once again a tentative agreement has been reached between nba owners and the players who have been locked out since july 1st. stay with fox newschannel for more on this developing story. now back to special report in progress. tonight we take you to one of the most important stretches of america in the 2012 landscape. correspondent steve harrigan tell us why people who live along a single highway in florida could define the presidential election. >> at age 87, antonio riverall can still role 100 cigars a day -- roll 100 cigars a day. the lone survivor of once a tampa factory filled with cuban americans. taxes and cheap foreign labor made it hard for the rollers along the i-4 corridor in central florida. antonio once supported president obama but now isn't so sure. making him a swing voter in a swing region of the largest swing state. an idea that can make some political analysts swoon. >> the key to florida is i-4 corridor and florida is the key to the united states. look at it this way. the i-4 corridor goes, so goes florida and so goes america. >> 132-mile highway from tampa to dahab beach is the bat to win florida and maybe the entire election will be fought. >> 42% of the voters live along the i-5 corridor. they're divided evenly between democrats and republicans. >> welcome to puerto rico cafe. >> one reason that central florida is up for grabs is a rapidly changing population. >> you going to be able to walk on it? >> florida hispanic vote, once reliably republican, thanks to cuban americans has seen influx of puerto ricos along the i-4 corridor. >> the puerto rican vote has been flexible. on occasion it leaned more republican. of course in 2008, it leaned heavily for barack obama. >> some analysts say the strong support president obama received from the blue collar voters here in 2008 will be difficult to repeat. >> central florida economy wasn't doing great. in 2008. but it's doing much worse now. unemployment is higher. stay high. the i-4 voter is really apprehensive about the future. >> welcome to le go land. >> apprehension is clear in the mother of four. who found work. >> we were getting late notices, the bill. you pay it and you go oh, good. another late notice or shutoff notice would come. >> even among the president's one-time supporters along the highway, like gun smith steve allen, disappointment is common. what appealed to me is in the campaign he felt in touch with people. he is so far from the voters now, it's ridiculous. >> the disspirited or disgusted swing voters along the i-4 corridor with multiple visit by the candidate and millions of dollars in television advertising has begun. in tampa, steve harrigan, fox news. >> shannon: we have big interviews lined up for you next week from florida. monday, bret baier talks to republican senator marco rubio. tuesday we have extented interview with candidate mitt romney. back in washington, lawmakers will look in the relationship between bankrupt f.m. global and credit agencies. jon corzine has been summoned to a sub committee hearing next month. he is a former democratic governor and senator from new jersey. a lot of people turned to one particular item to try to establish some beach head in the tough times. mike tobin reports on the gold rush and how to experience it. >> gold. the magic word of 2011. many investors are buying it as a hedge against the dollar in the weak economy. that is giving birth to another trend. people selling their gold to investors as a way to get cash. the only easy way to do that is the gold party. ib stead of selling practice, precious metal. >> guests bring their baubles and sell it for instant cash. fun money. when i do a gold party i pay 70% of the value. so i make a 30% return on everything i buy. >> with gold prices at over $1,500 an ounce, the party are a big hit. >> the interesting gold kind of reflex, what is happening with the economy. people are afraid and want to put money under their mattress. gold has been appreciating. >> it comes out to $12.16. >> selling the charm bracelet or hoop may help pay the rent, but experts say if you want the price for gold, do research before the party. >> it's like you are going to casino they make it up on the slot machine. same at a gold party. you won't get the best return on the investment. >> gold party and silver parties are expected to become more popular as the economy wanes. >> first lady michelle obama was presented with the christmas tree. it goms from wisconsin. it will be displayed throughout the holiday season in the blue room. >> still ahead, the best of "special report" center seat interview. we're back in 30 seconds with a look at how one man made a difference in struggling industry. >> shannon: we are sure many of you are going through leftovers for the thanksgiving meal. for some folks, you may have enjoyed scallops this holiday. tonight we are introduced to the man who may be responsibl responsible. >> for josh claus there is nothing better than cruising the water off long island on a brisk november day. >> it's amazing place to be. amazing place to work. >> these are good scallops. >> it wasn't a holiday. particularly after algae blooms plagued long island's bays in the 1990s. in 2001, bay scallops all but disappeared from the waters here. scallopers found something else to do in the fall and winter. >> many credit this man with the turn-around. >> we made great strides. >> steve is a professor of biology at long island university. runs the water quality and restoration program for suffolk county. eight years ago, steve developed a program to grow scallop larvae in hatcheries allock the coastline. in fact, just below me are scallop beds. filled with thousands of scallop seeds. since 2006 you replanted over 4 million scallop seeds. in bays in the eastern long iland. >> the scallop are reproducing at rates that they used to in the old days. >> that means last year scallopers harvested 30 times more than the average of the previous 11 years. >> local economy is probably $4 to $5 million. this is a tremendous economic boon. >> it means good fortune for everyone. more jobs to be had and work to be done. scallops, people can catch them and make a living. in a down economy, that's a rare thing to do. >> it's sir to have so much fun doing it. >> on the bay in long island, douglas kennedy, fox news. >> shannon: now that scallops, how about dessert? alicia acuna explains how a colorado couple gave up the rat race for another adventur adventure. >> it may look like fried heaven to you. >> went from banker's hours to baker's hours. >> after what he calls a perfect storm in the commercial mortgage business, he had had enough. one day told his wife maureen they were making a change. >> she was surprised. >> what do we know about doughnuts? >> i don't know. >> the previous owner of the doughnut maker did retail. something they changed. they figure to stand out in $8 billion industry, they had to go big. bah that that split. >> while the learning curve was huge, maw rine says for the fancy treats folks like tradition. >> don't bother saying you aren't a person to eat doughnuts. they say they know better. most people are fibbing when they say that. when it comes down to it, when this is in front of you, you are going to eat it. >> as a kid, randy said he learned a lot about the food business in his dad's grocery stores. >> an opportunity to build something. >> i'm not laitious. >> in greenwood village, colorado, alicia acuna, fox news. >> getting the doughnut. we report on a prose sol that might make it easier and cheaper. >> major shippers are supporting legislation in congress to create efficiency in global economy. >> they will carry containers weighing 97,000 pounds. if we have a weight limit at 80,000 pounds, we would have to take the containers and unpack them and use more trucks to do that. >> in 2009, 200,000 trucks were involved in crashes in the united states. proopponents say increasing the weight limit would reduce the number of trucks on roads. they worry about the impact of heavier roads on the road and budget. >> if we advocate for higher wage, more wear and tear on the road. >> georgia officials yet to make a recommendation, the counter parts in mississippi are voicing opposition to increased truck weight. meanwhile, maine and vermont have been testing special six-axle trucks weighing up to 100,000 pounds. according to the georgia motor trucking, large company fleece differ on the short-term impact of rote reif it and upgrade involved with increased loads. >> they can offset the equipment with the scale and productivity. the truck they're doesn't do manufacturerring will be faced with the cost but the benefit will go to his customer. >> the proposed legislation would allow the individual states to opt out. leaving open question whether they continue the patchwork of weight limit or whether it becomes the new normal. in atlanta, jonathan serrie, fox news. >> shannon: the best of center seat is coming up in minutes. first, the maker of wild turkey want president obama to give them the bird. grapevine is next in just 40 seconds. >> shannon: fresh pickingsings from the political grapevine. they say remuel of large crop from army chapel created controversial there. one solge called it direct attack against christianity. soldiers upset over the removal specified the christian and jewish symbols but don't mention icon of other faith. >> they are decorating with christmas lights, and garlands. others say it's disrespectful. all but one member of the historic preservation commission resigned over the plan. wild turkey has job offer for gobblers that president obama pardoned. the disindustrialry says it asked white house for permission to make liberty and peace spokes bird for liquor. in a manner of direct speaking we invite the president to give us the bird. that is what got one award winning russian newscaster fired. tatiana was given the ax after appearing to give the middle finger to president obama after reading his name during a live broadcast. republican presidential candidate michele bachmann got what he wanted from nbc. apology. jimmy fallon apologized over music played when she appeared on the show this week. bachmann accepted the apology but asked for one from the network as well. we have gotten wonderful feedback on the center seat segment that featured taking questions from the all-star panel and viewers. tonight we bring you the best of center seat looking back from the highlights from the interviews. >> a lot of questions here about healthcare. if obamacare is found constitutional by the supreme court this term, you are elected president, how do you repeal it when the republicans are unlikely to gain a veto-proof majority in the u.s. senate? a lot of different questions about healthcare. what is your take on that? >> let me say first of all, if you go to newt.org to look at the proposed 21st century contract with america, the first items are repealing obamacare. that will be the campaign theme in september and october of next year. one of our goals those be to win a decisive majority in the senate. we will win 59 or 60 seats or close enough to get a democrat to go with you. you educate the country. the country brings pressure on congress. then they follow the country. >> a moment in debate you said romney's healthcare plan was mitch more big government you talked about. he said you got the mandate from you. you said you got it from heritage and you. >> yes. >> what is your stance on the mandate? and clear that up? >> look, heritage foundation and most conservatives including me entered the fight over hillary care and accepted the idea of a mandate. gradually, everybody came to the conclusion that it doesn't work in part because it mean what is are you mandating? my answer to mitt is i may have advocated and i concluded that i was wrong. why hasn't he concluded he was wrong? >> is it the case you will support whomever the republican nominee is? >> i think they have to have a position on federal reserve and cutting spending. civil libertys. if they shift a little bit i may be able to. >> it sounds like you are saying no. >> i would have to make a later decision. >> you're not saying yes. okay. so what happens then, everybody in this town thinks there is going to be a third party candidate. independent candidate. if you don't get the republican nomination, could the independent candidate be ron paul? >> you have to realize, let's say i was thinking about that and i said that. then it would undermine what i'm doing. i'm running for president. doing well. i'm in third. no i'm running for president in the republican party and doing it very well. last time they wondered about it. but the whole thing is, is people aren't frustrated. new hampshire has more independents than republican or democrats. >> true. >> there it is. >> you are not saying you won't run as independent? >> well, what i say is i have no plans to do it. >> are you big pledges? would you pledge here tonight you would not run in a third party? >> i pledge that i have no intention of doing it. [ laughter ] >> what we want is a real solution. we want reality, we want traction on the ground. we actually can see jobs created. that is why you want to do something permanent like actually repeal obamacare. repeal dodd-frank. lower the income tax laws. and also the corporate tax la laws. frankly, deal with the regulatory burden. if there is anything i heard from people, it's regulatory burden is killing them on job creation. really. it's killing them. >> what would you do with the payroll tax that has been lowered? extend that go to the rate it was before? >> it needs to go to the rate it was before. this year, it blew $111 billion hole in the trust fund. >> what if people say it's increasing taxes? >> it's not. >> this was something that i warned against. >> i voted against this in the first place. as a tax lawyer, this was a big mistake down the route. i knew it wouldn't create jobs. that is how it was sold. not one evidence it has. what it's done is hurt the social security trust fund. >> we can't afford that. >> social security is in the red this year. >> we ask you to submit questions. thousands coming in. >> tom would like to know would you stop sending taxpayer money for foreign aid? because we're suffering enough at home. >> first, start with what my philosophy is, which is peace through strength and clarity. >> extension of the reagan philosophy. clarify who our friends are and enemies are and stop giving money to enemies. we lack clarity relative to foreign policy. >> charles? >> a few weeks ago on greta you were asked about an attempt on the u.s. and you said you would have acted preemptively ahead of time placing the ages cruisers. how does it affect iran determination to use terrorism against the united states? >> it won't deter them the intent. it would deter them firing that far. though they're not supposed to fire that far. or if they fire toward our friends like israel. we are the only country in the world that has the capability. capable of missile defense at sea. what i'd do is double out a fleet. we have could double it and not only put strategically in that part of the world. but protect our shores to deter them from feeling like they really want to fire ballistic missile. >> scott jenson writes in from wisconsin that looking at your money, and where you are in the polls, it's tough for someone to believe that you are going to get there. >> mike huckabee wisconsin sitting at single digits in the polls and didn't have any money either four years ago and ended up being there until the very end. people forget polls mean nothing. iowa means something. that vote, look at the vote of the straw poll. michele bachmann, ron paul, and tim pawlenty all spent excess of $2 million. on straw poll in ames. i went to 50 town hall meetings two weeks before the straw poll. went around and talked to people. spent no money. what it tells you, is who you get out to vote. in the caucuses, it's two days after new year's. who you get out to the caucuses are people who you met. i've been to lamoni and oscalusa and algona. i talked to people there. we have county coordinators in the counties. they are building caucus organizations for us. they will be there at the caucus at the precinct level giving speeches on caucus night for me. not based on what they saw on a television commercial but i was in their community. they know me. they talked to me. they understand my positions. it's going to have a much bigger impact. you won't see it. you really won't. i don't expect to be leading in the polls going in the iowa caucus. i expect to be in better shape now and a lot better when the votes are counting. >> have you used any of your own financing for your campaign? >> yes, i have. >> you'll continue to? >> well, i believe as we go to new hampshire, so will go our financial strength. that's what is important to me. >> do you have a ceiling? >> no. we're not too big to fail yet. >> charlie in colorado, immigration policy. bullet points. >> we have to secure the border. people talk about it. it's real. i've been down there with the national guard troops as governor. we have 1800 miles. we have done a third of it between fencing and technology, which i saw the national guard troops deploy and put in. boots on the ground. we can turn to the american people and say we achieved a mighty important objective for the country. we secured the border. in terms of the illegal immigration. we have solved that one. we screwed up our economy to the point where nobody is coming anymore. we don't have jobs. >> charles? >> well, that's a solution. >> my position on the u.n. is if they continue to go around as they, the palestinian state tried to do. we need to sit down and have a conversation is the continued funding of the united nations in the best interest of america? i've got real questions about whether or not, you know, we get in my whole foreign aid, i'd start at zero on every country and prove up why we're sending that money. but the u.n. in particular, all too often is not acting in america's best interest. that has to be the first question every time. >> you would ask the question whether we should get my funds to the-up? >> yes, sir. a conversation worth having. the idea somehow or another we just need to write a blank check and say here, because we have always done that is not acceptable. a country with economic crisis on its hand. americans are watching billions of dollars -- if you think of the billions of dollars we are sending to china, country with incredible moral issues. boarding 35,000 children, babies a day. we're spending them billions of dollars in aid. why? >> right now, arguably the largest real estate bubble in history of man kind exists right now in china. i think china has some real pressing issues. with migration of 100 million people in rural areas. the fact that 70% of the gdp has been infrastructure spending for most part is empty. i think there is some real issues with china that are going to get played out that don't include them trying to push themselves militarily across the planet. >> clive from ireland wrap it up here. he writes governor johnson, has climbed mount everest. which is tougher? running for president or climbing mount everest? >> well, great thing about athletics, i have been an athlete my entire life. the wonderful thing about athletics it's a stopwatch. it's measure rabble. i once told the, a football coach at the university of new mexico, you have the luckiest job because what you are graded on is win/loss, as opposed to politics where everything is up for grabs when it comes to measurements and who is successful and not successful. >> if you are a pundit, it's even worse. [ laughter ] >> shannon: all right. next week on tuesday, bret will bring you an e