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cover of episode Fox News Sunday 12-08-2024

Fox News Sunday 12-08-2024

2024/12/8
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Fox News Sunday Audio

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People
C
Corey Mills
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Donald Trump
批评CHIPS Act,倡导使用关税而非补贴来促进美国国内芯片制造。
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H.R. McMaster
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Jennifer Griffin
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Juan Williams
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Karl Rove
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Kevin Roberts
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Lucas Tomlinson
福克斯新闻频道记者,曾在五角大楼和阿富汗等地进行报道。
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Michael Allen
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Roger Zakheim
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Seth Moulton
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Susan Page
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Trey Yangston
Topics
H.R. McMaster: 除非哈马斯被摧毁,否则巴勒斯坦人不可能过上更好的生活,当然也必须把人质救回来。哈马斯必须被摧毁才能改善巴勒斯坦人的生活,并且必须夺回人质。当前局势为以色列和美国提供了机会,可以更积极地与以色列和其他国家合作,夺回人质,并让伊朗为其在该地区的恐怖主义和代理网络付出代价。以色列最近对真主党的袭击表明,阿萨德政权对真主党的依赖程度,以及伊朗的外部力量受到了打击。这为美国创造了一个巨大的机会,可以对伊朗施加更大的金融压力,并可能对伊朗及其代理部队采取军事行动。 Trey Yangston: 阿萨德政权在叙利亚垮台,反对派未遭抵抗地进入首都大马士革,成千上万的叙利亚人在庆祝政府控制的崩溃。叙利亚阿萨德政权的垮台标志着该国54年统治的结束。反对派在未遇到抵抗的情况下进入首都大马士革,成千上万的叙利亚人在庆祝政府控制的终结。 Lucas Tomlinson: 白宫国家安全委员会发言人表示,拜登总统和他的团队正在密切关注叙利亚发生的非同寻常的事件,并与地区伙伴保持持续联系。白宫正在密切关注叙利亚局势,并与地区伙伴保持联系。在叙利亚总统巴沙尔·阿萨德的政府垮台前几个小时,国家安全顾问杰克·沙利文表示,阿萨德的支持者伊朗、俄罗斯和真主党都被削弱了,注意力也被分散了。 Donald Trump: 阿萨德已经离开,他逃离了他的国家;他的保护者俄罗斯对保护他不再感兴趣,俄罗斯根本没有理由待在那里。阿萨德逃离了叙利亚,俄罗斯不再支持他。美国不应卷入叙利亚冲突。 Michael Allen: 虽然阿萨德政权的垮台对以色列和美国来说是一场胜利,但无政府状态会滋生恐怖主义,我们可能需要继续打击基地组织和伊斯兰国的分支组织。未来需要关注的是伊朗,自10月7日以来,伊朗接连遭受打击,他们可能会升级核计划以增强政权安全。 Susan Page: 叙利亚局势对即将上任的特朗普政府来说是一个巨大的难题,他可能无法避免卷入叙利亚事务。叙利亚局势对即将上任的特朗普政府来说是一个巨大的挑战,他可能无法避免卷入其中。世界各地都出现了动荡,这可能会比他希望的更大地影响他的总统任期。 Juan Williams: 特朗普提名图尔西·加巴德担任国家情报总监,但由于她与巴沙尔·阿萨德的关系以及对叙利亚化武袭击的立场,引发了前国家安全官员的担忧。图尔西·加巴德的提名引发了争议,因为她与巴沙尔·阿萨德的关系以及她对叙利亚化武袭击的立场。这可能会对特朗普政府与盟友分享情报的能力构成挑战。 Kevin Roberts: 那些主张美国必须介入叙利亚的人,往往也是那些主张新保守主义的干涉主义和冒险主义的人。叙利亚的沦陷部分原因是特朗普带来的道德清晰性,这将使其他热点问题得到解决,实现和平。

Deep Dive

Key Insights

What is the significance of the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government in Syria?

The fall of Bashar al-Assad's government marks the end of 54 years of his family's rule, characterized by oppression and iron-fisted control. Rebel forces took over Damascus in a rapid 11-day offensive, leading to widespread celebrations among Syrians. However, the takeover by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a U.S.-designated terror group, raises concerns about future instability and unpredictable activity in the region.

How did Israel respond to the fall of the Assad regime?

Israel ramped up its military posture along the border with Syria, sending soldiers into the buffer zone in the Golan Heights. Israeli forces also conducted bombings in Syria to target weapons belonging to the Assad regime, aiming to prevent them from falling into the hands of rebel forces.

What is President-elect Trump's stance on the situation in Syria?

President-elect Trump has stated that the United States should not get involved in Syria, calling it 'not our fight.' He emphasized letting the situation play out without American intervention.

What are the concerns regarding the confirmation of Pete Hegseth as defense secretary?

Some Republican senators, including Joni Ernst, raised concerns about Pete Hegseth's nomination for defense secretary. However, a Republican senator on the Armed Services Committee indicated that Hegseth currently has the votes needed for confirmation.

What are the potential implications of the fall of the Assad regime for Iran?

The fall of the Assad regime weakens Iran, which had spent billions of dollars propping up the regime. Iran may consider ramping up its nuclear program as a response to the loss of its influence in Syria, further complicating regional stability.

How does the Reagan National Defense Survey reflect American views on defense spending?

The survey shows that 79% of Americans favor increased military spending, but 69% are concerned that the national debt will force cuts in defense spending. This highlights the challenge of balancing defense needs with fiscal responsibility.

What is the significance of the Reagan National Defense Survey's findings on China?

The survey indicates that China is viewed as the top adversary by Americans, with 61% supporting increased U.S. military presence in the Indo-Pacific region and 55% favoring increased arms sales to Taiwan. This reflects growing concerns about China's military buildup and its regional ambitions.

What are the key challenges for the incoming Trump administration in foreign policy?

The incoming Trump administration faces multiple foreign policy challenges, including the war in Ukraine, instability in Syria, Iran's nuclear program, and China's aggressive posture in the Indo-Pacific. These issues require a strategic approach to maintain U.S. influence and security.

What is the significance of the 'Eyes of Freedom' exhibit at the Reagan Library?

The 'Eyes of Freedom' exhibit is a moving tribute to the fallen Marines of Lima Company, who suffered heavy casualties during the Iraq War. The exhibit features life-size portraits and the combat boots of the fallen, serving as a powerful reminder of the sacrifices made by service members.

What is the Pentagon's track record on financial audits, and why is it concerning?

The Pentagon has failed its seventh consecutive financial audit, raising concerns about accountability and financial management. This failure highlights the need for greater transparency and efficiency in defense spending to ensure taxpayer dollars are used effectively.

Chapters
The episode starts with breaking news on the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria after a swift rebel takeover. International reactions and President-elect Trump's response are discussed, highlighting the potential for further instability in the region and the implications for US involvement.
  • Rebel forces captured Damascus, leading to Assad's reported flight.
  • President-elect Trump called for the US to stay uninvolved in the Syrian conflict.
  • Israel is increasing its military presence on its border with Syria.
  • Trump's national security team is introduced, including Pete Hegseth as defense secretary nominee.

Shownotes Transcript

Translations:
中文

I'm Shannon Bream at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. Welcome to a special edition of Fox News Sunday, The State of Defense. Trump's defense secretary nominee in the hot seat this week, meeting with senators on Capitol Hill. As long as Donald Trump wants me in this fight, I'm going to be standing right here in this fight. What's important is they are ensured that they're going to get a fair process. As world leaders meet with the president-elect in the face of Trump's terror threat.

And Trump warns there will be, quote, hell to pay if Hamas doesn't release the remaining hostages. We'll talk to H.R. McMaster, who served as national security advisor in the first Trump administration. Until Hamas is destroyed, you can't have any better life for the Palestinians. And certainly you have to get the hostages back.

Trump's plans for Ukraine come into focus. We'll discuss the results of the Reagan National Defense Survey, how voters view Trump's push for a negotiated peace. All right now, as Fox News Sunday reports on the state of defense.

We begin with the Fox News alert. Crowds celebrating in the streets of Damascus after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government following a lightning-fast advance by rebel forces. There are reports he has fled the capital. It is unclear where he is at this hour. Assad's family has ruled with an iron fist for the country for 50 years. We've got team coverage with Lucas Tomlinson of the White House and Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yangston, Israel. And that is where we begin. Hello, Trey.

Shannon, good morning. After 54 years, the Assad regime in Syria has fallen. Overnight, rebels entered the capital of Damascus unopposed. Thousands of Syrians gathered in the city celebrating the collapse of government control. As reports indicate, former President Bashar al-Assad fled by plane. Impassioned civilians stormed the Iranian embassy compound, a country that spent billions of dollars propping up the regime as they spoke about the future of Syria.

It's a feeling of joy after 13 years of pressure and tragedy since we were born. The regime pressured and hurt us, but now we are free, without any fear or oppression, which will be lifted from our hearts. We will return stronger and united, and we'll be the best country, God willing.

The rebel takeover came after a rapid 11-day offensive that started by taking the northern city of Aleppo before opposition forces worked their way south. Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, insists there will be an orderly transfer of power. His organization is a U.S.-designated terror group, and the 42-year-old himself is the founder of Jabhat

al-Nusra, an al-Qaeda affiliate. Amid concern of further instability and unpredictable activity in Syria, Israeli forces are ramping up their posture along the border, sending soldiers into the buffer zone with Syria. This demilitarized area of the Golan Heights will likely be held by the Israelis.

with rebel forces now controlling the other side of the border. This afternoon, reports do indicate Israeli forces were bombing Syria in an effort to target weapons belonging to the Assad regime. They don't want some of those weapons to fall into the hands of rebel forces. Shannon. All right, Trey Yanks, thank you very much. And now for reaction here at home, we go to Lucas Tomlinson at the White House. Hello, Lucas.

Good morning, Shannon. This is being described in some quarters as a Berlin Wall moment for Syria now that the Assad regime has fallen. Here at the White House, a spokesman for the National Security Council says, quote,

President Biden and his team are closely monitoring the extraordinary events in Syria and staying in constant touch with regional partners. President Biden has not yet weighed in. His national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, offered his assessment from the Reagan National Defense Forum hours before Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government collapsed. Assad's backers, Iran, Russia and Hezbollah, have all been weakened and distracted by

And so he has not had the support from those three actors that he expected to be able to count on and has been left basically naked.

Earlier this morning, President-elect Donald Trump, who now receives intelligence briefings, said, quote, Assad is gone. He has fled his country. His protector, Russia, Russia, Russia, led by Vladimir Putin, was not interested in protecting him any longer. There was no reason for Russia to be there in the first place. They lost all interest in Syria because of Ukraine, where close to 600,000 Russian soldiers lay wounded or dead.

And Trump went on to call for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine. In a previous post, Trump discussed the unfolding situation in Syria. The United States should have nothing to do with it. This is not our fight. Let it play out. Do not get involved. President-elect Trump, back on the world stage, attended the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris yesterday. It certainly seems like the world is going a little crazy right now. And we'll be talking about that.

Trump's national security team that he's assembled includes Marco Rubio, John Ratcliffe, Mike Waltz, Tulsi Gabbard, and Pete Hegseth as defense secretary. Trump says he fully supports Hegseth after some Republican senators, including Joni Ernst, raised concerns. Looks like Pete is doing well now. I mean, people were a little bit concerned. Do you think he can make it? No, I think he will, yeah.

A Republican senator on the Armed Services Committee tells Fox, Hegseth has the votes right now to be confirmed as defense secretary. Shannon. All right, Lucas Tomlinson, we appreciate that on a noisy morning at the White House. Thank you. Time now for our Sunday group, USA Today, Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page.

Kevin Roberts, president of The Heritage, Fox News senior political analyst Juan Williams, and Michael Allen, former Bush national security official. OK, a lot of breaking news overnight. Michael, what comes next? This group that is claiming victory, I mean, they're classified as a terrorist organization by the U.S. They're a terrorist organization. We can take a moment and celebrate that an adversary fell, a brutal torturer.

that it's a win for Israel and even for the United States. But only celebrate for a minute because ungoverned spaces breeds terrorism. It was already at least a partially ungoverned state. And even though I believe President Trump and others want to pivot on and do other things in the world, we may have to keep

our boot on the throat of these al-Qaeda-like affiliates, ISIS-like affiliates. The other thing to be concerned about in the future is Iran. Iran has taken hit after hit since October 7th. I don't think they're going to take this lying down. They're going to make a decision about whether they should ramp up their nuclear program because they need some security for their regime. So we have a lot to watch. We're big opportunities. There

There are there's a lot of things to worry about as well. Yeah. And Susan, a new headache for the White House in a region that is really unstable where they're trying to get things done before President Biden leaves. A big headache for this White House, but a bigger headache, I think, for the White House that's coming in. And, you know, President-elect Trump has not wanted a foreign policy presidency. He's talked about a domestic agenda, but I don't know that he's going to have the option to do, as he said, to stay out.

of what's going to happen in Syria. Iran's not going to stay out. Russia's not going to stay out. And he faces a world where there seems to be turmoil everywhere, Ukraine, South Korea, instability even in France and England. So this may be a bigger part of his presidency than he had hoped.

Well, Juan, he's got a lot to walk in on day one. There was a lot of discussion. We were at the Reagan National Defense Forum there about what a Trump 2.0 administration looks like. He obviously has the experience of having served as commander in chief, but the world is very different than it was four years ago. Yeah. And I mean, I think it starts here at home. You know, you think about the nominees that are up there. One of them is Tulsi Gabbard.

to be director of national intelligence. Well, you know, she was very close with Bashar al-Assad in Syria. She was making excuses for the use of chemical weapons, even doubting that it had occurred.

And now you have this week 100 former national security officials writing and saying they don't want her confirmed because they fear that our allies will not be willing to share intelligence with the incoming administration. So that's a challenge for President Trump right here on Capitol Hill at this moment. But then you go overseas and you go into the theater. And I think that part of the challenge there is, again,

If you are America first, how do you properly say we're not involved? Let it play out when, in fact, you can see. And I think Michael was picking up on this, that it's going to impact the entire region, including our ally Israel. We've been tremendously supportive, but.

There's no getting away from this at the moment. As the incoming president just said, the world is acting crazy right now. It's true. He said there's a lot to talk about. And there is. You mentioned Tulsi Gabbard. Politico says this. She could be the next Trump nominee to come under fire in the Senate.

They quote a former senior Republican Senate staffer saying the best thing that Tulsi has going for her is the other Trump nominees that are blowing themselves up. We'll eventually get to more of a focus on her. She starts to make visits on the Hill and gets closer to hearings. But what about what one is mentioned here? You know, her history and relationships with regard to Syria, Russia and other places.

Well, I think you have to connect two threads here. First of all, the people who say that we must be involved in Syria largely would be the same crowd who've told us that interventionism, this adventurism that comes from neoconservatism, needs to continue.

It's the same people who are in the Senate saying that we can't have Tulsi Gabbard. We can't have Pete Hegseth. Six hundred seventy five military leaders, Shannon, just since Thursday have signed a letter that Heritage is leading defending Pete Hegseth. I think you'll see the same sort of defense of Miss Gabbard, who's an excellent selection. This is the point. The reason that one of the reasons that Syria has fallen.

is because of the moral clarity that Donald Trump brings to this picture. And I think that you're going to see all of the confusion, all of the hot spots that Susan rightly touches on actually come into focus. We're going to have peace through strength because we're going to have a lot better priorities. We're going to have a lot better leaders in all of these key positions. God bless Donald Trump for having the willingness to break the backs, not just of these evil people abroad, but also break the backs of the Washington establishment.

Don't you think that Joe Biden deserves a little credit for taking on Russia, for taking on Iran, and in fact, strongly backing Israel to the point that Iran is now in decline, unable to support Assad? Russia's in decline. Its troops suffering tremendous losses. I love Iran, but that is fantasy land. I just think he's been the president for the last four years, and we've seen our enemies decline. And, you know, a lot of this is now going to...

By the way, I travel the world for my job. And what I hear constantly from heads of state, from ambassadors, is that we want moral clarity from the president of the United States. There is no way in the world, with all due respect, my friend, that he offers, Joe Biden offers moral clarity. Donald Trump's done more to bring peace to this world. He's not even been inaugurated. Well, he's not in office. And I think, you know, politically, having gone through the election with you, you know that, in fact, President Biden has paid a huge price for his

unalloyed support of Israel and willingness to go after Iran and go after Russia. Right, the other denuded Hezbollah over the objections of Biden and Jake Sullivan. Well, that's just one of the many places that it's not settled yet. And, you know, the clock is ticking on whether or not there is going to be the release of the hostages, whether that gets done on President Biden's watch. I mean, they're working around the clock and say that obviously is a legacy piece they want to get done.

But to the issue of these nominees, there are Republicans who are supporting President Trump who say you need to get in line. Congressman Andy Biggs over on the House side, he writes this in Newsweek. Why do Republicans insist on snatching defeat from the jaws of victory? We won the election. We have a mandate. He goes on to say, so what do we see in the swampiest of American political swamps? Republican senators scuttling some of President Donald Trump's cabinet nominees. And Susan, there are all kinds of threats.

that they will be primaried from the right if they do not vote yes on these nominees. You know, I thought Pete Higgs was a goner, and that's not true anymore. I mean, I think it's possible he's going to get confirmed by following kind of the Brett Kavanaugh playbook of when you're in real trouble, fight back really hard. That's something Trump likes to see. Maybe that'll save you.

I'm not sure about Tulsi Gabbard. We have not heard from even Republican members of the Intelligence Committee. That's traditionally been kind of a bipartisan body. There is real concern. I think that what's happened in Syria makes it harder for Tulsi Gabbard to get over the finish line. Well, in the meantime, we have President Trump out there on the world stage behaving as if he is currently the president. You saw the visuals of him with world leaders at Notre Dame, with President Macron, with

President Zelensky and many others there. And we're welcomed back onto the world stage. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says this. Given the weakness of the current president and the speed at which things develop in the modern world, Trump is, in effect, a presumptive president. Certainly foreign governments are treating him that way. I think so. I think here in the United States, the Democrats are cowed. They have not

gotten into their opposition rhetoric yet. And here across the world, many of the world's leaders want to meet with Donald Trump as soon as possible because he holds all the cards. We know that he's going to back Israel. We know that he wants to end the war in Ukraine. We know that a big series of tariffs are on the way with China. And so many of these world leaders want to get with him so fast to be able to discuss these. You've seen Pierre Trudeau hightail it down to Mar-a-Lago. I know that everyone in

Notre Dame last night was interested in talking to Trump as soon as possible. So he's a man in full right now. He has everything going for him, and he has a lot of big decisions to make coming soon. He does, and that includes these confirmation battles, too, and how much capital he's willing to expend on all these different nominees. Panel, thank you very much for being with us on a busy news morning. When we come back, our special coverage of the state of defense, including our conversations at the Reagan Defense Forum at the Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

The incoming administration, we said, a slew of foreign policy crises await. Former Trump National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster shares his insight into how he thinks President Trump may tackle them. Fox News Sunday is sponsored by Pacific Life, creating financial security for nearly 160 years.

Fox News Audio presents the Fox Nation Investigates podcast. The Menendez brothers, monsters or misunderstood? We have evolved to understanding that this kind of stuff can happen. Judge Jeanine Pirro and a panel of experts break down the Menendez brothers' new fight for freedom, and their defense attorney explains why he's optimistic he can clear their names. Are these convicted killers monsters or just misunderstood? Listen and follow starting January 7th at foxtruecrime.com or wherever you get your favorite podcasts.

Ronald Reagan on his favorite horse, El Alamein, welcoming you to his library here at Simi Valley, California. The statue called Along the Trail has a secret fireproof compartment inside containing one of Reagan's prized belt buckles and a piece of the Berlin Wall. Groundbreaking for the library began before Reagan left office in November of 1988 and opened to the public three years later.

Fundraising and construction costs were paid entirely by private donations to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation. The 29-acre library campus sits amid 100 acres of pristine land on top of a hill in Simi Valley, next to Thousand Oaks, California. The library holds more than 63 million pages of documents, more than 670,000 feet of film, and more than 46,000 video and audio recordings. We will finish our job. How could we do less?

We're Americans. As well as a recreation of the Oval Office during Reagan's time in office. President Reagan, of course, saw our nation through historically tense moments in the world stage, namely in the final days of the Cold War. Now, a new administration is preparing to face several critical foreign policy tests with some of the very same adversaries. Joining me now to share his insights, former national security advisor to President Trump and author of

At War With Ourselves, my tour of duty in the Trump White House. General H.R. McMaster, also the Fawad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution out here in California. General, thanks for joining us. Good to see you. Hey, Shana, great to be with you. Thanks for having me. Okay, so a lot of serious challenges waiting the incoming Trump administration. Round two for them. You said at one point you liked Trump's disruptive nature. You thought it was helpful. How does it factor

into a second term? Well, it factors in considerably, and that was like the best lead-in for a historian. Thank you for that. Because we are dealing with a lot of the same adversaries and the same kind of complexities. And when I took on the job as National Security Advisor in 2017, soon after the president was inaugurated,

There was a lot that needed to be disrupted in Washington. And I think, again, President Trump, because of his disruptive nature, the Washington outsider, like Reagan was actually a Washington outsider, has the opportunity to challenge that conventional wisdom and put into place some really major shifts in U.S. foreign policy, I think especially in the Middle East at this moment. What do you think happens there? Because I do have this from him. He has issued a warning on Trump on Truth Social with a post there. He says, if the

Hostages aren't released prior to January 20th, 2025, the date I proudly assume office as president of the United States. There will be, quote, all hell to pay in the Middle East. He says he wants those hostages home before he is sworn in. How do you think a policy shift happens with him in that situation? OK, well, first of all, I love it.

because there's been so much talk about, well, we need to cease firing, guys. No, actually, until Hamas is destroyed, in my belief, you can't have any better life for the Palestinians, and certainly you have to get the hostages back. So I would like to see us working more actively.

with the Israelis and others to get the hostages back, but also to make Iran pay the price for their terrorist and proxy network across the region. There's a huge opportunity at this moment, Shannon, because of really what the Israelis have done to crush Hezbollah, you know, with these recent attacks. Now you see how reliant Assad was in Syria on Hezbollah.

The Assad regime is collapsing. And I think what you're seeing is those external arms, those terrorist arms of Iran, really countered in such a way that it creates a huge opportunity. Iran, I believe, has always been very weak. We act like they're strong and have all this sort of language about de-escalation. But I think President Trump understands. He used to say to me, everywhere I look where there's a problem in the Middle East, there's Iran. And he's right about that. So when you talk about opportunities,

opportunity, and he uses these words, all hell to pay. What are the practical things you think that he could or would do to handle that situation, and differently than this administration has? Well, I think some things are absolutely going to happen right away, which is really to tighten the grip on the Iranians from a financial perspective, you know, from an interdiction of, you know, their ghost fleet and so forth. Maybe secondary sanctions on banks, Chinese banks and others. You know, China buys 97%.

of Iran's oil. So they're feeding Iran's ATM so they can continue these proxy wars against us, their Arab neighbors and Israel and employ this strategy of really expending every Arab life to accomplish their aims of kicking us out

of the Middle East and destroying Israel and killing all the Jews. So financial pressure, but also I think you're going to see military action against these Iranian proxy forces and maybe against Iran itself. Iran has conducted hundreds of attacks against U.S. forces and locations in the Middle East since the October 7th mass murder attacks against Israel. And we've only really responded to very few of those. So I think...

imposing costs on Iran, isolating Iran financially and economically. I think that's going to happen immediately in the Trump administration. So the Reagan National Defense Survey asked a lot of questions about how people are feeling about all of these different challenges. And there was enormous concern from Americans about this grouping of Iran, Russia, North Korea and China.

That seems to have beefed up, if anything, those alliances over the last few years. How does President Trump, how does his defense team begin to dismantle or separate or divide the power that they found in working together? Well, I think, Shannon, I would take an opposite view of some people. Some people think you should try to separate them. I think we should glue them together because whenever we act like they're separate, they get to cover for each other and act like they're not operating together. It's kind of crazy when you think about it.

IT. THE FIRST MAJOR LAND WAR IN EUROPE SINCE WORLD WAR II. AND NORTH KOREANS ARE JOINING THE RUSSIANS IN THEIR ONSLAW AGAINST THE UKRAINIAN PEOPLE. NOW THERE'S YEMENI, A BATTALION GOING TO UKRAINE. YOU HAVE THE SHAHED DRONES FROM THE IRANIANS.

Millions of artillery rounds, I think six to eight million artillery rounds from North Korea transferred to the Russians. What do they get in return? I believe they're getting assistance for their missile program, probably their nuclear programs for Iran and North Korea. So this axis of aggressors, I think, has to be dealt with together. And this is why I think President Trump will come to the conclusion that it's important to support Ukraine in this fight, this defensive war, not just because for Ukraine, which is important in and of itself.

but because it's connected to these cascading crises in the Middle East and looming crisis in the Indo-Pacific, where China has become much more aggressive. OK, so there's a lot to unpack there because there are so many different fronts that we're talking about. So let's talk about Ukraine. Reuters says this, just summing up what we've heard from President Trump. He's repeatedly pledged during his election campaign to end the nearly three-year-old conflict within 24 hours of his January 20th inauguration, if not before that,

but has yet to say how. I know that you were critical of sort of the quick fix in Afghanistan and how that fell apart. Are you worried about how this is potentially going to come together? Do you think that President Trump has a plan for something that is longstanding, enduring with respect to that conflict and getting it done? What I'm worried about is this kind of flawed idea that Putin can be placated, right? That Putin will come to some kind of a deal. Putin is determined to

to restore Russia to national greatness and to do that by subsuming all of Ukraine and subverting all of Europe and subverting the United States. Look at what they're doing from a cyber-enabled disinformation campaign against us all the time. And so I think it's really important for President Trump to adhere to his instinct in this connection, which is consistent with Reagan, peace through strength. And so...

Putin will not come to an acceptable settlement, I don't believe, until he believes that he's losing. And so I would say step A, provide the kind of support that Ukraine's always needed. I think President Trump should...

should criticize the Biden administration's approach of just meeting out this assistance little by little. Tanks, no tanks. Missiles, no missiles. Can you use the missiles or can you not use the missiles? How about giving what they need to defend themselves and then saying to Putin, you're going to lose this war.

Okay, I want to make sure that we get to China too, which you mentioned. And in the survey here, the Reagan National Defense Survey, it was the number one concern that Americans think. That is our biggest adversary. And on this issue of whether or not or how much we should be helping Taiwan, 61% said they support increasing U.S. military presence in the Indo-Pacific region, and 55% say they are for increased arms sales by the U.S. to Taiwan. We know, though, that there are billions of dollars in outstanding sales that, you know, Taiwan has made a contract

with us, we've not been able to deliver for a number of reasons. So how does he come in and manage that situation? Well, I think President Trump is pretty darn consistent in some areas, right? Sometimes you don't know, is he going to be committed to Taiwan? What's going to happen in Ukraine? But some things are really clear. He understands the need to build up our defense industrial base. He understands peace through strength and the need to vastly increase our military capabilities.

I think on Taiwan, that would be very attractive to him that Taiwan wants to take responsibility for their own defense. I mean, I think it's $22 billion of backlogged arms purchases from the United States. I mean, that's good for the United States. That's American jobs. But, hey, also, it's a heck of a lot cheaper to prevent a war than to have to fight one. So I think now's the time to portray strength. I think the president will do that.

not only from, I think, massive investments in defense, which we need. We're not big enough as a force. We have a bow-whip deferred modernization, but also on our industrial base as well and our supply chains, many of which are vulnerable to being interrupted by China. Well, there is a lot for the new Trump administration to confront. General, thanks for discussing it with us. Great to see you. Shana, great to be with you. Thank you.

So U.S. adversaries building up their military capabilities and influence around the globe. We'll ask our defense panel how the incoming administration may respond and expand U.S. military readiness next.

Of all else, I think we need to restore a culture that's ruthlessly focused on warfighting excellence and lethality in our own military. Former Congressman Mike Gallagher, who now works for the high-tech defense company Palantir, on what he'd like to see a new defense secretary do to reform the military.

Joining me now from the Reagan National Defense Forum, our own panel of experts, Fox News Chief National Security Correspondent Jennifer Griffin, former Bush White House advisor and Fox News contributor Karl Rove, and the director of the Ronald Reagan Institute, Roger Zachheim.

Thank you all for joining us for this special conversation. Carl, I'll start with you. How do you see the defense posture, the Defense Department shifting or changing under a second Trump administration? Well, the Reagan Foundation did a very excellent poll, which I hope guides them, which says the American people are deeply concerned about the state of America's military today. They overwhelmingly support additional spending. They want America to lead and be involved in the world. What was remarkable to me is 57 percent

of all voters said, we want America to be more involved in the world. And even more amazing was

maintained bases overseas. Sixty-two percent of Americans said they were in favor of it. Sixty-two percent of Trump voters and 63 percent of MAGA voters. There is a natural feeling that America is living in a dangerous world, and the way to bring about peace and prosperity is through a policy of strength. Yeah, and the survey also showed that people think that we need better defense production. When we asked about that, you asked

about that. Do we need a lot more? 40% said that, and a little more, 33%. So, Roger, you're at 73% of the people you polled who think we've got to ramp it up. And listen, our resources are being tied across many, many different battlefields at this point. The security environment demands it. Now, Congressman Gallagher's right. We need to reform the Department of Defense, but it needs to result in more production. And the

comfortable with investing in national defense. They're concerned that our focus on the national debt will come at the cost of national defense. But overwhelming number of those polls, 79 percent, most we've had it since we've run the survey, said we need to make investment in national defense. Donald Trump ran on a policy of peace through strength. He's the first presidential candidate to do so since President Reagan did that. Mm-hmm.

Now this survey helps identify what are the things he can do and the American people support to realize peace through strength. Yeah, and Jen, to that point, he comes into office with a whole slate of major foreign policy challenges, and now what's flaring up in Syria, that's a whole new front. Well, I think what is really different from when he left office is there are a lot of changes. You look at Iran, it's two weeks from breakout in terms of having a nuclear deal.

You look at what's happening in China. President Xi has said 2027 and told his military to be ready to take Taiwan in 2027. He may not do it then, but he told his military to be ready. And you have a war in Europe that needs to be resolved. And as you mentioned, Syria is falling apart as we speak.

You have this group, an al-Qaeda, once al-Qaeda-affiliated group, and this is a huge problem. It's a huge problem for Israel. They are sending troops up to the border. We have 900 U.S. troops in eastern Syria. They're very concerned. The Kurds that are

allied with the U.S., are guarding 45,000 ISIS families and fighters. It has very serious implications for the region. Yeah, that's just one of the trouble spot regions. And Roger, also in your survey, when you asked people about what the biggest threats are, China clearly at the top of the list. But I also found this was interesting. Only 52 percent of people feel confident that if the U.S. got into a conflict with China, that we would win. Yeah, it's so surprising that

barely a majority of the American people think that the U.S. military can prevail in a conflict with China. The reality is that China's engaged in the most dramatic military buildup in generations. I mean, you have to go back to what the Soviet Union did after the Cuban Missile Crisis to see a buildup of this nature. So the American people actually are right.

In the Indo-Pacific region, the Chinese actually are at par. They are pure with the U.S. military. Their industrial capacity really outperforms the United States. There's real reason to be concerned. One of the things that came out of the survey, it's related to the PRC, the People's Republic of China, but it's also related to Russia and some of the things that Jen just referenced. The American people know who the adversaries are. They know who the good guys are and they know who the bad guys are.

Russia, 80 percent view as an adversary. On the flip side, Israel, Ukraine, they have the support on par with Japan, over 73, 74 percent. Peace to strength, that policy that will come out of the Trump administration needs to make sure that we're supporting the good guys, the ones that American people support, and recognize who the adversary is, in this case, PRC, Russia, Iran, North Korea. Well, and Carl, to the Russia point, the survey also asks about expectations. What do you think is coming next with Ukraine? How does this thing wrap up?

In the survey, you found that the biggest chunk of folks, 33 percent, think Russia is going to take over some territory. The next level, 26 percent, said the war will drag on indefinitely. 17 percent think that Ukraine will expel Russia from its territory. 14 percent think Russia will take over the whole country. There are a lot of expectations now with President Trump has set some really high bars for how he's going to handle this and how quickly it will wrap up. What do you make of it?

Well, I suspect he's going to regret raising those expectations because this is a thorny problem. The only way to solve this, I think, and I think this is a generally well-held view, is muscle up. Give the Ukrainians what they need in order to prevail on the battlefield and cut the best deal possible. Zelensky has already indicated that he is willing to give up territory. And

but the only way to do that and make it stable for the long haul is to, is to muscle up. The poll points out something interesting that is a reality. The reality is you're right. We're much different than four years ago or eight years ago. And one of the biggest problems is that we now have,

CONCERTED EFFORT AMONG FOUR OF AMERICA'S GREATEST ADVERSARIES. RUSSIA, IRAN, CHINA, AND NORTH KOREA ARE WORKING TOGETHER. THINK ABOUT IT. THE IRANIANS ARE PROVIDING THE RUSSIANS DRONES. THE CHINESE ARE PROVIDING REVENUE BY BUYING THE OIL. THE NORTH KOREANS NOW HAVE MILITARY FORCES, TENS OF THOUSANDS

THEIR SOLDIERS IN RUSSIA IN ORDER TO FIGHT UKRAINE. THIS IS SOMETHING WE DIDN'T HAVE BEFORE WHERE THERE WAS A CONCERTED MILITARY ALLIANCE BETWEEN THESE FOUR GREAT ADVERSARIES IN THE UNITED STATES.

are concerned about it. They asked the question two different ways. In one, they said, here's all the things they're doing. And 86% of the American people in the poll said, we're concerned about that. Then they simply said, they're working together and didn't give them detail. Same 86%. We understand what's going on. And there's so many places the US has to counter what's happening. And one of the places is in Africa, where China has really laid a lot of groundwork. President Biden was there this week. That visit, it feels like it's gotten overshadowed a little bit.

But basically, this is what The New York Times says. China's already spent decades funding projects in the country and around the continent, leaving some to wonder whether America can compete with its rival. This was really significant, a significant trip by President Biden. He was opening a twelve hundred mile corridor that the U.S. had paid a billion dollars between four countries from Congo to Tanzania.

Zambia and Angola, basically so that the U.S. could have access to critical minerals like cobalt, which are needed for EVs and smartphones. But China, as you mentioned, has been with its Belt and Road Initiative in Africa. We've been asleep at the wheel for 20 years. They already control 76 percent of Congo's cobalt, which is the largest cobalt supply in the world. The last U.S. mine left

Congo in 2020. So while this was a significant trip by an American president, it is a pittance compared to the $42 billion that China has spent on the Belt and Road Initiative in Africa. And quick final thought from you, Roger, about the theme, the feeling here about all

All that is waiting for the next president, who's been the president but will once again be the president. A lot of anticipation. This is the theme this year is a peace through strength and a period of transition. A lot of speculation what's going to happen with the Secretary of Defense, designated Pete Hegseth.

But on a deeper level, what will the military strategy be in President Trump's second administration? In our survey, the American people demonstrate that they want a military that can operate and deal with the challenge in the PRC, in China, that can deal in Europe, and that can also deal with the challenges in the Middle East. That needs to be the core part of the strategy. It needs to have global reach. That's what the American people want. And that's what we'll discuss here at the forum. All right. Roger, Jen, Carl, thank you all very much. Thank you.

So that new survey shows the vast majority of Americans favor spending more on defense, but they also worry about how that could collide with our national debt. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle, who, by the way, both happen to be veterans, join me next to discuss how to balance those competing interests.

Weight loss. Welcome to the flying White House, the actual Boeing 707 that flew seven sitting presidents from Richard Nixon to George W. Bush, 1973 to 2001. This is the actual entrance the president would use and stop on his way in to wave to reporters. Let's go inside. President Reagan flew more than 660,000 miles, visited 26 countries and 46 U.S. states in this aircraft.

This is State Room 1, where President Reagan did a lot of work. You can see his jar of jelly beans here, his notes. He often handwrote really important speeches. And there's the phone. He talked to world leaders, legislators, reporters. He even started the Daytona Beach NASCAR race. Tale number 27000 now accepts millions of visitors to get their own in-person tour of history here at the Reagan Library.

That was a look inside Air Force One right behind me here. Definitely worth a visit if you're ever in this part of the country. Joining me now are two veterans serving their country now in Congress. Florida Republican Corey Mills, an Army veteran, and Massachusetts Democrat Seth Moulton, a Marine veteran. Both are on the House Armed Services Committee. Great to have you both today. Thank you. Good to be here. Thanks for having us. Okay, so you guys have a lot of things going on, including funding the government when we run out of money December 20th, if we get to that cliff again.

And there are questions. Some in the Senate have raised more funding for Ukraine, and that's something that's being discussed here as well. Reagan National Defense does a survey, and they asked people about this. Now, a majority still support sending weapons and aid to Ukraine, but that number has been dropping. Where do you think that goes?

Well, I think one thing you see in that survey is that people are really concerned about the Pacific, about China, right? And so a lot of Ukraine is what message does this send to Xi Jinping in China about starting a war of aggression if we let Putin get away with this? So I think we all agree that we want Putin to lose here. We want Ukraine to win.

But at the same time, we don't want this to go on forever, you know? And I think there's some common ground there in finding a way to bring this to a close. So what is the hope for resolution? You know, it sounds like President Zelensky is finally conceding that, OK, maybe there's going to be a conversation about some of this territory has to be ceded to Russia. But does that only incentivize Putin to do this again?

Well, it's a good question. I mean, I think that this has been handled wrong since 2014 when it originally kicked off. We have to go all the way back to 1994. We had a nuclear nonproliferation agreement that was called the Budapest Memorandum. The idea was is that that was to recognize not only the sovereignty, but the actual territory of Ukraine and the Federation of Russia, the U.K., Northern Ireland, the U.S.,

and Ukraine were signatories on this. So they're in direct violation of their own international treaty in which they signed. The issue is that we haven't actually tried to enforce this or put teeth around it when it comes to the international buy-in. And so I think that since the very beginning, we've slow-walked this. And that's what Seth was talking about just a moment ago, where we understand that we don't want Putin to win this.

But we also don't want to continue to spend all of our treasures in the idea of prolonging this war, where originally they wanted AT-4s. OK, if we finally give them to them, then we finally give them HIMARS, then we finally give them ATAKAMs. And we've slow rolled this to be able to be kind of drawn out. And that's not the way this was supposed to be when it comes to winning a war.

Look, I don't think Putin cares about agreements. We've learned that time and time again. But at the same time, I mean, there have been a lot of decisions that have been the right decisions a few months late, right? And, you know, if we want to win the war, that's different than just prolonging it. So, you know, there's an opportunity with the new administration here.

to make some change to make some changes but we can't just give it to putin and i think that's the concern you hear in congress uh based on some of trump's you know decisions in the past yeah well and so all of this conversation gets back to that idea of spending and how we balance this the survey here also asked about this 79 percent of americans they surveyed said they favor spending more increasing military spending but they are also 69 percent of them concerned that the national debt will force cuts when it comes to defense spending

We should be more concerned probably about the national debt. We should be talking about it more than we are. But how do we balance those potentially competing interests? Well, again, this year we hit two pivotal, you know, kind of monumental moments, which is that one, we're going to spend more in servicing the interest payments on our national debt than our entire armed forces spending. That's a very, very key thing. And so I agree. Our greatest existential threat is certainly our national debt at thirty six point two trillion dollars.

What we need to be understanding, though, is that there's other areas of government in which we can get rid of some of the frivolous spending. There's other areas of government, which is why Doge is such an important thing with Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, is to try and get the necessary efficiencies in place. But that's not our military. What we need to be looking at for our military, increasing the quality of life and prioritizing lethality, not prioritizing.

prioritizing things like DEI or other things that may be divisive or impact our recruitment efforts. But look at things like providing child care five days a week, not two days a week. Look at the increase in MilCon VA, where we're increasing the amount of houses on bases and the quality of it to increase the quality of life for our soldiers and our armed forces. These are key and critical things for retention, for recruitment, and also to ensure that our priorities are right on lethality,

on the prioritization of our military service members and what the transition plan is later on. Well, and coming from a military family, I just want to say, I feel that we do need to prioritize our men and women in uniform and their families because they serve right along with them. That's right. And actually, the budget that Congress passed will increase military pay a lot. So we really are trying to invest in the troops and their families. But let's be honest about the numbers here. I mean, here's the problem. I mean, Trump's budgetary plans, his economic plans will increase the deficit dramatically.

In fact, I think four times or five times more than Harris has planned. So I don't know how this is going to work out. You're not going to be able to extract the kind of savings that you need to actually balance the budget just from government efficiency. So if we really want to invest more in our national defense, we have to talk seriously about how we're going to pay for that. Now, that means not just expenses, but revenues, too. So if Trump does his tax cut for people,

cuts for billionaires, he's not going to have enough money for defense. And that's, you know, that's a real, that's a real trade-off. Well, because the funny part is they want to talk about the tax cuts for billionaires, but yet what do they don't talk about? We received more revenue and tax at $5 trillion than we ever had before. And the idea of sun setting up

policy that allows 21% for corporations to go to 40 plus percent. But the bottom line is it dramatically increases deficit. Revenue speaks for itself. The dollar speaks for itself. $5 trillion in revenue never been seen before. All because of Trump's tax cuts. The deficit went dramatically up with Trump's tax cuts. So you guys want to go up again. You agree on something. You do not agree on that. We have to be serious about if we're going to pay for our defense. But let's talk about this too because the Pentagon has failed its seventh audit in a row. I mean,

with all the good things that need to be done. We know there's a problem there. Reason Magazine says this. If a private company failed its financial audits year after year with only vague assurances that it would get things under control in a few more years, shareholders would revolt and heads would roll. I agree. I mean, we've got to have some accountability. And I'll tell you, one of the places that we really can save money within DoD is by investing in the advanced, autonomous, AI-enabled, digitalized,

drones and things like that, systems of the future, as opposed to the big, old, heavy, manpower-intensive systems of the past. So what does that mean? We need a lot more drones. We need a lot more missiles. We probably need fewer aircraft carriers. That upsets the people of the Pentagon. They don't like to hear that kind of talk.

But if you're serious about investing in the future of deterrence and the future of our military while also making sound financial decisions, those are the kinds of changes that we need to see. We haven't seen enough of that at the Pentagon. I agree with that. Autonomous AI entanglement capabilities of a drone. We know what that can do on a battlefield to leave our enemies blind, deaf, and dumb, and we know that's the way of the future. However, when we're looking at the Indo-PACOM strategy, when you're looking at 7th Fleet's actual strategy,

I don't think reducing aircraft carriers or Ohio-class and Cleveland-class submarines is going to be the answer, especially when we're looking at the future of what would be the unification of Taiwan and what is China's ultimate goal under Xi. And so I think that there's smart ways to do it. But again, to your point, seven options.

audits have been failed. They have $4 trillion in assets, $4 trillion in liabilities. How they can't come up with a simple solution to be able to get accountability on this is troubling for me. And I think that that's where potentially something that has an external audit, looking at IG to be able to come in as far as the Office of Inspector General to be able to do a more thorough investigation into this, but also holding the flag officers accountable that if you have a certain amount of assets under your responsibility and you can't account for them, why should you be deserving of a promotion or another posting? Well,

And you mentioned Doge earlier. And, yeah, listen, they say they're going to look at everywhere and every possible expenditure and try to recoup some of this money, find places that there's waste, there's fraud, that kind of thing. Do you think that there will be bipartisan support for some of what Doge finds? I mean, it's up to Congress, ultimately. Doge can't do anything unless you guys decide to make some cuts. That's right. And I think that there will be support for finding efficiencies and cutting waste. I mean, there's no Democrat who just wants government dollars to be wasted. Right.

I think it comes down to the details of what they're going to do. Like, if they're just going to, you know, dramatically cut programs that invest in our troops, that invest in weapons systems of the future, and that invest in the kinds of things that working families need right here at home, then that's not going to get through Congress. And I think there will be a lot of Republicans who vote against that stuff, too. All right. Look, we end on a moment of agreement. You both agree there is stuff to cut.

cut. To some extent, we have to get cuts. They have to be efficient and we have to guarantee that I'm a 10th Amendment absolutist. We have to return power to the states and individuals. We can't keep trying to swallow power in the federal government. And that's part of the problem right now. Federal government needs to be limited in our spending as well. All right, gentlemen, thank you very much for your time, for your time in uniform and service and now in a different form of service. Good to have you. Good to see you.

Straight ahead, our Sunday special, The Eyes of Freedom, a unique moving tribute to fallen soldiers. It's now on display at the Reagan Presidential Library. Hear from the artist about the deeply personal work of art. Plus, a look at President Reagan's final resting place. We'll take you there next. Knock, knock. Number one, Brooke. Ronald Reagan belongs to the ages now.

More than 20 years ago, on June 11th, 2004, President Ronald Reagan was laid to rest here at the Reagan Library with a heartbreaking kiss goodbye from his beloved wife, Nancy. Almost 12 years later, on March 11th, 2016, the former first lady was laid to rest by her husband's side. This site was personally chosen by our 40th president with the Georgian gray granite headstone at the center of a 20-foot wide horseshoe-shaped memorial.

Carved into stone, this quote from Reagan when he dedicated the library, I know in my heart that man is good. That what is right will always eventually triumph and that there is purpose and worth to each and every life.

There most certainly is. Moving words from our nation's 40th president from the beautiful grounds of his library, where another poignant exhibit is making its home this month. The Eyes of Freedom. It's a memorial using art to tell a raw and moving story about the actual toll of war, to remind all Americans what true courage looks like. It's our Sunday special.

February will mark 20 years since the Marines of Ohio-based Lima Company deployed to the Anbar province of Iraq, then an al-Qaeda stronghold. Of the 184 Marines of Lima, a staggering 23 were killed in action, marking some of the heaviest casualties of the entire war. Now, nearly two decades later, a traveling exhibit, The Eyes of Freedom, is making its home here at the Reagan Library with a one-of-a-kind tribute to the fallen heroes.

One of the things that strikes me about it is it's so personal. It's one thing to know intellectually that freedom isn't free, but to actually see the faces of the fallen. These are young men who had their whole lives ahead of them. It's tragic, but it's also inspiring.

The memorial features life-size portraits of each of the unit's fallen service members and the actual combat boots worn during their deployment, each now adorned with mementos left behind by loved ones. You can see there a photograph left on the boots.

You see a dog tag there. It's incredibly powerful. For those who survived the grueling deployment, many faced a different kind of battle when they got home. In 2018, the exhibit's artist, Anita Miller, added this sculpture, Silent Battle. Why did it become a big part of what you'd already done, the artwork, something new? Post-traumatic stress, suicide, mental health for veterans became the elephant in the room that needed addressing. And so we decided that we would make

make that issue front and center and very visible. The Reagan Library is just the latest stop for the traveling memorial. We've been to 37 states and over 400 venues. What has the reaction been like when you take this from place to place? There's something magical that happens between the paint and the viewer. And, and,

The spirit of the ones that they loved and lost is the thing that they're beginning to feel. These are 23, but they stand for thousands of every conflict.

We are grateful for the sacrifice of all of our nation's heroes. That exhibit's heading to some of the hometowns of the fallen service members it honors, beginning in Bozeman, Montana, this February. If you haven't seen it yet, be sure to check out Fox Nation's hit series, Martin Scorsese Presents the Saints. The fourth and final episode is out today. It focuses on the life of Maximilian Kolbe, now known as the patron saint of prisoners. I have to go with them.

Colby was a Franciscan monk who became a martyr for his faith after being held as a prisoner at Auschwitz. You can watch all four episodes on FoxNation.com. That is it for us today. Thank you so much for joining us. I'm Shannon Bream. Have a wonderful week. We'll see you next Fox News Sunday.

Fox News Audio presents the Fox Nation Investigates podcast, The Botten Files. A person's final story can be told through their bodies in an autopsy. World-renowned forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Botten covers three incredible cases where he helped change the course of the investigation. Sometimes it takes more than one look to put the pieces together. Listen and follow starting January 7th at foxtruecrime.com or wherever you get your favorite podcasts.

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