"Little is being done about the incredible murder rate in some black neighborhoods in Chicago. Last year murders in Chicago were up 57%, and on New Year's Day, 28 more people were shot. It is obvious that Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Governor Bruce Rauner will not protect innocent people. The vast majority of shootings are being done by low-level gang members who are running wild in the streets. An investigation by the Chicago Sun-Times shows that even if the cops do find a gang member with a gun, that person is given a very light sentence. So the justice system in Chicago is not punishing the thugs with any severity. Secondly, there's policing. The police do not want any part of engaging violent gang members because the liberal politicians in Chicago are making it impossible for street cops to do their jobs. In fact, the ACLU is now running street crime in the Windy City. Mayor Emanuel has instituted an ACLU-suggested policy that mandates a two-page police report each time a cop stops someone for questioning. And then there is the racist angle. Most of those shot in Chicago are poor black people. If the mass murder was happening in Chicago's business district, it would be stopped cold. So Mayor Emanuel and Governor Rauner can be accused of racism because they allow the madness to continue. In San Francisco it's property crime. Since 2010, crimes like arson, car theft, and larceny are up a whopping 64% because politicians have stopped the police from enforcing quality of life crimes. Homeless people are urinating and defecating in the streets, panhandling, and committing crimes when they need money to buy booze or drugs. There have to be standards of behavior, but in San Francisco there are not. You can do whatever you want and a beautiful city has become blighted. Add to that insane social policies. The city gives indigent people 300 bucks a month in cash and benefits. And where does that money go? Many times to purchase drugs and alcohol. So if you are a West Coast drug addict, where would you go? San Francisco, of course, where the free money is. Summing up, terrible laws, cowardly politicians, and apathetic voters all lead to chaos. People continue to die in Chicago, and San Francisco is a chaotic mess. But, unless voters wise up, nothing will change."

The Factor pursued on the subject with former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli. "This can be stopped," Cuccinelli declared, "and you can look at Rudy Giuliani's tenure as Mayor of New York. He was elected in a liberal city because of the rising crime that even liberals wanted to get rid of. He did it by starting with the kind of low-level crime we're seeing in San Francisco. In Chicago, the only real short term option is to flood the zone with police." George Terwilliger, a Justice Department official in the Bush administration, blamed much of the chaos on voters who elect incompetent officials. "The federal government cannot do much with the National Guard or military troops unless the situation was to go into complete civil unrest. It's the voters who really have to speak, they have to start electing people who believe criminals have to be dealt with."

When Maine passed a law demanding that healthy adults work in exchange for food stamps, the number of people on assistance dropped precipitously. Geraldo Rivera and Eric Bolling debated the significance of those statistics. "I disagree that the majority of people on food stamps don't need it," Rivera pronounced, "although I am in favor of 'workfare.' The Governor of Maine is on the right track, entitlements don't do any good. But you can't minimize the impact of drug abuse." Bolling also urged governments to do more to discourage dependence. "The numbers of people on food assistance are staggering. Obama will take a victory lap on the economy getting better, but the numbers of people coming off the food stamp rolls is barely moving down."

According to the federal government, there are about 300 jurisdictions that will not cooperate with the feds on immigration issues. And in those sanctuary cities, thousands of convicted criminals have been released. The Factor invited Eboni Williams and Trish Regan to opine. "The sanctuary cities are getting ready for battle," Williams stated, "and the law is on the side of the Trump administration. I don't like sanctuary cities, I am a person of the law." Regan accused Democrats of trolling for future votes. "It always comes down to politics. The left is working aggressively to get as many immigrant voters into the population as it possibly can."

Governor Jerry Brown has signed a law decriminalizing prostitution for women under 18, meaning California authorities will not arrest adolescent prostitutes. The Factor spoke about the legislation with Travis Allen, one of very few Republicans in the state assembly. "I voted against this because it's a terrible law," Allen declared. "The California Democrats may have good intentions with legalizing child prostitution, but there is absolutely no way that this will have good consequences. We have to overturn this." The Factor blasted California lawmakers and the law: "This is shocking, it's a travesty, and I understand it's because the liberal legislature in Sacramento doesn't believe it's these girls' fault. It's now much easier for the pimps who run these children to operate."

The Factor invited Dennis Miller to reveal his resolutions for the coming year. "First, I must not accidentally go into the hair salon that Senator Patty Murray uses," Miller jested. "Also, when I email my friend Hillary Clinton, I'm just going to cc Putin and eliminate the middleman. Third, I'm going to work on something to replace the phrase 'on steroids,' which I'm sick of. I'm also going to get in shape by going on the Gerard Depardieu diet - you don't lose any weight but you take your shirt off and everybody looks away, so you might as well be thin."

Video from Philadelphia shows a wild fight between a female cop and a young girl, while in North Carolina a police officer slammed a girl to the ground. Martha MacCallum elaborated on the two stories. "The girl in North Carolina," MacCallum reported, "was reportedly trying to break up a fight that her sister was in. The police officer came in and slammed her to the ground and he has been put on leave. But in Philadelphia the young woman admitted that she slapped the female cop, and then they went at it. That officer is also on leave, but the girl has not been charged even though she admits that she slapped the officer."

Tom Boone, Houston, TX: "Bill, your entire Talking Points memo on the inauguration was speculation. I get a kick out of how you say you don't speculate."

Peter Chan, Los Angeles, CA: "I can attest that the Talking Points on the inauguration is right on the money. After Jackie Evancho announced she would sing, she was smeared on the net. The vitriol and vulgarity she received was terrible."

Nancy O'Connor, Great Neck, NY: "I agree with Charles Krauthammer that there have always been challenges for conservative entertainers, but in this case, it's worse. With Hillary Clinton losing, there is the bitter taste of sour grapes."

Val Sanchez, Albuquerque, NM: "Some artists are afraid, and some just refuse to help unite the country."

The Fox News Channel has again proven its indomitability, beating all other cable networks, including those devoted to sports or entertainment, in 2016.