>> that was one heck of a week. >> have a great weekend. set your dvrs soyou never miss an episode of "the five." see you back here monday. "special report" on deck. with a van susteren starts right now. nbc must really hate their viewers. first they bump number one jay leno and now their lead olympic guy bob costas drinking the russian kool-aid or maybe it's just that disgusting tap water over there. >> gluten has been a fixture on the international stage for almost 15 years as either president or prime minister. that's far longer than any other leader among the world's most influential nations. just in the past year, putin brokered a deal to allow syria to avoid a u.s. military strike by giving up its chemical weapons. and help bring iran to the negotiating table over its nuclear intentions. and he has repeatedly show cased his confidence to take

on the west. particularly the united states. offering asylum to national security agency leaker edward snow den, enticing ukraine to back out of a deal to join the european union. >> rush limbaugh is not letting nbc off the hook. >> why is everybody surprised that nbc news would lob praise over a soviet kgb leader. what do you think issue liberals think of communists? they're blood brothers. the communists were the peacemakers. >> american journalist david sater has spent-year-old living and working in russia. he has been critical of president putin. right before the olympics he was expelled from russia. coincidence or was this pay back? david joins us. nice to talk to you, david. >> hi. >> so, why did you get the boot from from russia? >> well, can i told you what i was told officially which was that the security services regarded that my

presence on the territory of the russian federation was undesirable. so, that was the official reason. that was what was told to me. what they didn't say is why i was undesirable. but, apparently from the point of view of those people who monitor the activities of what goes on over there, i was considered to be some type of threat. >> all right. now, you have written critically of president putin. and you have certainly heard what bob costas of nbc said about putin. is he accurate or did he, perhaps, drink some kool-aid? >> well, he is superficial. he is talking about things he doesn't understand. and someone has given him a couple of cliches that he has put together in what passes to be a report every phrase that he uttered was

evidence of the fact that he didn't understand the issues that he was talking about for example he said that putin has been president for 15 years, longer than anyone else. well, of course he has because the elections are manipulated and there is -- the opposition is suppressed we can do a similar examination of the other things that he said as well. the important reality here is that people are not paying attention to what is really going on in russia. and russia is a very powerful and potentially dangerous country so that kind of sprferlt super official. >> bob costas should pay attention to sports. that's what he knows. we don't expect him to pay attention to what's going on in russia. but it would be helpful if

the present administration or the government paid close attention, what is going on is that a small group with -- based on corrupt ties is monopolizing power and property in the country and is determined to hold on to it at any cost. and they are in the process, they are driving the country tri -- the country of russia to a crisis. >> and putin. >> that's what's significant. >> and is putin playing the united states at this point? >> well, as best he can to the extent that we allow him to. we don't raise the real issues that are -- that really need to be raised. russia is a country in which a lot is hidden and what is hidden are the things that we need to know. the origin of this regime. its practices.

the way it deals with its opponents. all of those things are extremely important for understanding the degree to which russia can be trusted, the degree to which it's a reasonable interrer in the world. we ignore those' and assume we can deal with russia. and that russia is the appropriate to have olympics in. but none of those things are really true. david, thank you very much for joining us. >> you're welcome. thank you very much. >> so why is msnbc making the olympics about politics or worse, is nbc taking siewdz? shouldn't bob costas, as david just said, stick to sports? joining us our political panel a.b. hill. byron york and "u.s.a. today" kirsten powers. kirsten, first to you, nbc making those statements, i mean in many ways profoundly nice things about president putin are any remotely true? >> i mean, maybe some of it is remotely true. but the overarching presentation is not true. i think the way they are trying to portray him is

this great statesman. one of the things that really caught my attention is this reference to saying that anti-gay or gay groups have complained about some of the things that he has done as if there is some debate to be had about the fact that he is reerntly anti-gay and passed a law arrest people for being gay. this is not subject to debate. on one hand putin says this and on the other hand gay right groups say that. >> byron, when i heard that, i was stunned. i couldn't figure fought bob does stats was trying to curry favor so he didn't get thrown out like david or nbc didn't get thrown out. i know he has gone to the politics before when we thought we were hearing sports. the things he is saying that putin is a statesman when he went around president obama's back with that letter in the "new york times." >> it's hard to figure out why is he so credit columbus. putin is siding with the bad guys in both of those syria and nuclear thing.

bigger problem is a problem that nbc has to deal with is which is that you have these olympics in repressive, auto craft particular society. how much do you show in that problem with china six years ago. russia. you don't say great statesman. >> the politics always comes in to olympics. you don't have an entire olympics phenomenon without some politics in it. so the question is nbc going to be open about the repression, political problems in russia? i mean we have heard a lot about the threat of terrorism. are they going to be open about all of it? or are they just going to close their eyes? >> a.b., it isn't in my view a question of nbc being open. you know about it. that may have its cobs sequence. i have been in north korea which i have my understanding next to it and we note that the standing next to us when we broadcast. not a question of being open o. they actually seem to be cozying up to putin and saying things is he a great peacemaker. is he bringing iran to the table.

meanwhile, he is helping in syria but iran is all over syria. >> really, it was incredible to read but to actually see it was a dramatic. it is a putin commercial. it's beyond flattering. he would not have written it any better himself. if we read the dispatches from russia, reporters are having their hotel room doors opened in the middle of the night. there is picture everywhere but you are often as we noted drinking water that's the color of dark beer. and maybe bob costas has had a rough time but it's one thing to be there and to be straddling the business relationship nbc is frying to manage but it's another to be so kind. he is, as david was talking about the secrets we have uncover, byron is right, everybody knows he is fiercely defending our greatest enemies, is he coddling dictators and murderers. he is selling arms to syria in assad's battle, killing his people and not coming up with the weapons that he is

supposed to clean up from the deal that vladimir putin arranged that is turning out to be much better for syria than us. it's -- this is a joke. >> i guess my objection with nbc is that you don't -- i mean they are getting in bed with him by virtue of putin what he is saying. nbc could have said look at this beautiful weather we are having here in sochi. and the athletes are working so hard. you don't have to say in this guy who is coddling our enemies and who has been just, you know, terrible in many ways, you don't get in bed with them. that's what nbc did. >> well, bob costas. >> he works for nbc. >> again, i don't know how much of that brown water he had the night before. but something is wrong. he has terrible eye infection. maybe it's just gotten to him. >> anyway. might be the eye infection, indeed. stay with us, panel. after jay leno spends 22 years making viewers laugh, nbc makes jay cry. >> you folks have been just incredibly loyal -- oh, we

wouldn't be on the air without you people. secondly, this has been the greatest 22 years of my life. [ applause ] coming up a fellow comedian takes you inside the world of late night comedy. also "on the record" examining texas gubernatorial candidate wendy davis. is she ready for prime time? plus, i'm going to talk to you off-the-record. what your government gets away with hoping that you won't notice. off-the-record is coming up. honestly? my kids re always on my laptop. i didn't think i could buy them their own, let alone for under $300. t this asus with windows is lightweight and has everything they need -- not like chromebooks that can't install office or have to be connected to the internet to get much done. with this they can do homework, chat, play games -- on their own laptop, antheir own time. so no more fighting... at least not over my laptop. ♪ honestly, i wanna see you be brave ♪

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upward the employment from the previous month. we found after december was basically unchanged from what we thought was 75,000 jobs. and in the bad thing in even worse thing in all of it is this workforce participation, which is still extremely high and the unemployment is only as low as 6.6% because so many

people have been discouraged and no longer looking for jobs. >> kirsten? >> yeah. it's hard to spin this positively though the president is trying to spin it positively because it's lowest unemployment rate since he has been in office. but, byron is right. it doesn't really reflect the relates of what people are experiencing which is this is not, you know, it's a very slow recovery and it's a very uneven recovery. there is a small group of people that are doing well and everybody else is pretty much lagging along. and, you know, i don't know that there is a lot that can be done about it people keep talking about the federal reserve can do something. i interviewed mark zandi from moody's analytics. he said the best thing that can happen to us right now if congress and the president just did nothing. like actually them getting involved is causing problems. >> a.b., it looks bad for 2014 for democrats plus you have got obamacare if that doesn't pick up. >> right. they were hoping that these numbers would really be something by the summer. it's not really going to improve dramatically. the labor participation rate

is terribly historically low, but it continue crees slightly this month. the conundrum there that was the only aare a of hope in the report. the conundrum there is labor participation increase and get back in the system the labor -- >> all the democrats are probably running for the hills on it and the republicans are pounding them over the head with it? >> people are not filling like this economy is good and they are scared of obamacare. it's hard to see either of those improving dramatically by the time the minds are made up in december. >> panel, if you will stay with us. okay. let's just go off-the-record for just a minute. you have got to love our government. they sugar coat their failures trying to make them look okay. even worse, special or extraordinary. case in point, guess what happened today? that they hoped you wouldn't notice. the nation just ran out of money. we hit our debt ceiling. that's it. we can't borrow another dime. we're broke, and now no one can lend us any money. so now what? well, that's where sort of

the funny business comes. in the nation is resorting to flimflam accounting procedures, essentially that the treasury department gloriously calls extraordinary measures. that's p.r. for you. extraordinary measures? that sounds sort of, well, sounds special. well, that's the point. that's the sugar coating, that's what they want you to think of their failures. fancy description they use for themselves for their failure. how about you? what do you think the government would call you if you ran out of money, ran out of borrowing room on your credit card and could not pay your income taxes? well, that's easy. they would call you a a deadbeat. but when they do it, it's extraordinary. and when you do it, you are a deadbeat. now, that's all messed up. that's my off-the-record comment tonight. if you have any important story or issue you think i should take off-the-record go to gretawire.com and tell us about it. and straight ahead, a top american diplomat caught on tape using the f-bomb with trash talk about our allies. and now diplomat go in front of the camera to talk about the embarrassing moment. you have to hear what

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much one day after getting caught cursing out the eu, yes, dropping the f bomb year for facing the media first, here is another look at what assistant secretary of state victoria nuland got caught telling another u.s. diplomat on the phone. >> that would be great, i think, to help glue this thing and have the u.n. help glue it and, you know [bleep] the eu. >> here is what she told reporters today. >> i'm obviously not going to comment on private diplomatic conversations other than to say it was pretty impressive trade craft. the audio was exextremely

clear. >> sips yesterday the state department implying russia was behind the leaked phone call. charles krauthammer the author of the best-selling book things that matter. if you don't have it. get it nice to he so you, charles. >> thanks for having me. >> victoria nuland using the f word and i think a lot of people were probably saying go victoria on it and now saying very coily that russians russians have good trade craft in linking it. >> i thought she handle that extremely well. a general population her deign deign shall we say for the europeans on foreign affairs is absolutely warranted. they really haven't pulled their weight since the berlin air lift. talking about the tug of war of russia and the west over the fate of the ukraine which is a very big deal and the europeans have been feckless at best. this is a great opportunity to stop the am division biggss of russia and putin to reconstruct the old soviet empire and they are dragging their feet. so she may not have used the

right word but she certainly had the right idea. >> sour team victoria? >> absolutely. >> let me talk about the obama administration. president hitting the road, bad numbers, your thought about how the president is doing. >> there is a kind of weariness, you saw it in the new york interview with david remnick. i think the president had a sense that he is not going to be what he thought he was. he conceded legacy slipping await a minute look, he said in 2008 that reagan was historically consequential in a way that a clinton was not. the ambition of obama was to be the reagan of the left to changed ideological trajectory of america he was extremely ambitious in that way. he struck out with cap and trade as a way to get control of the energy economy. he didn't accomplish much with education which is another one of his ideals. he is not going to get the preschool education. the universal that he wanted

enthusiasm. almost given up, is that what you are saying? >> he conceded having lost control over the congress and having no prospect of regaining control. and losing the trust of americans. his numbers are low. can you succeed against the hostile congress if the people are with you. reagan did that. that there is nothing large that he can accomplish. and he he is has always seen himself as large. you remember historically not just because obviously he was the first african-american, but because he changed the ideological direction of america the way a reagan did. that he is not going to achieve. he got a stimulus and he got obamacare. >> what's his achievement? >> the one thing that would have been a monument would have been obamacare. that is a road to nationalizing healthcare. he can see it falling apart around him. there is not a single

democrat of any stature supporting it right now. he can see it slipping away. if that slips away, then his presidency is ruined. i think he sort of has a sense of that. trying to recapture it but not seeing a way in which he can. and i don't think there is a way in which he can. is he not going to recapture the congress. he will probably lose the senate. and then he will truly be a lame duck. >> charles, always nice to he see you. books on the best seller list. what do you want to tell the viewers once again great book thank you, charles. >> thank you very much. >> coming up, jay leno is not going down without a fight and final kick at nbc. >> tonight is our last show for real. and i don't need to get fired three times. i get the hint. i get the hint. i don't like goodbyes. nbc does -- i don't care for them. [ laughter ] >> you will see much more of leno's famous farewell and fellow comedian takes it inside the cut throat world of late night comedy. wendy davis making a name for herself fighting for

abortion rights in texas. now that she is running for governor, can she stand up to the glitter of the national spotlight? that's coming up.

jay leno may be down but he is not out. the king of late night comedy taking a parting shot at his now former employer on his last tenth show. >> i don't like good byes -- nbc does, i don't care -- i don't care. >> there is a sad so sort of clanging from the clock it's a hole and the bells in the steeple, too. and all the executives that run nbc ♪ are popping in to say you're through. >> the worse thing about using this job i no longer covered by nbc i have to sign up for obamacare. >> regretfully they tell me but firmly they tell me to say goodbye to you. >> ladies and gentlemen, jack black. ♪ so long, farewell

♪ i will right deer ♪ bell -- if fallon tanks i will be back year. >> when i smoke cigarettes anywhere you wanted. >> ladies and gentlemen, kim kardashian. >> chris paul. >> sheryl crow. carol burnett. >> when i started hosting, justin bieber wasn't even born yet. that's why we call those the good old >> jim parsons. ♪ so long, farewell, we lost you and we are weary ♪ your great success ♪ is called the big chin theory ♪ ♪ >> oprah winfrey. [cheers and applause] ♪ so long ♪ farewell ♪ you really raised the bar ♪ if you were me

♪ you would buy them all a car [ laughter ] >> i want to thank you, the audience, you folks have been just incredibly loyal -- this is tricky. we wouldn't be on the air without you people. secondly, this has been the greatest 22 years of my life. [ applause ] [cheers] >> in closing, i want to quote from johnny carson who was the greatest guy to ever do this job, and he said "i bid you all a heart felt good night." >> tom is a huge fan of jay leno and knows jimmy fallon that. >> was great watching jay leno get choked up, wasn't it. >> yeah, it was fantastic. how did he handle that whole goodbye last night? how was it. >> he handled it as best he could. comedians are not emotional

people. it's amazing to watch him. is he trying to get through it and he can't. is he breaking up. that was a great heart felt speech. i loved it i'm so glad he got the opportunity to retire for like the third time. it's fantastic. >> do you think that's the end? is he really retiring from late night? i know he still does his stand up, are we going to see him back? i'm always pushing he comes back to go to fox broadcast. do you think he will be on any network. >> you are a broadcaster you want him to be on tv. i want him to go back -- he is not going to go back to the clubs. he will play theaters. i would love to see him do a national tour. people don't -- they know him as the host of "the tonight show." he was one of the great stand up comedians. comics used to worship him. who used to stand in awe of him was long-term. he said he used to watch jay leno and he amaze. everyone thought he was the best. seinfeld was always in awe of him. as a kid i was too. >> you know jimmy fallon. you are in a barber shop quartet with him, right. >> yes.

jimmy loves to sing barber shop and i have been singing since high school. we got together the head writer and jimmy. we started singing. we started doing it for fun and he said we need to do it for a show. it's been a regular part of late night with jimmy fallon. hopefully i will be singing barber shop on tenth show. >> when johnny carson left it was a big job for jay leno to take over for him. now we have a new transition on "the tonight show." how tough is it going to be for jimmy fallon? >> it's going to be great. post people, his show is very popular. most of the country still hasn't seen jimmy fallon work. and when he gets there at 11:30. i think it's going to be great guns. he is in new york. which is great. new york is cooler than l.a. and now it's extra cool because we have the tenth show. and it's got this kind of lye like 1960's vibe to it like jack par and the original tenth show with johnny carson in new york. so, it's going to be great. and he is so talented. he loves doing music. it's like a variety show.

i feel likes a opposed to the old tenth show jay leno was more of a talk show answered is stand up comedian. >> jimmy is a real renaissance man. he loves to sing and dance and so it is going to be like a variety show. >> tom, you are one of my favorite comedians. i'm curious, how can you be funny when you are in a lousy mood. there must some time when you are in a lousy mood when you go out there. >> we fake it. that's what being a comedian is all about. you leave it at the door and come out on stage and acting like you are having a good time even if you are not. you came to see me and jim gaffigan. that is a guy who doesn't look like he is having a good time when he is performing. >> we look forward to seeing you you on red eye of course right here and on the new tont show as well. thank you, tom. >> thanks so much. >> now it's time to show you what we are watching. we put together the most fantastic videos out there tonight. take a look, is oprah stealing ellen's moves? ♪

♪ [ applause ] ♪ whoa ♪ go, oprah. oprah making a grand entrance at the santa barbara film festival. she has definitely got her groove dancing on stage to a bruin mow mars hit. oprah dancing all the way to her chair. ellen better watch out. 50 years since the british invasion on february 7th, 1964. the beatles landing to mark the occasion in jfk airport including music from a band called liverpool ♪ tell you something ♪ i think you'll understand ♪ when i ♪ something ♪ i want to hold your hand ♪ i want to hold your hand. >> this sunday will be the 50th anniversary of the beatle's appearance on the ed sullivan show. and the streets of new york city turning into a real

life horror movie. zombies from the walking dead pranking people on the street. [screams] that's what we are watching tonight. if you want to see more of the videos we just showed you know where to go gretawire.com. do you want to be an ambassador turns out you might have to write a check. donors turn diplomat happened before and happened often. president obama's latest choice of ambassadors is really raising eyebrows. you you will see why next. are wr tomorrow? tomorrow. quick look at the weather. nice day, beautiful tomorrow. tomorrow is full of promise. we can come back tomorrrow. and we promise to keep it that way. driven to preserve the environment, csx moves a ton of freight nearly 450 miles

on one gallon of fuel. what a day. can't wait til tomorrow.

being ambassador is important job. you represent the united states. did you know you could buy ambassadorship. they often turn to it campaign donors and look to make them into diplomats even if they don't have foreign experience. did president obama go too far with his latest choice for ambassador for argentina. >> have you gone argentina. >> senator, i haven't had the opportunity yet to be there. i have traveled pretty extensively around the world but i haven't yet had the chance. >> you heard right the nominee has never been to argentina. former u.n. spokesman richard joins us. as practical matter ambassador canada had been there as a tourist to niagara falls. it's not unheard of. >> canada's economy was wasn't collapsing though. look, argentina is under some very serious problems

at this seems like a legitimate vetting do i speak the language? have you ever been there? this is more a problem for the vetting process than having a political appointee go to an ambassadorship it happens all the time and it's okay. as long as they are expert at least a quasiexpert on the country that they are going to. >> probably explain if you are going to be ambassador to pakistan or afghanistan or india. one of those countries very important strategically to the united states, you are a career foreign service officer. >> yes. >> there is sort of this collection of others that there is gym mys for donors. >> the foreign service officer ms certain countries you can't own the political process is can't take. there is a debate when we have turkey, for instance, there is an argument that the political appointees should take that because it's strategically an important country but the foreign service officers want somebody. i think the solution is if

you are going to put a political person there, let's make them an expert. let's have them know something about the country. i don't want to dump on all political appointees as being naive snow something about the country you are going to. >> you think everyone would have been hip to this. taken this christmas vacation and gotten down there and traveled around. it's summer down there this time of year and bicycled around and seen a little bit of argentine. >> that he knew he was getting the job in april of 2013. here is a guy who is supposed to be a political expert. but in april 2013, he knew he was going to get argentina. he was nominated in july. he still hasn't gone? must be sort of insulting toson somebody. you really don't matter we need to satisfy our donor. >> well, i don't think they want the united states to tell them what to do anyway. the u.s. ambassador is, you know, going to be just somebody there representing that country. i don't think they are going to look to that guy for advice on their collapsing economy. >> is there any instance

though -- caroline kennedy is in japan. and did i a little research. she went there in the late 70s with her uncle for a short time and then her honeymoon she made a stop there yet, you know, she is now our ambassador to japan. but she has got a famous name. is that helpful to the united states? i mean, is she a powerful ambassador as a result? >> if it's not a hostile country? if they are not having incredible problems, then the ambassador becomes the person who is going to give the july 4th party and it's going to be a really big party at the embassy. that's what they tend to do. and you are up in other places. >> rick, thanks for joining us. >> yeah, thanks. >> and our panel is back. the hill's a.b. stoddard. washington examiner chief political correspondent byron york and "u.s.a. today" kirsten powers. kirsten, to you, any problem with these ambassadors the way that we choose them? >> well, i think -- i tend to agree with everything that rick said. i don't think that they have very important sort of strategic jobs.

right? these are ambassadors, they throw parties. they entertain. they are not making important foreign policy decisions. that said, it it seems like you could find somebody who has some knowledge of the country. i think they should be able to speak the language personally. because a lot of -- i think a lot of countries look at americans and they feel why -- there is sort of an arrogance, right that we think that we can come into their country and don't know anything about them. never have been there and don't speak their language. >> you know, byron, i actually he in terms of who is supporting us, as long as the person is really good has a good skill particular expertise so they're really troubling for us. i don't have a problem with picking -- as long as the person at least has some familiarity with the country. >> how many experts on turkey are you going to find also bundled half a billion dollars for the democratic party. >> republicans do this too. >> they do. but the democratic party controls the executive branch right now and we can talk about president obama's

nominees not only this nominee to argentina. he nominated one to be the ambassador to norway he had never gone norway. he nominated the former producer of the bold and the beautiful soap opera to be the ambassador to hungary. the common common thread raised money for the democratic party. i don't think it's going to be possible to find people who have some expertise who also raised that amount of money. >> a.b.? >> it's possible as rick pointed out if you have almost a year notice and you are good at bundling millions of dollars to be up to speed on a country and make sure you have taken a quick course and even if you don't speak the language, you are there serve the u.s. interest. you are not there to embarrass us. if you can't get through cocktail conversation about the country you are not serving our interest and you are elm bare bare wassing the u.s. it's embarrassing that they

don't take it more than they. it's not that you can't appoint political appointee. it's that you best prepare them to go over there and not embarrass us and serve our interest. >> he knew about this in april. i would be so excited that i had been appointed ambassador i would have traveled there a million times i would have read everything in sight about it i would have gone there and done everything. >> someone needs to show some interested in the job. i don't get that he has interest. >> can i add one more thing about the process here. the remember the democrats in the senate broke the filibuster for nominations and the only power republicans had to really stop a bad nominee has gone away completely if there are 51 democrats who will vote for it. this has become kind of a joke process. >> but i think that if the republicans take over the senate, the democrats will squeal like stuck pigs is the whole aspect, right? >> yeah. >> you like that expression? >> no, but it's true and i think that's what everybody predicted. even when they did it. it was already kind of

obvious where the political winds were blowing, which made it even stranger because i think most democrats probably could have expected that they were going to losed senate. >> and i think probably president obama's biggest problem on this thing even though everybody does it he was going to change it he was not going to do so much of this. apparently is he like everybody else. anyway, panel, thank you. coming up her abortion rights fight grabbed the spotlight but now wendy davis gubernatorial campaign taking a sharp turn, a right turn, the latest from texas is next. s could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. mmmhmmm...everybody knows that. well, did you know that old macdonald was a really bad speller? your word is...cow. cow. cow. c...o...w...

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gubernatorial candidate wendy davis doing the texas two step she made a name fighting for abortion rights the democratic state senator is suddenly fighting for gun rights. her opponent texas attorney general greg abbot tweeting i support the gun rights before the campaign began and have an a rating by nra as opposed to wendy davis f-rating. i will keep texas free. greg abbot -- >> great to be with you, greta. >> i have been looking into a lot of the background mostly reading a lot of your stories. wendy davis has changed on a lot of issues, hasn't she? she was at one time recently a republican? >> yeah. i guess you could say she tried it but didn't inhale

there are no referenced partisan requirements in texas. but she voted in the republican primary at least three times. when i asked her about that, that was back in 1976 and following that. but i asked her about it, she said that was because she wanted to vote for her friend, the republican mayor who was subsequently running for congress. kay granger. she also said that she wanted to vote in the republican primary because there were judges that she wanted to have a say in who was going to be her judges. she is a lawyer. but, she also said that, you know, partisanship wasn't all that important to her at that time. and subsequently, she has emerged as the sort of progressive democratic star and i think some democrats might be surprised to know that she was a republican at one time. >> who changed your mind. in 2006 she wa a republican why did she become a democrat? was there an issue? >> i think the seat was open. i don't know of any specific issue. the seat was open and it was

an available seat on the democratic side challenge the republican incumbent in 2007 as we approached the 2008 race in texas. she was one the local officials in texas to endorse hillary clinton two montsd later she announces she is going to run in the 2008 for the state senate. so clearly she made a decision that that was where her political opportunity was and she was right because she won that seat as a democrat and has been a democrat ever since. >> thank you. we know you are all over this race. thank you, wayne. >> bye bye. >> now i'm going to take to you a place you hear so little about. kurdistan, iraq. it's on the front lines of a humanitarian crisis. the people there who are refugees themselves are helping thousands and thousands of refugees who are fleeing syria's civil war. i went to iraq with reverend

franklin graham with see how syrians first are are getting help they need the most. this is exploding humanitarian crisis. here is a look inside the refugee camp. i'm greta van susteren in iraq. and behind me is a valley of refugees. up to 17,000 people who are stateless. and homeless. but there is hope here because people are helping them. >> it poured rain last night. snowed where we were up in the mountains earlier today. >> on this day it was near freezing. and the people we met with reverend franklin graham in the refugee camp had little or nothing. >> they need the heat but they need clothes for children. as you saw, there were kids with those little sandals with no socks. >> bare foot. >> bare foot. >> some kids were just like in a t-shirt. >> inside one tent, i sat down with a 90-year-old woman who was sharing a heater with multiple families. >> how long do they get to keep the heater? >> we were told a couple

hours a day? >> yeah. >> we are providing 2,000 heaters. we will get them here in the next couple of days. >> if you take somebody who has been cold and wet and now they are sick. if you are not able to provide that heater, they can be dead a few weeks later. my father is 95. if i had to take care of him on the floor of a tent, i don't know how you would do that. >> beside open trench, kids flashed smiles and ran around as children do. national gee graphic handed out cameras for them to take pictures. we were clearly of interest interest. and singing >> older faces showed grave stress with the uncertainty of living day to day. >> you have to give the u.n. credit too. they have done a good job. >> the u.n., greta, does -- they will do a good job in situations like this. what happens with the u.n. it just takes them a while to do it, that's all it just takes them forever it's a bureaucracy. once they get moving they

can can do a good job. >> back in north carolina, the highly oiled machine heritage results, rules oriented and i think that's important thing in emergency response. we came to help the guy in the ditch we are always focused on that. that sets us a little distance from the bureaucracy, from the challenges you will see a whole lot more of our trip to iraq and first. fox files right here on fox news channel. watch it or dvr it. >> and bill o'reilly is next but first get ready to speed read your way through the news. right now security on high alert at the olympics. a hijacking triggering new security concerns. man hijacking a turkish airliner fly from the ukraine to turkey then the

hijacker suddenly demanding the pilots divert to so muchy. fighter jets scrambled and led the plane safely to istanbul. the happening as the opening ceremonies were starting. former secretary of state hillary clinton and potential presidential candidate but it is on february 25th. president clinton will go to kentucky to campaign for senate candidate alisyn lunder graham grimes. she is challenging senate minority leader mitch mcconnell in the midterm. justin bieber could be face are more legal trouble thanks to egg tossing assault on his neighbor's house. sheriff investigators have now given their evidence to prosecutors. if prosecutors decide to move forward with a flown owe -- felony vandalism case he could face the most serious charges yet. thanks for being with us. see you monday on 7 p.m.

eastern. do you think costas is drinking weird colored water. vote in the poll. up next o'reilly factor. tonight on "red eye." >> coming up on "red eye." why are demented fashion designers forcing hot models dress in outfits of chocolate? the story special report refuses to cover. and how awful was the president and joe biden's last vacation in the virgin islands? >> we will not go back. >> we will not go back. >> and what is russell brand been up to since divorcing katy perry? we decided to find out. none of these stories on "red eye" tonight. >> let's welcome our guest. her last meal was salted walnut which she licked and threw out. i am here with joanne. d