'' Special Report with Bret Baier'' (formerly ''Special Report with Brit Hume'') is an American television
news
News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different Media (communication), media: word of mouth, printing, Mail, postal systems, broadcasting, Telecommunications, electronic communication, or through the te ...
and political commentary program, hosted by
Bret Baier
William Bret Baier ( ; born August 4, 1970) is an American journalist and the host of '' Special Report with Bret Baier'' on the Fox News Channel and the chief political anchor for Fox. He previously worked as the network's Chief White House C ...
since 2009, that airs on
Fox News Channel
The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American multinational conservative news and political commentary television channel and website based in New York City, U.S. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is ow ...
. It is broadcast live each Monday through Friday at 6:00 p.m. ET. The program focuses on both reporting and analysis of the day's events, with a primary focus on national American political news. The show has been a part of the Fox News program lineup since 1998 and is the number one cable news broadcast in its time slot.
Format
The program reports on the day's events, usually focusing on political stories out of the nation's capitol, particularly on the
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
*'' Præsident ...
,
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
, and the
Supreme Court
In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
.
A typical show begins with news stories featuring various Fox News correspondents, followed by an interview conducted by Baier with political newsmakers or pundits this sometimes includes the "Common Ground" segment, where a Democratic and Republican lawmaker come together to discuss legislation they're working on together. After the halfway point in the program, and after a short break for current headlines, Baier has a segment called "Outside the Beltway" where he reads headlines from FOX affiliates around the country. He also often presents a segment called "Beyond our Borders" where he reads headlines from stories around the world.
The best-known part of ''Special Report'' is Baier's discussion with "All Star Panel", a two-segment roundtable with a panel of three political reporters and columnists.
The program sometimes ends with a segment called "A Special Day" where Baier recognizes a historic anniversary or pays tribute to an important American. On Tuesdays, Baier ends with a segment called "Tuesday X'tras" (formerly "Tuesday Tweets") where he answers question asked on X (formerly known as Twitter)
X and at the end of the week, the show ends with a segment called "Notable Quotables" where the funny and significant quotes from the week are shown in a humorous fashion. Brit Hume would usually sign off with, "That's ''Special Report'' for this time, please tune us in next time, and in the meantime, more news is on the way — fair, balanced and unafraid." When Bret Baier became host, he signed off with, "Your source for news, tonight and every night,"
which he later changed to, "Straightforward news in uncertain times." As of April 2024, Baier uses Hume's classic "fair, balanced and unafraid" sign-off.
Fill in hosts for Baier include
Mike Emanuel
Mike Emanuel (born December 10, 1967) is the Chief Washington Correspondent and a former White House Correspondents' Association journalist for Fox News. He has worked for the network since July 1997. He hosts ''Fox News Live'' on Sunday at 1 p. ...
,
Shannon Bream
Shannon Noelle Bream ( DePuy; born December 23, 1970) is an American journalist and Lawyer, attorney who is a host of ''Fox News Sunday'' on Fox News. She is also chief legal correspondent for the channel. In 2022, she became host of ''Fox News S ...
,
Trace Gallagher
Tracy G. Gallagher is an American journalist and the anchor of '' Fox News @ Night'', Fox News' late-night news program.
Background
Gallagher grew up in the ski resort town of Mammoth Lakes, California where he was the quarterback for the Mammo ...
,
John Roberts
John Glover Roberts Jr. (born January 27, 1955) is an American jurist serving since 2005 as the 17th chief justice of the United States. He has been described as having a Moderate conservatism, moderate conservative judicial philosophy, thoug ...
, Gillian Turner and
Bill Hemmer
William G. Hemmer (born November 14, 1964) is an American journalist, currently the co-anchor of ''America's Newsroom'' on the Fox News Channel, based in New York City.
Early life and education
Hemmer was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on November 14 ...
.
"Fox All-Star" Panel members
*
Brit Hume
Alexander Britton Hume (born June 22, 1943), known professionally as Brit Hume, is an American journalist and political commentator. He had a 23-year career with ABC News, where he contributed to '' World News Tonight with Peter Jennings'', ''N ...
- Fox News senior political analyst
*
Susan Page
Susan Lea Page (born February 12, 1951) is an American journalist, political commentator, and biographer, and the Washington, D.C. bureau chief for ''USA Today''.
Early life
Page, a native of Wichita, Kansas, is a 1973 graduate of Northwestern ...
- Washington bureau chief for ''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
''
*
Ben Domenech
Benjamin Domenech (born January 1, 1982) is the editor at large of ''The Spectator World''. He is also a television commentator, radio host, and publisher of ''The Transom'', a daily subscription newsletter for political insiders. In 2013, he co ...
-
Fox News
The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conservatism in the United States, conservative List of news television channels, news and political commentary Television stati ...
contributor, editor at large of ''The Spectator''
*
Mara Liasson -
NPR
National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
national political correspondent
*
Juan Williams
Juan Antonio Williams (born April 10, 1954) is a Panamanian-American journalist and political analyst for Fox News Channel. He writes for several newspapers, including ''The Washington Post'', ''The New York Times'', and ''The Wall Street Journ ...
-
Fox News
The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conservatism in the United States, conservative List of news television channels, news and political commentary Television stati ...
senior political analyst
*
Charles Lane - ''
Washington Post
''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' Staff Writer
*
Trey Gowdy
Harold Watson "Trey" Gowdy III (born August 22, 1964) is an American television news presenter, former politician and former federal prosecutor who served as the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2019. His district included much of the Upsta ...
- Former South Carolina Congressman, host of ''
Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy''
*
Katie Pavlich
Catherine Merri "Katie" Pavlich (born July 10, 1988) is Editor of Townhall.com, a conservative commentator on the Fox News Channel, NY Times bestselling author, blogger, and podcaster.
Early life and education
Pavlich was born in Phoenix, Ariz ...
- Fox News contributor, editor at ''Townhall''
*
Harold Ford Jr.
Harold Eugene Ford Jr. (born May 11, 1970) is an American financial managing director, pundit, author, and former U.S. Congressman who served from 1997 to 2007 in the United States House of Representatives as a member of the Democratic Party fro ...
- Former Tennessee Congressman, co-host of ''
The Five''
*
Shannon Bream
Shannon Noelle Bream ( DePuy; born December 23, 1970) is an American journalist and Lawyer, attorney who is a host of ''Fox News Sunday'' on Fox News. She is also chief legal correspondent for the channel. In 2022, she became host of ''Fox News S ...
- Host of ''
Fox News Sunday
''Fox News Sunday'' is a Sunday morning talk show that has aired on the broadcast Fox network since 1996, as a presentation of Fox News Channel. It is the only regularly scheduled Fox News program carried on the main Fox broadcast network. Hos ...
''
*
Howard Kurtz
Howard Alan Kurtz (; born August 1, 1953) is an American journalist and author and host of '' Media Buzz'' on Fox News.
He is the former media writer for ''The Washington Post'' and the former Washington bureau chief for ''The Daily Beast''. He h ...
- Host of ''
Media Buzz''
*
Kimberley Strassel - ''
Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'' columnist
*
Jason L. Riley - ''
Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'' writer
*
Guy Benson
Guy Pelham Benson (born March 7, 1985) is political editor of Townhall.com,an American columnist, commentator, and political pundit. He is a contributor to Fox News and a conservative talk radio host on Fox News Radio.
Benson served as a Fel ...
- host of ''The Guy Benson Radio Show''
*
Mollie Hemingway - Senior editor of ''
The Federalist
''The Federalist Papers'' is a collection of 85 articles and essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay under the collective pseudonym "Publius" to promote the ratification of the Constitution of the United States. The col ...
''
*
Byron York - chief political correspondent for the ''
Washington Examiner
The ''Washington Examiner'' is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative news magazine based in Washington, D.C., consisting of a website and a weekly printed magazine. It is owned by Philip Anschutz through MediaDC, a subsidiar ...
''
*
Kayleigh McEnany - co-host of
''Outnumbered'' and former White House Press Secretary to
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
*
Charles Hurt - ''
Washington Times
''The Washington Times'' is an American conservative daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It covers general interest topics with an emphasis on national politics. Its broadsheet daily edition is distributed throughout Washington, D. ...
'' writer, co-host of ''
Fox & Friends Weekend''
*
Jennifer Griffin - Fox News Chief national security correspondent
*
Jessica Tarlov - Democratic strategist, co-host of ''
The Five''
*
Hugh Hewitt
Hugh Hewitt (born February 22, 1956) is an American conservative political commentator, radio talk show host with the Salem Radio Network, attorney, academic, and author. He writes about law, society, politics, and media bias in the United States ...
- Radio talk show host
*
Leslie Marshall - Fox News contributor, radio talk show host
* Josh Kraushaar - senior political correspondent for
Axios
Axios commonly refers to:
* Axios (river), a river that runs through Greece and North Macedonia
* ''Axios'' (website), an American news and information website
Axios may also refer to:
Brands and enterprises
* Axios, a brand of suspension produ ...
*
Marc Thiessen -
''Washington Post'' writer, Fox News Contributor
* Olivia Beavers - ''
Politico
''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American political digital newspaper company founded by American banker and media executive Robert Allbritton in 2007. It covers politics and policy in the Unit ...
'' Congressional Correspondent
* Phillip Wegmann - ''
RealClearPolitics
RealClearPolitics (RCP) is an American political news website and polling data aggregator. It was founded in 2000 by former options trader John McIntyre and former advertising agency account executive Tom Bevan. It features selected polit ...
'' White House Correspondent
*
Charles Krauthammer
Charles Krauthammer (; March 13, 1950 – June 21, 2018) was an American political columnist. A moderate liberal who turned independent conservative as a political pundit, Krauthammer won the Pulitzer Prize for his columns in ''The Washington ...
- (In Memoriam) ''
Washington Post
''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' political columnist (1998—2018)
Program origins and changes/announcements
The show originated in 1996 and was originally hosted by Brit Hume, who was, at the time, Washington, D.C.
managing editor
A managing editor (ME) is a senior member of a publication's management team. Typically, the managing editor reports directly to the editor-in-chief and oversees all aspects of the publication.
United States
In the United States, a managing edi ...
for the network. Hume hosted the program through December 23, 2008, when he hosted his final show before officially stepping down as anchor. The last fifteen minutes of Hume's final program served as a tribute to Hume, including kind words from former president
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...
, then-president
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
, then-
vice president
A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...
Dick Cheney
Richard Bruce Cheney ( ; born January 30, 1941) is an American former politician and businessman who served as the 46th vice president of the United States from 2001 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. He has been called vice presidency o ...
, and then-
ABC News ABC News most commonly refers to:
* ABC News (Australia), a national news service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
* ABC News (United States), a news-gathering and broadcasting division of the American Broadcasting Company
ABC News may a ...
anchor
Charles Gibson
Charles deWolf Gibson (born March 9, 1943) is an American Terrestrial television, broadcast television news presenter, anchor, journalist, and podcaster. Gibson was a host of ''Good Morning America'' from 1987 to 1998 and again from 1999 to 2006, ...
, as well as several Fox News reporters, and allowed him some final thoughts. Hume announced Bret Baier, who substituted for Hume on Fridays beginning in fall 2007,
would become the full-time host after the holidays, while Hume moved to a new role as senior political analyst for the network.
Chris Wallace
Christopher Wallace (born October 12, 1947) is an American broadcast journalist. He is known for his tough and wide-ranging interviews, for which he is often compared to his father, ''60 Minutes'' journalist Mike Wallace. Over his 60-year care ...
and
Shannon Bream
Shannon Noelle Bream ( DePuy; born December 23, 1970) is an American journalist and Lawyer, attorney who is a host of ''Fox News Sunday'' on Fox News. She is also chief legal correspondent for the channel. In 2022, she became host of ''Fox News S ...
are occasional substitute anchors.
Brit Hume
Alexander Britton Hume (born June 22, 1943), known professionally as Brit Hume, is an American journalist and political commentator. He had a 23-year career with ABC News, where he contributed to '' World News Tonight with Peter Jennings'', ''N ...
hosted the show from its debut in 1996 until his retirement in December 2008. He has since appeared on the program as a panelist commentator.
On June 15, 2009, the show launched in
high definition with new music and graphics.
From its inception, ''Special Report'' has broadcast live from the network's
Capitol Hill
Capitol Hill is a neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., neighborhood in Washington, D.C., located in both the Northeast, Washington, D.C., Northeast and Southeast, Washington, D.C., Southeast quadrants. It is bounded by 14th Street SE & NE, F S ...
studio in Washington. However, on some occasions, such as the night of a significant election, the program will broadcast from the network's
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
studios.
The program is among the top five of all ad-supported news shows on cable, and draws more than two million viewers per evening.
On January 13, 2020, the show launched new graphics and a new logo.
References
External links
*
The Daily Bret on FoxNews.com*
Fox News Live Stream
{{FoxNewsChannelPrograms
Fox News original programming
1998 American television series debuts
1990s American television talk shows
2000s American television talk shows
2010s American television talk shows
2020s American television talk shows
1990s American television news shows
2000s American television news shows
2010s American television news shows
2020s American television news shows
American English-language television shows