from washington tonight. thank you so much for being with us. tricky for nice. that's the focus of tonight's angle. tawrtd of immigrant parent, an attractive political resume. the undeniable fact is republican voters do not trust politicians who claim to be common sense conservatives when their actual record shows the opposite and that they cited the same old guard that helped get us into the messes we are in right now. last night's news nation debate was a smackdown with both ron desantis and vivek ramaswamy both populist conservatives taking on haley and challenging her real views and record on issues like protecting girls' private space in locker rooms and bathrooms. >> he said he didn't think bathroom bills were a good use of his time. look that up. >> i signed a bathroom bill in florida so that's obviously not true. i signed it. you didn't. you killed it. i signed it. i stood up for little girls. you didn't do it. i signed the bill. i protected the girls. >> do you know south carolina. >> she did not do that i know that. >> laura: now, that was an interesting move because after all haley is the only woman on the stage. a fact that she has decided to lean into. even though i thought republicans value objective merit not racial or gender based bean counting. >> i don't put up with bullies and when you kick back it hurts them more if you are wearing heels. >> as i set out on this new journey, i will simply say this may the best woman win. [cheers and applause] >> this is exactly why margaret thatcher said if you want something said, ask a man. if you want something done, ask a woman. [cheers] >> laura: quoting thatcher that's really nice we all love margaret thatcher. it begs the question why is any republican offering up her gender as a substantive reason to vote for her? now, could this be an effort to wash away her more mainstream romney republicanism? well, vivek couldn't resist grabbing on to that issue. >> i reject the jewels of identity politics in this party. it has been a cancer coming from the left and i'm sick and tired of the double standards and people of this country are too having two x chrome jones does not immunize you from criticism. >> thank you. governor haley would you like to respond? >> no. it's not worth my time to respond to him. >> now, i think that was a mistake on her part because her demeanor as of the question was an irritation, reminded us of the northeastern of the female college presidents when they were asked just simple questions about the anti-semitism roaring across their campuses. they didn't know how to read the room. and for her part, neither did haley when she bragged about all the big corporate interests that are lining up to support her. >> when it comes to these corporate people that want to suddenly support us, we'll take it. they are just jealous. they wish they were supporting them. >> he is mad because those wall street donors used to support him and now they support me. >> laura: now, would desantis have taken the money? sure. but in his case that wouldn't signal to the voters that he would follow the big donors' orders if elected. after all, he hasn't danced to their tune as governor of florida, has he? we saw that with his willingness to risk a battle with the woke corporate overlords at disney this primary race is not going to be decided by gender. just ask hillary how much that helped her and not decided how much wall street shawstles candidate's way. again, ask hillary. it's not going to be decided by who gets the most rave reviews from the media. although haley would definitely win that competition. >> haley fighting off a whole mob of super villains, nikki haley had to defend herself of that -- of the debate performance and she did well. she actually held up well. she was actually able to full off. beltway journalists and pundits too. >> nikki haley is a rising star. i have heard from so many people who have never voted republican before. people who may disagree with her political positions but still say i like her. >> the fact that nikki haley, you know, did so well and people thought she did well showed that her strategy of just kind of staying above the fray really worked. >> really what struck me i think is how nikki haley conducted herself she has all the momentum. >> beltway and new york and florida pundits liked her. now, if you are republican and you are getting that type of press coverage, you should be making plans for your career post politics because you will be fog in the footsteps of john boehner, jeff flake, mitt romney and liz cheney. you will either be drummed out of office or retire to avoid electoral humiliation. this election is going to be decided by a wonderful multi ethnic working class coalition of voters who are tired of the political double speak and just want their country back promise that's are going to get tough on immigration and china won't be believed if your record says otherwise. i think they want a candidate they know is going to fight for them. not be dictated to by big donors. especially as in haley's case when some of them are hard core democrat donors like reid hoffman. the fact is since the early days of the tea party movement -- i was there. the voters gradually began to move away from the views of the old establishment g.o.p. on enforcing the border, on trade, on foreign wars, the voters have been telling elected officials, listen up. it's time to prioritize americans over foreign interest haley hasn't learned. this and it looks like the voters know it there is a reason why for all her support in the press and for all her big money from big business she continues to trail both trump and desantis, according to the real clear politics average. she is paying the price for decades in which establishment republicans pretended to be on our side during the campaign and then imposed a completely different agenda, a pro-plutocrat, anti-working people agenda once they got into office. we don't no longer live in a world snappy consultants and line margaret thatcher and pass yourself off as a leader voters could trust. trump, desantis, and even ramaswamy, these are all people who have shown that they're willing to take stands that anger the donors, that anger wall street, that anger silicon valley that's what republicans these days are looking for. let's be clear. haley's problem isn't that she is a woman. if anything, i believe g.o.p. voters would really like a margaret thatcher of our own. but thatcher was her own woman he sloo was never a puppet of the ruling class. haley appears to be much more comfortable with funders than voters. and the today's men and women who make up the base of the g.o.p. are no longer interested in that type of candidate. and that's the angle. joining me now is vietnam, 2024 g.o.p. presidential candidate. vivek, great to see you. you got a lot of heat for your attacks on haley last night. why did you decide to go straight at her? shy has professed foreign policy experience credential for the gain. i was confident she didn't know like biden didn't either what are the provinces she wants us to fight for in eastern ukraine? the heat i took from the mainstream media make please crack up it. leans into her playing that gender card that you talked about, laura. it's the fact that in the second debate, she outright called me dumb without evidence and the media cheers girl power for her in the mainstream press. yesterday i didn't call her names. i challenged her to even name the provinces eastern ukraine that i want her to -- that she wants her sons and daughters to actually be fighting for and she somehow that was. >> laura: do you know them. >> of course. donetsk, luhansk. what is important about provinces they haven't participated in ukrainian parliamentary elections for the last decade. it's relevant to know something about those provinces that's exactly the basis. >> laura: because you are saying they are ethnic russians. >> they are ethnic russians and furthermore, laura, not only are they ethnic russians they have not participated in ukrainian parliament elections la the last decade many people do not view themselves as part of ukraine. that's essential to the argument whether or not you continue. >> laura: i get that point. you said that nikki haley is corrupt. now that's quite a charge. >> yes. >> laura: what do you mean by that? >> i mean it's time when politicians use their time in public service connection to public service to enrich their family. like it's wrong for hunter biden to have collected a $5 million bribe from a ukrainian official which i believe has influenced joe biden's foreign policy to ukraine. i think it's wrong that when nikki haley steps down from her seat at the u.n., which is a short-lived cup of coffee stent but then after that what do you see? she is broke when she leaves. net worth basically zero. then she becomes a multi millionaire starting a military contracting firm where she hasn't disclosed the clients. bore she joins the board of boeing she has done special favors as governor for years south carolina. and gives secretive foreign speeches to foreign actors collecting 7 figure paychecks like hillary clinton just like hillary clinton and biden emerges a multi millionaire. i have been a vocal critic of that in the case of hillary clinton and joe biden. i can't do that creditably if we are not calling it in our own republican party as well. i do not think it's the right thing for people to join corporate boards that they have done business with while they are governs or use their connections at the u.n. to actually start military contracting firms. and one more thing on this, laura. she was one of the people who challenged donald trump to release his tax returns in 2016, joining the democrats to do it. she hasn't done the same or released the clients of her military contracting firm. that's hypocrisy. and even if you kick in heels or not that doesn't exempt you from the is same standards. >> laura: vivek, why did you decide with your background. >> you were obviously in the business sector international. made a lot of money i believe in china. why did you decide to go the populist direction when, by looking at your background people would say is he a chamber of commerce republican. how did you make that turn? for me what i made own experience. i was bike biotech advisor ceo. george floyd riot. every tech ceo and every biotech ceo was supposed to be browbeaten in terms of making a statement in favor of black lives matter. i was one of the lone ceos in my industry to say i refused to do it. that i was going to speak the truth and say this was not a movement that companies should have anything to do with focus on products that resulted in backlash. i stepped aside writing first of three books woke inc. that opened a journey and opened my eyes leader who understand business and economic but who are also able to speak the truth. >> laura: we are almost out of time. vivek, given where things are in the polls and you pitched yourself as a real list and common sense conservative and i think quite effectively just rhetorically and substantively. but you are trailing desantis, trump, and nikki haley. so i think her question to you right now would be why don't you drop out? i mean, she should drop out. why don't you drop out and endorse trump. i mean. >> this was different six weeks ago. i'm practical person. i'm talking to you from northern iowa where i came from alabama earlier. one of the things we are seeing on the ground in iowa and this is prablpractical reality. many are not traditional caucus many wearing ron paul shirts. these people are not polled. if you come to the events. we had three events today. these are crowd sizes that exceed what the mainstream media would tell you we are experiences. >> laura: i have been to the caucuses yaw tell you how many iowa caucuses i have been to. you are saying tonight there is going to be a groundswell of support for you at the iowa caucuses. >> yes. >> laura: there is going to be a groundswell and propel you to a first or second place finish? >> it's going to shatter the expectations. i think we are going to shatter the expectations that have been set for us. i like where we sit. i like the mainstream media expectations exactly where we want them. they have me polling in fourth. going to deliver a major surprise on january 15th. that actually helps me and i think that's the beginning of where we are heading in race. >> laura: vivek, chris christie had to come in and he felt like he had to rescue treating nikki haley with all of her incredible background as a damsel in distress. i thought that was quite interesting, to put it mildly or modestly he felt he needed to step and say something positive about her it was a rough debate. >> i wish them well in their alliance to save the neocon movement which is otherwise going to relegated to the dust bins of history. good luck to nikki haley and chris christie. >> laura: the reauthorization act approved by republicans. looks like they caved on that. joining me now charlie hurt, fox news contributor. opinion editor for "the washington times." sean duffy co-host of the bottom line on fox business. all right, you just heard that i do think it was odd that nikki haley has done so much to say, you know, i'm strong. i'm standing on my own two feet my record speaks for itself and i get that but then also playing the gender card a little bit two me those two things don't comport. >> it doesn't work at all. as you said earlier the whole point of what conservatives whole complaint about identity politics and maneuvering it's not based on ideas and arguments. it's not about values. and, you know, it's about something else. it's ridiculous. it's stupid. you know, and whatever vivek, you know, whether or not he shatters expectations in iowa or not, i don't think you can take away from the fact that he has been a tremendously illuminating figure in this primary. and that interview that you just conducted is a perfect example of it. he is able to stay things and spotlight things like nobody else does. i think he has revealed more about the candidates on the stage at these debates than anybody else. and so whether he does manage to pull it out or not. or regardless of what his future is from here. he is performing a tremendous service, i think. >> laura: it's refreshing. it's scary. someone who doesn't have anything to lose walsh out. he will come in and scrape the stage. chris christie took aim at trump last night in the debate. watch. this failing to speak out against him. making excuses for him. pretending that somehow he is a victim. empowers him. his conduct is unacceptable. he is unfit and be careful of what you are going to go if you everybody got enough donald trump term. >> is he letting you know i am your retribution. >> sean, isn't it ironic that christie attacks vivek for personal insults, yet, his whole campaign is kind of one big insult of trump? >> so out of touch with the republican base and party because most of them look at donald trump and the prosecutions, the lawfare, this has been absolutely ridiculous russia collusion documents standard mar-a-lago standard they have for joe biden at the biden center or at his home. most of republicans look at that and go this is absolutely unfair. chris christie takes the stage and wants to claim that donald or yeah that donald trump is unelectable and can't serve the country. can i make one quick point on vivek? he is talking about, laura. these young kids i don't have what is imb t. they love vivek. he is speaking to them these kids don't normally go caucus. maybe he is on to something. seeing it why mean family and friends. they love this guy. after nikki couldn't answer the flee province questions. they said we turned tv off. vivek won. he was great. so it's interesting. is he striking a cord with the youth. >> it reminded me a little bit of -- remember when rick perry was asked to name three departments? he wanted to get rid of? that was just sad. i love rick per j as things stand now. trump is up 30 points in iowa. up triple digits i believe in south carolina in he wins south carolina double digits how do you justify other candidates staying in the race? >> i can't -- i don't know. i don't think that -- you know, when you look at his numbers, and then obviously we haven't seen the first vote cast. >> yeah, who knows. >> i'm eager to is see that play out. obviously. when you look at the -- when you look at these numbers, and you have to realize that at least some portion of vivek's supporters some portion of desantis' supporters if they flame out they are going back to trump. they love trump policies but they don't love trump. the only person up there who probably isn't going to benefit trump by dropping out is probably nikki haley herself because that's a whole different group of people in you add up all the rest of them dominating this field in an insurmountable way. on that point. if donald trump is up by 30 point in the iowa polling if he only wins by 20. they will claim that's a massive loss for trump and that these other, you know, candidates are surging so it's not how much he wins by did he win by as much or more than the polling had him. that's going to be the factor. just one last point on nikki haley, the real miss was in polling the number one issue for americans economy. she got economy question and housing question. she dithered and dribbled through that ena. i thought she was joe biden giving an answer. again, the number one issue that americans care about. she had no answer for. shameful. >> laura: well, that was devastating. but, joe biden belongs on mount rushmore said van jones. that's all that matters. charlie, sean, good to see both of you. thank you very much. a new lawsuit how perspectives are getting access to your kids on social media. you won't believe this story. something every parent needs to hear. the details next. breaking news coming in on hunter biden. don't want to miss any of this. let's stay there. ♪ (inspirational music) - [narrator] wounded warrior project helps post-9/11 veterans realize what's possible. with generous community support. - aaron, how you doing buddy? 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(christmas music) ( ♪ ) weathertech gift cards have the power to wow everyone on your holiday list. offering a variety of american made products... weathertech! nice! like floorliners... cargo liner... seat protector... boot tray... cupfone... sink mat... pet feeding system... anti-fatigue comfortmat...and more. order the weathertech gift card instantly for the perfect gift at weathertech.com. >> laura: this is a fox news alert. we just learned that hunter biden is about to be indicted in california. fox news justice correspondent david spunt is here with all the breaking details. david, what can you tell us? wow? >> yeah, laura, we are waiting to see the actual documents. whether or not they have been filed yet. they have not been made public on the actual docket yet. we are waiting to see. but several sources involved in the probe tell us that there was a grand jury that was impaneled in california to look at the president's son. we don't know the specific charges. and i don't want to speculate but we know this is in the center district of california. that is where hunter biden has been living over the past few years. we also know this is part of the david weiss special counsel investigation. now, remember, he is already taking hunter biden to trial in delaware for several federal gun charges this would be separate from that. sips he is the spec