0 we've lost that cia unit that was there on the ground monitoring and trying to tell us about weapon systems that were moving through that area and al-qaida in that area. so awful that has been lost. >> reporter: there is also this proposal from a senior senate republican to have a select committee to handle the multiple investigations to bring them into one tent, if you will, though we've already seen a push back from the senate majority leader harry reid, as well as some senior republicans in the senate, as well as moderates who believe that this is premature and that the individual committees should be allowed to have their own investigations play out, jenna. jenna: a story very much still developing. catherine, thank you. >> reporter: you're welcome. jon: for more on the benghazi hearings i'm joined by peter brooks, senior fellow for national security affairs at the heritage foundation, also a former kreurbg cia officer. if you were on one of those congressional committees what is >> very tense. it's escalated significantly just over the last week. it's likely to continue. it's possible that israel could go on a ground offensive into gaza, which would obviously raise the stakes significantly. israel has to protect itself. the rockets are firing in there indiscriminate. they are not fired at military targets, they are fired at civilian targets. israel has to send a message to hamas that runs the gaza strip and to the other terror organizations that operate there that you need to crackdown on them, otherwise you'll pay a price. the other issue is egypt, they are supporting the palestinian tph-s this matter. we are looking at the results of the arab spring. jon: egypt now run by the muslim brotherhood of which hamas is an offshoot. >> that's right. morisi has come out in support of the palestinians. even though the rocket attacks, this violence was initiated by the palestinians. you have the camp david aeu koerbgsdz thaccords, the arab spring. the middle east is a mess. look in iran the centrifuges are still spinning. secretary panetta, and secretary clinton are in asia right now. that pivot, are we pivoting away from the challenges and our interests in the middle east, which is really a mess. jon: you worry we are leaving the israelis high and dry on this one? >> it could be. i don't know exactly what is going on with the administration. they have mad said some of the right things in sue mort of supporting israel. we are reaping the fruits of our labors in the middle east. and our policies in the middle east has been a real failure. if we are shipping through the pacific where are we going to have the planes and tanks and things for places like the middle east where we may need them. jon: that is a conversation for next time. >> that's right. jon: thank you. jenna: a fox business alert. take a look at the dow today as we put the numbers up on the jean for. this comes as we get the weekly jobless numbers, which are at the highest level in 18 months. the number of americans filing for first-time unemployment benefits is now at 439,000. the labor department says super storm sandy is one factor here, and we'll watch this number closely, though, over the next couple of weeks to see if a trend emerges. there is also financial trouble overseas as the euro zone plunges back into recession, its second since 2009. unemployment across the euro zone is at 11.6%. this is important to note because europe is our number one customer when it comes to exports. nearly 17% of all u.s. trade this year has been with the eu. as they faulter we have to consider the impact this may have on our own economy. a reality cooking show featuring grill sergeants. a so-called starship project that included a discussion involving klingons. the fact that of babies interacting with robots. and operating 254 grocery stores worldwide. jon: there also was criticism of knee newable energy projects. >> reporter: that's right. they say that is important but that the department of energy, not the pentagon ought to lead these efforts. he criticized the pentagon for buying chevy volts which he says cost too much to produce and are tw too expensive to buy. consumers show little interest. each car at $40,000 each could supply an entire platoon with brand-new rifles. jon. >> steve centanni thank you. jenna: a doogie howzer got away with working in a hospital for weeks and nobody figure eud out. hearings underway in the benghazi terror attack. what it could mean for the taout of the president's cabinet. senator john cornyn r-r joins us next.and see for yourself. are you receiving a payout from a legal settlement or annuity over 10 or even 20 years? call imperial structured settlements. the experts at imperial can convert your long-term payout into a lump sum of cash today.