so, yes, i think i have equal public -- you know, foreign policy experience with many of the candidates that are running for president. in the course of a long presidential candidacy you are going to have stumbles and make mistakes. what is important that you own up to it, get better, prevent it from happening in the future and you grow. i think, you know, as president, as mayor, as governor, in any public or private sector position, you're not perfect. but you get better and, of course, you articulate your vision in a better way going forward. >> bret: mayor, the debate stage starting to get set as we close in on august 23rd, the g.o.p. debate qualifiers so far we will put them up on the screen there are several that have made it, seven. you have got vice president pence and asa hutchinson former governor of arkansas that they meet the polling aspect of it but not the fundraising aspect. you are -- are you meeting the fundraising aspect? >> we have. yes. we met the fundraising aspect which is 20 different states with 200 contributions and today we are announcing that we hit the 40,000 total contribution threshold so, yes, we have met the fundraising flesh hold. we have met one of the three pollinpolling thresholds we polt 1% in iowa. having the volume to tell my story and talk about the vision for the future of the country is what is going to give me the volume to poll at 1% at the very minimum in two national polls and another state poll which we hope to have in new hampshire, soon. once we meet that threshold on august 23rd, we will be on equal footing with 8 or 9 candidates and have an opportunity to really prove to the american people that i am the best candidate that hopefully will give me the lift to get to the next debate in september. i take this in sort of incremental bite size steps to show the american people that i am the best candidate to lead this country. >> bret: yeah. and we should point out that these criterion are the rnc's guidelines. >> that's right. >> bret: they laid down the rules of what it's going to be. different next time. they will ratchet up along the way. >> that's right. >> bret: mayor, we appreciate your time tonight. >> thank you, bret. >> bret: hopefully we will see you in milwaukee. >> hopefully. >> bret: please join martha mccallum and me as we host the first republican debate of the primary season happen here on fox news channel august 23rd live from wisconsin. long hot summer in labor negotiations. we will tell you about the latest threat to the trucking industry. and, on this day in 1998, nearly simultaneous explosions went off in front of the american embassies in kenya and tanzania, 224 people died in the blasts, including 12 americans. more than 4500 people were wounded. those attacks were directly linked to al-qaeda, more than 20 people have been charged in connection with those bombings. seven are serving life sentences in u.s. prisons. ♪ ♪ come on. work for dad- here... now, you can find the game easy. my barbecue is saved! get in the redzone with sports pack. call 1-800-directv my barbecue is ruined. age is just a number, and mine's unlisted. try boost® high protein with 20 grams of protein for muscle health versus 16 grams in ensure® high protein. boost® high protein. now available in cinnabon® bakery-inspired flavor. learn more at boost.com/tv let innovation refunds help with your erc tax refund so you can improve your business however you see fit. rosie used part of her refund to build an outdoor patio. clink! dr. marshall used part of his refund to give his practice a facelift. emily used part of her refund to buy... i run a wax museum. let innovation refunds help you get started on your erc tax refund. stop waiting. go to innovationrefunds.com you really got the brows. 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>> bret: dan springer in seattle. dan, thank you. ♪ ♪ >> bret: state and local officials are ramping up their criticism of the president's border policies tonight while authorities in new york are blaming the biden administration for not helping enough with migrants sent to their city. a former democratic colleague of the president said she's livid at the lack of funds for her state. fox business correspondent madison alworth has that story tonight. good evening, madison. >> good evening, bret. new york city is turning to parks like the one behind me to house migrants as the nation's largest city becomes overwhelmed with the crisis. the newest being announced just this afternoon randles island will now be the home to the newest humanitarian emergency response and relief center, housing 2,000 single adult migrants on fields and green spaces used by new york city families. we just got a statement from the randall's island park alliance in response to this news saying, in part, quote: randall's island park alliance is dedicated to reducing the impact of the healthcare facility and work closely with nyc parks to reduce the lost hours. while some workers are complaining about this move others like senator kyrsten sinema says she is livid that new york city is getting a massive injection of federal funding to tackle the migrant crisis while her home state and texas have been bearing the brunt of the migrant surge for years. >> when i hear from folks in other parts of the country say oh it's hard. our shelters are overwhelmed. yeah. come live a day in the life of yuma, -- >> since last spring, over 93,000 migrants have passed through new york city. the city getting over $104 million in fema aid. while that covers just 13 days of the cost of this crisis here, it is the largest amount released from the department of homeland security's federal shelter and services program so far. mayor eric adams has repeatedly turned to the federal government asking for more funding saying that the city is now out of money and space because of that, city hall says that more parks are on the table as options, including central park which particularly in the summer, bret, is heavily utilized by families and visitors to this city. i will send it back to you. >> bret: madison, thank you. from new york to florida, a diving team in florida has discovered nearly three dozen cars at the bottom of a lake near miami's airport. divers looking for critical clue in unsolved crime. the team found 60 vehicles statewide possibly linked to different crimes. the divers are working with local officials to remove vehicles and turn over any evidence they might find. there could be a road block to the highly anticipated cage fight between tech moguls elon musk and mark zuckerberg. musk says he may need some medical attention before he can take on his rival. ashley webster of fox business has the tale of the tape tonight. ashley? >> yeah, hey there, bret. look, for a lot of verbal jousting over the weekend, the prospect of a musk vs. zuckerberg cage match may have to wait for just a little while. musk says he needs surgery on his neck and back and will give an update on that later in the week. even though earlier he had posted this on his social media site x zuck vs. musk fight will be live streamed on x. all charity will go to veterans. zuckerberg is that correctly is snarkly respondedshouldn't wl platform that can actually raise money for charity. that's when musk fired back shouldn't you focus on not letting your app. die referring to thread. all words no, action. in the battle of billionaires actually goes ahead, here is how they would match up. zuckerberg coming in at an estimated 5'7" around 154 pounds. the # 9-year-old is worth around $110 billion and oh, by the way, has a blue belt in jujitsu. in the other corner as you can see elon musk reportedly 6'1, 187 pounds thereby. 52 and admittedly not in fighting shape. his wealth doubles that of zuckerberg which, of course, counts for absolutely nothing in the ring. by the way reports say that zuckerberg has actually installed an octagon in his backyard to practice. for his part elon musk says is he lifting weights throughout the day, even bringing them to work. will this actually happen? we will have to find out. bret, outside of the ring, musk is also vowing to help people in their legal fights. he is offering to pay the attorneys' fees for users who are unfairly treated in their workplace because of something they like or posted on his social media site. always a busy day with elon musk. >> bret: it really is you know, hannity has got maybe newsom and desantis. maybe he can do this, too. >> yep. hey, another cage match. why not? bring it on. >> bret: all right. ashley, thanks. up next the panel on the china-russia war games near alaska and the kabul airport bombing hearing. what the administration said about it and is saying about it. first beyond our borders tonight. niger soldiers close the country's airspace and accuse foreign powers of preparing an attack. the military is defying a deadline to reinstate the ousted president. western african regional forces are threatening to use force if the democratically elected president is not returned to power. pass jerry rail service has been partially restored in southern pakistan one day after a major train derailment killed at least 30 people. a doctor at nearby hospital said 27 bodies of the victims have been handed over to relatives for burials while three bodies have not been identified. and this is a live look at paris, one of the big stories there tonight. a belarusian sprinter who defected owe tokyo olympics two years ago is cleared by world athletic officials to compete poland. the country has waived the three year waiting period for nationality changes allowing christina timaskia to pursue a chance to participate in next year's paris olympics. so there is that. just some of the other stories beyond our borders tonight. we'll be right back. ♪ ♪ you just fade away ♪ don't you know ♪ i'm still standing ♪ better than i ever did ♪ looking like a true survivor ♪ booking.com, booking. yeah. if you want to be here... it all starts here. at bass pro shops and cabela's, we have the widest selection of the quality brands you love to get you outdoors. whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out. our friendly, knowledgeable outfitters will help you find the right products for your next trip. shop with confidence with our low-price guarantee. plus, club members save even more on great gear with exclusive member pricing. bass pro shops and cabela's, voted america's best outdoor retailer. ♪ i have type 2 diabetes, ♪ ♪ but i manage it well. ♪ ♪ it's a little pill with a big story to tell. ♪ ♪ i take once-daily jardiance, ♪ ♪ at each day's staaart. ♪ ♪ as time went on it was easy to seee ♪ ♪ i'm lowering my a1c. ♪ jardiance works 24/7 in your body to flush out some sugar! and for adults with type 2 diabetes and known heart disease, jardiance can lower the risk of cardiovascular death, too. jardiance may cause serious side effects including ketoacidosis that may be fatal, dehydration, that can lead to sudden worsening of kidney function, and genital yeast or urinary tract infections. a rare, life-threatening bacterial infection in the skin of the perineum could occur. stop taking jardiance and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of this infection, ketoacidosis, or an allergic reaction, and don't take it if you're on dialysis. taking jardiance with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. ♪ jardiance is really swell, ♪ ♪ the little pill with a big story to tell. ♪ (fisher investments) it's easy to think that all money managers are pretty much the same, but at fisher investments we're clearly different. 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[. >> bret: we're having some issues here. we're going to figure it out. we're going to play that soundbite. we will bring it our panel. let's listen to it now. >> the commander-in-chief called evacuation a success as if there should be celebration. it is like a knife in the heart. my son loved this country as much as he loved his family. i expected the government to love my son as much as i do. >> how could so many peaceful pay their respects but nothing at all from the president of the united states. >> that would be like avenge me. have the biggest smile. and now all i hear is him avenge me. thank you. >> bret: it was painful testimony. we wanted you to hear it. let's bring in our panel byron york chief political correspondent of "the washington examiner." "u.s.a. today" white house correspondent francesca chambers and hugh hewitt. hugh, let me start with you. your thoughts on this. we have talked a lot about that withdrawal and the characterization by the administration that it wasn't chaotic that, it was a success but, boy, you listen today to those families and it does -- it just gives you a totally different perspective. >> thanks, bret, for playing the audio. the stonewalling by the biden administration about abby gate is the worst episode in this administration's many bad episodes and the gold star families that they had finally their chance to say in very direct terms they have received not one apology, not one acknowledgment. of the president of the united states, when he had spoke to mrs. rex was just completely obtuse in his comments to her and not one member of the administration has resigned for the fiasco that took 13 american lives. by the way seven more servicemen at abby gate have taken their own lives since that tragedy. what was the worst moment of the biden administration is being stonewalled not just between -- before mike mcfaul's oversight committee as well. there is a new book "kabul" by jerry dunleavy and james hansen that lays it all out. it was a disaster and it's now a cover-up. >> bret: francesca, you heard the testimony here and obviously it's powerful and the condolences that the administration sends to those families, but it's also politically powerful because a lot of candidates right now are using the afghanistan withdrawal to say that it is a form of weakness that this administration has shown around the world. at least that's what they are saying on the trail. >> and president biden's approval ratings never recovered after that happened. and it was problematic for him on the political perspective because he had ran as a candidate on his foreign policy experience and that's something he intends to run on again. and when the administration did their hogwash of this they tried to blame many of these things on the trump administration and say that they were the ones that negotiated this deal. we had to stick with it. but critics of the biden administration would say if you didn't think it was a good deal then you could have renegotiated it. you didn't have to stick with it but, also, that he could have handled the way that they did the withdrawal differently and that was on his administration. >> bret: yeah. i think we have some of the candidates, including the former president talking about the afghanistan withdrawal. >> when i saw how disastrous withdrawal from afghanistan, it just broke my heart. [applause] >> sacrifice of men and women in uniform. defended our freedom in that nation over the last 20 years. >> that was, in my opinion, the greatest embarrassment in the history of our country. we have never had an embarrassment like afghanistan. [applause] >> it was a national embarrassment. you have got north korea testing ballistic missiles, you have iran building a bomb. you have russia invading ukraine. but, make no mistake, none of that would have happened had we not had that debacle in afghanistan. >> bret: so i mean it is a talking point for a number of candidates, pretty much all of them. >> all of them. and, you know, this hearing today, the reason we had it is because republicans took over the house. and i think we should thank representative issa, especially, for holding this forum and the investigations that are going on in two committees because of this republican takeover there's a lot we don't know about what the administration knew going in, what they expected would happen as opposed to what actually did happen. they have not been very transparent about this. and, yeah, this is going to be a huge campaign issue because, remember, joe biden came in as being the adult in the room. he was going to be the experienced foreign policy hand in one of the most important things any president could do he messed up. >> bret: one of the things, hugh is, that critics of this administration say that that moment emboldened our enemies or our challengers. you see what happened with china and russia, very close to the alaskan coast. senator dan sullivan, republican from alaska saying the incursion by 11 chinese and russian warships operating together off the coast of alaska is, yet, another reminder that we have entered a new era of authoritarian aggression led by the dictators in beijing and moscow. obviously there is a lot of things that factor in here. but, does it go back to that initial, original sin if you will about the afghanistan withdrawal? >> i think it goes back, actually, to president obama's red line that was erased and then the original putin invasion of ukraine. but, most certainly abby gate and the disastrous withdrawal from afghanistan played into it. now, the russians and the chinese were not within our waters. they did not come within 12 miles or 24 miles or anything that would be a violation of international law. i think the appropriate response would be to send 11 of our warships through the taiwan strait which is also international waters and which is always objected to by the liberation of army navy. known for appeasement. they will probably send john kerry over to beg more climate concessions as opposed to warships through the strait. >> bret: jessica, the administration says it's a delicate game, diplomacy, force, but they are trying to figure out how to deal with china and that they talk about it all the time. this is another, you know, thumb in the eye. >> the administration imagines strategic competition with china but has said repeatedly that they do not want it to escalate to confrontation. as we talk about the g.o.p. field, however, one thing that they will have to articulate is what they would do differently when it comes to china from president biden. and, when you look at former president trump, i mean, he did go to china to meet with xi jinping but he said things that were complimentary about him. when you look at some of the other candidates nikki haley, she has been more hawkish on the issue, several of the other ones agrees with biden, mike pence, xi is a dictator. this is going to be a critical question where does stand on xi jinping in china. >> bret: always he said, she said. up next how the legal challenges facing president biden and former president trump could effect the 2024 campaign and, later, a cancer patient honored by his heroes. ♪ ♪ dude, what're you doing? 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>> well, as far as the hunter biden story is concerned, republicans have made an enormous amount of progress just in the past few weeks. this devon archer interview was really huge it. demolished joe biden's story about not knowing about his son's business affairs. so, they -- republicans are going to go ahead whether all media outlets cover them or not. they keep uncovering substantive information. the big step is to tie it more closely to joe biden. as far as trump's situation is he makes a joke. he said i'm just one more indictment away from wrapping up the nomination. who knows if that will be funny six months from now. but is he conducting a two track campaign right now. just like he did with mueller. there's the legal side in which his lawyers are dealing. they just filed some huge motion this afternoon. dealing with the judge and on the other side there is the political side. and so far the political side has been a smashing success. >> bret: hugh? >> well, thus far on the trump trials, i do not see any reason that the judge chutkan recuse herself in d.c. and judge recuse herself in florida. do i see a big reason to gets the president's second trial on federal charges outside of the district of columbia. not only did d.c. vote for joe biden 92% plus vs. president trump's 5% and change but finding a jury poll there that does not have a -- like the heart of tds syndrome beats inside of the beltway. they have got to get it out of there. and if jack smith has any confidence in what i consider done outrageous charges beyond the pale. >> tds is trump derangement syndrome in hugh language. rebecca, real quick -- francesca? >> former president trump, if you look at the polls recently, americans are more concerned about the recent charges against him than they were first two cases based on comments about a potential fourth indictment. he seems to be teeing up a situation in which case georgia could potentially bring charges against him, trying to get out in front of that with regards to president biden and what happened with the testimony this week. we still haven't heard from the white house. he has not been there as you pointed out. >> bret: yeah. and we shall keep asking. thank you, panel. ♪ ♪ >> bret: finally tonight, a special day, a georgia fire department welcomes its newest member. 3-year-old named austin hare. he was diagnosed with a rare neurological disease at just six days old. diagnosed with cancer last january. celebrated his birthday last month with a trip to the cherokee county fire station. he was given his own uniform, named honorary firefighter and he was psyched about it, had breakfast with the firefighters. very cool chief eddy robinson down there a salute to you and your department as he fights his fight. thanks for inviting us into your home tonight. that's it for this "special report" fair, balanced and still unafraid. we survived the storm so far. "the ingraham angle" is next. >> ♪ ♪ ♪ >> laura: hi, everyone, i'm laura ingraham. this is "the ingraham angle" from washington tonight. thanks for joining us. all right. my angle exposing our phoney historians will be later in the show. in case you hadn't heard the great trump layer is is beyond reproach. >> right now we have a very aggressive prosecutor in jack smith. the doj would say we pursue justice without fear or favor. is he absolutely doing that. >> laura: and he is no