This is a rush transcript of “Special Report With Bret Baier” from December 22, 2009. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. BEN NELSON, D-NEB.: It’s not a special deal for Nebraska. It is, in fact, an opportunity to get …

SAN DIEGO – Officials have seized thousands of counterfeit toys worth $1.6 million along southern California border points. U.S. Customs and Border Protection says the toys included more than 2,500 knockoff Barbie dolls, worth $58,500, that were contained in boxes shipped to San Diego in October and November. At the …

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A 55-year-old man known for biking around Tallahassee wearing nothing but a thong is facing a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct for exposing himself. Richard Irby was booked into the Leon County Jail on Thursday. According to an arrest warrant, Irby allegedly exposed himself three different times. …

BLESSING, Texas – Three Texas fishermen who spent eight days stranded in the Gulf of Mexico atop their capsized boat endured hunger, blistering heat, scares from sharks and hallucinations, but they never gave up hope they’d be rescued. “It was on a day-to-day basis that everybody had their breakdown,” Tressel …

Lockerbie bomber Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi will be released from a Scottish jail due to his ailing health, Sky News reported — news that, if true, could set off a firestorm of criticism, particularly in the United States, where most of the 270 victims of the bombing were from. The …

LOS ANGELES – Michael Jackson’s mother gained permanent custody of her late son’s children during a hearing Monday that saw a last-minute objection by the pop icon’s former dermatologist. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff made a series of key rulings during the morning portion of the hearing. In …

NEW YORK – Federal prosecutors expect the former chief financial officer for disgraced financier Bernard Madoff to plead guilty Tuesday to criminal charges. Frank DiPascali, long rumored to be cooperating with authorities, agreed to enter the plea in federal court in Manhattan, prosecutors said Friday in a letter to a …

It looks like a soap bubble, but it’s about five light-years across and floating in deep space. Three amateur astronomers in California found the beautiful planetary nebula a year ago, and they have now been officially recognized as its discoverers. Officially named PN G75.5+1.7, the “soap bubble nebula” is the …

Is it too early to start thinking about Christmas shopping? Apparently, Sears doesn’t think so. The retailer and its corporate partners, including KMart, have launched special holiday sections called “Christmas Lane” on their Web sites — sure to become a big hit with those early bird holiday shoppers who start …

Leslie West is a founding member of the group Mountain. The band played at the original Woodstock on the festival’s second day, August 16, 1969. He told FOXNews.com his memories from that day, 40 years ago, and the special reason he’s looking forward to playing Woodstock again this year at …