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happening now, new details of the meeting between president obama and congressional leaders for what could be a last-ditch effort to avoid the fiscal cliff. families in the making ripped apart. russia officially bans the adoption of russian children by americans. and for the second time in a month, a man pushed to his death from a new york city subway platform in the path of an oncoming train. wolf blitzer is off. i'm candy crowley. you're in "the situation room." all eyes on that white house this hour. and the meeting that may be the last best chance to keep the country from going over the fiscal cliff. right now, the leaders of the house and senate are sitting down with president obama in a search for an 11th hour deal to prevent severe tax hikes and spending cuts from automatically kicking in with the new year. cnn's chief white house correspondent jessica yellin is getting new details. jess can ka, what are you hearing about that meeting? >> reporter: candy, the president is going to explain or reiterate the position he took on friday, that he would like a plan that extends tax rates for people who make $250,000 and below but raises them for those who make more than that. that it extends unemployment benefits for americans. and if the president, i'm told will say if he does not get an agreement to that plan, he will ask the other leaders what they can agree to, what what they would like instead. if they cannot come up with a proposal that will pass the house and the senate, will ask for a vote on his measure. but that meeting, candy, is still going on. congre congressional leaders arrived at the white house for a last-ditch meeting just days before a new year's deadline. back on the hill, pressure to break the stalemate. >> we've got to demonstrate we have some capacity left to make decisions in washington on these very significant issues for the country. >> if we don't have a deal within the next 24 hours, the question is where do you buy a pair of shoes? >> reporter: ne met inside the oval office to avoid plunging over the fiscal cliff. if they agree to a plan, each of these players has a role. senate majority leader harry reid quickly moved the measure to a vote. minority leader mch mcconnell assured that no republicans block the bill. house speaker john boehner agreed to bring the bill to a vote on the house floor. and leader nancy pelosi with the number of votes needed to pass. >> what folks are looking for and all of us agree on this is action. they want to see that we are focused on them, not focused on our politics here in washington. >> reporter: that was the last time this group met more than a month ago. with time running out to forge a scaled-down compromise, can they agree on even the most basic elements, extending some income tax cuts, preventing pay cuts to medicare providers, fixing the alternative minimum tax. among the options to gain votes, averting an estate tax hike toll woo republicans. there's still time but no room for error. if congress doesn't act -- >> the impact psychologically and financially on americans of another plunge in the negative territory for the economy would be extremely harmful. >> reporter: and candy, as i said, those leaders are still meeting with the president. we'll see if any of them come out and speak to us after that meeting breaks up as soon as we have any word on whether there is an agreement, we'll bring it to you. >> jessica, it's interesting to me the president's idea like if we can't get an agreement, let's just have a straight up or down vote in both houses on my plan. and here's what i can't figure out, whether that's a trap for republicans because then they can be accused of not even allowing it to come up for a vote and that's a great political talking point or is it a way out, saying look, we felt the situation was dire and we should put these things up there and see how the vote went. which is it? >> reporter: i'm going to take the easy answer today. it's a little bit of both. they are confident it has the votes if they would bring it to the floor. >> sure. >> reporter: so if they could get it to a vote, that's what they would want. and if they can't can, they can always have the talking point that they tried and it was blocked. so either way, that would be a win for the white house, wouldn't it? >> it would indeed. thanks so much, jessica yellin at the white house for us. we want to get more with cnn ryan lizza. he's washington correspondent for "the new yorker." the president says, here's my plan. it's kind of the same plan that they all said, that's not a plan. to the republicans, they said that's not a plan. okay, fine, just take a vote. it would mean that he believes that he could get enough republicans to get it through the house for sure. >> yeah. look, because of the filibuster in the senate and because john boehner wants a majority of his republicans in the house to pass anything, the president is stimied. there is a ma majority in the senate for a deal. there is a majority if you have a few republicans and democrats in the house and yet we can't get a deal to pass the chamber. so i think the white house, which now realizes that the negotiations with boehner failed. they are not going to get an actual negotiated settlement and they are not going to get an actual negotiated settlement with mcconnell in the senate. this meeting i think is for a little bit of show, frankly. because they never hash out a plan. >> right. >> the whole deal had to be hashed out between obama and boehner and that failed last week. so this is a bit of show and obama's now going to put the own news back on the house and senate and remind people that there is a majority for a plan. it's just not one that most republicans would support. >> right. they won't even let us vote on it. but the thing is, i actually don't think that boehner has -- now has a requirement of the majority of his caucus should vote for it. >> it's unclear what his requirement is, right? if he would allow a vote on this plan and get almost all the democrats presumably and handful of republicans, i think it would break the deadlock, right? >> yeah. >> so this is a little bit of obama throwing it back in congress' court and saying, there should be a majority for this passing. but republicans are not going to -- they are going to be very, very cool to this today. >> let me ask you about the politics of this post january 1st. let's say nothing happens, they can't get a deal. it's now january 3rd. who wakes up in the more powerful political position to get what they want in a fiscal cliff deal? >> it's kind of a strange situation. most conservatives in the house want to go over the cliff because they want to vote to lower taxes and they will have the ability to do that once taxes go up after january 1st. >> it just sounds better. >> right. >> rather than i let your taxes go up. >> exactly. i think politically, though, all of the policy moves in the direction of the democrats, right? tax rates go up. big spending cuts at the pentagon. and all the polls show that the republicans are going to be blamed for all of this. so obama -- as the one guy in this town that wants a deal more than anyone. on the other hand, he's probably the guy that purely political benefits the most after january 3rd satisfy in a stronger negotiating position. he'll also have, remember, a few more democrats in the house and in the senate. so the white house will be strengthened after this happens. but a lot of people in the white house and treasury department don't want that to happen because they think the markets may freak out. already the markets are reacting to the news within the last hour. yesterday the markets dipped a little bit on reid's comments in the senate. so they are worried about the economy. i think purely politically, obama will be strengthened once we go over. >> ryan lizza, thank very much. it's going to be an interesting couple of days. >> yeah, it sure is. >> thanks, ryan. weapons of war on the streets of los angeles. details of a shocking find in a gun buyback program. 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[ male announcer ] yes, it is. that's the cold truth! let's say you want to get ahead how do you get from here... to here? at university of phoenix we're moving career planning forward so you can start figuring that out sooner. ln fact, by thinking about where want your education to lead, while you're still in school, you might find the best route... leads somewhere you weren't even looking. let's get to work. they are deadly weapons of war no one expects to see on the streets of an american city so you can imagine the shock when a gun buyback program in los angeles yielded rocket-propelled grenade launchers. kyung lah, what are you finding out about this story? >> police are saying it's certainly stunning but they are not surprised. this is something that they deal with every day. weapons on the streets of los angeles, certainly very rare that they come across something like this but they are hoping that by showing it it gives americans some pause and perspective. a rocket launcher. not just one but two handed over to police in this week's gun buyback day. shocking? not to police who have seen it before. among the roughly 10,000 citizens since 2009. >> we look like we're in a third world war nation when you see all of these weapons and the question you have to ask is why? >> these were u.s.-made and owned privately although legal. they thankfully had no rockets in them. police also collected 75 assault rifles that people traded in this week for gift cards. >> i don't think anyone should be surprised two rocket launchers were turned in. this is l.a. >> l.a. and much of america, says aaron cohen. this should be a reality check, he says, and a sign of how military-style weaponry can so easily end up in the wrong hands, like they did in the newtown massacre. >> there's way too many weapons out there on the streets. the type of weapons that were brought in the other day, it's just redid cue louse. >> so you think it's gotten out of hand? >> i think that the system of issuing them has gotten out of hand and i think we have, again, have to look at the entire safety system involved with giving handguns out. >> gun shows and easy background checks cohen says, that adds up to an overly armed america. the people who turned in guns, most of them legal, came from all walks of life. >> i have grandchildren and no matter how secure you think your gun is, when you've seen what has happened, so i decided to turn it in. >> many of the weapons that were handed over to police in the gun buyback were antique. some of them were not functional. but police say it's just a window into a look of how many guns are in los angeles in the city. candy, they are estimating millions of guns exist in los angeles. >> i don't know if you know the answer to this question, but i'm pretty sure you can't buy a rocket-propelled gun launcher in a gun store, can you? >> no, you cannot buy one. it a very difficult to obtain. >> this came from overseas or someone bringing one in or do they have a theory? >> this is u.s.-made rocket launcher. >> right. >> they don't ask the individual where it came from. that's part of the reason why people turn it in, because there's no retribution against them when people turn over the weapons. police say that's critical to making this gun buyback process work. but they stress it is u.s.-made. it was produced here. they just don't know how it made its way through to the hands of the lapd. >> thanks, kung lah. angry and grief. a teenager's suicide and why investigators are taking some of the blame. ...so as you can see, geico's customer satisfaction is at 97%. mmmm tasty. and cut! very good. people are always asking me how we make these geico adverts. so we're taking you behind the scenes. this coffee cup, for example, is computer animated. it's not real. geico's customer satisfaction is quite real though. this computer-animated coffee tastes dreadful. geico. 15 minutes could save you 15 % or more on car insurance. someone get me a latte will ya, please? another brutal rape case in india is drawing outrage. a 17-year-old girl committed suicide after alleging she was gang raped a month and a half ago. inaction on the part of local police may have played a part in this story. >> reporter: family and friends of the 17-year-old victim were grief-stricken at her funeral on thursday. the girl's mother overcome with emotion cutting a picture of her daughter tightly to her chest. the teenager died wednesday after taking poison. her death comes a month and a half after she says she was brutally raped. in a november interview with our sister network, the victim described her alleged attack. >> translator: i was raped by two boys. it's been two days since i've filed a complaint. they threatened me by saying my family and i will be killed. i demand justice. >> reporter: according to police reports, the incident happened on november 13th during the festival of the raleigh when three suspects abducted the girl, raped her several time and dumped her on the road. the girl's family tried to report the case for two weeks but say police pressured them to withdraw the complaint. >> translator: my daughter was extremely sad and took her own life. >> reporter: the girl took her own life accusing two men and a woman blaming them for her death. she says in a note that when police finally did look into the case, they humiliated her by asking obscene questions about the attack. after her death, police quickly arrested the three named in the note claiming they had been investigating all along. >> translator: we have been probing the case and we have now arrested the men after they got their names. we will take necessary action on the suicide. >> reporter: but the district's police chief says that local police officers were negligent in their handling of the case. >> translator: for almost 14 days no action was taken, nor case was opened. >> reporter: two police officers have been fired and another suspended over the incident but that's little consolation to the young girl's family. >> in a separate case, doctors treating a 23-year-old indian woman gang rained on a bus in new deli say she has taken a turn for the worse. her doctor says she is showing signs of severe organ failure. there are signs that russia may be finally changing its position on syria. lisa sylvester is monitoring that and other stories in "the situation room." what have you got? >> this could be a significant development. syria's civil war rages on and the death toll rises. russia has officially invited the head of syria's opposition for talks. the invitation comes despite russia's criticism of the u.s. and other nations that recognize the syrian national coalition as the country's legitimate representative over president bashar al assad. and an historic drought in america's midwest is threatening navigation and commerce of the mississippi river. sharply lower water levels and ice that is slowing water flow could disrupt critical barge traffic. contractors are working to remove rock formations in an effort to maintain a deep channel. and america's population growth is slowing down. the government says it's due to lower birth rates during the economic recession and lower immigration numbers. as we start the new year, there will be 315 million people in the united states. the population, though, has grown less than .75% since 2010. so a slower rate of growth. still, 315 million people is -- >> seems like enough people in some places, that's for sure. thanks, lisa. hopes have been crushed and families in the making ripped apart. a new law bans americans from adopting russian children. ng tom about that tiramisu. what a night, huh? 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[ male announcer ] it's practically yours. but we still need your signature. volkswagen sign then drive is back. and it's never been easier to get a passat. that's the power of german engineering. get $0 down, $0 due at signing, $0 deposit, and $0 first month's payment on any new volkswagen. visit vwdealer.com today. from what we surmise, this meeting at the white house between the president and congressional leaders is broken up. at least so far as nancy pelosi is concerned. you can see this tape. she obviously has left the meeting. john boehner, the speaker of the house, has also been seen leaving. so what we want to do is find out what is going on here. obviously we have our jessica yellin there and we will talk to her a little later about what she has learned. now, the fiscal cliff and these last-ditch talks is the only game in town. joining me for today's strategy session is roland martin and cnn contributor erick erickson, editor-in-chief of. they are saying, hey, we don't have to compromise. we have more people in congress coming in that are democrats. the president doesn't have to give on that $250,000 top. where do you stand on this? do you think the president does or should compromise up to -- particularly on the tax issue? >> you can't be a democrat and ask republicans to compromise if you don't want to give up something. i think the president clearly understood that. so when he laid the $250,000 out, he gave himself some room because, again, you saw speaker boehner's proposal, it dealt with 1 million. look, you have to compromise. democrats can't say, hey, we have more folks coming in because the republicans still control the majority in the house. you have to give to get. it's as simple as that. >> so at the moment that's a no for you for democrats giving something up until they see signs from republicans who, i should point out, have said we will raise taxes for some folks. that's something, is it not? >> president boehner had to pull the deal off the table when it came to taxes of folks above a million dollars. it's not like they are saying we are going to give up a lot. if that bill passed, then you have a marker. the bill didn't even go up for a vote. there's no marker for the gop. >> erick, i want to talk about something that you wrote today. the leaders on both sides are incapable of negotiating their way out of a burning paper bag, which is a great phrase. the problem here is that paper bag is burning sort of across american voters here. so what do they do now? just say we can't get this and give it up? they have to keep negotiating. >> well, they have to keep negotiating or do what they were doing with hurricane sandy where they couldn't get the legislation out until they amended it. most the amendments are going down in flames with the democrats but republicans are feeling like at least they can make some additions. you have the leaders doing all of the negotiating behind closed doors. >> what about this idea that the president was saying, if you can't agree to my $250,000 and some other things and no changes in estate taxes, just put it on the floor for an up or down vote s that okay with you, erick? >> no, i don't think so. i don't think the republicans need to give the republicans the talking point that they killed this plan without the president doing something. look, plan b would have passed. republicans would have supported it. i would have supported it even though i didn't agree with. >> roland, where does this go from here? >> heck if i know. i say kneel down and pray. you have people locked in -- look, both sides are simply playing chicken. republicans are hoping that democrats blink. they are thinking, president obama has blinked before. he doesn't want to see the markets crash. at the end of the day, who gets screwed? who gets screwed? americans. the people who don't have unemployment benefits, the folks out there -- barbara starr talked to someone making $23,000 at mcdonald's whose taxes are going to go up. it's the american people, the average people, they are going to get screwed by congress not being able to do their job. >> erick, want to play something that charles said last night and got reaction from you. >> he's been using this -- and i must say with great skill and ruthless skill and success to fracture and basically shatter the republican opposition and his objective at the beginning was to to create an internal civil war and he's done that. >> do you think the president is responsible for creating a civil war in the republican party? sorry, erick. >> i think to a degree he is although i think john boehner has more on that having cut the deal to raise taxes on $1 million or more. the republicans have had to hold this line. they would have opened them up to bigger fractures. yes, to a certain degree i think charles is right. >> the president won by winning re-election. that's what happened. he won. >> that does tend to happen after you lose a presidential election. yes. >> let me get you both to this. this is probably the last time i'll talk to you between now and 2013. so i need you to say -- you cannot say the president or mitt romney in the answer to these questions. name your political winner and loser of 2012. roll land? >> winner, latinos, prejudice is going to push forward when it comes to immigration reform and folks from the west indies and caribbean and other parts of the country. my loser, crazy republican males who don't know how to talk about the issue of rape. don't touch it or you're going to get burned. that's the biggest loser of 2012. >> okay, erick, i know he doesn't include new that crazy white thing that he's talking about. what are your winners and losers? >> he just doesn't like the way i dress bill burton and the super pac. lose ares on the left, unions are huge. and losers, john cornyn, horrible recruitment two years in a row and this time they didn't have jim demint to blame. >> don't blame that texan on me. >> okay. take it up with him after the show. erick erickson, roland martin, thank you very much. happy new year, guys. hopes have been crushed and families in the making have been ripped apart. a new law bans americans from adopting russian children. welcome to chevy's year-end event. so, the 5.3-liter v8 silverado can tow up to 9,600 pounds? 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[ male announcer ] now all you need is a magic carriage. citi price rewind. start saving at citi.com/pricerewind. russian president vladimir putin has signed a controversial bill barring americans from adopting russian children. the new law is heartbreaking for hundreds of families in the adoption process now. foreign affairs reporter elielis elise labott is at the state department. what are you hearing? >> it's always a lot of tense words but today i spoke to officials who are just sad, that the russians are really playing politics and denying children in russia a better life. let me read you a little bit of a state department statement saying the russian government's politically motivated decision will reduce adoption possibilities for children now under institutional care. we are further concerned that statements that adoptions already under way may be stopped and, candy, there are about 46 children who are still in the pipeline right now. russian officials are saying that these children could be put back in the russian registry for adoption in country but there's no guarantee that they will be because there are about 120,000 children in russia waiting to be adopted right now and the state department, u.s. administration really in a debate right now how far to push this because, as you know, a lot of other issues at stake in the relationship with russia, such as syria, crisis with iran, a lot going on. >> sure. but this certainly is one of those emotional issues. america always prides itself, we've seen what happens in connecticut. we talk so much about protecting our children and for some of these family they were already their children although they were still living in russia. is there anything that the u.s. government could do? what would be a response that might evoke a response from russia? >> well, right now the state department is asking the parent of these children to sit tight. they are working on negotiating these 46 cases, making sure at least those children who have already bonded with those parents already in the pipeline waiting to be taken back to the united states could be, if you grandfathered in, if you will, and then they are trying to work with the russians on lifting the entire ban. there is already an adoption agreement between the u.s. and russia that they've been negotiating for about two years. it was just signed in november. this ban that was signed by president putin doesn't repeal that treaty and the u.s. is encouraged by statements by russian lawmakers and other cabinet ministers that say that maybe this ban could be lifted because it's certainly as it has touched here in the united states, it's touched a nerve in russia about whether it's best for the russian children and best for the russian relationship with the u.s., candy. >> elise, thank you so much for that update. this is drawing debates from u.s. lawmakers. senator john mccain says, i often wonder how much lower the russian government under president putin can stoop over to punish babies and children over a political disagreement between our governments is a new low, even for putin's russia. and a similar ban was enacted but later dropped and he joins me now. this must bring back horrible heartbreaking memories for you having been through something similar. you knew your boys? >> i did. i did. and like elise said, this is a very sad day. it takes me back to 12 years ago when president putin put a severe similar moratorium on adoptions when i was in the middle of it. >> and so i know that you still advocate and are involved in the community of american parents who adopt russian children. have you talked to current families who have some children that -- >> i stay in close contact with the center for national adoption and i know they are working very, very hard on behalf of these kids but my heart really goes out to these families. at this time of year especially, i can't believe we're standing here talking about this yet again. when we talk about the families, it's so important to remember that these are kids we're talking about. these are not political pawns. these are little children. >> in institutions at this point. >> babies. right. you have your two boys here and they are beautiful. we have them in the studio here. have you talked to them about this? what are they saying? >> well, my guys have grown up here in america. they are very proud of their heritage being russian, but they are also thriving in america. they are athletes. they are getting a great education. they are -- you know, they are just wonderful young men. absolutely wonderful. and i just can't help but think of what would happen to them had they stayed in an orphanage in russia. the very best orphanage in russia can't compare to a home to to a family. >> anywhere. and a family that wants them. >> absolutely. >> and you had met your sons. >> well, i had met them on a video. >> oh, on video. >> i had gotten a video and they had become mine. they were in my heart already and i just wanted to scoop them up. and when the ban came, when the moratorium came, we didn't know it was temporary and it was devastating. it was absolutely devastating. and i can't imagine these kids who have met their families. >> the families have been over there in many cases. >> absolutely. and they are dreaming about their homes. they are dreaming about an american mom, dad, brother, sister. and now unfortunately they are going to have to wake up from these dreams and look around and realize they are still in the nightmare of a russian orphanage. >> and is there something that can be done that you see is an easy fix here? here is a child that you already consider your child and they are caught up in something so far above your pay scale and there's nothing you can do. >> governments and politics are so big and the families are so small and the children are so tiny that it is. it is a very helpless feeling. but there are very, very dedicated people in the government and in nongovernment organizations that are working to make this -- this to make to make this go away. we are optimistic that president putin somehow will become a hero to these kids. >> and what do you say to supporters of this law who say, look, these children need to be taken care of in russia. >> absolutely. i agree with that. it would be wonderful if russians were adopting. but they don't, you know. and international adoption is not about finding children for parents. it's about finding homes for these kids that so desperately need homes. i would love for every child to be adopted in russia by russians but it's not happening and there are people here lined up waiting. >> and russia adopgs have been on the decline. i know the process takes a couple years, really? >> it's up to two years and takes up to three trips to russia. we should be working on making this easier, not harder or now it seems impossible. >> i imagine just seeing your emotion and how you feel about this and these two little boys that -- is there something you'd like to see? does it meet the presidential test to you? >> president obama is a family man. he's got his two beautiful daughters. i have my two beautiful sons. there are so many families that want beautiful kids and that need families. i think, you know, president obama would be my hero. would be my hero if he would do what a dad needs to do. >> thank you for coming in and sharing some of your story. we wish all of those families waiting out there anxiously, we hope it somehow gets worked out. >> thank you so much. >> boys, thank you for kwoming in. police are now searching for a woman who witnesses say pushed a man into the path of a oncoming subway train. it's the second such killing in a month. a horrifying death that may give chills to anyone who rides the subway and for new yorkers, it's a gruesome repeat of a crime that shockeded it city. cnn's poppy harlow has the story. poppy? >> reporter: candy, twice this month someone is pushed from a new york city subway platform in front of an oncoming train and killed. it happened right on this platform on thursday. >> it was horrible. fell to the bottom and i never want to hear something like that again. >> reporter: this man heard the final scream of the victim. james callanan's train was halted because of the incident. >> they said this is the last stop, debris fell on the tracks. that's all they were telling people. >> reporter: the victim was standing on the edge of this subway platform in queens when a woman who was pacing and talking to herself pushed him on to the tracks. surveillance footage captured this woman running from the station. police are searching for the woman they describe as heavyset, in her 20s, wearing a ski jacket and sneakers. >> we do live in a world where subway platforms are open and that's not going to change. >> reporter: at a news conference on friday, mayor bloomberg and ray kelly were inundated with questions about the subway death. mayor bloomberg, a second subway pushing death in this city in less than a month, i'm wondering what your reaction to that is, how can it be prevented? >> i don't know if there is ways to prevent. there is always going to be a deranged person. >> reporter: just this month, a 58-year-old man was pushed from the tracks in times square. >> reporter: would you consider putting more police on the platform in the wake of what has happened this month? >> we feel that we are properly deployed. >> reporter: so not something you would consider at this point? >> you show me anyplace in this world where you have 5 1/2 million people get together where there is virtually any crime. >> reporter: they said people should stay away from the platform edges and be aware of their surroundings at all times. bill henderson advises the mta. what can be done to prevent things like this? >> well, i mean, not -- you can't eliminate the possibility. but this is a very rare occurrence. >> reporter: why not put some sort of barrier here? >> well, you have different car types running on the tracks in new york city subways and they have doors placed at different points along their length. if you ran a different kind of car, you'd have to move the openings. >> just not practical? >> just not practical. >> reporter: very expensive? >> very expensive. >> reporter: keep in mind, subway deaths like this are very rare. years go by without them happening. the same is true in other major cities like washington, d.c., and boston. candy? milk lovers could be in for some sticker shock. would you believe $7 per gallon? a side effect of fiscal cliff negotiations in lack of action on a lot of other legislative matters. the farm bill expired last summer with no measure from congress to rereplace it. one of the protections for farmers that goes away december 31st is the dairy. that means prices could skyrocket. i brought that up with secretary vilsack. in the short term it seems to be, why does anybody care that there's not a farm bill on january 1st? what will happen to me or my family sitting here in washington, d.c.? >> well, if you like anything made with milk, you're going to be impacted by the fact that there's no farm bill. because if there is not an extension of the existing bill or a new bill, basically on january 1st or shortly thereafter, permanent agricultural law goes back in place, 1949 law, the federal government will go back into the business of strongly supporting and i mean strongly supporting the dairy industry by raising the price for dairy products for 38 dlaurz to underweight. that's almost double the price that dairy is today. that's going to ultimately ramp up so when consumers go into the grocery store instead of seeing $3.60 a gallon for milk they are going to see $7 a gallon for milk. so it impacts consumers. it impacts those of us concerned about the energy and security of this country because the farm bill contains ways to promote alternate energy sours, ways to create a biofuel industry that is robust and creates consumer choice. for those concerned about exports connected to the agricultural exports, we lose the ability to market exports without a farm bill. if you're concerned about the ability to add adequate nutrition and supporter of farmer's markets and want to see an expansion of that, can't do it because there is no farm bill. if you like the idea of fields expanding habitat opportunities or you like to hunt and you like to fish, your hobby, your vocation, if you will, in that area will also be affected by no farm bill because a lot of the programs are not extended. if you're a farm family, you're going to be impacted. so there is an impact and an effect by not having a farm bill. >> congress has three options before the end of the year to prevent the price spike and everything that comes with it. they could either extend the current bishlg pass a new bill or some kind of provision to keep the 1949 farm bill from taking effect. he thinks the role of people are losing power. my interview with secretary vilsack on state of the union at 9:00 a.m. eastern. the white house meeting between the president and four top leaders, the meeting is over and according to our senior congressional producer, deed dra wall, she says that nancy pelosi returning to the capitol said that the white house meeting was constructive and candid, which means argumentative. ex speaker pelosi said the president led the meeting and to see what senator mcconnell and or leaders in the senate could work out between the two of them. pelosi also said that john boehner said that he would only bring up something for a vote in the house if the senate passed it first. so that's what we know about what went on in the meeting. of course, all of our reporters are checking into that and we will have more news for you on that meeting and the possible outcome as soon as we get them back up there checking it out. now, an iconic piece of human history wrapped up. we'll show you what it is and why it's being shielded when we come back. 315 horsepower. what's that in reindeer-power? 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[ male announcer ] returns are easy with free pickup from the u.s. postal service. we'll even drop off boxes if you need them. visit usps.com pay, print, and have it picked up for free. any time of year. ♪ nice sweater. thank you. ♪ here's a look at this year's hot shots. in pakistan, a vendor arranges apples on his donkey cart. a look at laptops at a come utter congress. in albania, a boy looks over the turkeys that he's selling. hot shots, pictures coming in from around the world. former president h.w. bush could soon be released from a houston hospital. lisa silver sister is monitoring that. >> hi, candy. good news on that front. the former president is singing, yes, singing with the hospital doctors and nurses. the family is confident he will soon be able to leave. he's in the intensive care unit being treated for an elevated fever. he was treated for complications due to bronchitis. and a move to lower phone bills for federal inmates. sky high rates, a typical 15-minute state-to-state call can can cost $16 because most prisons cost huge commissions to providers. officials say they want to reign in costs. wall street closed lower for the fifth straight friday and ended the week down almost 2% as fear about the fiscal cliff continues. selling gained steam when no progress was reported in the meetings between president obama and congressional leaders. the dow was down 150 point today. the nasdaq and s&p down 15. candy? >> not a way to end a year or start a new one, is it? >> i know. but it's not entirely unexpected considering we get closer and closer to the fiscal cliff. investors get spooked. >> and it's the stock market. what goes up goes back down. thanks, lisa. visit the kennedy space center and will you see something very impressive but still under wraps. the space shuttle "atlantis" flew many missions ins day and now it's the site of a new exhibit that will be unveiled next summer. cnn's john zarrella is there. hey, john. >> reporter: candy, we are here and we have the hard hat on because we are in a working area construction site. this is the massive building that will house and actually already does house the space shuttle "atlantis" which came over here in early november. for the viewers out there, if you can't recognize it because it doesn't quite look right, that's "atlantis" wrapped in 16,000 feet of shrink wrap. it kind of looks like a caterpillar in a kok couldn't. come march, it will spread its wings when they take the wrapping off of it. the shuttle is at a 43 1/2-degree angle here because that's the angle that it would be when it's flying in space and suspended off the ground here and people will be able to walk around here, walk by it, walk around it. and i have tim macy with me. i know you left that whole wall off he in order to get the shuttle in here from over at the nasa site. that had to be one heck of a job getting it in here. >> it was close. on paper it looked pretty easy but when it came down to it, moved it around just a little bit. the wall itself was about 85 feet wide and the wing span, as you know, is about 82 feet. we didn't have a whole lot of room to move it around. >> reporter: but never a concern that you would get it in here? >> never, ever a concern. we always knew it would get in. >> reporter: people are going to ask, can i go in it, can i touch it? >> it's a pricele artifact. as much as we'd like people to be able to do that, it's not going to happen. you'll be able to get really close and touch some of the things that were actually inside the shuttle itself back when it was flying. we've broken that out into some exhibits that are available below it. >> reporter: thanks, tim, very much. we have a couple of artist renderings that show what the building is going to look like when they have the grand opening in july and not only the shuttle which is the centerpiece of all of this but there will be a telescope replica suspended here in this exhibit area. there will be about 60 int active games and such for people to see and use and play with and get an idea of what it's like again, it last flew in july 2011. that was the final shuttle flight of the shuttle program in history and atlantis, of course, the last of the shuttle fleet to fly. candy? >> john, thanks so much. it looks like fun. i will be there next summer. >> sure. you're in "the situation room." happening now, the uniquely washington version of let's make a deal. we have the latest from the this afternoon's big meeting in the oval office. who's eavesdropping on your e-mail? the government may be. what congress is doing that may have civil libertarians up in arms. and a plea for help describing work conditions and it may be a hoax and dirty international politics. welcome to our viewers around the united states and around the world. wolf blitzer is off today. i'm candy crowley and you're in "the situation room." we begin with the latest fallout from this afternoon's big meeting at the white house. republican and democratic leaders at the house and senate met with president obama to discuss ways to avoid the hundreds of billions of dollars worth of tax increases and spending cuts that hit in just four days. the meeting broke up about 45 minutes ago. cnn radio capitol hill correspondent lisa awaited the leaders' arrival. lisa, let's talk about what we can look for out of this meeting. is there any chance at all to get a deal before the clock strikes midnight on the 31st. >>. >> reporter: right. i think the key player is mitch mcconnell to watch. we're getting potentially more information about what is happening next. our capitol hill producer deidre walsh was there when some of the leaders returned and she spoke with nancy pelosi who said this meeting was constructive and candid. here's what is especially interesting. nancy pelosi told reporters that the president led a meeting that ended with senators reid and mcconnell trying to work something out between the two of them. now it seems like we've gone from a process that was president obama and speaker boehner and then today to five leaders back to two. and those two, for the moment, seem to be senator reid and senator mccon until. also, i had a source in senator mcconnell's office who said we should be getting a statement from the republican leader of the senate any time now. so that statement will tell us a lot, candy. >> it will. but we also know that even though it's in the senate hands now which is basically where speaker boehner tossed it when he couldn't get his plan b passed by his own caucus, it doesn't mean that speaker boehner is out of the mix, right? because he's still going to have to pass whatever they pass in the senate, he's going to have to have enough votes in the house to get it passed and particularly he needs at least a sizeable vote in his own caucus. he's not entirely out, is he? >> reporter: not at all. and i think you're familiar with this and unfortunately our viewers are, too. these are meetings to have meetings. the white house was trying to set up an even smaller group. senators reid and mcconnell to start the beginning of a possible deal. what they've got to is and and speaker boehner to see and then go fortunately there. and i think it's really meetings to have meetings and we also know senator reid when he returned to the capitol hill, deidre walsh was there. the next 24 hours are critical. and candy, if you don't mind, that reminds me of something that i heard from senator ben nelson. if we can, let's play that sound bite from a few hours ago. we don't have that sound bite ready at the moment. i'm sorry about that. what senator nelson said was the next 24 hours are the window if something doesn't happen in this next day, then there may be no chance of getting a fiscal cliff deal by january 1st. so that's along the lines of what senator reid is also saying. here we are, critical hours yet again. >> they are running out of days, as you know. we'll get back to you when you get that statement from senator mcdonnell. thanks so much. >> you got it. cnn's chief correspondent ali velshi has a lose closer look at how lawmakers and president obama got themselves in this mess in the first place. >> now we've passed a bold package of tax relief for america's families and businesses. >> it starts more than a decade ago when then president george w. bush initiated a series of tax cuts for all americans but it's a deal with the devil. the cuts, which are politically expedient but costly to government expire in ten year's time. >> both houses of congress have now passed a package of tax relief that will protect the middle class. >> when it came time for the cuts to expire, the u.s. is just emerging from the worst recession since the great depression. so president obama agreed to extend the tax cuts for two more years in exchange for congress extending federal emergency unemployment benefits. those cuts are expensive. if they are extended by 2020, the bush era tax cuts will be responsible for more than half the total national debt. democrats insist that taxes go up for the wealthy but stay in place permanently for those earning less than $250,000 a year. >> we need to stop the job killing tax sites and stop spending now. >> republicans refused to play ball. they say no higher rates on the rich, no tax hikes on anyone. based on an ideology that calls for government to be as small as possible. its roots are as old as american politics but today the philosophy's main spokesman is this man. grover norquist. president of american's for tax reform. norquist's pledge signed by almost all republicans by congress forbids raising taxes ever under any circumstances. things come to a head in the summer of 2011. republicans demand that the government reduce its deficit as a condition for raising the debt ceiling. both democrats and republicans earth tactics that shut down the government and ultimately cost america its aaa credit rating for the first time in history. but in a last-minute compromise, both sides agree to a trillion dollars in spending cuts up front and another $1.2 trillion in cuts to be decided by a special congressional supercommittee. but a poison pill was attached. if the supercommittee can't reach a deal, automatic across the board cuts known as a sequester would go into effect be at the exact moment when those bush tax cuts extended for two years would expire. so the point is we could have all seen this coming and some of us did. we yelled at the top of our lungs about it but were drowned out by the election. it seems that good governance gets drowned out by continuous elections in america. this time there may be a serious price to pay for it. >> if we go off the fiscal cliff, be will you notice an immediate change to your wallet? we want to get a reality check from stephen moore, a member of the wall street editorial board and author of "who's the fairest of them all?" . stephen, we have spent six month talking about this can't happen we can't go off the fiscal cliff. we've got to meet this deadline and now they are saying, it's not that bad. which is it? >> look, i don't think it's the end of the world and i think it would get resolved in the weeks ahead but it's a black eye for our whole political system. think about this. here we are two or three days away from the start of the year without any american business or investor or workerer knowing what the payroll tax is going to be, income tax is going to be, i mean, this just isn't a very good way to run a country and it's almost like banana republic politics. >> my dad used to say, no way to run a railroad. let's talk about a couple of things. this whole idea that tax rates on everyone will go up. does the irs, does the treasury department have the ability to sort of say, look, here's some guidance. keep withholding where it is? >> the irs is in turmoil right now. they don't know what to do. they are putting out mixed signals whether they can advise businesses what to do. i do think for those people who are really worried, middle class people are worried about their tax bills going up, i do think if we don't get this solved in the last day and i think there's a decent chance that we may get a resolution on december 31st. if we don't, sometime in january there will be resolution and i think what republicans said and even the president would go along with this, whatever we decide to do, let's make the tax cuts retroactive to the first of the year. >> what does that first paycheck look like into january? >> it could be -- you know, you could have that additional money wi withheld from your paycheck. the law -- this is is assuming we go over the cliff. everyone is facing a higher tax increase. not just bill gates, not just warren buffett but anyone with an income over $25,000. and don't forget, by the way, the payroll tax goes up, too. every worker is going to get it. >> social security tax. which no one is talking about. so that says to me that those are going back up anyway. that's about a thousand dollar cost. it doesn't sound like people have to worry about their taxes and -- most people. but what about the psychological impact? haven't we already seen it in christmas buying? haven't we already seen it in -- won't consumer confidence take a hit? won't businesses still say, be i don't know. i don't know what's happening? >> it already has, candy. this year's christmas shopping season was lackluster at best. you mentioned businesses. i talk to small business men and women all the time. they say, we are not hiring right now. we are just canceling a lot of our plans to make new expenditures which you need to do if you want a vibrant economy. we're really seeing the impact on the stock market. this is not a good way to run a railroad and the economy is already taking a hit because of all of this turmoil. and as i said, i'm a republican but i think both parties take a black eye here because nobody comes out of this looking very good. >> our polling shows that the republicans will take the biggest hit. but if you're going to take a political hit, do it at the end of an election season. >> that's true. >> if we get -- there are a lot of economists who believe -- i guess i put myself in this camp. if we don't get this resolved for several month and sometimes these political fights go on and on. this is at the core of what these two parties believe in. i think that it's possibly. >> and if we don't have to push the panic button new year's day and looking at this thinking and feel the effects? >> i think starting at the end of the month, next month. >> end of january? >> if these guys can't get it together, we're going to have to totally change our family finances because we don't know how much taxes we're going to pay. for the average middle class family, we're talking about through the year, 2,000 to 2500. >> stephen moore, who believes that we can still get a deal, the last remaining optimism in washington, d.c. thank you for joining me. i appreciate it. the meeting at the white house has broken up. we're beginning to get bits and pieces from the capitol hill attendees. we are told that the ball now appears to be in the court of senator reid who is the democratic leader in the senate and senator mitch mcconnell, the republican leader. we're also told that speaker boehner made it clear in that meeting at the white house that he wouldn't bring anything up for a vote until it passed the senate. i want to bring in jessica yellin. what are you picking up? what's the next thing we're going to see unfold? >> reporter: everybody is getting their word in and the next person to speak will be president obama. he will be speaking in the briefing room at 5:45 this evening. that's about half an hour from now. i would expect just based on how he handles situations like this in the past, it will probably not be a very lengthy statement. my expectation would be he will probably remind the american people and members of congress that there's not much time to go, that they have the basics for a deal and urge everybody to get this done quickly. but we will hear what the president is -- what he has on his mind in just under 30 minutes now. so we can wait until he says it himself, candy. >> even if he talks briefly, you always can read a lot -- he picks his words very carefully so i suspect, jessica, we're going to get the tone of that meeting. >> from his body language, from his mood, yes, we've seen him come out of these meetings and speak to the press before and convey a sense of deep, deep frustration in the past and we've also seen him come out with a sense of positive optimism. so we'll wait to read the tea leaves. you know, so far not a whole lot of optimism but maybe things will change. we can always hope. >> we can. jessica yellin, we will see you in a bit. thanks very much. the government's ability to eavesdrop on your conversations. the bill that opponents say is too secretive. details, next. also, why parts of a transportation lifeline are in danger of shutting down. bottle ? 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[ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. this is senator mitch mcconnell. he's the republican leader in the senate. >> i hope that we can come forward as early as sunday and have a recommendation that i can make to my conference and the majority leader can make to his conference and so we'll be working hard to try to see if we can get there in the next 24 hours. and so i'm hopeful and optimistic. >> i'm hopeful that i can do everything i can and that senator mcconnell can do everything he can. everybody, whatever we come up with, it's going to be i am perfect and some people rbt going to like it. some people will like it less. but that's where we are. and i feel confident that we have an obligation to do the best we can and that was made clear in the white house and we're going to do the best we can for the caucuses that we have and the country who is waiting for us to make a decision. >> so that was the u.s. senate floor. that was harry reid. you just saw -- what the two of them said was what we had learned from others about the meeting that is in the next 24 hours we may learn if there's going to be a deal and whether this will bleed into 2013. it's up to senator reid and mcconnell say, it's going to be something i can sell to my caucus and it's going to be something that he can sell to his and senator reid said, look, it's not going to be perfect. that much we knew already. 24 hours, those two men trying to come up with something that will not just pass their caucuses but passed by enough in the house to avoid this fiscal cliff. so we will keep you abreast of that again. we'll hear from the president at 5:45 eastern time. that's in about 15 -- 25 minutes. despite what you might think, congress is getting some work done. today senate sent president obama a bill that reauthorizes eavesdropping on communications in search of possible terrorists. in doing so, lawmakers brushed away concerns about violating privacy. >> this did not get much attention until today. the vote in the senate was not close and without much fanfare. one of the most hotly disputed tactics on the war on terror will keep ongoing. he ordered it just after 9/11 and became one of the most controversial tactics used by george w. bush to fight the war on terror. the secret wire tapping of kmun kags between people in the united states and overseas. it drew fire because sometimes the communications of innocent americans got caught up. in 2008, the practice was authorized by congress but with limitations. a warrant is now required to target an american, including americans who are abroad. but it's still a hugely controversial program and the senate has passed a five-year extension of it. >> it's an enormous potential of abuse given the ugly history of the use of intel general surveillance for illegitimate purposes. >> they believe there are way too many innocent people being monitored. they say this classified program is also too secretive and pushed for more disclosure. >> i think we ought to know whether for purposes of the amendments act generally, how many americans are being swept up under the legislation. >> but there won't be more disclosure because that got voted down. dianne feinstein, the democrat who chairs the senate intelligence committee, warned that shedding more light on who is being surveilled would you wo destroy the wire tapping program which she says has worked well. >> in four years, 100 arrests to prevent something from happening in the united states. some of which comes from this program. so i think it's a vital program. >> conservative analyst says a wide dragnet is worth the cost. >> let's suppose you're a pakistani, you don't have your green card, you call your uncle, yes, you could get caught up and maybe if he's a member of the taliban there's going to be somebody in the federal government who thinks we need to ask some questions of this person. >> but if you're the person here talking to the uncle and you're caught up in this -- >> you're not caught up in the sense that you're going to jail, in the sense that anything bad is going to happen to you. >> but there are concerns about that. civil libertarian julian sanchez points out that the national security agency which does most of this surveillance has a massive new data center in utah where it stores innocuous communications. sanchez worries that anyone with a security clearance could pull private communication of innocent people. in response to that concern, we contacted the nsa, a spokesperson for that agency. quote, its operations will lawfully be conducted in accordance with u.s. laws and policies. without a doubt, one of the biggest misconceptions is that we're unlawfully listening in on or reading e-mails of u.s. citizens. this is simply not the case. nsa is unwavering in its respect of american civilities. >> dianne feinstein has issued her own assure rans. >> she has. the intelligence committee is going to conduct what she calls extensive oversilth. look, seven years after we found out that president bush and his team was doing this, very controversial then and still controversial. >> a lot of thing shoved it off the center stage. >> right. >> thank you, brian todd. even after the cleanup, this year's snowstorm will leave entries in the recordbook. stand by for the latest. book. stand by for the latest. [ female announcer ] what if the next big thing, isn't a thing at all? it's lots of things. all waking up. ♪ becoming part of the global phenomenon we call the internet of everything. ♪ trees will talk to networks will talk to scientists about climate change. cars will talk to road sensors will talk to stoplights about traffic efficiency. the ambulance will talk to patient records will talk to doctors about saving lives. it's going to be amazing. and exciting. and maybe, most remarkably, not that far away. the next big thing? we're going to wake the world up. ♪ and watch, with eyes wide, as it gets to work. ♪ cisco. tomorrow starts here. you are looking at a split screen of the exterior of the white house as well as the white house press briefing room. the president is expected in that briefing room at 5:45 p.m. eastern time. a little over -- a little under give his version on what went on in the meeting he just held with leaders on capitol hill. we do know that it has now been put to the senate leader to come up with some sort of compromise. we're going to get the president's version of what went on. we've just learned now some sad news. that victim of the gang rape in india has died. lisa sylvester is monitoring that and other stories. lisa? >> this is a terribly sad story, candy. officials say the 23-year-old woman who suffered a gang rape and severe injuries on al new delhi bus died a few hours ago. earlier they said she was experiencing organ failure. her attack led to mass protests where reported rape cases have increased drastically over the last 40 years. and nelson mandela is home after a long hospital stay in an exclusive interview, his granddaughter said he's well, alert, and playing with his grandchildren. she says social media rumors that mandela is, quote, close to death, she said those rumors are hurtful and wants them to stop. he was hospitalized for a lung infection and gallstone surgery. okay. have you had enough of snow? snow now covers 65% of the 48 lower u.s. states. more could be on the way this weekend. two to four inches from the midwest to new jersey. the northeast could see more. in montreal, they are digging out of an all-time daily record of 17.7 inches of snow, which is unbelievable. i'm sure a lot of people who have holiday plans, the new year's eve plans are going to be keeping a close eye on the weather. candy? >> all of that snow and not a flake in washington on the ground. >> we're supposed to get some precipitation tomorrow morning. we'll see what happens. >> thanks, lisa. and now a desperate plea reinforces what many fear about working conditions in china but here's the rub. it may be a hoax. questions? anyone have occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating? yeah. one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these digestive issues with three strains of good bacteria. approved! [ female announcer ] live the regular life. phillips'. the u.s. government is investigating a claim that may be nothing more than a hoax but even if these specific allegations are disapproved, they speak to a larger concern about working conditions in china. the return appearance from lisa sylvester. you've been asking questions about this story. >> yeah. and the first thing we should say, is it a hoax or is this a cry for help. it's a letter reportedly from a chinese labor camp tucked in the most unlikely place and now this letter is getting lots of attention online. julie says she found the letter in a box of halloween decorations. the halloween graveyard kit sat in her storage room for about a year until she dusted it off in october and all she could say was wow. >> it was definitely hidden. the headstones were, you know, approximately 18 inches tall, 12 inches wide and there were two of them put together and the note was slipped in the middle of them. and then that whole package was wrapped in sealed cellophane. >> the note written in neat hand with broken english says, sir, if you occasionally buy this product, please kindly send this letter to the world human right organization. the letter goes on to say the product was produced by the labor camp in china. people who work here have to work 15 hours a day without saturday, sunday break, and any holidays. otherwise they will suffer torturement, beat, and rude remark. julie keith posted the letter on her facebook page asking friends what she should doll with it. she has since turned over the letter and the box that it came in to immigration enforcement. the case is under investigation. it is illegal to import products made by forced labor. keith is convinced that the letter is real but neither has cnn or officials been able to confirm the authenticity. the offenders are often accused of petty crimes and can be detained up to four years without any judicial process. >> the idea is they are being allowed to work while under detention. there has been a push by some sectors in china to reform or resend such labor camps. >> there is a labor camp, the chinese embassy in washington did not return cnn calls and it's been likely the letter is legitimate and the halloween decoration was marketed and sold under the suppliers comply with no evidence that produced the halloween decoration. >> enforcement confirmed it is also looking into these allegations and typically and it might take quite a bit of time, candy, before we get to the bol tomorrow of all of this. >> that's interesting. the letter might be a hoax but the problem we know is all too real. >> it's not so much whether or not this woman made up this letter. that's not what immigration customs enforcement think but somebody in the production chain, maybe in the packaging or someone else slip this in as opposed to coming in from a labor camp. that's going to take some time. >> to be continued. thank, lisa. opposition activists report at least 100 deaths and bashar al assad may be losing one of his biggest supporters, russia. they now want to talk things over with the leader of the syrian opposition. joining me now is nick paton walsh who is joining me about this story. nick, we have this russian plan from a purely diplomatic view. is there any chance that they can get agreement on it? >> it already is facing problems. we've heard from the opposition party that he's happy to talk but doesn't want to go to moscow. he wants to go to an arab state with a clear agenda. we hear the egyptians saying they want to see this end with bashar al assad leaving power. and other say it's simply buying time for bashar al assad to kill more civilians in their eyes. it's raising problems but the net result of this in the eyes of many observers was never really about getting these names on the table to negotiate a peaceful end to this settlement. it shows that the russians for the past two weeks have been disparaging the leader of syria and willing both to talk to the opposition and perhaps maybe through this unsettle those around assad who may have been waiting for that moment, candy. >> it is is progress of some sort certainly it sounds like even if it's not the agreement itself. i guess the question is, if the men in suits, the diplomats arrive with a plan, are the rubbles on the ground or, for that matter, the government troops on the ground going to listen to them? >> reporter: that's the major problem at this moment in time. the political leadership, this shut telling that has been going on for month now, very little from that itself. and the free syrian army all saying that they don't want anything to do with this. it's one spokesman for a fraction tur of movement that is and moving to take a key air base that might perhaps actually cut off much of their ability of the regime to supply forces in the north and give them much greater control over the country that they would suddenly agree to a settlement. for them it's about moving bashar al assad violently ending him and his regime and i think this particular bout may weaken assad but not negotiate his departure. >> i certainly take it that we are not there in terms of peace for syria. this has been going on for quite some time. nick paton walsh, thank you for watching this for us. have a good new year. we'll talk to you on the other side. okay. to wrap up what is going on with the fiscal cliff negotiations, we know that there was a meeting between the president and the top white house leaders. we expect the president to appear in about 6 1/2 minutes to give us his version of what went on during that meeting. we know that the ball now appears to be in the court of the senate where the two top leaders, a top democrat and republican will try to work something out. cnn will carry this live. again, 5:45 p.m. eastern time. several minutes from now. we expect to hear the president's side of what went on in that white house meeting with the four leaders on capitol hill. we'll be right back. 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[ laughs ] [ pencil scratches ] [ male announcer ] chevy's giving more. get the best offer of the year -- 0% apr financing for 60 months plus $1,000 holiday bonus cash. plus trade up for an additional $1,000 trade-in allowance. hurry. bonus cash ends january 2nd. they have three or four more minutes. we expect that in the next several minutes. right now i want to bring in lisa who is up on capitol hill. we already have a little bit about what went on, lisa. what can you tell us? >> reporter: right. it sounds like what happened is the president went in with his own plan a and plan b. we heard this from jessica yellin. that the president was going to again present the same offer that he had in the past week. if republicans didn't like that and didn't have a counter proposal, he was going to offer an up or down vote. what's interesting, candy, it didn't get to that point. instead of the president pushing for that up or down vote which sounds like a do or die last tactic, it didn't get there. instead, these five -- these four men and one woman decided that they had one last chance, that they talked over various ideas, various proposals. in the end because it seemed the fate of this fiscal cliff deal rests with the senate acting first. we know that from the house speaker and also because of procedure, they decided that the two lead senators should in fact meet and figure out that deal first. this is the actual progress that we've had in weeks but we don't know what will come of it. senators reid and mcconnell have about a day to come up with a deal. it sounds like the senate may not come in tomorrow, which makes a lot of sense because senators reid and mcconnell have to figure out a poe teng deal behind closed doors and then may reconvene sunday around lunchtime. it not set in stone but that's what we're hearing for now. >> lisa, stick with me. i want to bring in jessica yellin. jessica, have you been able to pick up any intel at all or are we just now awaiting the president's word? >> reporter: candy, i do have a little bit of information he and we're still awaiting the president. i'm told with a source that the meeting was constructive but this person also said that the president did, as we expected, according to a source, outline the proposal to increase taxes for those households that make more than $250,000 or more and extend unemployment insurance. and the president reiterated that this could pass both the house and the senate. he asked mcconnell republican senator minority leader what they wanted to dork how they wanted to proceed and i'm told the central sticking points from this source's perspective were regarding tax rates. in other words, at what level taxes should increase. and the estate tax, whether there would be a specific to keep the estate tax from going up. now, as we know, reid and mcconnell are going to work out an agreement. the next element of this is that the president said if senators reid and mcconnell cannot come to a deal, the president did ask that republicans allow his alternate proposal come to a vote, the $250,000 measure. because the white house believes and democrats broadly believe that that could pass in both the house and the senate, candy. >> so jessica yellin is watching this from the white house as we await the president. i want to give you a couple of statements that we got up on capitol hill. these from senator reid and senator mcconnell, the respectively majority and minority leaders in the senate. the two men who are going to be talking over the next 24 hours to try to fix this fiscal cliff thing. here's what they had to say. >> we had a long meeting in the white house it was very constructive. i hope that the next 24 hours will be very instructive with what we're able to accomplish. >> was there discussion of a concrete proposal? >> we talked about a lot of things. there's no concrete proposal at this time. we have a number of different directions that we're goi to try to take and we're going to see what can be worked out. >> we are engaged in discussions, the majority leader and myself and the white house in the hopes that we can come forward as early as sunday and have a recommendation that i can make to my conference and the majority leader can make to his conference so we'll be working hard to see if we can get there in the next 24 hours. so i'm hopeful and optimistic. >> wow. hopeful and optimistic. that sounds pretty good. i have our chief white house correspondent jessica yellin and radio hill correspondent lisa. honestly, they are not calling each other names which yesterday was going on and optimistic and hopeful sounds about as good as it's gotten. >> yeah. there were more positive noises coming from all sides right now. and we are all looking for tea leaves. that is encouraging. given the amount of time left and the pressures on every party involved if positive and hopeful is enough at this time. >> might not get us there. >> might not get us there. i will also add that some republicans are insisting that there was never a discussion of this $250,000 or a proposal coming to the floor. maybe the president will dispute that in his remarks. not surprising that not all sides agreed to even what happened in a meeting, candy. >> no, we shouldn't be surprised by that. lisa, let me bring you back in. from the point on capitol hill, what do we look for next? these two men, obviously they don't have to be in the same room but in the next 48 hours we're at a standstill here. >> right. i think what we're going to be looking for what my life will be like, standing outside of doorways, seeing who is going to whose offices, making phone calls and seeing if these two people are meeting in person or over the phone. just a guess, i don't think we'll hear something until sunday morning. leader mcconnell said the earliest that he thinks they could present something is sunday. and, of course, as i reported, we don't expect the senate to necessarily be in session tomorrow. the senators may have the day off except the two working on this deal. so i think we're going to try -- everyone will be fighting furiously. with just the two men and their staff, we may not get details of an emerging deal until as soon as sunday. >> so there's still time, jessica, for this but it cannot be and will not be that kind of mega deal that everybody thought might be possible month ago? >> reporter: no, that's right, candy. that's a big disappointment at the white house and on capitol hill. it will not even if they get this done will not include broad tax reform. it will not include measures to bring down the self sit over the next ten years. what any smaller deal at this point might include, would include is some way to extend low tax rates for middle income americans. the white house is insistent it would include a perhaps the republicans incidence some way to keep down estate tax rates and more other sort of in the weeds issues about how doctors who accept medicaid payments would do in the tax code. >> the so-called doc fix is important in the medical community and important to patients who are on medicare because it involves how much money the doctors actually get for treating a patient. let me bring you in. we expect to see the president in less than a minute. but the other thing that can't be in this is anything about entitlements. that's the huge issue for republicans. >> right. we had just a news conference today, the only republicans that came to the mike today came to the microphone to talk about entitlements here on the senate side, about medicare. they see that as the gaping hole in the united states budget and many of them are frustrated that so far there really has not been any specific plan from the white house to try and deal with it. also remember, unemployment benefits run out tomorrow. so the fiscal cliff actually starts tonight. >> jessica, it was an interesting statement put out recently by a republican thinker who said that he thinks the president -- peekispeaking of t president, there he is. >> good afternoon, everybody. for the past couple of months, i've been working with leaders of both parties to try and forge an agreement that would grow our economy and shrink the deficit, a balanced plan that would cut spending in a responsible way but also ask the wealthiest americans to pay a little more. and above all, protect our middle class and everybody who's striving to get into the middle class. i still want to get this done. it's the right thing to do for our families, for our businesses and for our entire economy. but the hour for immediate action is here. it is now. we're now at the point where in just four days, every americans' tax rates are scheduled to go up by law. every american's paycheck will get considerably smaller and that would be the wrong thing to do for our economy. it would be bad for middle class families and it would be bad for businesses that depend on families spending. fortunately, congress can prevent it from happening if they act right now. i just had a good and constructive discussion here at the white house with senate and house leadership about how to prevent this tax hike on the middle class. and i'm optimistic we may still be able to reach an agreement that can pass both houses in time. senators reid and mcconnell are working on such an agreement as we speak. but if an agreement isn't reached in time between senator reid and senator mcconnell, then i will urge senator reid to bring to the floor a basic package for an up-or-down vote, one that protects the middle class from an income tax hike, extends the vital lifeline of unemployment insurance to 2 million americans looking for a job and lays the groundwork for future cooperation on more economic growth and deficit reduction. guys, i can hear you over here. i believe such a proposal could pass both houses with bipartisan majorities, as long as those leaders actually allow it to come to a vote. if members of the house or the senate want to vote no, they can. but we should let everybody vote. that's the way this is supposed to work. if you can get a majority in the house and you can get a majority in the senate, we should be able to pass a bill. so the american people are watching what we do here. obviously their patience is already thin. this is deja vu all over again. america wonders why it is that in this town, for some reason, you can't get stuff done in an organized timetable, why everything always has to wait till the last minute. we're now at the last minute. and the american people are not going to have any patience for a politically self-inflicted wound to our economy, not right now. the economy's growing, but sustaining that trend is going to require elected officials to do their jobs. the housing market is recovering but that could be impacted if folks are seeing smaller paychecks. the unemployment rate is the lowest it's been since 2008. but already you're seeing businesses and consumers starting to hold back because of the dysfunction that they see in washington. economists, business leaders all think that we're poised to grow in 2013, as long as politics in washington don't get in the way of america's progress. so we've got to get this done. i just want to repeat -- we had a constructive meeting today. senators reid and mcconnell are discussing a potential agreement where we can get a bipartisan bill out of the senate over to the house and done in a timely fashion so that we met the december 31st deadline. but given how things have been working in this town, we always have to wait and see until it actually happens. the one thing that the american people should not have to wait and see is some sort of action. so if we don't see an agreement between the two leaders in the senate, i expect a bill to go on the floor -- and i've asked senator reid to do this -- put a bill on the floor that makes sure that taxes on middle class families don't go up, that unemployment insurance is still available for 2 million people and that rlays the groundwork then for additional deficit reduction and economic growth steps that we can take in the new year. but let's not miss this deadline. that's the bare minimum that we should be able to get done. and it shouldn't be hard since democrats and republicans both say they don't want to see taxes go up on middle class families. i just have to repeat, outside of washington, nobody understands how it is that this seems to be a repeat pattern over and over again. ordinary folks, they do their jobs. they meet deadlines. they sit down and they discuss things and then things happen. if there are disagreements, they sort through the disagreements. the notion that our elected leadership can't do the same thing is mind-boggling to them. it needs to stop. so i'm modestly optimistic that an agreement can be achieved. nobody's going to get 100% of what they want. but let's make sure that middle class families and the american economy and in fact the world economy aren't adversely impacted because people can't do their jobs. all right? thank you very much, everybody. >> president obama's take on what went on, modestly optimistic after constructive talks, i believe those are the quotes. i have with me, ron brown, cnn contributor. ron, it's not how it works in washington, the straight up-or-down vote. >> it hasn't for a long time. there are two separate things here. there's the filibuster in the senate. but the biggest obstacles is the hastert rule in the house. it has always been hard to see bill that a majority of house republicans would vote for that would be acceptable to president obama. so in many ways, i felt for really months, the only two choices were going over the cliff or abandoning that hastert rule and john boehner being willing to bring up a bill that could be passed by democratic votes, not passed by the majority of republicans. sounded a little more optimistic on the relative gauge we have than over the last couple of weeks. >> they're now running out of venues to discuss this. they discussed it at the white house. tried to get a deal between speaker boehner and president obama. now it's gone to the senate. harry reid and mitch mcconnell will try to work something out. after that, they have run out of both time and places to go for a deal. >> right. most of the time, when there's stalemate, it's tougher for the democrats than republicans because democrats are the party of activist government. they want things to happen. when things don't happen, they're kind of the loser. in this case, it is hard to see how the republicans are better off after the cliff, if we go over. >> we're going to have more right after a quick break. ♪ ooh baby, looks like you need a little help there ♪ ♪ ooh baby, can i do for you today? ♪ [ female announcer ] need help keeping your digestive balance? align can help. only align has bifantis, a patented probiotic that naturally helps maintain your digestive balance. try align to help retain a balanced digestive system. try the #1 gastroenterologist recommended probiotic. align. happening now, president obama says he's still optimistic a deal can be reached to avoid that fiscal cliff. just four days until the deadline. the president just spoke about his last-ditch talks with congressional leaders. plus, police are searching for this woman after another person was pushed in front of a new york train and crushed to death. and a huge piece of american history is under wraps. we'll tell you why. wolf blitzer is off. i'm i'm candy crowley. you're in "the situation room." so president obama says the time for action on the fiscal cliff is here. he has a calendar, too. he just laid out his position after talks with top members of congress. everyone seems to agree it's up to senate leaders to make the next move and that the next 24 hours or so are crucial. we want to bring in our chief white house correspondent, jessica yellin. jessica? >> reporter: hi, candy. the president made it clear that he believes that this still can get done. he said he has a little bit of confidence, optimism that it would get done. but he expressed an enormous amount of frustration, it was clear, with congress' dillydallying, if you'll let me say that. he's frustrated that it's what he called deja vu all over again. and insisted that it's up to the senate now to get this done as the clock ticks to new year's eve. here's what the president had to say earlier. >> if we don't see an agreement between the two leaders in the senate, i expect a bill to go on the floor -- and i've asked senator reid to do this -- put a bill on the floor that makes sure that taxes on middle class families don't go up, that unemployment insurance is still available for 2 million people and that lays the groundwork, then, for additional deficit reduction and economic growth step that is we can take in the new year. >> reporter: so that would be the president's fallback plan, urging the democratic leader of the senate to take up the president's proposal if the democrats and republicans cannot come to an agreement of their own. the problem with that, candy, of course, is even if that were to pass in the senate, there's no assurance that speaker boehner would even let it come to a vote in the house. not sure that that would get us anywhere closer to avoiding the cliff. >> in about 24 hours, we should know whether that really is it? we were just saying that they're running out of people and places to do this deal. >> reporter: they're running out of ways to hide and ways to put this off. i would say if this is dying, it's dying a slow death. instead of a rapid one. but everybody's fanning the flames of hope. there's still a chance that life will be found. i don't want to milk this anymore. you know what i'm trying to say. >> i got you, jessica. our chief white house correspondent who's not going to see a new year's eve in the fun sense. we'll talk to you later, jess, thanks. we are seeing senate leaders take new initiative in the fiscal cliff standoff after their talks with the president. harry reid and mitch mcconnell talked about the meeting and the tough work ahead. >> i think it was a very positive meeting. there was not a lot of hilarity in the meeting. everyone knows how important it is. it was a very serious meeting and it took an extended period of time, as you all know, waiting for us. >> mr. president, i would just add -- i share the view of the majority leader. we had a good meeting down at the white house. we are engaged in discussions, the majority leader and myself and the white house, in the hopes that we can come forward as early as sunday and have a recommendation that i can make to my conference and the majority leader can make to his conference. and so we'll be working hard to try to see if we can get there in the next 24 hours. so i'm hopeful and optimistic. >> let's bring in cnn's senior political analyst, ron brownstein, editorial director of "the national journal." i'm not sure where to begin here. it was constructive. everybody said the word constructive. >> hopeful, optimistic. >> mitch mcconnell is -- >> that's practically effusive for mitch mcconnell. >> the president said modestly -- but i listen to the other half of the president's talk. and it seems like he's preparing for nothing here. >> let's understand the box or at least the framework and what you're talking about here. the fiscal cliff was a device that the president and the congress agreed to in 2011 to try to put more pressure on themselves to do what they couldn't do then, which was reach a big deal on the deficit. it's a noose of their own construction. and here we are, we're kind of defining dysfunction down. not going over the cliff is a pretty modest achievement that they may not be able to reach, almost completely gone right now is the discussion of doing what it was supposed to do in the first place, reaching a long-term deal. >> this is going to be a tiny deal -- >> it's avoiding the worst, rather than getting anywhere near what would be the best. >> there's also a process here. it's a great political forum and presidents have said, just vote on it. give everybody a chance to vote. that's not even quite that clear in the senate that's going to be possible. >> no. it hasn't really been possible -- increasingly less possible since the 1980s. the routine use of the filibuster, once the filibuster was reserved for the biggest disputes. things like the civil rights fights of the 1960s. now it is routine. it requires really 60 votes to do anything in the senate. we have this intense level of party line voting with the filibuster. it's like a parliament system without majority rule. then you have the informal analog to that in the house which the majority party says, we're not going to bring anything up. it has to have 218 votes but it has to have a majority of the majority which gives a veto to the republican wing of the conservative party. that's where we'restick stuck right now. >> let's bring in lisa dejardan. is there in this particular case -- >> reporter: i'm hesitant to get into it because it gets into senate procedure. the simplest would be if the leaders agree not to invoke that 60-vote requirement. if they agree a majority would be enough. for that to work, the rest of the senate would then have to essentially allow it to. there would have to be no one that attempts a filibuster. that's the easiest way to get around the 60 votes. another way is to possibly use some sort of budget measure that could be part of the budget reconciliation process. that makes things more complicated. but that is the way the health care bill was passed. >> what are you expecting tomorrow? >> reporter: tomorrow, actually, i think it's going to be pretty quiet up here. i think there will be a few people who will be trying to work out some very heavy details, some staffers, especially the senators, mcconnell and reid themselves. but for those of us up here, if we get any details, it would be good. but i don't expect it. i think it's going to be a quiet day of doing the hard work and then perhaps tomorrow night, we'll start perhaps hearing phone calls from leadership out to house members, out to some senate members to try and feel for whether they've got the votes on this. then i think sunday seems to be the earliest that we would get this grand, official presentation. but i think it's really too early to tell if even that will happen by sunday. i think we're just in the first hours of this potential new consortium of two trying to come up with something. >> thanks so much, lisa. jessica, let me bring you in one more time out of the white house and ask you, do you get the sense that anything much has happened other than the problem's been dropped in the lap of these two senate leaders? do you get the sense there really has been movement? >> reporter: no. but as we've discussed, when pressure mounts, that's when congress acts. and that's when the -- that's the frustration the president expressed. but you do hear sounds of more encouraging progress sounding noises. i don't know what else to call it. people who want to get a deal done say that they are going to try. so that in itself is cause for some optimism. i'd say that the president sounded on his scale of anger, zero being known and ten being high, he sounded only about six. so there's still room for more frustration. so maybe the meeting wasn't all a loss. >> less than horrible? >> reporter: yeah. beyond that, it doesn't seem very much progress has been forged yet. >> even if we avoid the worst here, it really doesn't fill you with a lot of optimism about the next two years. we know at least for the next two years and probably the next four years, we're going to have divided government with president obama and republicans in the house. we have a closely divided country with democrats having advantage at the presidential level. they have to live with each other. none of us are going away. and the issue really is, is red america and blue america willing to mediate its differences? otherwise we're saying, compromise is too hard for us, we'll leave it to our kids to do it for themselves. this doesn't auger very well for so many important issues. these two sides ultimately do have to leave with each other. we saw a republican congress in '96 and '97, they were able to get a lot done. can these two sides kind of find a way to mediate their differences because no one is going away and this could be a very long two years if not. >> thanks. i want to thank jessica yellin for us tonight. also lisa up on capitol hill for us. ron brownstein, thanks so much. for the second time this month, someone has been pushed in front of an oncoming train in new york and died. now the search is on for a suspect. and l.a. officials say it's a sign of the times. rocket launchers and other military weapons are turned in at their gun buyback. really? 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[ male announcer ] yes, it is. that's the cold truth! in that time there've been some good days. and some difficult ones. but, through it all, we've persevered, supporting some of the biggest ideas in modern history. so why should our anniversary matter to you? because for 200 years, we've been helping ideas move from ambition to achievement. and the next great idea could be yours. ♪ in new york right now, police are searching for a woman who fled from the scene after a gruesome death at a train station that's similar to a recent killing. police just released this sketch of the suspect. here's cnn's poppy harlow. >> reporter: twice this month someone is pushed from a new york city subway platform in front of an oncoming train and killed. it happened right on this platform late thursday. >> it's horrible. it was horrible. don't ever want to hear something like that again. >> reporter: this man said he heard the final scream of the victim. james' train was halted because of the incident. >> they said, this is the last stop on the 7 train debris fell on the tracks, that's all they were telling people. >> reporter: witnesses say the victim was standing on the edge of this subway platform in queens when a woman who was pacing and talking to herself pushed him onto the tracks. the victim was a graphic designer who had moved to new york from india. >> feeling very bad. he has nobody here. and i heard that his parents died a long time before. >> reporter: surveillance footage captured this woman running from the station. police are searching for the woman they describe as heavy-set, in her 20s, wearing a ski jacket and sneakers. >> we do live in a world where our subway platforms are open and that's not going to change. >> reporter: at a news conference friday, mayor bloomberg and new york city police commissioner ray kelly were inundated with questions about the subway death. mayor bloomberg, a second subway pushing death in this city in less than a month. i'm wondering what your reaction is to that? how can it be prevented? >> well, i don't know that there is a way to prevent -- there's always going to be somebody, a deranged person. >> reporter: just this month, a 58-year-old man was killed when a homeless man shoved him onto the tracks in times square. would you consider putting more police on platforms in the wake of what's happened this month? >> no. we think that we are properly deployed in the transit system. >> reporter: not something you'd consider at this point? >> you show me any place in this world where 5.5 million people get together that has the virtually zero crime rate that we do. >> reporter: the mta which runs new york city subways would not talk to us on camera but said people should stay away from the platform edges and be aware of their surroundings at all times. bill henderson advises the mta. what can be done to prevent things like this? >> well, you can't eliminate the possibility. but this is a very rare occurrence. >> reporter: why not put some sort of barrier here? >> well, you have different car types running on the tracks on new york city subways. and they have doors placed at different points along their length. if you ran a different kind of car, you'd have to move the openings. >> reporter: just not practical? >> just not practical. >> reporter: very expensive? >> very expensive. >> reporter: keep in mind, subway deaths like these are very rare here in new york city. years go by without them happening. and the same is true in other major cities like washington, d.c. and boston. poppy harlow, cnn, new york. now that the space shuttle program is history, "atlantis" is under wraps before it gets a new home. it's quite a sight at the kennedy space center, ahead. what a night, huh? but, um, can the test drive be over now? head back to the dealership? [ male announcer ] it's practically yours. but we still need your signature. volkswagen sign then drive is back. and it's never been easier to get a passat. that's the power of german engineering. get $0 down, $0 due at signing, $0 deposit, and $0 first month's payment on any new volkswagen. visit vwdealer.com today. up high! ok. don't you have any usefull apps on that thing? who do you think i am, quicken loans? ♪ at quicken loans, our amazingly useful mortgage calculator app allows you to quickly calculate your mortgage payment based on today's incredibly low interest rates... right from your iphone or android smartphone. one more way quicken loans is engineered to amaze. ♪ folks here in washington were treated to a remarkable sight this year. the space shuttle "discovery" flying on the back of a jet swooping past the washington monument on its way to its new home at the air and space museum. the shuttle "endeavour" went on a road trip through los angeles to get to the california science center where it's now on display. and now the shuttle "atlantis" is taking its place in history without traveling anywhere. cnn's john zarrella is at the kennedy space center. hey, john. >> reporter: hey, candy. you're right, "atlantis" is really the only one of the shuttles that didn't have to take wing to get to its future museum landing site. "atlantis" in november literally just went ten miles down the road from the vehicle assembly building here to the visitor complex. for the viewers out there saying, where is it? that's it right there behind me. that is "atlantis." and it is completely wrapped in shrink wrap. why is that? because they are building the facility, the museum around the shuttle. so it's quiet here now. but i have to tell you, all day today, the workmen were just hammering and they're putting up scaffolding and they're finishing this up by july when the grand opening will be. in march, they're going to actually unwrap "atlantis" when most of the work will be done then. but you can see it's on a 45-degree angle. that's because it is tilted the exact way that it would be when it flew in space. it's suspended on some giant beams there. 153,000 pounds, the shuttle weighs in the current configuration that it is. and you know it last flew in july of 2011. it was the very last shuttle flight, sts-135, went to the international space station. that was the end of the space shuttle program. on november 2nd, they rolled it out, ten miles from the vehicle assembly building over here to the visitor complex. i'm joined by tim macy. the interesting story about that, that whole wall back there was not there. you actually had to get this vehicle in here and that had to be a trick. >> it was a trick. we knew it was going to work. on paper, it was great. no problem, no worries at all. bull when we came around the corner, that 85-foot whip looked pretty tight. the wings are 82 feet from tip to tip. came around the corner, backed it up a couple of times and it came right up to the spot. >> reporter: but you never had a concern you were going to make it? >> never had a concern. >> reporter: tim, thanks very much for taking time to be with us. one of the things is people are not going to be able to touch it. you're not going to be able to go inside any of the shuttles because they are literally national treasures. there's a walkway down below here. there will be all kinds of interactive exhibits here. the hubble space teleskop mock-up as well. this is a $100 million facility that they're building here. 90,000 square feet. it's going to be fascinating. we're glad we got this opportunity to come in here today. i've seen the shuttle in all kinds of configurations but this is clearly the weirdest. >> first time you've seen one shrink wrapped. >> reporter: no, never. >> thank you so much, john. you get all the good assignments. have a great new year thank you. we're taking a closer look at what will happen if america dives over that fiscal cliff. and if you're a milk lover, brace yourself for a shock at the check out aisle. share everything. share brotherly love. share one up's. mom ? mom ? the share everything plan. lets your family share a pool of data across 10 devices with unlimited talk and text. get a spectrum 2 by lg for $49.99 welcome to chevy's year-end event. so, the 5.3-liter v8 silverado can tow up to 9,600 pounds? 315 horsepower. what's that in reindeer-power? 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>> candy, i heard basically washington boilerplate, keep our fingers crossed, this is going to be a hail mary, but i have no idea how this is going to come out. >> when you hear him say, i've asked for an up-or-down vote, do you hear, there's a possibility or do you hear, uh-oh, this is a guy looking to position himself for after we go over the fiscal cliff? >> well, undoubtedly the president wants to be seen as doing everything he possibly can to avoid going over the cliff. but the chances of avoiding, going over right now are very, very small. mitch mcconnell has to basically cooperate on the senate side and not do any kind of procedural maneuvering and john boehner in the house has got to be willing to put the bill on the floor if it comes over from the senate. and even if a majority of republicans are against it -- and that's asking a very great deal of both of these republican leaders. >> lots of ifs, and or buts in getting a deal. let's talk about not getting a deal for a second. let's say you wake up january 2nd, you live in racine, wisconsin, how is your life going to be changed? >> not dramatically. your social security temporary tax holiday is going to be over regardless. that means the typical family is going to be paying about $1,000 more in 2013. it would happen automatically anyway because it's not part of the fiscal cliff negotiations. your income taxes might go up a little bit. the irs and the treasury department do have some authority, some discretion as to whether they will change the withholding temporarily. i don't think they'll do that unless they have a very, very clear signal from congress that congress in fact is going to extend the bush tax cuts at least up to $250,000. so i think your weekly paycheck may be shaved smaller. i don't think most people are going to notice it. unemployment insurance benefits, if you are unemployed, long-term unemployed, those are going to come to an end. that's going to be a big, big hit for 2 million american families. >> and that was my next question. who will feel it first and the most? i suspect that's long-term unemployed. >> yes, long-term unemployed are going to be feeling it immediately. again, the high-income taxpayers, they will see it. whether they feel it, some of them -- if you're over $1 milli million, you may not feel it at all. but your taxes are going to be up substantially. but they're only going to go back to the bill clinton days. and anybody who remembers the bill clinton days and the bill clinton clinton know that is those taxes were not onerous. they didn't stop the economy from doing quite well. now, on the spending side, the president's proposing really no spending cuts until there is a grand bargain hopefully in january. but without any kind of a bargain at all before then, assuming we do go over the fiscal cliff, then there are going to be substantial cuts in military, contracting -- krirlt contract military contractors are going to feel it almost immediately. and the discretionary spending. that's everything the country does other than the military or social security or medicare. >> so i just want to get one thing straight about the tax rates. that is that the treasury department, if it senses that, yeah, they're going to get a deal here fairly quickly, could say -- can direct how much withholding employers have to take out of paychecks? is that correct? >> yes, that's right, candy. the irs, they're part of the treasury department, they do have authority, they do have discretion to alter those withholding tables. but i don't think they will alter them unless they get an absolutely clear signal from congress that they should be altered. there's no reason for them to play any guesswork. they don't want to be caught three weeks or four weeks or ten weeks into the next fiscal year with revenues being substantially less than they otherwise should be or would be. >> and we talked to "the wall street journal's" steve moore a little while ago and i asked him about the psychological effect if we go off the fiscal cliff. i want you to hear what he said. >> i talk to small businessmen and women all the time. they say, we're not hiring now. we're canceling a lot of our plans to make new expenditures, which you need to do if you want a vibrant economy. and we're really seeing the impact in the stock market the last couple of weeks. so this is not a good way to run a railroad. and the economy is already taking a hit because of all this turmoil in washington. >> you agree with that, that we've already seen the impact of not having a deal to avoid this cliff? >> i don't think we've seen all of the impact. undoubtedly, stephen moore is correct that the stock market is reacting, particularly over the last couple of days. but most people, most institutions, most companies, most consumers assume that there will be some sort of a deal or if there's not a deal, at least by monday, then there will be a deal within the next few days. and i don't think it has really sunk in to most of the players in this economy that there is a small possibility of no deal at all, even no deal retroactively in january. >> on that cheery note, let me thank you for your time. >> i wish i could be more upbeat. i hope you have a good new year, notwithstanding, candy. >> thank you. you as well, sir. thanks for joining us. >> bye-bye. milk lovers could be in for some sticker shock after the first of the year. how about $7 per gallon? a side effect of fiscal cliff negotiations in washington is impacting a lot of other matters. the farm bill expired last year with no measure from congress to replace. one of the protection for farmers that goes away january 1st is the dairy subsidy. that means the price of milk could skyrocket. i brought that up with agriculture secretary tom billsack who says milk prices are just the beginning. in the short term it seems to me the sales job has to be, why does anybody care if there's not a farm bill on january 1st? what will happen to me or my family sitting here in washington, d.c.? >> well, if you like anything made with milk, you're going to be impacted by the fact that there's no farm bill. if there is not an extension of the existing bill or a new bill, basically on january 1st or shortly thereafter, permanent agricultural law goes back into place, 1949 law. which means the federal government will go back in the business of strongly supporting the dairy industry by raising the price support or support for dairy products to $38 a hundred weight. that's double what the price is of milk today. that's going to ramp up so consumers are going to be a bit shocked when instead of seeing $3.60 for milk they see $7 a gallon for milk. that's going to ripple throughout all of the commodities if this thing goes on for an extended period of time. so it impacts consumers. it impacts those of us who are concerned about the energy security of this country because the farm bill contains ways in which we can promote alternative energy sources, ways in which we can create a biofuel industry that's robust and creates consumer choice. for those concerned about exports and the jobs connected in this country to agriculture exports, we lose the potential capacity to promote and market exports without a farm bill. if you're concerned about the ability to provide adequate nutrition and you are a supporter of farmers markets and you want to see an expansion of that, can't do it because there is no farm bill. if you like the idea of expanding habitat opportunities, you like to fish or hunt, your hobby, your vocation, if you will, in that area is also going to be affected by no farm bill because a lot of the conservation programs are not extended or ended. if you're a farm family, obviously you're going to be impacted. across the board, in virtually every aspect of our economy and society, there is an impact and an effect by not having a farm bill. >> secretary vilsack was also the former governor of iowa, told me he also thinks there's no farm bill because rural america is losing power and influence as more of america lives in cities and suburbs. my interview with secretary vilsack this sunday on "state of the union" at 9:00 eastern. might not expect to find launchers turned in at a gun buyback program. but officials aren't batting an eye. >> i don't think anyone should be surprised two rocket launchers were turned in. this is l.a. copd makes it hard to breathe, but with advair, i'm breathing better. so now i can be in the scene. advair is clinically proven to help significantly improve lung function. unlike most copd medications, advair contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator working together to help improve your lung function all day. advair won't replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than twice a day. people with copd taking advair may have a higher chance of pneumonia. advair may increase your risk of osteoporosis and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking advair. if you're still having difficulty breathing, ask your doctor if including advair could help improve your lung function. get your first full prescription free and save on refills at advaircopd.com. officials in los angeles say they have terrifying proof that their gun buyback program was a success. kyung lah is in l.a. what did they find? >> reporter: a lot of weaponry. what we could not find is a police officer who was stunned by this. one of the reasons that they wanted to show off these rocket launchers is that they hope to give americans some pause and some perspective. a rocket launcher, not just one, but two handed over to police in this week's gun buyback day. shocking? not to police who have seen it before. among the roughly 10,000 guns turned in to police by the citizens of los angeles since 2009. >> we look like we're in a third-world nation when you seize all these weapons from individuals and the question you have to ask is, why? >> reporter: these rocket launchers were u.s.-made, owned privately though illegal and turned over to police under the no questions asked buyback. they thankfully had no rockets in them. police also collected 75 assault rifles that people traded in this week for gift cards. >> i don't think anyone should be surprised two rocket launchers were turned in. this is l.a. >> reporter: l.a. and much of america, says aaron cohen, a security expert advising clients around the world. this should be a reality check, he says and a sign of how military weaponry can so easily end up in the wrong hands, like they did in the newtown massacre. >> way too many weapons are out on the streets. it's ridiculous. >> reporter: do you think it's gotten out of hand? >> i think that the system of issuing them has gotten out of hand. and i think we have to look at the entire safety system involved with giving handguns out. >> reporter: gun shows and easy background checks, cohen says, that adds up to an overly armed america. the people who turned in guns, most of them legal, came from all walks of life. >> i have grandchildren and no matter how secure you think your gun is, we've seen what happens. so i decided to turn it in. >> reporter: and so the big question, where on earth did these rocket launchers come from? well, the lapd says no questions asked, part of the reason why their gun buyback is to successful, that no matter what they get in, they will not ask where it came from. candy? >> kyung, handguns are one thing. rocket launchers or something else -- has this ever happened before? >> reporter: you know, we spoke to the gun division. and the officers there say this is the fifth one that they've gotten since 2009. the fifth one that people have handed over willingly. so they believe that there are more out there. and something else, another number that i actually find more stunning than five rocket launchers since 2009, is that there are approximately -- and these are estimates -- approximately 8 million guns in the city of los angeles. >> that's a lot of guns. kyung lah, thank you so much. appreciate the story. russian president vladimir putin has signed a controversial bill barring americans from adopting russian children. the new law is heartbreaking for hundreds of families in the adoption process. the move is seen as retaliation for a law president obama signed this month imposing travel and financial restrictions on human rights abusers in russia. i talked about the new ban with lee allen who adopted two boys from russia in 1999. >> when we talk about the families, it's so important to remember that these are kids we're talking about. these are not political pawns. >> these are little children in institutions at this point. >> babies. >> so you have your two boys here and they're beautiful. we have them in the studio here. have you talked to them about this? are they aware of this? what are they saying? >> well, my guys have grown up here in america. they're very proud of your heritage, being russian. but they're also thriving in america. they're athletes. they're getting a great education. they are -- they're just wonderful young men, absolutely wonderful. and i just can't help but think of what would have happened to them had they stayed in an orphanage in russia. the very best orphanage in russia can't compare to a home, to a family. >> anywhere. and a family that wants them. >> absolutely. >> and you had met your sons -- >> well, i had met them on video. i had gotten a video and they had become mine. they were in my heart already. i just wanted to scoop them up. and when the ban came, the mor tarm ca moratorium came, we didn't know it wasn't temporary. it was devastating. i can't imagine these kids who have met their families -- >> the families have been over there and met these kids. >> they're dreaming about their mom, dad, brother, sister. and now they are going to have to wake up from the dream and realize they're still in the nightmare of a russian orphanage. >> and is there something that can be done that you see that's an easy fix here? to me, it must be the most helpless feeling. here's a child you consider your child and they're caught up in something so far above your pay scale and there's nothing you can do. >> governments and publics are so big. and the families are so small. and the children are so tiny, that it is. it is a very helpless feeling. but there are very, very dedicated people in the government and in nongovernment organizations that are working to make this go away. and we're very optimistic and very hopeful that president putin somehow will become a hero to these kids. >> groups such as amnesty international oppose the ban. the state department says it deeply regrets the new law. going out front on today's white house fiscal cliff meeting, john avlon is sitting in for erin burnett tonight. what have you got? >> we have congressman steve laterett. and allegations of abuse right next to the pentagon. it's disturbing and fascinating. >> sounds like a great show, john. you never know what will happen when anderson cooper and kathy griffin ring in the new year on cnn. they'll give us a preview. and i asked kathy about her obsession with a certain bearded are cnn news anchor. 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[ male announcer ] zyrtec-d®. behind the pharmacy counter. no prescription needed. just an update here on the state of play for those fiscal cliff talks which are now basically taking place between two men, senator reid who is the majority leader, the democratic leader in the senate, and mitch mcconnell, who is the republican leader in the senate. now, what we are hearing from the senate majority leader in a statement he just put out is that he is preparing a bill that he will be ready to put up for a vote monday. and what it will do is prevent a tax hike on middle class families and that is defined by the white house and others as anyone making up to $250,000. it will also include provisions that the president said he wanted, among them, extensions for long-term unemployed. so what we have here is senator reid saying, if i don't get a deal with senator mcconnell between now and monday, i've got a bill that i'm ready to put on the senate floor. so that is where we are now. we now want to move on to some of the headlines in the news. t brutal sexual attack sparked passionate protests across i believed yeah. she has died. lisa sylvester is here with that and more. >> tragic story. the 23-year-old woman who suffered a gang rape and severe injuries on a new delhi bus two weeks ago died a short while ago at a singapore hospital. earlier they said she was experiencing organ failure. her attack led to mass protests across india. where such cases have increased drastically the last 40 years. the death toll rises in syria. russia has invited the head of the government for talks in spite of nations that recognize the national coalition as the country's legitimate representative, over president bashar al assad. a florida man has pleaded guilty to smuggling dinosaur fossils into the united states. federal prosecutors use these skeletons as evidence in the case. the accused importing a 70 million-year-old bones of a dinosaur from mongolia. he faces up to ten years in prison. how does he even get that stuff into the united states? it's not like you can sneak it into your suitcase. >> lisa, i appreciate it. anderson cooper and kathy griffin are preparing to host their annual new year's eve bash on cnn. we don't know how much they're preparing, they tend to be unscripted to put it mildly, take a listen. kathy, i know somebody tells me, i'm not sure this is true, somebody tells me you're obsessed with wolf blitzerer. yet every year it's me talking to you guys. do you take it personally? do you think there's something to this? >> i think wolf is wise to stay away from kathy griffin. i once -- i don't know if you know this story, candy. i lent -- kathy griffin once skad to come to me house in long island. like a nice guy i sent her a guy, she wanted to go there a day in advance. >> to clean up the place. >> just to go -- first of all, she arrived, she was terribly disappointed,think she thought it was going to be like the house in downto know abby. >> the chef never arrived. >> there is no chef. anyway. she arrives. and while time on the news that night, during commercial breaks i'm receiving tweets. not even tweets. text messages from her. >> sexts. >> she's sending naked pictures of herself sprawled on my couch, drape the over the kitchen counter. >> i think candy has done that on a daily base sister. >> i had to get a wet vac and cleaning crew in there for a week. >> moving this conversation along. >> candy, put your shirt back on, this is embarrassing. >> okay. um -- i said, why don't you ask anderson lwhat i sexted him on election night? >> sexy messages for david gergen. >> top that, crowley. >> usually i can follow up really well but there's no place to go after sexting david ger den. >> the embarrassing thing is i showed david the messages, she was pressuring me. >> he finds me attractive. >> and hpd? >> he got red in the face. >> so what you're -- >> start at the beginning. >> when you're on the air live, let's say, on new year's eve, for instance, anderson, who gets more worried, you or kathy, about what the other one going to say? >> i'm the only one who's worried. >> i have no worried whatsoever. >> that's a disadvantage, anders anderson. >> i think kathy with each year has a growing sense of empowerment. the first year she was a little, you know -- she was only on for a brief --py is was timid. >> exactly. last year she stripped. the year before that she used curse words. the year before that she told some poor person in the crowd -- i can't say what she told the person. >> i believe there was one year you called me the day before, "girl, i just got back from jalalabad, you're going to have to take this one." >> true story, anderson? >> i don't think i said girl, i don't think it was jalalabad. >> one of the bads. >> i just got back from somewhere, i'm exhausted, you're going to have to carry this one, i might have said that. >> be careful what you ask for. >> every year he's said that to me. >> there will be lots more where that came from, monday night, cnn's new year's over live with anderson cooper and kathy griffin starts at 10:00 p.m. eastern from times square. i knew you'd come. like i could stay away. you know i can't do this without you. you'll never have to. you're always there for me. shh! i'll get you a rental car. i could also use an umbrella. fall in love with progressive's claims service. meet the 5-passenger ford c-max hybrid. when you're carrying a lot of weight, c-max has a nice little trait, you see, c-max helps you load your freight, with its foot-activated lift gate. but that's not all you'll see, cause c-max also beats prius v, with better mpg. say hi to the all-new 47 combined mpg c-max hybrid. it's lots of things. all waking up. ♪ becoming part of the global phenomenon we call the internet of everything. ♪ trees will talk to networks will talk to scientists about climate change. cars will talk to road sensors will talk to stoplights about traffic efficiency. the ambulance will talk to patient records will talk to doctors about saving lives. it's going to be amazing. and exciting. and maybe, most remarkably, not that far away. the next big thing? 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[ male announcer ] now all you need is a magic carriage. citi price rewind. start saving at citi.com/pricerewind. something you've always wondered, what happens when you put a dog behind the wheel? here's one of jeanne moos' most popular reports of 2012. >> reporter: sniff this. dogs giving up the back seat for the driver's seat. >> just when you thought you've seen it all. >> reporter: and soon we'd all seen it. video of three dogs at an spca branch in new zealand being taught to shift gears -- >> good! >> reporter: and steer. >> clever boy! >> reporter: first on carts, then on actual cars with the controls modified for doggie legs. >> a! >> reporter: "a" is the command for accelerate. >> good boy! >> reporter: just months ago the idea of a dog driving was considered a joke. a gag subaru used to advertise cars. and remember those old snl bits? let's hope the new zealand dogs -- >> look out! >> reporter: do better than the driving cat did. the motorist mutts were celebrated by gawker, "dog drives man." "finally, dogs who chase cars will have something to do once theyat
New-yorkUnited-statesMoscowMoskvaRussiaMongoliaGermanyTexasIranNew-delhiDelhiIndia >> they are trying to find a last minute compromise to keep us from going over the fiscal cliff, respect senator olympia snowe is saying that it's a bigger sign of a bigger crisis. >> what is deeply troubling is you cannot get congress and the president to reach any agreement on anything. >> the latest on the fiscal cliff negotiations in a few minutes. a 31-year-old woman has been charged with second degree murder as a hate crime in connection with a subway death in new york city. they identified the woman as erica ericamenendez in new york. the victim was a store owner and graphic designer. witnesses described a womani pacing the platform and talking to herself before pushing the victim on the tracks as a train entered the stadium. the video shows a woman running from the scene. a airliner smashed into a highway in russia. four of the crew were killed, no passengers were on board and no one on the highway was injured. it was arriving when it over shot the run way. a lot of celebrating early this morning in portland, maine, the first same sex couple said i do under a new state law that took effect at midnight. they said it's surreal. maine, maryland and washington state all approved same-sex last month. gay marriage was legal in d.c. and six other states. >> heart breaking news for american families waiting to adopt a child from russia. president putin has signed into law that americans cannot adopt russian children. it's said to be retaliation. in a few minutes we will talk about an atlanta family who are midway through the adoption process and are praying for a miracle. across india today, a nationwide protest took a new heart breaking direction, people across the country are out in angry droves calling for justice in the wake of a brutal gang rape, and then word spread that a victim, a 23-year-old woman died in the hospital. brought rapes have happened before, and a lot of change needs to take place for us to feel optimistic, i think, we have to firstly consider how we treat women from the day they are born. how girl children are treated. it's a societal change that needs to take place, not more police or better laws or better implementation, all of it has to happen, but people have to look at girl children as equal to boy children. >> six men were being held on rape charges and now are charged with murder. this woman is under arrest, they say dawn wynn supplied weapons to a gunman that ambushed and killed firefighters. he shot the firefighters as they responded to a fire christmas eve, and the shooter then committed suicide. a turn for the better for former president george h. w. bush, he is in a regular room in a hospital out of intensive care in houston. let's go for the update. paul, what you do know? >> well, don, i talked to a bush spokesman and they said the news is great and wonderful, as you pointed out, he is out of intensive care, and his spirits were lifted tremendously yesterday when he was serenaded by his long time friends the oakridge boys. the call was put out, they have been part of many celebrations for the bushes and in this instance they were all on vacation and they rallied together and got together in their nashville office and sang to him, with not just one but two songs, elvira and amazing grace. let's listen. >> let's do this one for you, you will remember this one. here we go. >>. ♪ amazing grace ♪ how sweet the sound ♪ that saved a wretch -- >> in a moment of levity one of the oakridge boys said, can you hear us? and he said quite clearly and everyone laughed. his mood has been characterized as positive, he has not lost his sense of humor. he is speaking with clarity. he is out of intensive care, but no word yet on when he will be released from a houston hospital. >> sense of humor always good news. lawmakers staring down the deadline before we go over the fiscal cliff, they are trying to reach a deal on capitol hill. beautiful night in washington, recently compromise has ban dirty word in washington. so will the politicians ever see eye to eye? yes ka has more on the negotiations and where they stand right now. don, in washington, there's hope a deal can be cut in time to avert the fiscal cliff. on saturday, the president was at work here in the white house, but all eyes were on the senate where negotiators were trading deal points in trying to reach an agreement. any bipartisan bill has to include a extension of unemployment benefits that would effect 2 million americans and an increase for taxes for the highest income workers. now, while that. negotiation is continuing, the president has asked senate majority leader, harry reed to prepare an alternative bill to have ready to put on the senate floor as early as sunday. that bill would raise taxes on households that earn $250,000 or more. that is a democratic proposal and you can expect that republicans would block it, so think of that less as a stop gap measure and more as a political move to sthift the failure of responsibility to the republicans just as the nation approaches the hour of republic -- the hour of reckoning. >> the nation's capitol could see snow of 3-5 inches tonight. washington not alone, these pictures are from indiana, they are see issing more snow than the blizzard that hit earlier this week across the northeast. winter watches and warnings are in effect some areas of eastern massachusetts are getting blasted with more than 8 inches of snow. heart break for dozens of american families in the final stages of adopting a child from russia, a new law in the country bans adoption by americans, next we will talk abowith the family praying for a miracle. 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[ male announcer ] stop the uh-oh fast with kaopectate. remark able news on a story i told you about at 5:00, we had just been told that teresa nash, the mother of two missing georgia boys has been contacted by her sons. after our interview, the boys apparently called her and told her they were in austin texas. she made her plea right here on our show. >> the children, please call mommy, you know my phone number, i have taught you how to do it, if daddy doesn't have a phone, you can ask anybody you see, everybody you see has a phone, you can ask anybody, remember my number and call mommy's number, you can ask people in stores. you can ask people in the gas station, you can ask people anywhere you see, you need to call mommy and, and have a phone, they will help you. anybody will help you. call mommy. >> joining me now on the phone is holly. >> don. this is what it's all about, my friend. >> yeah. >> this is what it's all about. >> she is on the phone with them now and she said that she is going to call us whenever she gets a minute. you can certainly understand that she is taking other own sweet time with the boys. what happened? >> oh, yes, well, you know, her boys are really smart. they are intelligent. they are with a father who loves them, don, and she was very clear about that. but she misses them and it's time for them to come home and so either they saw the program or their dad saw the program and allowed them to phone home, we don't know all the details but we do know that they are alive and well. and they are talking to their sweet mother right now who has been missing them so much these last couple of days. so once she has the opportunity to tell them meryy christmas and she loves them and happy birthday. this is a little one's eighth birthday, can you imagine a better birthday present, don? >> holly, you have been involved with this family, you helped the mother get on our program. and i'm sorry. i can't help it. >> i know. >> it's so amazing. it's christmas time, you could feel her in the studio. you were sitting here, she was in so much pain, clutching the teddy bears and you know, it's so interesting, holly, yesterday discussing whether or not to do the story, because we are a national news organization and we said it's an amber alert, and we started to discuss it and say, you know what? no, let's put the story on television. >> because they could be anywhere. and we know, like i said, we know that they were seen in the walmart in tennessee, so they have gone from georgia to tennessee, they could be anywhere and now we are hearing they are in texas. and don, what a wonderful holiday surprise for those of us in the media who normally report on the saddened of things to be able to use our vehicle, our media for a positive thing to bring these little boys back to their mom so she can hear their voice and wish them happy birthday. i mean, that has to be what we do in a very positive way. so this is wonderful news. wonderful. and i'm just thrilled to have been able to be a part of it and help get that reout there and reunite the little boys and hopefully she can hug them soon and not just talk to them on the phone. >> holly, thanks for helping us get in contact with her and thank you for sharing the story with the viewers. appreciate it. >> my pleasure. my pleasure. thank you for covering it, don. >> keep us updated. >> we will. absolutely. those little boys are fans of yours, by the way, don lemon, they know who you are. when they come home, they want to meet you and get a autographed picture. >> holly, i cannot take anymore, thank you, thank you. we will be right back. ♪ everybody well don't you know it's me now? ♪ ♪ yeah who's it, who's it huh? ♪ ♪ willy's back with a brand new beat now, ♪ ♪ yeah doin' it doin' it up! ♪ heyyy yeah, tryin' to bite my style! ♪ ♪ heyyy yeah, how you like me now? ♪ ♪ na na na na na na na na ♪ and everybody go uh! >> heart breaking news for hundreds of americans trying to adopt russian children. the brakes have been put on any current or future adoptions. many of the families were in the middle of the process. and the kids will be staying in russia. the ban is considered a pay back of sorts for an american law passed two weeks ago, that law puts financial restrictions of russians accused of human rights violations and bans them from coming to the u.s. well the state department said that there were 970 adoptions last year. china and ethiopia had more. and a little more than 1700 from ethiopia, a big reason americans adopt from other countries is the amount of children available. i will bring in the adoptive parents of a russian child, and was planning to adopt a second child from russia. kurt and ann, sorry i'm emotional right now. >> we understand. >> how far did you go in the adoption process? >> well, for this one, we have been working on it for about a year, and we were waiting for our invitation to travel over to be matched with a child. >> and? >> now, it looks like it's coming to a screeching halt? >> and i said you want your little nugget and you said you want your second one. right? >> yeah, we have one at home, we had such a great experience with our first russian adoption. we were in st. petersburg and the process was about nine months from the start of paperwork and the paperwork is tremendous. it really is. the parents go through a lot, from the fingerprinting to the background checks to local russian requirements, so, it's just a great process. and we were hopeful to do it again. >> how did you feel when you heard about this ban? i mean, obviously it was crushing. >> it is. >> and it came out of nowhere, literally we got a warning from the agency on the 17th or 18th that there were rumors going around that this ban may be put through. but in ten days it passes. we had no idea it was going to fly through like that. >> so what are the russian officials telling you, kurt? >> i have been in contact with the u.s. senator and he has been in contact with state, we are seeing if there's any way that through the russian and american adoption agreement that was ratified on november 1st, that if there's any way that the 1500 families that are in process of adoption at present can be cleared through. even though the russians have put in place the ban effective jan 1st, we are hoping the implementation of the law will provide us and other families the ability to finish the process. >> this is a quote, the russian's government politically motivated decision will reviews adoption poblg it is for children who are now under institutional care. we are further concerned about statements that adoptions already underway may be stopped and hope that the russian government would with allow those children who have already met and bonded with their furp parent to finish the necessary legal procedures so they can join their families. so, you are hearing from the u.s. officials but not much? >> i don't know that they have gotten through with the rsh an officials figuring out how they are going to implement the law yet. it's so new still. maybe in the next week or two. >> who surfa-- who suffers here? >> even, we may have to step back and say, okay, that is -- so much for that dream. but the families who have already met the kids and held them and created bedrooms and collected toys, i don't understand how they can be put through that kind of a nightmare and our hearts go out to them. and the children raised in institutions, it's just not the same as having a mom and dad or even just a mom or a dad. no matter how your family is built. having that secure, stable environment. >> what do you say to pew tin? -- putin? >> i would say we ha've complie we have been visited by social workers, we send pictures, they get to russia. and he is a healthy, happy boy. we are ordinary adoptive parents that represent 60,000 other couples that have brought home kids from russia. we are hopeful that president putin as a father, he will realize that anyone in process, give these people their babies. >> will you keep us updated? >> we will. >> thank you so much. okay, coming up, many in los angeles were relieved to get some guns off the street during a gun buyback, but did anyone expect this? rocket launchers? launchers, not one but two, that and next. who do you think i am, quicken loans? ♪ at quicken loans, our amazingly useful mortgage calculator app allows you to quickly calculate your mortgage payment based on today's incredibly low interest rates... right from your iphone or android smartphone. one more way quicken loans is engineered to amaze. ♪ it's lots of things. all waking up. connecting to the global phenomenon we call the internet of everything. ♪ it's going to be amazing. and exciting. and maybe, most remarkably, not that far away. we're going to wake the world up. and watch, with eyes wide, as it gets to work. cisco. tomorrow starts here. anyone have occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating? yeah. one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these digestive issues with three strains of good bacteria. approved! [ female announcer ] live the regular life. phillips'. >> los angeles police did not know what would happen when they held a gun buyback this week, there were plenty of handguns and assault rifles, but those were not the real eye openers, look at the weapons that stunned even veteran police officers. >> a rocket launcher, not just one by two handed over to police in the buy back day. shocking? not to police who have seen it before. among the roughly 10,000 guns turned into the police by the citizens of los angeles since 2009. >> we look like we are a third world nation when you seize all the weapons from individuals and the question you have to ask is why. >> these rocket launchers were turned over to police under the new questions asked byeback, they had no rockets in them. police also collected 75 assault rifles that people traded in this week for gift cards. >> i don't think that anyone should be surprised two rocket launchers should be turned in. this is l.a. >> l.a. and much of america said aaron cohen. he said this should be a reality check. he said, and a sign of how military style weaponry can so easily end up in the wrong happeneds like they did in the newtown massacre. >> the type of weapons that were brought in, the 75 assault rifles and the two rocket launchers, it's ridiculous. >> you think it's out of hand? >> i you think that the suspect of issuing them has gotten out of hand. and i think we have, again, have to look at the entire safety system involved with giving handguns out. >> gun shows and easy background checks, cohen said that adds you up to an overly armed america. the people who turned in guns, most of them legal came from all walks of life. >> i have grandchildren and kno matter how secure you think your gun is, you see what can happen, i decided to turn it in. >> where did the rocket launcher come from? the l.a.p.d. said it does not know, and it doesn't ask which is why the program is success canful. and why people are willing to turn in things like rocket launchers. cnn los angeles. just about not quite but half past the hour, let's look at the headlines. lawmakers on capitol hill are trying to put the brakes on before we with fly over the fiscal cliff. democrats and republicans are working towards a compromise, on friday, president obama said he was optimistic, but still no deal and the deadline is three days away. george h. w. bush, out of intensive care and in a regular room at a houston hospital. the 88-year-old has been in the hospital for more than a month, he was admitted for bronchitis and has been battling a fever lately. mr. bush is said to be in good spirits singing with doctors and nurses. he got a phone call from the oakridge boys who sang "amazing grace." in syria, an alarming number of people died outside the city of homs, syrian forces won a battle for control there and people were executed. in all, across the country, more than 380 people were killed today in fighting, bombings and air strikes. a russian airliner slid off of a run way and smashed into a highway outside of moscow today, 4 of the 8 crew members were killed as the plane splintered into three pieces no passengers on board and no one on the highway was injured. the jet, about as big as a 757 was run by the russian airliner, red wings and was landing when it over shot the run way. we are just getting information about a small plane crash in san diego county, california, all three people on the craft are believed to be dead. a hiker first reported the crash and now federal investigators are there, the area where it went down is fairly remote. the plane was a homemade one from a kit. it's white knuckle time in washington. we could go flying over the fiscal cliff in three days. and to find a solution, lawmakers have to do the thing they seem to hate most. they have to compromise. we are tracking negotiations. >> don, the stakes are very high, and i think leaders are paying close attention to. that even the weather was different. a beautiful snowfall hit the capitol this morning the. that is what the weather was like as mitch mcconnell came to work in trying to reach a deal. if you cannot forge a deal with democrats, here is what is at stake. let's look first of all at what is involved in talks. at the top of the list, tax rates, if we go over the fiscal cliff, tax rates will go up 9-33% for most all americans. now, that would also mean havoc for payroll companies and the irs that have to struggle how to handle withholding starting on january 1st and unemployment benefits. those ran out today. so that is something that republicans and democrats we understand are talking about right now. so, what else is at stake in the fiscal cliff? let's look at the other issues, things that we are not sure will be in a deal that comes out this week. at the top of the list, government spending cuts that is 8-10% in cuts to every federal agency. and a pay cut for medicare doctors of 27% that would hit after january 1st and finally, don, there's a slew of other tax hikes. the minimum tax and the estate tax. that is everything that would hit average americans. the fiscal cliff, it may be bigger than people realize. don? >> lisa, thank you very much. a lot of us would like to tell lawmakers what we think of them. here is your chance right now, go to our ireport.com and start a message and we will play them to congress on air. it's murder charges now for a new york city woman who we are told has confessed to pushing a man in the subway track to his death. these details are new and we are still gathering information. there is david, he is in new york. david, what has this woman confessed? >> she seems to have confessed to a hate crime, don, she has been charged with second degree murder in the case of this man who was pushed off the subway platform in queens on thursday. and the queens district attorney's office released this statement. it was a quote from her saying i pushed a muslim off the tracks, ever since they put down the twin towers i've been beating them up. this adds a twist to the case that riled new york. this is the second incident that has occurred at subway tracks in which somebody was killed and put to their death underneath the cars in the last month. the past one happened in the beginning part of the month in times square. that individual was charged, it seems we now have a second person just in the month of december, and this time they are being charged with a hate crime. don? >> and you know, david, i am in new york off and on, between here and i'm afraid to go close to the tracks now. most people look to see if the train is coming. new yorkers are not doing that so much these days, are they? >> well, there's a yellow line, as you know, that is in front of the tracks. and you know, when that train comes, there's the few people that look over and see when the train is coming. in a city of 8 million people and so many of those people take the subways every day, when you have two deaths by someone who pushed them, it creates a sense of fear and anxiety of those people using the subway system. that this could really occur out of nowhere and then, you know, there was no indication of any interaction between the two individuals, prior to this incident. this woman was sitting down. rushed over and pushed this man into the tracks just as the train approached and then left. and the fact that there was no altercation, or any incident of any fight or disturbance, really raises questions and raises anxieties in people who take the subway every day. >> thank you, david, appreciate it. you know that classic holiday song, baby it's cold outside? that is pretty much describing the weather across the country right now and it's getting worse. on the second official day of winter another winter mix is making its way up the east coast. meteorologist bonnie schneider tells us what to look out for. bonnie? >> hi, don, we are watching for a big snow maker across parts of southeastern massachusetts and into rhode island, today and tonight, earlier this morning the snow came down heavy and hard in washington, d.c., briefly. we saw big white fluffy flakes outside of the white house and the capitol and we saw the snow move into new york city in the early afternoon hours. the snow was pretty on saturday, but as we move into the evening hours of tonight, of course we are looking at the snow to even accumulate more, and for areas in the northeast, this is going to be heavy snow and substantial. now, the latest models are taking us to a foot in parts of connecticut and rhode island. so this is going to be plowable, shovelable snow early in the morning as this low pressure center works its way up across new england. it is getting closer to the coast than the original path indicated, because of the westward track we are looking for heavier bands of snow as far north as coastal maine, you are likely to see accumulations of up to a foot of snow by sunday morning. tracking the low, one of the things it will do is bomb out and what that means is as it's off shore, the low pressure center will deepen and strengthen tonight, that will enhance the winds and increase the snowfall rates. meaning tonight into parts of massachusetts, you will be seeing the snow come down one to two inches per hour. that will limit visibility and make travel treacherous to the overnight and early morning hours. by the time we get to sunday morning, the snow moves off the coast of maine. we will see the heavy snow with on the border of canada. it's looking to be a short storm, but a big burst of snow. right in the region, south of boston. it's a good idea to stay inside tonight, build a fire and let the storm pass. don? >> all right, thank you, bonnie. good advice. it was a year that put houstony-boo-boo on -- honey boo-boo on tv. >> it started with a kiss between new york city mayor michael bloomburg and lady gaga and ended with binders full of women. we are talking about the most memorable or unusual moments of 2012, what better way to look back than by bringing in a favorite comedian ben. a lot of topics, thank you for coming in. >> thank you for is having me. >> that is a nice ipad mini, can i get one? >> i got it from chelsea handler. >> what stood out to you? >> with bloomburg and gaga making out, no wonder thought the end of the world was coming. and pink slime, and filled with ammonia. and it still did not kill all the e. coli in it. so it was a bonus that they threw in. very weird, and lance armstrong of course he was cheating and giving his whole team blood transfusions during hotel rooms and with races. lance is a vampire, and women love vampires so that is probably why he got sherrill crow. i mean it was the wierdest year possible. and occupy wall street, until honey boo-bo came along. >> i do not get it. >> she is a train wreck. there's less issues involved, you do not have to know anything about politics to follow boo-boo. >> and she is making money for her family, and they will do well because of her. >> her mom is eating most of it. >> it was a big political year. on both sides of the aisle. not a couple, do you remember when the primaries, we have all the republican candidates in there from herman cain to michelle balkman to rick perry. >> and perry did not remember any of his policies whatsoever, that hurt him. then got down to the two of them and romney was the first candidate taken down by technology. >> yeah. >> hidden camera video captures him saying he does not care about the half of the country and it's not his job to be concern concerned about them, he was on unconcerned that he did not care that there were part of the 47% in the room. >> honey boo and jersey shore were at the top of the lift. >> jersey shore had to be cancelled by mtv because actual stories in politics were far sexier. cia, sex scandal, secret service, prostitutes in columbia, they hung it up with the jersey shore. and. >> snooki is a mom, when the show first started that is a thing that you never thought would happen. >> no, i'm not a mother, i don't know why i said a mother, i'm not a father either. i'm a responsible adult, snooki was getting wild drunk a month before getting pregnant. >> the end of the world didn't happen. >> no, i was disappointed. i called last week on earth and i was gambling that the world would end. it's a weird thing when people were hoping that the world was going to end. they were like do you want to go to the end of the world party and i was like no, itrying to hope it does not end. >> it's our fault that everyone knows about these things. it's not like politics was that much different this year. donald trump tries to compete with the reality show nonsense, he has big news, right before the election and we are like what? he is like well, it's not big news, i will give the president lots of money if he shows us the college transcript. makes no sense. i cannot prove he was born here, but you will agree that he did not do well in studioeys. >> can you do his hair? >> can i get makeup to make me orange and look like a racoon expired on top of my head. >> you are done. good seeing you. >> happy new year to you. since i've lost weight i have so much more energy than i used to, when i'm out with my kids, my daughter's like, "mom, wait up!" and i'm thinking, "shouldn't you have more energy than me? you're, like, eight!" [ male announcer ] for every 2 pounds you lose through diet and exercise alli can help you lose one more by blocking some of the fat you eat. simple. effective. advantage: mom. let's fight fat with alli. have a healthier holiday at letsfightholidayfat.com. >> overseas a group of men that were charged with a brutal rape of a woman, have now been charged with murder. people all over the country are demanding justice and action. >> her identity is a secret but the indian public has given her a name, brave heart and thousands of people across the country are taking to the streets to mark this young girl's death. >> we are speechless about what happened with the girl. >> her brutal gang rape has shaken india and triggered an out pouring of anger and grief. anger that the system hasletts its women down. they say, delhi is not a safe place for women. >> common people like us have come out, who do not normally go out to protest. we feel strongly, we feel we are not safe, nobody is safe in the city anymore and we do not see the government thinking it's an issue. safety is the first thing you a sure to a citizen. >> this is not the first time a rape case has been reported, but it has become a lightening rod with india. the protesters say enough is enough. >> the brew tality of this crime, and the way it has been handled, the kind of insensitive treatment that some of the at the same times that the politicians and the people have made, ensure that not only me, but everyone has come out to see that this is not done. and we are not okay with this. they want to see the government take concrete steps dress the concerns. -- to address the concerns. >> you need to have special courts when it's not open to the public, i think that is still a provision, but you need to have more courts and better hearings and stronger systems. it's no longer about one girl or one particular rape case. it's about india's attitude toward its women and about making sure that brave heart did not die in vain. >> a 26-year-old marine is going to brave the elements, climb a mountain in what is called the home of the world's worst weather. and he will do it with one leg. he talks to me next. ♪ everybody well don't you know it's me now? ♪ ♪ yeah who's it, who's it huh? ♪ ♪ willy's back with a brand new beat now, ♪ ♪ yeah doin' it doin' it up! ♪ heyyy yeah, tryin' to bite my style! ♪ ♪ heyyy yeah, how you like me now? ♪ ♪ na na na na na na na na ♪ and everybody go uh! so locals call it the home of the world's worst weather -- mount washington, new hampshire. this man is going to climb the steepest, most treacherous route. he lost his left leg after an ied blast in iraq. shrapnel ripped through the muscle, nerve and bone of his left leg and he suffered a traumatic brain injury. he needed six surgery to be stabilize and he was told he would never walk again without a cane. well a lot of what they said about you didn't necessarily happen. before we talk about what you're going to do, thank you for your service. we appreciate it. >> thank you very much. >> we were talking, you know, i've been able to become good friends with a wounded warrior from the wounded warrior project, dan evans. and went on a bit of a surfing trip with him in hawaii. it's amazing. wounded warriors don't want people to feel sorry for them. >> no, absolutely not. you know, the way i see it is that someone's always got it 10 times worse than me, you know? i feel with that attitude, it makes you not feel sorry for yourself. i'm lucky and i'm grateful for having this opportunity again. >> is this a catalyst for you to be bowler and do and try things like this? >> yeah, i think so. that's one of the reasons why we chose mount washington for our first climb is, you know, there's a lot of unknown. you know, that factor is one of the ones that we never know, you know? and i feel it has made me a lot bolder, the injury. and overcoming on stack. le s. that's one of the things we hope to accomplish during this climb, as well as the main thing is to raise money for the special operations warrior foundation. >> special operations warrior foundation, is that a dot-com is there a website? >> you can donate directly to them through the website, asenseofhonor.org. that's our website where you can follow the climbs and such. >> have you seen the weather conditions. have you scared? weather conditions are wind chill of 25 below. >> you know, that's one of the things that makes this climb unique is that it's in our own backyard, inexpensive, but at the same point, the elements could work out for us or they could be extremely harsh. i think that's one of the things the military prepares you for, you know, when things get really difficult, you know, that's the time where you have to turn it on and overcome. and i think that's one of the biggest things for mount washington that drew us to that for our first climb. >> why take on this challenge? why do this? >> because, you know, climbing itself has given me an outlet. you know, coming out of the military, i missed it terribly and having a sense of purpose, which i think that is the biggest thing. through these climbs, i can have that sense of purpose. i can help my friends who are no longer with us. the ones who are still joo you ared, who are still dealing very hardly and rehabilitating themselves. through the special operations warrior foundation, we can give back and inspire and, you know, help out the children of these fallen special operations personnel. >> tell people a little bit about your trek. includes 700 feet vertical ice climbing with axes. it's not the first challenge that you've taken since you lost your leg. and i want to know what's next for you? what are you going to do next? >> well, floug this, we're going to do a series of climbs. for me, i would like to go with this as far as i can and raise as much money, you know, as possible. but i think our next big winter climb next year will be in ecuador. but i know for me, i would like to do denali in alaska. so there's a couple of big mountains that we're looking to do. and keep inspiring and raising money for this great foundation. >> keith, you're amazing, you're a hero, a wounded warrior. obviously you're a hero. happy holidays, happy new year's to you. >> it was the oddest story of 2012, the lengths one man went to to have a little bit more than the memory of his late beloved bet. next. i think your friends will understand. oh no, it's actually my geico app...see? ...i just uh paid my bill. did you really? from the plane? yeah, i can manage my policy, get roadside assistance, pretty much access geico 24/7. sounds a little too good to be true sir. i'll believe that when pigs fly. ok, did she seriously just say that? geico. just click away with our free mobile app. it's lots of things. all waking up. connecting to the global phenomenon we call the internet of everything. ♪ it's going to be amazing. and exciting. and maybe, most remarkably, not that far away. we're going to wake the world up. and watch, with eyes wide, as it gets to work. cisco. tomorrow starts here. we replaced people with a machine.r, what? customers didn't like it. so why do banks do it? hello? hello?! if your bank doesn't let you talk to a real person 24/7, you need an ally. hello? ally bank. your money needs an ally. are. >> here in the uae, the new year tradition begins with a bang. the world's tallest blilding, happy new year from cnn and abu dabi. >> a bizarre tribute to a beloved cat. here's jeanne moos. >> liftoff for the cat continuer. a helicopter made out of a dead cat? no wonder jaws drop? >> i think they should let the cat rest in peace. that's crazy. >> but the cat's owner considers this a tribute. >> i really love this cat and for me, this is a way to actually make him eternal. >> his name is orville. he and his brother orvilneville named after the wright brothers. so after he was hit by a car, he made him into a hecht. >> probably the scariest thing i've seen in my life. >> half cat, half machine he calls it. the orville continuer. there's a propeller attached to each paw. what was striking during our skype conversation -- those eyes? >> they're glass, by the way. with. >> it almost looks leak an animal is being tortured. i think it's his own damn business. h the animal is dead. >> johnsson says cats dream of chasing birds. just look at tom in the tom and jerry cartoons. with johnsson says orville used to lie
AlaskaUnited-statesChinaCaliforniaSyriaRussiaWashingtonDistrict-of-columbiaEthiopiaConnecticutIndiaMassachusetts flol advice. we'll get you taper ready. first to sue at the nyse. >> and gary comiskey and kenny have started the conversation. they'll join nous a second. we start out with two major corporate titans two members of the dow and both stories from washington state. boeing shares hitting an all-time high as it gets ready to make the first flight of the next generation of dreamliner. ty mentioned we will bring that to you live. microsoft announcing a huge stock buyback and boosting its dividend. john fortt is all over microsoft but we'll begin with phil lebeau live at boeing's big event in washington. >> hey sue. ten to 15 minutes away from the dash 9 making its first flight here outside of boeing's assembly plant in everette, washington. to bring you up to speed at what the 787-9 is about, a larger version of the dreamliner. it carries about 40 more passengers. the first flight is scheduled to last about five hours. they're going to go out over the coast for a while and swing back over moses lake to the east of seattle before touching down here in seattle. the dreamliner carries about 40 more passengers, able to fly further and ray conner, the ceo and president of boeing commercial airplanes believes this is the key plane entering the sweet spot of the market for boeing. >> it's a real ultralong range markets for the airline. the 787-8 is kind of the path finder, that opens up the markets. this airplane with the more capacity and longer range will fill in behind it and pick up as the airlines start to increase the loads in the traffic. >> so how many dreamliners have been built and delivered? 84 have been delivered. they're being flown by 14 airlines around the world. orders year-to-date, 88. remember, three of the last four years boeing did not have an increase in dreamliner orders and the backlog, 852 that stretches out well into the end of this decade. 40% of boeing's dreamliner backlog are 787-9 models. this is going to be the bulk of the backlogs in the future. it is on target to raise 787 production to ten per month by the end of this year. we talked with ray conner. they're seeing their suppliers move up their production schedule to ten per month and shares of boeing trading or have been trading earlier today at an all-time high. again, tyler and sue, about 10 to 15 minutes away from the 787-9 making its first flight and we're here on the runway and bring it to you live. >> thank you very much. we'll be back with you in about ten minutes to watch the takeoff of that beautiful aircraft. meanwhile, let's move sort of upward, up the coast a little bit inland to microsoft. redman, washington. there you see it up 20 cents a share right now. the tech giant announcing a major stock buyback, planning to pump up its dividend as well. the shares at $33 even right now. the stock is up more than 20% this year, 23.5%. besting the s&p 500. john fortf is live in, with ceo steve ballmer retiring in a year, why is he doing it now. >> that was nice mental navigation you took us on. this is a bit of a carryover. microsoft had an authorization for $40 billion in buybacks set to expire in two weeks, so they are reupping it. the news part is the dividend going up 5 cents to 28 cents a share putting microsoft's dividend yield at about 3.4%. that's a lot for a tech company. that's going to cost the company more than another $400 million a quarter which isn't even that much for microsoft considering what it generates on a quarterly basis. the dividend hike comes at a time of uncertainty for the company. they announced a reorganization in july, consolidates power with the ceo and then announced steve ball pler is going to retire within a year and microsoft also plans to buy nokia's devices and services business for just over $7 billion in overseas cash. microsoft's core windows business has staultds as consumers shift their dollars away from pcs and toward mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. the main areas growing at microsoft are cloud and data center. now this is nice news for shareholders, of course, but analysts aren't likely to change their outlook on the stock based on this. many seem to be keeping their powder dry ahead of thus's analyst meeting in bellview washington. jason maynard at wells fargo says it won't fix microsoft's growth challenges and they're still hoping for a breakup the last i heard. sue? >> thank you so much. the other major story the fed kicking off its two-day meeting on interest rates and policymakers are widely expected to announce some sort of pullback of their bond buying program. maybe a major market mover, maybe not. which stocks could move if the fed does begin that taper. dominic chew takes a look for us. >> sue, the expectation like you said among the experts is that the fed will take the opportunity to announce those reductions and the expectations of that announcement comes as early as tomorrow along the rate decision, so what sectors are poised to feel the impact if you will if that happensp. many strategists say if stimulus is reduced interest rates will high. groups get a boost when buying power for consumers is boosted, low interest rates help boost buying power. then the utility companies. we talk about them often these are mature companies that generate lots of cash that's paid out in dividends to shareholders. these relatively high dividend yields become relatively less attractive as interest rates start to rise. duke energy, coned and pg&e. who might do well? there are some traders looking for more cyclical or economically sensitive stocks really improving fundamentals around the world may help drive those names. you think blue chip names, multinationals like ibm, maybe a caterpillar and qualcomm on the tech side to play in on the smartphone revolution. again, sue, some names to consider if you're looking for what's going to happen when the fed makes any kind of announcement with regard to rates. back over to you. >> thank you, dom, very much. stock market session highs up 56 highs. kenny of o'neill securities is with us and a cnbc market analyst and dear friend gary is back. >> great to see you. took us a long time to do this together but i'm excited. >> i am too. great to have you here. you think the taper is a nonevent if it occurs. why? >> i think it's a nonevent in the sense that as a traditionalist investor, interest rates going up, rising interest rates is one thing, when the fed is moving to raise interest rates. the taper is more about a symbolic gesture and that's been priced into the markets the way i see it. i don't expect any major market reaction whether we taper, don't taper, whatever that amount is. it's about rising interest rates and that's not anywhere near anything on the horizon. >> you don't think they're going to taper? >> i don't think they're going to taper because we haven't hit any of the metrics that ben bernanke laid out five months ago when he talked about inflation and unemployment. if they begin to taper how do we sell this? we haven't hit the metrics but still going to taper. i understand the thing we need to get out, it has to start, but the macro data is not confirming, haven't hit the metrics and if they push it off another month which i think probably could happen, then what happens? i think the market then continues to rally an test the highs and if they do announce a taper it's going to be the next conversation, okay, what's going to happen next month? people will start to get anxious about how big is it going to be next month, is it going to be. >> listen, kenny can be right there. the point is if they do nothing tomorrow, say they do something and the market reaction is negative, you put yourself in a corner where you're letting the market dictate your moves by the fed and that's not what the fed wants. again, focus on what's happening. not the economic growth that has higher interest rates around the corner and that's the important thing. >> no, but i think if the market does pull back tomorrow for the long-term investor it's an absolute opportunity. >> we like to hear that at morgan stanley. >> i'm sure you do. you know, you're headed out to singapore to the conference. >> yes. >> and one of the gentlemen you are going to interview exclusively is tim geithner. >> i will be yes. >> his name being bandied about even though he denies he wants the job as perhaps a candidate for the fed chief. >> yeah. >> going to ask him? >> i will see mr. geithner and ask limb that. i think he has been pretty steadfast saying that was an opportunity he felt was there for somebody else. but i will be reporting back after we have that conversation next week and let you know. but i think that he is enjoying the private sector from what i understand. >> who would you like, take mr. geithner out of the mix right now very quickly, gary, he has said he's not interested in the job and done his washington stint as we know. but yellen seems to be the favorite of the street. cohen seems to be a favorite of the street as well. do you have a preference? what do you think would be best for the market. >> forget my personal preference. as an investor somebody in the equities market and investing capital you want somebody who is going to be transparent, who is going to tell the market what their plans are as kenny pointed out if you're going set guidelines follow the guidelines. that seems to have been the most important thing that's happened since 2008. setting the guidelines and following the path. >> all right. gary, good to see you. >> great to see you. >> good luck in singapore. kenny, see you later. >> up to you, ty. >> all right. sue and all, delta and u.s. airways flying higher as you see there by a little bit for delta. little more u.s. airways. jpmorgan upxwraedsing both, noting increasing margins for delta, better prospects for u.s. airways even with its merger with american airlines doesn't go through. sue? >> ty, biopharmaceutical moving higher today, up 25.5%. the company says some of its experimental drugs to treat double chins showed positive test results. the stock up nearly 40% over the year. all right. to washington, and the latest details on the tragic shooting at a navy shipyard that left 13 people dead. new details emerging now about the suspect. plus, how could security in your work place be improved and a former fbi profiler will tell us what to look for when we return. ♪ nice car. sure is. make a deal with me, kid, and you can have the car and everything that goes along with it. [ thunder crashes, tires squeal ] ♪ ♪ so, what do you say? thanks... but i think i got this. ♪ [ male announcer ] the all-new cla. starting at $29,900. washington trying to begin to pick up the pieces just a day after a military vet went on a shooting spree at a navy yard. 13 people dead including the shooter. eamon javers live on the scene with the latest in this continuing story. over to you. >> hi, sue. a whole lot of questions today and now apparently some misinformation out there about aaron alexis the 34-year-old shooter who unleashed carnage yesterday here at the washington navy yard. we're now told officials believe contrary to what they told us yesterday and earlier today, that alexis may not have at any point used an ar-15 assault weapon the civilian version of the military m-16 rifle. they now believe, according to our latest information, that he used a shotgun which he brought with him which he purchased in virginia just within the past week or so. and then picked up one, possibly two handguns, not long guns, but handguns on the site and that's the scope of the weaponry he used to unleash this carnage wed. we're also told within the next hour we're going to get some new information at the top of 2:00 eastern from officials who are expected to brief. they're getting set up right now with the podium outside the fbi field office here in washington, d.c. we're expecting some more answers at the top of the hour as to what kind of weaponry was used here, what the situation is in terms of the psychiatric background of alexis and any other new details about how the shooting went down and what were the failures that allowed it to happen. sue? >> thank you very much. we appreciate it. that deadly rampage yesterday certainly highlights potential risks to workers every day. so how can companies keep their employees safe? aaron cohen the founder of ims security, and he joins us with some ideas and my partner ty is in with us as well. welcome, aaron. nice to have you here. securing a work place i think could be difficult depending on what kind of a work place you're in. is that correct, and what are some of the guidelines employers should follow in the wake of the is situation? >> well, that's absolutely correct what you said. there's obviously going to be a difference between securing a small restaurant and a corporation or a business that employs thousands of people. the security approach for a corporation or a large business is the same type of security that you would set up anywhere if you want to truly be safe which means you want a multilayer approach. it's become a cliche term. explain what it pleens. it means it would take a multifailure event for the system to fail and for a large corporation it starts with trying to determine the threat before they ever set foot on your property and actually engage or become an employee. that means having a very specific look at who the employee are or who the potential hire is, before you ever bring them in. you want to do a background check. the type of background check usually consists of a criminal check, obviously credit to make sure there's no financial history, but more importantly have a look at a profile and begin to see who the person is so that you can look for any potential red flag indicators. if you end up waiting too long, or if the background check ends up missing something, you have to rely on the response which is what we saw in d.c. and that becomes too late at that point. the farther you can push the threat away before letting it on your property, the sooner, the better you are of preventing the actual attack. >> some friends of mine we were talking about it, they are also in the news business, talking about this story yesterday and we were talking about work place security and every single one of them work for different companies. all of those companies had different protocols, but none of them practiced the protocols in terms of what would happen if somebody actually did engage in an event like yesterday. how important is actually training for this, practicing for this type of an event? >> that's a smart question. i -- the training for the security personnel in my opinion is the one thing that this country is missing. it's something we practice in israel, we do it with the airlines before we board a flight. the mind is the best computer, the only system that can respond to seeing a threat. but the actual training allows you to test the system to make sure that it's functioning. if you don't test it in the security world we call it red teaming, which is where you take actual adversaries, try to run them through the actual security program, try and get them to breach, sue, to see if the system is going to fail anywhere and ultimately only through the testing can you realistically look and have a reality base security program. i think there's a misconception here. a lot of people sort of have the apparent security idea and then there's the actual security threat. >> exactly. >> it's very important to focus on the actual threat. the only way to do that is to test it realistically and try to start poking holes at that system. >> we should tell our viewers that you spent three years in israel's counter terrorist special operations unit so you know a lot about this. as we wrap this up, aaron, in general, do you think that most corporations are adequately prepared or not? >> no, i don't. i think that corporations are okay. i think they are a lot better than many of our government installations and the reason why is because they are businesses. if you look at las vegas, they don't mess around with the security and the reason why is because they will lose money. that same model needs to be transferred. as far as where they're at, i give them probably a c or c-plus and the only way they're really going to be able to fine tune that security, is to make sure that they're doing everything they can to prevent the attack from happening and as we've seen, this violence, due to the sheer size of our country, is real. until you have the measures in place, ultimately at the end you could potentially fail. >> all right. aaron, very interesting conversation. sobering one, but interesting. thank you so much for joining us. ty, up to you. >> all right, sue. what are some of the danger signs to look for before a person turns violent? candice delong is a retired fbi profiler and some of her biggest cases included the unabomber and the tylenol case. welcome to cnbc. you know, mr. cohen just suggested that if they had looked at mr. alexis' background, his profile more closely, potentially this incident could have been averted. do you see it that way? >> well, quite possibly. he had two different disciplinary actions when he was enlisted in the navy and they both concerned weaponry. this man should not have been given a security clearance. ever. i don't know how this happened. >> yeah. well that's what i think we're all asking today. given his background, given the fact that he had two incidents in his history involving the discharging of fire arms, apparently after sort of angry interchanges with a neighbor or someone who was parking in a space or something like that, you would have to question why he got the security clearance. are there signs that people could look for to tell whether someone is close to the edge or about to go off in this kind of violent way? >> yes. usually before people that commit this kind of crimes, these mass shootings, usually before they do it, they exhibit what we call in my line of work leakage. they let it leak from their mouth what their plans are. i'm going to get those people. everyone's out to get me. i'm going to make them pay. because what they're motivated from is revenge. their world is a mess and they blame everyone else or one particular entity for the fact that they are in such pain, their life is a mess. by the time they leave the house, the morning of the massacre, they've already decided they're going to die. but prior to that moment, there are lots of things. one of the things i've been hearing since this morning at least and yesterday, is that he played an interactive bang bang bang shoot them up video game up to 16 hours day. that's not normal even for a teenager. now i don't know his living situation what, if he lived alone, but someone knew that because now we know it. if it's true, if it's only half true, that's unusual for a 34-year-old man to be interacting in a game for eight hours, 16 hours, what it appears he was doing, the game didn't make him become a shooter, it was already in his mind and he had already exhibited bad behavior regarding guns. >> yes. >> the game just was an outlet for him. >> fascinating. >> whoever knew he was doing that, should have said you know, i think we need to see a doctor. >> there are -- what you're saying here is that there are almost always these shooters have in common, some tell-tale of a deformed or defective personality. one of your former colleagues, former head of the new york office of the fbi told us on kudlow last night, exactly what you said, it would be probable that at some point prior to this event, his intentions, his anger would have leaked to someone somewhere along the line and that person either didn't act or gave him encouragement and legitimized his anger in some way or another. alas, we have to leave it there. thank you so much. >> you're welcome. >> we appreciate you being with us. >> let's bring in chuck todd at the white house. chuck, the president has been criticized in the past 24 hours for making a speech yesterday about the financial crisis, kind of a victory lap on the fifth anniversary of lehman brothers and the speech came right in the middle of the shootings with a mass murder having taken place just a couple of miles from the white house and active crime scene, a manhunt going on and he delivered some very pointed shots at his republican opposition. is this an instance of a guy who's usually very tone adroit, being tone deaf. >> it's interesting. their official stance and i've talked to aides and hear no regrets on what they did, they defend what they did and feel like they addressed all the major topics of the day, the shooting at the top of his remarks, then the syria thing and then going into the fifth anniversary. but i get the sense that had they had to do it over again, they might have done things differently, maybe stacked the speech differently, maybe not had people behind him, you know, knowing now, knowing now, then what they know now, their sort of things. their public stance they stick by this, ultimately somebody is hearing this message, they have to get it out, but i can tell you it just seemed off and if you think about the moment, tyler, d.c. police chief had just said there are two other suspects -- potential suspects who remain at large at the time. now, turns out there wasn't any other gunmen, but that was the most immediate public warning at the time two miles from here where i'm standing. that's what i think particularly for those of us in washington, it felt it was more jarring for, you know, it's possible for the rest of the country much less so. >> chuck, it just -- it's sue here herera here, it just didn't feel right, just didn't feel right given what you laid out. although the president did address the situation that was unfolding just a short way from where he was, i think also it was the fact that he is clearly angry and aggravated at the partisan bickering that's going on and the big fights that are looming and i think it was almost -- it was his stance that was juxtaposed against his trying to show his sympathies for the victims. it just didn't work. >> well, you know, sue and tyler, just traveling with him the last couple of weeks, being in russia with him, all that, the syria crisis and watching it, you can see the stress wearing on him in a way we haven't seen in the past. i just think that there's a lot going on. i don't think it would surprise anybody that he might have a shorter fuse these days. >> i'm sure. >> or have less patience with what's going on. it's funny, it's interesting that you say that's what came across to you. i feel like i've seen a lot more of that over the last couple of weeks than before and i just think it's sort of there's this feeling coming at him from all sides right now. >> yeah. >> all right. >> chuck, thank you very much. >> all right, guys. >> the fed as you know holding a two-day meeting on interest rates. ben bernanke's news conference is tomorrow afternoon. steve liesman here with results of our cnbc/fed survey, right, steve? >> yeah, that's right. coming back after the break we'll show you what top market experts think about the coming military action in syria, if that's a concern of theirs, about the debt ceiling debate, will that be a bruising debate or not and the taper and the fed when "power lunch" returns. [ male announcer ] at his current pace, bob will retire when he's 153, which would be fine if bob were a vampire. but he's not. ♪ he's an architect with two kids and a mortgage. luckily, he found someone who gave him a fresh perspective on his portfolio. and with some planning and effort, hopefully bob can retire at a more appropriate age. it's not rocket science. it's just common sense. from td ameritrade. my customers can shop around-- see who does good work and compare costs. it doesn't usually work that way with health care. but with unitedhealthcare, i get information on quality rated doctors, treatment options and estimates for how much i'll pay. that helps me, and my guys, make better decisions. i don't like guesses with my business, and definitely not with our health. innovations that work for you. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. fed policymakers have begun a two-day meeting on interest rates. the markets expect the fed to announce a plan to scale back the big bond buying program that's been with us some time now. ben bernanke set to give a news conference on wednesday. the debt ceiling, syria also factors out there and steve liesman is here now with the results of our exclusive cnbc fed survey of economists policy folks. >> money managers. >> strategists. >> and the like. what did you find? >> what i found is that the survey looks efficient with you standing in front of the logo. >> absolutely. >> let me get to what people are thinking about potential military action in syria, whether or not that was a factor in the market for a 47 respondents and it's not. we asked, do you believe the u.s. should attack syriap. will it attack? you can see, two-thirds say no. we also asked what kind of market impact you would get if that did happen. and you see here, about a 5% impact on equities if, indeed, there was an attack. a lot we're not sure here worth watching it. right now the situation seems quiet. it was not when we asked this question. let's move on and take a look at something else. how about the expectations for the debt ceiling and what you'll find is that the market is gearing up for maybe a more c contentious debate than brief prooefly. the green lines are the survey right now. 48% say about the same. 24% saying it will be more contentious and 27% saying less down from 35. take these two together, not sure it's got to be quite as smooth as others had perhaps suggested. one more thing i want to show you, which is, the taper or the expectation for a default. pretty low, 8.4%. the end of the day, the market thinks that the congress comes together and passes it. now how about the debt problem. this has gone back and forth here. we have he' asked for a while now, do you think the u.s. has time to solve the debt problem or not? 50% say the u.s. should act now, a reversal from last time. 41% saying it has time. one more thing i want to show you, we told you earlier that average taper amount is $15 billion. but that's because of the distribution. i want to show you the majority think it's going to be a ten and then you start adding in all these others, that brings the average up to $15 billion. if the fed with the majority, tyler, what you would find it would be a $10 billion. the average of our survey is 15. >> $10 billion would put us at $75 billion a month. >> exact. >> thank you very much. >> back out to washington now, are we going to do that right now? let's go to washington where the dreamliner is about to take off. there it is, taxiing and phil lebeau joins us now to narrate. phil? >> and tyler, what you're watching right now is the 787-9 getting in position to turn around here. there's a number of media here which you're probably seeing are some of the photographers who are here. they're going to turn the dreamliner around and then it is going to be coming towards us before it lifts off on its first flight. let me give you perspective on where the first flight will be. it's going to last approximately five hours. they are going to be going out over the coast and then sirc cling back and going east of seattle over moses lake, which is a traditional first flight test flight route for boeing planes, and then it will come back and it will land about five hours from now down in seattle and when it lands, then they will have a briefing and they'll talk about what the new dreamliner is like in its first flight. >> as i'm looking at the video, i don't know whether you can see it, it appears there is some sort of device suspended from the vertical stabilizer, the tail. am i seeing something or is that correct? >> that's for recording data, tyler. that's one of the many instruments that they have on the plane to record data. remember, while this is a first flight, they are still doing a number of tests with the aircraft. and this is scheduled for delivery in the middle of next year. so they're still a few things they're working out as they look at the aircraft. it's turning right now and it will pause here for a few seconds and then we wi'll see i turn further around come towards us for its takeoff. >> phil, i know this airplane is going to be able to fly longer and i would assume that's going to be advantageous on the long haul flights to asia and the like. who are the big buyers of this particular aircraft? >> well, this first one going to air new zealand given the length of the routes you have for new zealand. a number of the asian airlines. about 40% of the backlog of 852 dreamliner, planes that still need to be built, they will be building them until late this decade, about 40% of those are 787-9 models. so it is these larger models and boeing believes this is really the sweet spot of the market because you have a plane that can carry about 40 more passengers, depending on how it's fully equipped and then on top of that, you have a plane that has greater range. so you're going to be opening up new markets and that's what we're seeing with the dreamliner, tyler and sue. these planes are opening up new markets. austin to london, who would have thought you would see routes between austin and london direct flights. you're now starting to see that. that's the type of route you're going to see more with these larger extended range dreamliners. >> go ahead. >> woulds this plane be fully equipped, have all the seats in it and the galley and so on and so forth or is this a special plane set up to -- with telemetry to measure performance? >> correct. still there for measuring. it is not fully equipped, if you will. and so once they get done with this flight and a few other flights, then you start to see them be fully outfitted with the seats an the galley and everything. but at this point, it is largely, it's got some equipment in there, still for measuring this flight as well as other flights and it will be like that for a couple more months. >> phil, just hang with us. we're going to go to rick santelli and get a bond report while we continue to wait for that beautiful airplane to take flight. over to you, rick. >> thank you. it is a beautiful airplane. if you look at what's going on right now in the five-year chart we're kind of idling, hovering before we learn what the fed is going to do tomorrow. a couple of basis points below unchanged same as the ten-year. dollar index, the dollar index is only down a bit but it continues to hover at very low levels. many traders aren't sure what the fed is going to do, but one thing is for sure, that even after most of the buying we've seen, we're still hovering at about 14 basis points from the high yield close at 299. tyler, back to you. >> get your sleep tonight, rick. going to be a busy day tomorrow, i am sure, with the bond action and the fed meeting. all right. we're going to keep our eyes on that 787-9 dreamliner that is about to take off from everette, washington. we'll take a quick break and be right back. vo: two years of grad school. 20 years with the company. thousands of presentations. and one hard earned partnership. it took a lot of work to get this far. so now i'm supposed to take a back seat when it comes to my investments? there's zero chance of that happening. avo: when you work with a schwab financial consultant, you'll get the guidance you need with the control you want. talk to us today. debt economy have made its bonds a risky bet for most investors and why the yield is high, between 5 and 7% depending on which you're lookingp. commonwealth rated one step above junk by moody's, fitch and s&p. some suggest we could be look at another detroit. check out barron's cover story which singled out oppenheimer's aggressive $6.5 billion bet nearly 25% of their portfolio sunk into puerto rico's bonds. manager troy willis not backing down from that, in it to win it and joins us now. why do you find these bonds as attractive as apparently you do given some of the risks that are outstanding? >> the most important things you think about what the government has done, you think they've had two successive administrations on each side of the aisle who are doing the hard work unlike places like detroit. they've done what i call the holy trinity in long-term bond world in the municipal bond world. they've raised taxes, they've reduced spending, and the biggest, most important thing the recent administration has done is attack the pension issues. they are now on a defined contribution plan going forward january moving forward. so they have sort of stopped the bleeding on the pension side which is many steps ahead of where most municipalities are on that front. >> all right. john joins us as well, at the five-star main stay high yield muni fund and you're not touching puerto rico at this point and the pension liability is one of the reasons why. >> correct. i mean we had puerto rico in our portfolios up until the first quarter of 2012 and started looking at demographics, the economy in puerto rico and became concerned. at the same time the administration was showing revenues below expectations and expansion much higher and continued deficits. their debt load is now aggregate all of it is well over 100% of the gross national income and we don't think it's prudent to add in that time frame to really buy bonds at premiums. we sold in 2012 and we have stayed out. we still believe based upon how the economy is going down in puer puerto rico still declining we could see a restructuring in the next five years. >> troy, i can see the reach for yield because at a 7% yield, that's absolutely attractive. i guess it's the large percentage of the portfolio that has some worried. why carry that much of those bonds in the portfolio at this point? >> we -- it represents uncommon value right now. the municipal bond market has been in outflows for the last four months and then this barron's article which we obviously disagree with, came in sort of at the end and has put a lot of pressure on bonds. so we've been steadily adding our position over the years. this way we do in rochester. we're looking for long-term tax-free income to provide to shareholders and the municipal bond market tends to overreact to news and tends to be backwar years ago they were a worseingh. they've moved to a defined an. that's a huge credit plus that i don't think is reflected in the price. >> all right. on that note, troy willis, john, thank you very much for joining us. ty, up to you. >> should the wealthy give away their money to charity or give their money to people who are trying to start businesses and companies? which one is better for society? we'll tackle that in just a minute. woman: everyone in the nicu -- all the nurses wanted to watch him when he was there 118 days. everything that you thought was important to you changes in light of having a child that needs you every moment. i wouldn't trade him for the world. who matters most to you says the most about you. at massmutual we're owned by our policyowners, and they matter most to us. if you're caring for a child with special needs, our innovative special care program offers strategies that can help. it's delicious. so now we've turned her toffee into a business. my goal was to take an idea and make it happen. i'm janet long and i formed my toffee company through legalzoom. i never really thought i would make money doing what i love. [ robert ] we created legalzoom to help people start their business and launch their dreams. go to legalzoom.com today and make your business dream a reality. at legalzoom.com we put the law on your side. . coming up on "street signs," can you hear that ticking? yeah, that's the countdown to the most important fed meeting of the year. no, i'm going to say maybe of the past few years. we're going to give you the full playbook and bill gunderson gives us wise advice on what to do with a losing stock. we've all had them. and a battle royal over herbal life. herb in one corner, a mega bull in the other. stick around and tune in and enjoy it. it's all examining up top of the hour. the name is "street signs." back to you in the meantime on "power lunch." >> all right. thank you very much, mandy. the america's cup is under way out in san francisco, but is it making the waves planners had hoped for. jane is out covering the event live for us. jane? >> hey, tyler. we are expecting the two boats to get here momentarily, part of oracle team, our colleagues at nbc sports say there are yachts behind me, the big one is jim clark's, co-founder of net scape and two over is part of larry ellis' fleet. it's a beautiful day, maybe too windy to sail, big money, big boats, big thrills, big busts? it could wrap up if emirates new zealand wins both races and if they sail and assuming this doesn't happen. >> new zealand almost capsized. >> oh, my gosh. >> going over. >> hop back. coming back. >> that near capsizing, gave team oracle usa a victory. larry's team will have to win eight more racing. it was penalized for breaking rules in an earlier regatta. supposed to be on par with the world cup and olympics hasn't panned out despite amazing racing and the 72-foot long ka tat ma rans that sail above the water. weren't as many teams as expected. the economic impact to the city has been slashed and the ratings, the ratings of the races that aired the week of september 7th on nbc average about a million viewers. last weekend, the ones airing on nbc sports fell to 250,000 on average each day. america's cup is paying nbc to air this and then selling ad time. think of it as an infomercial. the cup has its own fund-raising needs. only a few teams could afford the 100 come. the ceo of the cup is working to bring those costs down. >> one of the things that we are doing is we're trying to find other revenue sources and those sorts of the igs for the america's cup so that we can bridge the gap between competing and winning and the revenue that's created. >> reporter: now, some are saying that larry ellis should cover any shortfall to the city if there is one and grumble he only has one american defending the america's cup. new zealand its captain has reportedly said they win and take the cup back he wants cheaper boats and crews which represent the countries they're sailing for. back to you. >> thank you very much. that is the first topic in rundn. to gcu that knows a lot about people who can spend $100 million to race some boats. robert frank, our wealth larry ellison, just like ted turner years ago. >> yep. >> this sport attracts deep pocketed bad boys it seems. >> that's right. the coke family got into it. easy to make fun of billionaires and their boy toys but ellison got 1 million americans to watch sailing on tv which is amazing. i watched the races, it's like formula 1 on the water, going 50 miles per hour, cameras all over the boats. it was amazing tv. in terms of boosting awareness he's done a great job. >> move on speaking of larry ellison don't miss his interview on the closing bell tuesday next week, tuesday the 24th. we'll see how he does the rest of the way. the america's cup. meantime the rundown with comments from scott mcnealy sun micro systems co-founder joining squawk box and said a few things about charity. what is he saying? >> not big on clarity. he said if gates and buffet put their money in startups they might have an impact. >> take their tens of billion of dollars and chopped it in five million chunks and pledged it to a business plan sponsored by an mba graduate from an mba school. >> not the first guy that says carlos in 2010 said the wealthy should create jobs not give to charity. it's a controversial thing. we asked the gates folks for comment and said no comment. >> very interesting indeed. let's move on to the yahoo! finance question of the day where we asked, what's the better way to go, 10% say if the wealthy give money to charity that's a good thing. the wealthy give money to create businesses and jobs, 62%. >> wow overwhelming they agree. >> and 28% well better way the paeltsy to pay more taxes. >> last but not least the versace mansion in south beach, a beautiful property there, selling for $41.5 million at auction. it was owned by the fashion designer who was slain. has ten bedrooms, 11 baths, gold lined pool. we've' been following this. do we know the buyer? >> the vm group which includes the gwynnedy family and korb families will turn it into a hotel, hoping to use the versace name and turn it too a hotel. unclear whether the versace family will let them. when is $41 million a bargain? when the original listing price was $125 million. so this is a third off the original price. again, a lot of money but relative to the ask, it was cheap. >> kind of boutique hotel down there. >> a steal. >> let's find one. let's go in. sue, down to you. >> thanks, guys. appreciate it. >> some bad news for motorists. prices at the pump may not drop much even as the syria threat eases. $3 gas could be the new norm. find out why when "power lunch" returns in two minutes time. 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(vo) meee-ow, business pro. meee-ow. go national. go like a pro. ♪ unh ♪ [ male announcer ] you can choose to blend in. ♪ or you can choose to blend out. the all-new 2014 lexus is. it's your move. welcome back to "power lunch." i'm dominic chu. check out shares of facebook, the stock trading just off the session high up nearly 5%. breaking a three-day losing streak. its best performance in about a month. it's approaching record highs. the ones that we saw back on september 12th. shows shares up 68% since it reported earnings on july 24th. back over to you. >> quite a nice chart there, dom, thanks. are you getting used to paying more than $3 a gallon for gasoline. you should be because aaa says the average price of a gallon of gas has surpassed $3 a gallon for the 1,000th consecutive day. that's never happened before. the current streak began december 23rd of 2010 and unless there's another recession, aaa says that a price floor of $3 a gallon is here to stay. i want to take a bike. the biggest stock winners in today's trading session the dow up 46 points when we come back. my mantra? trust your instincts to make the call. to treat my low testosterone, my doctor and i went with axiron, the only underarm low t treatment. axiron can restore t levels to normal in about 2 weeks in most men. axiron is not for use in women or anyone younger than 18 or men with prostate or breast cancer. women, especially those who are or who may become pregnant and children should avoid contact where axiron is applied as unexpected signs of puberty in children or changes in body hair or increased acne in women may occur. report these symptoms to your doctor. tell your doctor about all medical conditions and medications. serious side effects could include increased risk of prostate cancer; worsening prostate symptoms; decreased sperm count; ankle, feet or body swelling; enlarged or painful breasts; problems breathing while sleeping; and blood clots in the legs. common side effects include skin redness or irritation where applied, increased red blood cell count, headache, diarrhea, vomiting, and increase in psa. ask your doctor about the only underarm low t treatment, axiron. welcome back to "power lunch." i'm phil lebeau live in everet,e washingt washington, a live picture of the boeing 787-9 waiting at the end of the runway to turn and take off on its first flight. awaiting chase planes. once they arrive the next dreamliner can take off. for now tyler and sue, back to you. >> look forward to it very much, phil. all right. a look at the markets right now, up about 44 points on the dow. the s&p up 7 and the nasdaq up 26. stocks at all-time highs today, mckessen, united technologies, boeing on the list and announced a big expansion for the 787-10 that's going to take place and tjx companies on the list. that does it, right. >> that's right. and the dow and s&p less than a percent away from their all-time highs. that will do it for today's "power lunch." >> have a great afternoon. "street signs" begins now. all right. welcome everybody. a big show for you, 24 hours now until the federal reserve meeting but before we get to any of that is a live look in washington, d.c. we are awaiting a press conference from the fbi on yesterday's tragic naval yard shooting. we're going to bring it to you live. our colleague eamon javers in washington, d.c. where the facts have been collected over the last 24 hours. what do we know right now? >> hi, brian. we're waiting for this press conference expecting to hear a lot of new information and, of course, clear up some of the misinformation that's been out there over the past 24 hours.
New-yorkUnited-statesSouth-beachWashingtonVirginiaSyriaNew-zealandRussiaMoses-lakeDistrict-of-columbiaLondonCity-of standing with you is based on what you have done and not on our feeble efforts. set your stronghold of protection firm against the foes of this land we love, as you use our haw makers to fulfill your purposes. lord, in the midst of distracting problems, give our senators a vision of what america can become. make this a nation of justice and plenty where vice shall cease to fester. prepare us for the role committed to our fallible hands so that our lives will ghoarfy you. -- glorify you. we flai your merciful name, amen. the president pro tempore: pleae join me in reciting the pledge f allegiance to the flag. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the president pro tempore: the majority leader. mr. reid: mr. president, it is so good to see you. and to be back in this place where the presiding officer and i have spent a lot of the years of our life. glad to see everybody here to see what we can do to wrap up this session -- at least until the lame duck. i move to proceed to calendar number 471. the president pro tempore: the clerk wiltheclerk will report. the clerk: motion to proceed to calendar number 471, s.j. 19, proposing appear amendment to the united states relating to contributions and expenditures intended to affect elections. mr. reid: mr. president? the president pro tempore: the majority leader. mr. reid: following my remarks and those of the republican leerksd the senate will be in a period of morning business until 5:30 this evening. during that period of time until 5:30, senators will be permitted to speak up to ten minutes and the time equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees. at 5:30 the senate will proceed to a roll call vote on confirmation of the nomination to fill the vacancy in the 11th circuit, jill pryor. following disposition of the pryor nomination, there will be a rowell chemical vote on henry j. aaron followed by three voice votes in relation to aaron, cohen and chen. following this, the senate will proceed to a roll call vote on cloture on the motion to proceed to the constitutional amendment o therefore, senators shall be prepared to accept up to three roll kale votes at 5:30. the presiding officer and i deserve served for a long time with the distinguished senator from south carolina, senator hollings, who retired, and this was his issue. this issue dealing with the constitutional amendment. and i can remember and see this dignified, handsome, very articulate senator talking about the importance of this before he left, and he spoke on this on many occasions. so it brings back memories, all very positive, about the good work that this man did before he left. by the way, he's still strong and vibrant, 90 years old or thereabouts, doing his -- still playing tennis and being as strong as we knew he was here. there are two bills at the desk due for a second reading, mr. president. the president pro tempore: the clerk will read the title of the bill for the second tievment. the clerk: h.r. 5230, an act making supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending september 30, 2014, and for other purposes. h.r. 5272, an act to prohibit certain actions with respect to deferred action for aliens, not lawfully present in the united states and for other purposes. mr. reid: mr. president, i would object to any further proceedings -- the president pro tempore: objection having been heard -- mr. reid: with respect to both of these bills. the president pro tempore: -- the bills will be placed on the calendar. mr. reid: we have a number of vitally important matters that require our attention. i will only mention a few of them, there are a lot more than this. the matters coming out of the judiciary committee alone would nifill this whole panel or more. we have been stopped from doing everything during the last two congresses so we're not getting much done. we need to pass appropriations to keep the government from shutting down. as it has in the past because of the obstruction of the republicans. would end to pass an extension of the internet tax freedom act. we need to reauthorize the export-import bank. we need to pass the travel promotion and enhancement act, which was overwhelming placed by the house a short while ago. and we need to recar the issues of college affordable care act and equal pay for women. but the bill before us today, mr. president, is senator udall's constitutional amendment and that of senator bennet, the good senators from new mexico and colorado who have joined together on a very important issue. we're going to consider that. the first vote will be tonight. mr. president, we have had in this country a flood of very, very dark money coming into this nation's political system which is threatening to tear apart the fabric of american democracy. during the 2012 presidential campaign outside groups met about $1 billion. that's as much outside spending as took place in the previous ten elections. now, this year, mr. president, -- last year was a presidential election, so the moneys focused on the senate and house races -- they will again break all records. this spike in the amount of money being pumped into the system is not surprising, as alarming as it is. recent decisionses rendered by the supreme court of the united states, citizens united, the mccutcheon case, have destroyed our campaign finance laws, have left the american people with a status quo in which radical billionaires are attempting to buy our democracy. meanwhile, hardwork being families who don't have endless funds to dufn into political campaigns are expected to sit on the sideline and watch as two brothers try and fix every election in america to their liking. and i say "every election." mr. president, they're involved in elections in the state of virginia, not for the senate -- they're involved in that, i'm sure, too, but the secretaries of state, state legislative races in vermont, all over the country. they are a spending money as if -- there's no end to it. i guess with them there isn't any end to it. hardworking families, though, don't have the funds to dump into political campaigns so they just sit on the sidelines and watch. when i say the americans are watching the koch brothers trying to influence the november electionses, i mean that literally. last week it was reported that charles and david koch and their political empire have funded 44,000 political ads for television so far during this election cycle. 44,000. mr. president, but that doesn't count montana they hide in other -- money they hide in other organizations. the chamber of commerce, they helped fund their ad ads, and or organizations, phony objectio organizations. but we can identify directly charles and david koch with 44,000 separate 30-second tv spots. let's put that in perspective. if for 16 days there was nothing on television except their spo spots, they have covered that. 44,000 ads. that's how many 30-second ads would running in 16 days, 24 hours a day. 16 consecutive days of around-the-clock 30-second political ads. that's just from them. imagine, 16 consecutive days of nonstop political ads, no 24-hour news kofnlg coverage, ns coverage, no espn, no football games, no baseball games, no sportscenter, and no reality television, no anything, just the koch brothers' paid actors and deceitful messaging all day, every day for more than two weeks. this is the political environment that the citizens united decision has hatched. a society inundated with the radical political misgivings and i guess some would say musings of two brothers. but they're billionaires, multi-, multibillionaires. and while the kochs and other special interests using their vast resources to make their voices heard, merp americans are being systematically disenfranchised from our democracy. to say that's wrong is a gross understatement. i don't know how else to say it. our involvement in government should not be dependent on somebody's checkbook. the american people reject the notion that money gives billionaires, corporations, or special interests a greater voice in government than our own voice. the voice of voters. the american voter believes, as i do, that the constitution doesn't give corporations a vote and it doesn't give them -- because of the dollars they have -- extra votes. the only people who don't see it that way are the republicans here in congress. they see money as speech. in fact, the republican leader has said -- quote -- "in our society, spending is speech." close quote. if spending is speech, where does that leave the rest of the american people? should their role in our democracy be diminished because they're paying a mortgage or sending kidding to college? should a family hard hit by the recession -- let's say they're out of work. does that mean they shouldn't have any say at the ballot box? should a family hard-hit by the recession take a back seat in our government to a couple of billionaires? right now the answer is "yes." how could everyday american families afford to make their voices heard if spending money is speech? families can't compete with billionaires. rich families can't, poor families can't, working families can't. the only people that would have a vote are these megabillionaires who are trying to buy our country. they are trying to buy america, at every level of government. why? because they want to make more money. they control vast amounts of tar sands, oil, gas, coal, chemicals, and on and on. they want to make more money. what they have now is not enough. so we're faced with a choice: we can keep the status quo, or we can change the system and restore the fundamental principle of one american, one vote. mr. president, when i was in law school here, one of the classes i had sent us over to the supreme court to listen to an argument, baker v. carr. the decision was on one man, one vote, one woman, one vote. it was -- i didn't realize it when i was there listening -- frankly, i didn't really understand a lot of the talk that went on before the supreme court. but i came to learn later -- i've been in public phs office now for a few years -- and i can remember the first time i ran for the state legislature in nevada. clerk county, where las vegas is, was really growing at the time. but they had not totally reapportioned the state. they had done a little bit. out of clark county, which is only one county -- we have 17 counties. they had nine incumbent assemblymen. so i ran against those nine assemblymen. now reapportionment has taken place because of baker v. kamplet because when i was elected to the legislature, the one person, one vote rule did not apply. we hadn't completed that work yet. so, mr. president, i really do believe that we should be a society where one vote equals one person. corporations shouldn't have a vote and dollar bills shouldn't have a vote. but that's where we are now, mr. president. we're faced with a choice. keep the status quo or change it. but senators udall from new mexico and bennet from colorado, they want to change this system. their constitutional amendment is about restoring freedom of speech for everyone in america, whether you're a billionaire, a millionaire, upper middle class, middle class, lower middle class, poor, homeless. that's who we're fighting for, mr. president. it grants congress the authority to regulate and limit the raising and spending money for federal political campaigns. senators udall and bennet's amendment will rein in the massive spending of super pacs which has grown exponentially since the supreme court's misguided decision, citizens united. it provides states authority at a state level. this is common sense, a solution to an issue plaguing our political system. senate republicans are doing their best to keep the status quo. what they're going to do, mr. president, we're going to have a cloture vote tonight to stop debate on this. they say well, great, we'll go ahead and support that because we can stall. they want us to not be able to do anything here. remember, their whole political mantra is this: you have a democratic president, you have a democratic senate. and they have done their best for the six years during the obama administration to stop everything. that's what they agreed to do, stop everything. two goals: not allow the president to be reelected. they failed there miserably. during the first senate we had a lot of democratic senators. we were able to get a lot done during the first, i should say. the last two they have been experts at stalling everything. that is what they are going to do today. we're going to vote at this time and we're going to vote on it again wednesday. there will be no amendments. it is not a difficult issue. either you're for campaign spending reform or you're not. my republican colleagues, they can stall for time here. we're going to be very patient. we're going to see if there is a single republican who believes that election in america today should be determined by how much money you have. that's what this vote is all about. so i'm going to move this legislation forward regardless of any republican obstruction because this issue is important. simply put, this constitutional amendment is what we need to bring back sanity to elections and restore americans' confidence in our democracy. we must overturn the status quo created by the supreme court and instead put in place a system that works for all americans, not just the richest of the rich. it's such a shame, mr. president, what this republican-driven tea party has done in congress to try to stop everything. virtually everything is a filibuster. i don't know how much longer the american people are going to put up with. these are artificial numbers anyway. shouldn't we be a democracy? we're not because everything in the senate requires 60 votes. that isn't the way the founding fathers, which, of course, a number of the founding fathers were from the presiding officer's state. not from nevada. but the founding fathers must be turning over in their graves. they must be looking down at this and saying what in the world are they doing to our country? we must overturn the status quo. this is what the entire issue boils down to. whether our democracy as president lincoln said is a government by the people and for the people, a government of the people -- of the people and for the people. that's what lincoln said, and we know that's what he meant. or as we have it today, a government of the rich, by the rich and exclusively for the rich. is america for sale? the american people want change. they want their place in government to be protected. the constitutional amendment before the senate today protects working families. it protects americans. it protects their voice and participation in government because our voice, not the wealth of a few, is the very essence of american democracy. mr. president, would the chair announce the business this afternoon. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved and the senate will be in a period of morning business until 5:30 p.m., with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each, with the time equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees. mr. leahy: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: mr. president, what is the parliamentary situation? the presiding officer: we are currently in a period of morning business. mr. leahy: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: i know we're going to hold our first vote relevant to senate joint resolution 19 later today, so let me speak about that a few minutes. it's a constitutional amendment, something rare here, but this would restore to congress and the states the authority to set reasonable limits on contributions and expenditures in our elections. but the amendment would also allow congress and the states to distinguish between natural persons and corporations when shaping legislation regarding the financing of elections. both the states and the senate government exercised its power a long time in a responsible way until a narrow majority of supreme court justices ignored history. worse than that, they ignored the court's precedent and they have invited corruption into our political system. if we don't respond, we're going to continue to go back to days when only the wealthy few had access to our government. if we don't respond, corruption will flourish, hardworking americans will lose any remaining faith they have in their elected officials. so i believe it is time to restore some sanity to our campaign finance laws, but also to restore the true meaning and intent of the first amendment. i came to the senate january 1975, the wake of the watergate scandal. americans were voicing concerns about the integrity and honesty of their elected leaders. they were concerned about the corrupting influence of anonymous money flowing into elections. the public's confidence in our democratic institution was at a low point. so congress passed a 1976 amendment to the federal election campaign act. as a very freshman senator, the junior most member of the senate, i was proud to vote for this law. decades later democrats and republicans again came together in 2002 to pass the mccain-feingold bipartisan campaign reform act. it targeted the use of soft money donations and the unlimited spending that can be done anonomously, used to finance attack ads before an election. just as we did in the wake of watergate our bipartisan effort recognized the need to pass important campaign finance reforms to protect our democracy from corruption, to preserve access to our popular democracy. but it appears today many of our elected officials in a narrow majority in the united states supreme court no longer ago knowledge the corrosive influence of unfettered anonymous money flowing into our elections, anonymous money. somebody can try to buy the election and don't have to put their fingerprints on it. they just spend the money. they can get the committee to bring honestness and openness to the government. over the last decade a slim majority of the supreme court issued one dreadful campaign finance decision after another. in fact, in 2010 -- by a 5-4 ruling, five republicans on the supreme court in citizens united the court reversed a century of precedent by declaring corporations have a first amendment right to spend endlessly to finance and influence elections. in fact, they said corporations were people. i said this many times before, and sometimes people chuckle but stop to think about it. this country elected general eisenhower as president. really, this is what the supreme court said, we could elect general electric to be president or general motors to be president. in this past year the same five justices held the aggregate limits on campaign contributions are now somehow a violation of the first amendment. in other words, if you're running in a local election, somewhere people spend normally $300 or $400, but it's critical because that local board may decide what the tax policy of a big corporation might be in that community. they could say okay, people running the board are going to spend $300 or $400 each. we'll just put $1 million in to elect a different board, they'll give us a $10 million tax break. the court's radical reinterpretation of the first amendment contradicts the principles of freedom, equality and self-governance upon which this nation was founded. and the consequence of the court's opinion is that a small, tiny minority of very wealthy individuals with special interests are drowning out the voices of hardworking americans and skewing our electoral process. what they're saying is i've got millions of dollars. i've got a voice in elections. you? you're just an average, hardworking man or woman, and you don't have any voice. the expressed justification for time honored campaign finance laws has been a genuine concern about the corrupting influence of money and politics. but despite this well-founded concern, justice kennedy's opinion in citizens united nonsenseically confined corruption to mean only quid pro quo corruption of bribery. in doing so five justices disregarded what our founders meant to be the meaning of corruption. look at the distinguished presiding officer, a man who served with such great distinction as governor of the commonwealth of virginia. think about the jury verdict handed down last week against another former republican governor of the commonwealth of virginia and it reminds us that elected officials grant political favors in exchange for gifts and money, it threatens the thread of our democracy. when justice kennedy and those who joined failed to recognize that more subtle forms of corruption are also corrosive and undermine public confidence. back in the last century we changed the constitution to allow the direct election of senators. one of the motivating factors was in one state that the legislatures appointed senators, in one state, one major corporation, a mining industry, so controlled the legislature, they picked who was going to be the senators. we changed that because we said everybody should have a voice. states and future congresses should be able to recognize corruption extends to the idea that money, particularly unregulated campaign contributions, buys access and influences the political process in disproportionate ways for a wealthy few. this pay to play notion is corrosive to our democracy. the size of your bank account shouldn't determine whether and how the government responds to your needs. the government should be there for all americans, not just the most wealthy. vermonters understand this. they have led the way by speaking out forcefully about the devastating impact of the supreme court decision. we've got to start listening to our constituents. we ought to vote to protect our democracy against corruption. we ought to restore democracy for all americans. and for those who claim the threat of the supreme court decisions is not sufficient to warrant a constitutional amendment, let's get the facts straight. even incremental measures to simply increase the transparency of the flood of money pouring into our elections have been repeatedly filibustered by republicans. in fact, many of us for years have tried to pass laws that would require greater transparency and disclosure of political spending. i've tried to practice what i preach. i've disclosed every cent ever contributed to me, including one time from one about 40 cents or 50 cents. it cost us more to disclose it than it was but i wanted people to know who had contributed to my campaign. but when we try to have this kind of disclosure on all money, republicans have repeatedly filibustered that legislation, known aptly as the disclose act. the statutory approach would allow the american people to at least know who's pouring money into our electoral system. not unlimited amount of money but you ought to know who's doing it and know why they're doing it. so i hope we'll be able to convince enough republicans to join this effort to overcome the republican filibuster of a modest transparency bill. but because the supreme court based its rulings on a fawd interpretation o>>a flawedintert amendment, a statutory fix alone will not suffice. only a constitutional amendment can overturn the supreme court's devastating campaign finance decisions. our proposal to amend the constitution simply restores the ability of future lawmakers, republicans and democrats, at both the federal and state levels, to rein in the influence of billionaires and corporatio corporations -- that billionaires and corporations now have on our elections. it's nose restore the first -- it's necessary to restore the first amendment so all voices can be heard in the democratic process, all voices, whether you're a millionaire or not. it's vital to ensure that corruption does not flourish. so i hope senators will join this vote. with that, i do not see anybody seeking recognition, mr. president. i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: mr. sessions: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from alabama. mr. sessions: i would ask consent that the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection, the quorum call is suspended. mr. sessions: i thank the president. president obama's announc friday that he would not follow through on his promise to utilize executive orders to provide amnesty and work authorization for 5 million to 6 million americans by the end of the summer who have unlawfully entered the country and unlawfully -- and cannot work lawfully in america, who've overstayed their visas or entered illegally, does not indicate that he i has in any wy abandoned his plan to execute such an executive order amnesty. the president, indeed, directly said he understands that the american people oppose what he's doing, this operation to work -- this authorization to work and creating a legal status by executive order. the american people oppose it 2-1 plus. so he's going to back off, he said, and -- is he going to back off and honor the wishes of the american people? no, not at all. this is the point the american people need to understand. the president now is brazingly reaffirming in even clearer language that he will carry out his amnesty plan, but only after the election in november. this is an attempt to protect his democratic senate candidat candidates. in fact, just a few moments ago, said it would be wrong to inject into the election this issue. well, i would say this to mr. flak at the white house, who's paid addition hi -- his sy the american people. the american people have one chance to have their voice heard. the president is talking about unilateral illegal action, contrary to american law, to legalize as many as 5 million to 6 million people. and we shouldn't inject it into the election and the democratic senators and other senators who would oppose -- who failed to object to that, they should be protected and not being criticized for allowing it to occur? is what we've gotten to in a democracy? that the president can make this decision, not involve the american people? no, they need to stay out of this. they shouldn't talk about it in an election. well, when should issues be talked about, great issues facing america, if not during the election cycle? so i think it's time for many of these candidates for the senate to be heard explicitly -- where do you stand? do you support the legislation that the house of representatives has passed that would effectively, as we often do around here, bar the president from spending any money to execute such an illegal, unauthorized amnesty, or not? are you for it or not? well, we know one thing, the democratic leader here in the senate will not bring it up, if it's his choice, so it's going to take a lot of senators to stand up to the majority leader reid and president obama and bring this legislation that the house has passed that would bar the expenditure of any money to carry out an unlawful amnesty. the president can't give work authorization, as he and his people have said he intends to do, to people unlawfully in america. the law says they're not eligible to work in america. they're not eligible to be hired in america. the president can't say, you are authorized to work, as he's already done for the young people through the daca program. but this is 5 million to 6 million more. one article said, correctly, 10 times as many. and it's adults, many of them who've entered the country illegally only recently, presumably. so i just think that we've got to understand what's going on and we need to challenge our colleagues to stand up and be counted on -- counted with regard to the legitimate authority of congress who's passed laws of this country that are due to be executed and carried out faithfully by the president of the united states. he's not authorized just to not enforce the law, to not utilize the i.c.e. officers and the border patrol officers, block them from doing their work. i.c.e. officers have even sued them because they've been blocked from following their oath to enforce the laws of the united states. no wonder this is an important issue. no wonder it's rising in interest by the american people, and they have every right to do so. well, i'm going to explain why this amnesty is unlawful, how it will hamper the american workers and how it will eviscerate any hope of ever establishing a lawful immigration system in the future if it goes forward. but first, let's look at the recent events. the president openly stated at the nato conference a few days ago that he will give legal status to persons unlawfully here utilizing executive orders. he cannot do that, colleagues, american people. they're unlawfully here. he has no power to reverse the laws passed by the congress of the united states and declare someone lawful who's unlawful. it's a thunderous, dramatic abuse of presidential power. so he's previously made clear that his amnesty will include work authorization and he can't do that either. it's plainly contrary to law. he attempted to do that and so far i guess he's succeeded in declaring that for young people who came here supposedly as young people, although the proof is very uncertain, certainly not very tight about that. so his advisors and allies openly boast about how broad this is going to be. they say you must go big, mr. president, do even more than you're saying to do now under this law. and it's really all because of the opposition of the american people. by substantial majority, the american people oppose this action. but the president is intending to do it. and according to the news reports, the members of the senate went to the president, said, "oh, don't do this now, mr. president. i know you promised to do it before the end of the summer but don't do it now because that might hurt me in my election. i'm going to have to vote or block votes in the senate that would stop you from doing this and i'm going to get criticized for it, mr. president. please don't do this now. don't do it now. you can do it after the elections, after i've gotten my six-year term. do it then, mr. president." no wonder senator mcconnell referred to that as a cynical act by the president. so this was a dramatic event that occurred this weekend. this executive amnesty would include work permits for millions of people who are illegally in the united states or have overstayed their visas and they're unlawful. and it's a violation of sovereign constitutional law passed by the people's representatives in the united states congress. and it wipes away the immigration and nationality act's clear rules on who can enter the united states, who can work in the united states, and who can live in the united states. a nation has a right to establish that. don't we all agree? shouldn't those rules and principles be established and followed? we're not against immigration. we have a million people come to our country every year legally, and they apply and wait their time and they come and they have the benefits of citizenship in america, one of the most generous immigration plans in the entire world. in addition to that, we have a huge guest worker program that allows people to come here just to take jobs. the president wants to double the number of people who come here and take jobs. the house has refused to do th that. so these rules are the bedrock of any nation's immigration policy and sovereignty and the president is actually in reality truly proposing to wipe away what amounts to the few remaining immigration rules that are in effect. the president is proposing to repeal through executive action the lawful protections to which every american worker is entitled. his action would allow millions of illegal immigrants to instantly take precious jobs, jobs from struggling american workers, unemployed american workers by the millions in every sector of the economy. and this is not just agricultural workers, seasonal workers. 80% or more of those are in the industrial economy. and under this work authorization program, these people are given -- these people given work authorization would be entitled to take any job. they would be entitled to work at the county commission. they would be entitled to work at the energy company, the power companies. even vitalle entitled to work ie manufacturing plants, drive the forklifts and heavy equipment. good jobs, good for america. so this is at a time of high unemployment, falling wages. we're now talking about another 5 million people being rewarded with the ability to take the best jobs in america, when millions of americans are struggling and wages are falling and we have the highest -- highest percentage of people outside the work force in america since the 1970's? and a higher percentage that's going up on part-time work instead of full-time work. people on welfare. food stamps have gone up fourfold. we need to get our people working first. we have a generous immigration plan. now, -- now, i, again -- no one that i know of would say that the people who want to come to america and work are evil people or bad people. we're not saying bad things about them. we're simply saying that if you want to come to america, apply. and if you don't qualify, we're sorry. we're simply not able to accept everybody that would like to come to america. we have rules and regulations, and they could be better, to make sure that we identify people who are likely to be successful in america, who won't be on the welfare rolls, won't demand health care from the government, will be able to pay their fair share for the cost of living in america. that's what any smart nation would do. i think the -- what i think the american people need to know right now is this unconstitutional action, this planned executive amnesty has not gone away. it's only a matter of months now that it's been delayed. unless the american people stop it from happening. "the new york times" reports just a few days ago on the timing of these actions. they said this -- quote -- "president obama will delay taking executive action on immigration until after the midterm elections. bowing to pressure from fellow democrats who feared that taking action now would doom his party's chances this fall, white house officials said on saturday." close quote. well, what does that mean? it's reported in a very neutral way. "the new york times," of course, favored amnesty and this kind of thing is reported in a neutral way, but how cynical is that? how cynical is that, that the president is now going to do something at a different date than he has promised repeatedly because he's afraid that if he does it now, the american people will have an opportunity to register their opinion come november. and members of his party will face election, and they are going to be asked if they support and vote for this or not. he does not want that to happen. well, what's wrong with the american people being able to influence their government? is the president above that? has he reached such a high level of popularity that he doesn't have to worry about what the american people say, think or believe? that he can just advocate and carry out policy based on political deals he's made with big business and special interest groups and politicians? and the american people don't support it, congress won't pass it, so he gets to do it anyway. is this where we are in america today? look, what's particularly disturbing is our senate democrat colleagues apparently don't object to the president carrying out executive amnesty, unilateral amnesty. they only prefer that the president implement it after the election, after their race is over so they don't have to explain it to the people they represent. politico responded -- reported one typical senate democrat office as saying -- quote -- "obama should use his executive authority to make fixes to the immigration system but after the november elections." close quote. after the elections. don't let it blow back on me. go ahead, mr. president. we want you to do this fix but don't do it now. do it after the election so nobody can hold me to account. i think the american people are getting tired of this. i think they are wising up. american politicians work for them. they don't -- the american people don't work for the politicians. so we had a vote in the senate on july 31 and i sought to block this action by bringing up a house bill similar to the bill that the house passed that would bar the president to expend any money to advocate, carry out this executive amnesty. not one senate democrat -- only one, senator manchin, voted in support of that to allow the bill to come up for a vote. and no one, to my knowledge, on the democratic side has challenged senator reid and his ideas, his blocking of the house type legislation. so it is a very serious matter that we are engaged in today. it's a very serious matter. the moral underpinnings, the integrity of the immigration law already seriously damaged by the dak daca action president obama undertook will be fatally wounded if he utilized five million to six million people unilaterally. how can you tell anybody in the future they have got to comply with the law? as the spokesman said for -- as the president himself said at the nato conference, that if we do my executive amnesty, it will, as he said, encourage legal immigration. wrong, wrong, wrong. rewarding millions more who have entered the country illegally, rewarding their illegally acts is not going to cause more people to follow the law. it's going to be a further weakening of the law. and how will we be in the -- how will we in the future be able to tell people that came across the border after that that they shouldn't be given lawful status, rewarding them for their illegal act? it's just that simple. so, mr. president, we're going to have to confront this issue. congress needs to stand up, affirm the rule of law, do the right thing. we are not against immigration. we are not against n immigrants. we don't believe that this country ought to be isolationist, but we have a right and the american people have a right to believe their government will create an effective, honorable system of immigration and see that it is enforced fairly and resolutely. that's the moral thing to do. it's the right thing to do. it's what the american people have been demanding for 30 or 40 years, and the politicians have steadfastly refused. so it's time for the people's voices to be heard, i think, and the american people are right on this. exactly right. we are failing the future of our country, the lawful system of our country, and we are failing the american people and we are failing american workers who are having a difficult time today finding jobs and seeing their wages decline. mr. president, i thank the chair and would yield the floor. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from utah. mr. hatch: mr. president, today the senate will vote on three nominees to positions on the social security advisory board. two of these nominees, alan cohen and lanhee chen, are well suited for these positions, and that being the case, i totally support their nominations. however, i plan to vote against the remaining nominee, dr. henry aaron, who the president audibly intends to serve as chairman of the board. i'd like to take just a few minutes today to explain why i have reached this decision. over the past decade or so, dr. aaron has spent most of his time and efforts focusing on health care issues and advocacy. indeed, the vast majority of writings that he offered in support of his nomination dealt with health care, not social security. when the finance committee considered his nomination, i specifically asked dr. aaron if he had performed any social security analysis over the past decade. he could not produce anything substantive along these lines. now, there is nothing wrong with focusing one's energies on health care instead of analyzing social security policy. however, given the specific focus of the social security advisory board, i am concerned about the extent to which dr. aaron has considered social security issues and analytical advances in the field over the past decade or more. it appears to me that dr. aaron's interest and skill set make him better suited for a position in the health care arena rather than advising on the current state of social security. dr. aaron has written about social security more extensively in the past, but his conclusions were predominantly normative, and his most recent social security writings too often imply that anyone disagreeing with his conclusions are dead wrong and likely have adverse motives. in fact, this is a trend that pervades all of dr. aaron's writings. far too often, in addition to reaching conclusions and making recommendations, dr. aaron finds it necessary to condemn potential critics, usually along partisan lines. of course, i'm not one to vote against a nominee simply because i disagree with her policy prescriptions or their analytical techniques. i generally believe in giving reasonable deference to the president on nominations, particularly those involving positions designed to provide advice to the president and his administration. the social security advisory board, however, is set up to provide bipartisan advice on social security issues to congress, and the social security commissioner as well as the president. given all the challenges facing social security, this type of advice is crucial. the board chair must be able to work toward gathering bipartisan consensus and avoid turning the social security advisory board into just another platform for political division and partisan rhetoric. therefore, it is necessary to consider dr. aaron's nomination from the perspective of bipartisanship, like i said. the nominee for board chair must demonstrate an ability to promote and garner bipartisan consensus. unfortunately, the evidence does not convince me that dr. aaron would be able to set aside his partisan views and manage the board in a bipartisan fashion that names the consensus in both analysis and conclusions. throughout much of his writings, dr. aaron has far more often than not opted for partisanship over sound policy. this not only makes me question his ability to be bipartisan, it also leads to question his judgment on policy issues. for example, he has recently advocated that the president disregard the constitution and ignore the statutory limit on federal debt. he has praised the president for ignoring the law by unilaterally deciding not to enforce provisions of the affordable care act, identifying the administration's failure to enforce law written by congress and signed by the president himself as an act that -- quote -- to quote dr. aaron, adroitly performs political jujitsu on obamacare opponents." unquote. he has written that the independent payment advisory board or ipab, an agency with virtually unchecked power to ration medicare spending, should be given even broader authority. he has scolded states that have fully within their rights decided against expanding medicaid as part of the affordable care act, the rollout. dr. aaron used particularly vitriolic words to describe state officials who opted not to expand medicaid, saying that -- quote -- "officials in many states have adopted a stance reminiscent of massive resistance, a futile attempt, a futile effort to block implementation of the supreme court's implementation banning school segregation." unquote. when i asked dr. aaron a question at his confirmation hearing about the caustic nature of some of his comments, he alluded to writings for newspapers and op-eds as avenues in which inclusion of politically charged rhetoric is the -- quote -- coin of the realm, unquote. that may very well be the case, mr. president, but that doesn't mean there is a place for it on the social security advisory board. i have serious concern about dr. aaron's ability to keep such rhetoric in check as he chairs a board that is by statute intended to exhibit impartiality. once again, our social security system faces a number of fiscal and structural changes and challenges. if we're going to address these challenges, we need serious discussions that will lead to serious solutions, not more partisanship. dr. aaron has not convinced me that he is the one to help lead these types of discussions, and for these reasons, i intend to vote against this confirmation. mr. president, i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: quorum call: the presiding officer: the senator from texas. mr. cruz: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent to dispense with the quorum call. the presiding officer: without objection the quorum call is suspended. mr. cruz: mr. president, i rise today to address an issue of grave importance to the national security of the united states. that is the threat from the radical sunni terrorist organization known as the islamic state in iraq and syria or simply as the islamic state, and now it claims to control territory in a grotesque parody of a nation state. isis is a study in oppression and brutality that is conducting ethnic cleansing against religious minorities in the region, that is targeting and persecuting christians, and that is attempting to subject the local population to the strictest forms of sharia law, and isis has gruesomely murdered u.s. civilians and indeed, journalists on the public stage. it should come as no surprise the people of the united states are deeply concerned about this development. we are concerned about the inability of our government to anticipate this gathering threat, we are concerned about the brutal acts of oppression against the weak and the helpless. we are concerned about isis's seizure of financial and military assets that have fueled their murderous rampage. and above all, we are concerned about the threat that isis poses not only to our close allies in the region but also to our citizens and even here in our homeland. there has been a lot of talk in recent days about developing a strategy to combat isis. i'd like to propose a couple of commonsense steps that we should take immediately to combat this scourge. first, the time has come -- it is beyond time for us to secure our borders. representing the state of texas, which has a border nearly 2,000 miles long, i know firsthand just how unsecure the border is right now. this week of all weeks with the anniversary of the september 11 attacks upon us, we can have no illusions that terrorists won't try to make good on their specific threats to attack america, and as long as our border isn't secure, we're making it far too easy for the terrorists to carry through on those promises. rumored isis activities in the southern border should unite us all in the resolve to make border security a top priority, rather than an afterthought or rather than something to be held hostage for political negotiations here in the congress. second, we should take commonsense steps to make fighting for or supporting isis an affirmative renunciation of american citizenship. we know today that there are over a hundred americans who have joined isis, who have taken up arms alongside the jihadists, along with thousands of others from the european union. and we also know that they are trying to return to their countries of origin to carry out terrorist attacks there. we know this because on may 24, an isis member returned to belgium where he attacked innocent visitors at a jewish museum, slaughtering four people. and it was reported today that he had been plotting an even larger attack on paris on bastille day. in addition on august 11 of this year, an accused isis sympathized thighser, donald ray morgan, was arrested at j.f.k. airport trying to reenter the united states. so we know that this threat is real. mr. president, that is why i have today filed legislation, thics patriot rat terrorist act of 2014 which would amend the existing statute governing renunciation of united states citizenship to designate fighting for a hostile foreign government or foreign terrorist organization as an affirmative renunciation of citizenship. by fighting for isis, u.s. citizens have expressed their desire to become citizens of the islamic state. and that cannot and will not peacefully coexist with remaining american citizens. the desire to become a citizen of a terrorist organization that has expressed a desire to wage war on the american people, has demonstrated a brutal capacity to do so, murdering american civilians on the global stage and promising to bring that jihad home to america, we should not be facilitating their efforts by allowing fighters fighting alongside isis to come back to america with american passports and walk freely in our cities to carry out unspeakable acts of terror. it is my hope that the legislation i'm introducing today will earn support on both sides of the aisle, that we will see this body come together and say while there are many partisan issues that divide us, when it comes to protecting united states citizens from acts of terror, we are all as one. that is my fervent hope. the third thing we should do is we should do everything possible to make isis understand that there are serious ramifications for threatening to attack the united states, for murdering american citizens, while damaging isis's financial assets is certainly a part of this action, because of the very nature of isis, the response must be principally military. all americans are weary of the long and coste wars of the last decade. we're tired of sending our sons and daughters potentially to die in distant lands. no one wants to see an extended engagement in iraq. but at the same time, i don't believe the american people are one bit reluctant to defend our national security, to defend the lives of fellow americans. and the american people can see the grim threat represented by isis. and the need for decisive action. we should concentrate on a coordinated and overwhelming air campaign that has the clear military objective of destroying the capability of isis to carry out terrorist attacks on the united states. we must remain focused on this clear military objective if we hope to be successful. we cannot engage in photo op foreign policy or press release foreign policy of dropping a bomb here, shooting a missile there, and not having a strategy that is dictated by clear and direct military objectives in furtherance of u.s. national security interests. we should be perfectly clear as well that any action we take against ice sis in no way contingent on resolving the civil war in syria. that conflict of conflict is a d the sad reality is that there are no good options for the united states in this fight. we may have had less radical options three years ago, but those are not currently available today. the obama administration had proposed arming rebel forces that contained terrorist factions associated with isis. previously, we were told that the rebels fighting alongside isis were our friends and assad and iran were our enemies. now, in the face of isis, we're hearing that assad may be our friend, iran may be our friend, and isis is now our enemy. this makes no sense. indeed, it's a dangerous cycle reminiscens of george orwell's " 1984." he wrote "at this moment in 1984, oceana was at war with asia and in alliance with east asia. actually it was only four years since oceana had been at war with east asia and a alliance with east asia. but officially change of partners had never happened. they were at war with oceana and there are had always been at war with asia. the enemy of the moment, and any past or future agreement with him was impossible. this administration seems to have no sense of past or future. all of those familiar with the terrible human carnage inflicted by the civil yar in syria pray for its end. but the goal of our action in isis should not be to end it by supporting assad. the enemy of my enemy is not always my friend. and sometimes the goal is the destruction of the enemy who poses an imminent threat to our national security, not the enabler of yet another enemy of america. it should also are cleared that any action we take against isis should in no way be contingent on political reconciliation between sunnis and shiites in baghdad. this administration has often become distracted by the hope to achieve this reconciliation but the sad truth is the sunnis and shiites have been engaged in a sectarian civil war since 6 2 a.d. it is the height of hubris, the height of ignorance to suggest that the american president can come and resolve a 1,500-year-old religious civil war and have both sides throw down their arms and embrace each other as brother. that should not be our objective although we, of course, always hope for reconciliation and peace. we should not be so naive as to make defending our national security contingent on resolving millennia old sectarian religious civil wars. doing so, seeking to promote a utopia, seeking to transform iraq into switzerland is nothing less than a fool aerrand. likewise, it -- fool's errand. any action we take to stop isis from attacking and murdering americans is no no way contingent on consensus from the so-called international community. america is blessed to have many good friends and allies this the-range and beyond who understand the threat of isis and are eager to do what they can to combat it and we welcome their support. but in order that this action be done right, it must be led by the united states unfettered by other nation's rules of engagement that might impede our effective action. achieving some preordained number of countries in a coalition is not a strategy. for as as often been remarked, in the most effective efforts, the mission determines the coalition, not the other way around. it is heartening to hear the voices from my colleagues on both sides of the aisle raising the alarm of the threat posed by isis and president obama has signaled his attention of addressing the issue later this week. it is well past time for him to do so. as his recent statements from his admission on august 28 that -- quote -- "we don't have a strategy yet" to his suggestion on september 3 that our best bet is to try to -- quote -- "shrink isis' fear of influence until they are a manageable problem." those comments are not encouraging. the objective here is not to make isis manageable. the objective here is to protect the national security interests of the united states and to destroy terrorists who have declared jihad on our nation. neither are the two things we already know that the president will propose if his -- quote -- "new game plan" -- namely, that he will not be requesting authorization from congress for hilt action against isis and that his model is the counterterrorism policies pursued by his administration the last five years. neither of these are encouraging. i ask the president to reconsider both of these points. while isis is obviously part of the scourge of radical islamic terrorism that has bedeviled the west for decades, it is equally obviously representing a new and particulaparticularly virulent . the president is considering an action that could last as long as three years and may require a range of actions. if this is indeed the case, then it is incumbent upon him to come to congress and lay out his strategy so that we and the american people are clear on it. i would note, mr. president, that you have been particularly vocal and clear defending the constitutional authority of congress to declare war, and i would note as well that it is beneficial for the effort for the president to come to congress because, in doing so, it will force the president to do what has been lacking for so long, which is lay out a specific and clear military objective. what is it we're trying to accomplish -- that is tethered directly to the u.s. national security interests of america. the constitution is clear: it is congress and congress only that has the constitutional authority to dhair war. -- to declare war. now, any president as commander in chief, has constitutional authority to respond to an imminent crisis, to re-sphond a clear -- to respond to a clear and present danger. but in this instance, the president is not suggesting that. he is suggesting engaged military action, and it is, therefore, inconsistent with the constitution for him to attempt to pursue that action without recognizing the constitutional authority of this body. it is my hope that he will do so, and it is my hope that we will have a substantive and meaningful debate about the military objective we should be united in achieving, which is namely destroying isis and preventing them from committing acts of terror, murdering innocent americans. given the need to consider such action against a new actor like isis, it also must be admitted that the obama administration's counterterrorism policy has not been a success. they have labeled the 2009 attack on fort hood in high home state of texas -- in my home state of texas as an act of "workplace violence." even though nidal hasan recently asked to be a citizen of the islamic state, they also missed connecting the dots that would have uncovered the radicalization of the tsarnov brothers that resulted in the attack in the boston that i thai remember on this. it should be noted that the elder tsaranov brother wore shipped at the same mosque where the isis head of worship. this jihad k's reach back and directly take the lives of american sentence at home. the administration has failed to respond effectively to the attack on our facilities in benghazi on september 11, 2012, in which four americans are murdered, including the first ambassador killed in the line of duty since 1979. an event that innog rated liby libya's spiral into terrorist anarchy that continues unchecked to this day. and they completely missed the gathering threat of isis to the point that the president himself was under the misapprehension that the group was the terrorist equivalent of the junior varsity just a few months ago. we cannot forward to return to these -- we cannot afford to return to these policies given the acute threat posed by isis. it is my happ hope that this boy will stand together as one in bipartisan unity to secure the borders and to change our laws to pass the legislation i'm introducing today to make clear in that any american that takes up arms with isis has, in doing so, constructively renounced his or her american citizenship so that the congress can with one voice protect americans here at home. this requires clear, decisive, unified action, and it is my hope that all of us will come together supporting such action and that the president will submit to the authority of congress seeking authorization to protect america against isis and to engage in a concentrated, directed military campaign to take them out. i yield the floor. ms. warren: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator massachusetts. ms. warren: mr. president, i rise today in support of the pending constitutional amendment offered by senator udall of new mexico which would restore to congress and the states the authority t to rein in the enormous sums of money that are flooding in the political process. the founders feared the impact of concentration of power. john adarnlings a massachusetts native and the author of our state constitution, expressed this idea well. he said, power must be opposed to power, force to force, strength to strength be, interest to interest, as well as reason to reason, eloquence to eloquence, and passion to passion. balance, said adarnling adams, s critical. but here in washington, power is not balanced. instead, power is concentrated all on one side. well-financed individuals and corporate interests are lined up to fight for their own privileges and to resist any change that would limit their special deals. i saw this up close and personal following the 2008 financial crisis when i fought hard for stronger financial regulations and the biggest banks in this country spent more than $1 million a day to weaken reforms. but there are many, many more examples. big corporate interests are smart. they fight every day on capitol hill, every day in the agencies, every day in the courts -- always with the same goals in mind: to bend the law to benefit themselves. and the united states supreme court is doing all it can to help them. three well-respected legal scholars, including judge richard pose posner, a widely respected and sceivive reagan appointee -- conservative reagan appointee, recently examined almost 20,000 supreme court cases from the last 65 years. the researchers used multi-variant regression analysis to determine how often each justice voted in favor of corporate interests during that time. now, judge posner and his colleagues concluded that the five sceivive justices -- conservative justices currently sit on the supreme court are in the top 10 most pro--corporate justices in more thank half a century. and justices alito and roberts, number one and number two. perhaps the most egregious example of this pro-corporate shift is the citizens united decision. in this new citizens united-era, the supreme court has unleashed a flood of secret corporate money into our political system and emboldened a powerful group of millionaires and billionaires who can toss out checks for millions of dollars to influence election outcomes. earlier this year, the supreme court gave them even more room to operate. congress had long ago put limits on how much money one rich person could contribute to a candidate, a party, or a political action committee in an election. these scng commonsense limits we intended to spreef preserve the integrity of our elections and the appearance of corruption. but the supreme court struck down those limits. now as justice breyer noted in his dissenting opinion, the court's decision -- quote -- "will allow a single individual to contribute millions of dollars to a political party or a candidate's campaign." the impact of this line of judicial decisions is powerful. in 2012, about 3.7 million typical americans gave donations of $2 or less to president obama and mitt romney. these added up to about $313 million. in that same election, 32 americans gave monster donations to super pacs. 32 people spent slightly more on the 2012 elections than 3.7 typical americans who sent in modest dollar donations to their preferred president denying candidate. when 32 people can outspend 3.7 million citizens, our democracy is in real danger. this is an extraordinary situation. the supreme court overturned a century of precedent, voiding campaign finance restrictions passed by congress and making it far easier for millionaires, billionaires, and big corporat corporations to flood our elections with massive amounts of money. the supreme court is helping them buy elections. we are here today to try to reverse the damage inflicted on our country by these decisions. we are here to fight back against a supreme court that says there is no difference between free speech and billions of dollars spent by the privileged few to swing elections and buy off legislators. we are here to fight back against a supreme court that has overturned a century of established law in an effort to block congress from solving this problem. i support a constitutional amendment only with great reluctance. our constitution sets forth the fundamental structure of our government. the scope of that government's power and the critical limentses on that power. -- limits on that powmplet any change to its text should be measured, should be carefully considered, and should occur only rarely. but there are times when action is required to defend our great democracy against those who would see it perverted into one more rigged game where the rich and the powerful always win. this is the time to amend the constitution. i urge my colleagues to support this effort. we were not sent here to run this country for a handful of wealthy individuals and powerful corporations. we were sent here to do our best to make this country work for all our people. thank you, mr. president. i yield, and i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: quorum call: mr. durbin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the assistant majority leader. mr. durbin: i ask consent the quorum call be lifted. the presiding officer: without objection the quorum call is suspended. mr. durbin: mr. president, i chair the subcommittee of the senate judiciary committee that is entitled the subcommittee on constitution human rights and civil rights. obviously our most important charge, the most serious charge of the subcommittee is to consider proposals to eam the constitution. senate joint resolution 19, the democracy for all amendment, was the first amendment considered by the constitution subcommittee since 2009 when i became its chair. the constitution and the wisdom of its framers endured for generations. i have established, and so have many of my colleagues, a very high bar for suggestions to amend that constitution. that's the way it should be. that's why majority leader reid, chairman patrick leahy of the senate judiciary committee, and i were committed to ensuring this proposal would be thoroughly vetted and that it moved through the senate by regular order. it's important to recall that until the early 20th century, most americans were not allowed to vote. and even after the franchise was legally expanded, a violent racist campaign prevented many african-americans from voting. six constitutional amendments, landmark civil rights legislation, and supreme court decisions helped make the promise of one person and one vote a reality. we must in our time, in our generation be constantly vigilant against threats to these victories which were won through the blood, sweat, tears and even the lives of many americans. that's why we're engaged in this debate today, because the right to vote is under siege. it is in peril. a well-funded, coordinated effort has made it harder for millions of americans to vote and at the same time unleashed a tidal wave of special interest and corporate money into elections to drown out the voices of average americans. opponents of our amendment say, oh, they're just trying to repeal the first amendment. they have it backwards. our efforts would protect and restore the first amendment. the amendment before the senate would begin to undo the damage done by five activist, conservative supreme court justices who have rewritten and distorted the first amendment. with decisions like citizens united and mccutcheon, these five justices overturned a century of legal and constitutional precedent to give a privileged click and corporate titans the power to drown out the voices of ordinary americans. and that's exactly what's happening. big-money donors -- and their names are familiar to those who follow the world of politics: the koch brothers, sheldon adelson and the corporate interests they represent certainly deserve a seat at the policy-making table. but the size of their bank accounts does not entitle them to buy every seat at the table, control the agenda, and silence their critics. unfortunately, this is exactly what we're seeing across the nation, even being played out as i speak in this current election campaign. big-money campaign donors and special interests emboldened by the supreme court has flooded our elections. unfortunately, to a great degree with secret contributions. listen to these statistics. spending by outside groups has tripled since the last midterm election. they spent $27.6 million in 2010 compared to $97.7 million so far this year. in 2006, before this awful decision in citizens united, these groups spent $3.5 million. and now the running total for this year, almost $100 million from outside special interest groups and well-heeled individuals. in 2012, super pacs spent more than $130 million on federal elections and 60% of all super pac contributions that year came from an elite class of 159 people. in north carolina, that elite group had just one member. that state had just one person. 72% of all outside spending in 2010 in north carolina came from one man: art pope, a millionaire conservative, right-wing activist. as i stand and speak, there is a super pac on the air attacking me in my home state. as best we can trace it, it's to one individual who so far apparently has spent $700,000 in negative ads against me on radio and television, perhaps more will follow. that's the nature of the world that we live in. members of congress who run for office, for election and reelection, abide by strict rules on disclosure. money raised, how much is being spent. but when it comes to these individuals, since citizens united, all bets are off. although some of the biggest and most frequent spenders are on the republican side of the aisle, the influx of secret money from super pacs and wealthy donors is happening on the right and on the left. many have created super pacs on the other side as a defense. it unfortunately has attacked strategy dictated by supreme court decisions. sadly, all of this money fight is eroding our democracy and drowning out the voices of everyday citizens. one year ago in a shelby county decision, the same five justices gutted the voting rights act. civil rights legislation that had protected the constitutional rights of average americans for 50 years. emboldened by the shelby county decision, more republican-dominated state legislatures followed suit by pursuing legislation that restrict the right to vote. it is no coincidence these laws have a disproportionate impact on minority, young voters. chief justice john roberts of the supreme court said this of the right to vote. it was -- quote -- "the right preservati ve of all other rights." and he pledged to be neutral calling balls and strikes when it came to issues like the viet to vote. but because of the judicial activism of chief justice roberts and his four conservative allies, the right to vote of average americans is now at greater risk than any time since the jim crow era. mr. president, two years ago i decided to take my subcommittee for hearings in the states of ohio and florida. in both of those states, the republican-dominated legislatures inspired by a group known as alec, that is not a lobbying group but creates so-called model legislation, had dreamed up ways to restrict the opportunity to vote. how did they do this? some of them called for the presentation of identification cards when you vote. others said we'll just limit the time that you can vote. no early voting. we'll restrict the opportunities for people to vote. so i took the hearings to florida and ohio. my first table of witnesses consisted of a bipartisan gathering of election officials in both florida and ohio. states that had passed these restrictive voting laws. i asked the first panel under oath a basic question. tell me about the incidents of voter fraud and voter abuse in your state which led to these changes in the legislature. there was none. tell me the number of individuals who had been prosecuted for voter fraud in ohio and florida that led to these changes in state legislation. there were virtually none. one said he could remember maybe one case or two in a course of years. i think it's pretty clear. these efforts to restrict the right to vote have nothing to do with the integrity of elections. there isn't a single one of us in either political party that condones voter fraud and voter abuse. period. but to restrict the right to vote of millions of americans in the name of stopping voter fraud that doesn't exist, well, it's time to ask the more basic question: what's the real reason? the real reason is to restrict the right to vote. it is hard to believe that republicans in state legislatures and even some in this chamber, the party of abraham lincoln, for goodness sakes, is party to this effort to restrict the right to vote across america. for goodness sakes, i've been involved if election campaigns which i have won and those which i have not won. i have always felt if it were a fair election, so be it. let the people speak. that is what a democracy is all about. but when you start playing with the rules, when you start saying, well, we're going to try to make it tougher for people to vote, even those who are legally entitled to vote, i think, frankly, you've crossed the line, which we should not cross in this country ever. fire hoses, growling dogs and insidious poll taxes have now been replaced with a well-funded campaign to now deny millions their right to vote and a flood of special interest money drowning out the voices of average americans. is that your vision of america? is that your vision of this country in the future? where your opportunity to vote is now restricted more and more even without any indication of voter fraud or voter abuse? when your opportunity to be informed about the candidates and their positions is, in fact, overwhelmed by those who come in like the koch brothers and those on the left, too, to spend millions of dollars. i might say, mr. president, i introduced a bill a few years back for public financing of campaigns. there was one valued republican who stood up who agreed to cosponsor my bill and only one -- arlen specter. arlen specter. the senator from pennsylvania, republican senator. what happened to him? i can tell you what happened. the late arlen specter was challenged in his republican requirement by one of those on the far right in his party, and he couldn't win as he looked at the polls. he switched parties and he became a democrat. i lost my only republican on the senate financing when he joined us on this side of the aisle. he lost the democratic primary. he went on, finished his term and passed away. he was the only republican with the courage to stand up for public financing to change this mess we have. i can just tell you, we're reaching a point where mere more tallies, individuals who don't happen to be multimillionaires, really want nothing to do with this political business. it has become the hobby of high rollers. the two candidates for the highest offices in my home state now are multimillionaires, playing with their own money now, putting millions into their campaigns. i'm not envious of their wealth. i have said it publicly and i will say it again. i am only one powerball ticket away from matching their wealth. so i'm not jealous of them. but it says something about the political process, doesn't it, that someone can put in in $9 million, $10 million, $12 million of their own money and that supreme court can say well, they are just exercising their right of free speech. really? i didn't see the word cash in the first amendment. i didn't even see the word money in the first amendment. that's what we're up against. senate joint resolution 19, which is before us today, is a constitutional amendment. it is narrowly tailored and it is a proposal to respect and restore the first amendment. it empowers congress and state legislatures, the elected representatives of the american people, to set reasonable content-neutral -- let me underline that -- content neutral limits on the amount of money wealthy individuals and special interest donors can give to candidates. it overturns citizens united by authorizing congress and state legislatures -- the presiding officer: the senator's time is expired. mr. durbin: i ask consent for five additional minutes. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. durbin: i thank the senator from texas. it overturns citizens united by authorizing congress and state legislatures to prohibit corporations and unions from spending money from their treasuries to influence elections. our amendment will ensure that elections are contests with the best ideas, contests where mere more tallies, a group i mentioned earlier, have the same chance to succeed as multimillionaires. that's why our amendment is supported by 60 diverse advocacy organizations and a majority of the american people. politicians may not get it, but the american people do. they can see what's happening to this bidding war we now call elections. they understand the flood of television. we have one senatorial candidate on our side. i think she has been subjected to $15 million in independent expenditures, negative ads into her state. that's been going on for almost a year. she is going to weather the storm and be re-elected, incidentally, but imagine that. $15 million from special interest groups just showering her with hate and venom for month after weary month. is that what our political process has come down to? opponents of our amendment argued that any limit whatsoever in election spending violates the first amendment, but just as there is no constitutional right to buy an election, free speech doesn't give anyone the right to violate or overwhelm the constitutional rights of others. apparently, five conservative supreme court justices believe the wealthy and elite have a greater right to free speech because they have more money. our opponents also argue that corporations are people. give me a great lake. corporations are granted the advantages of perpetual life, property ownership and limited liability to enhance their efficiency as an economic entity, according to justice rehnquist in one of his opinions, but he went on to say in the same opinion these properties so beneficial in the economic sphere pose special dangers in the political sphere. that was rehnquist speaking about giving powers to the corporations which cede the obvious. while some corporations have rightfully been extended beyond everyday americans to corporations, citizens united went too far. living, breathing americans face challenges that these legally created entities will never face. corporations never get married. they don't raise kids. they don't care for sick relatives. they can't vote in elections or run for office. corporations have the right to be heard for sure, but the right to control an election with their bank account, there's something wrong with that decision. our amendment restores the basic long-standing principle that corporations shouldn't be able to wield their enormous economic power to sway federal elections. our amendment restores and protects the first amendment for all americans. i new jersey my colleagues to vote for senate joint resolution 19. i expect a strictly partisan vote. i am sorry if that happens, but i expect it. when we even came up for disclosure to disclose who was giving to campaigns, we couldn't get the republicans to give us support. just disclose who is giving the money. no. keep it secret. that was their position. now they not only want to keep it secret, they want to make sure that those that are abusing the process by sending in huge sums of money on behalf of corporations and individuals are going to be protected. well, they may protect the special interests, but they will do it at the expense of average americans who are losing their faith, losing their faith in this process and in the institutions it creates. restore that faith. support senate joint resolution 19. let's amend the constitution and make citizens united a vestige of a wrong-headed decision by the supreme court. i yield the floor. again, i thank my colleague from texas. the presiding officer: the republican whip. mr. cornyn: mr. president, i'm glad i got to catch a few of the tail end remarks of my colleague from illinois. i didn't realize what this debate was really all about, but he, i think, made that clear. this is all about public financing of elections, according to him. because anybody contributing any of their hard-earned money to support a candidate who they happen to believe in or someone espousing or advocating for the principles that they believe in, there is something inherently wrong with that, according to the distinguished majority whip, the senator from illinois, because to him the only answer is let's take your money and use that to finance an election perhaps to benefit a candidate who doesn't agree with anything that you believe in. is that really what this is all about? public financing of elections. and he said something else i don't think i had ever heard anybody have the audacity to say before. he said voter fraud doesn't exist. well, i'm sure in chicago, they have had a few instances of voter fraud. we have unfortunately had some in texas, some that resulted in the nomination of lyndon johnson to be the democratic nominee for president of the united states in box 13 in duval county, texas. and there have been a number of other instances investigated and found cases of voter fraud that have been found exist. and what is the problem with issuing or requiring somebody to have a photo i.d. to vote? well, in texas, to get a voter i.d. for which the attorney general has sued the state of texas saying somehow it's discriminatory, to require somebody to have a voter i.d. to prove they are who they say they are so they can then cast their vote, even though it takes a photo i.d. to get in the department of justice, you can't go see eric holder or anybody at the department of justice unless you have a photo i.d. and oh, by the way, you can't buy tobacco products, you can't buy alcohol, you can't fly on an airplane without a photo i.d. and if for some reason you don't have one in the state of texas, you get one for free. how does that possibly burden the right to vote? well, it's no surprise then that 70% of the respondents and most of the polling i have seen, independents, democrats and republicans alike say they think voter i.d. is a good idea, because what does it do? it protects the integrity of the -- of the ballot for people who are qualified to vote. and doesn't permit illegal votes to dilute those votes. well, mr. president, we have spent the last several weeks back home meeting with our constituents. i know some people like to call it recess. i know it doesn't feel like recess, or at least not in the elementary school sense of the word because most of the time it's -- this is a period during which we get to travel our states and interact with our constituents and do something that we need to do more of, which is to listen to what they have to say and what their concerns are. and i did that in texas. my constituents did not say well, the most important thing you can do is pass a constitutional amendment gutting the first amendment, the right to free speech. that didn't come up one time. what did come up was their concerns about the economy, about access to health care, about immigration, about the challenges imposed by radical islamic terrorists and the russian strongman vladimir putin. all of those came up. not a single time did my constituents say we want you to go back to washington, d.c., and vote to gut the first amendment right to free speech. and at the time of high unemployment and stagnant wages, with the labor participation rate at historic lows, that's the percentage of people actually in the work force looking for a job. it's at a historic low. and millions of americans concerned about losing their health insurance or facing higher deductibles or premiums with a crisis on the southwest border which has not gone away with this wave of unaccompanied minor children coming across from central america, with terrorists on the march in the middle east, with russian military forces continuing a full-blown invasion of ukraine, despite all that, the majority leader in his wisdom has decided to bring up this amendment because he thinks the most urgent order of business is to replace the current first amendment which has stood the test of time for all these many years since our country's founding and replace it with one that empowers incumbent politicians to control who has access to the resources in order to get their message out. now, everyone is entitled to their priorities, but it's painfully clear that the majority leader's priorities have everything to do with november 4. that's the coming midterm elections. so it's all politics all the time, no matter what. and i am embarrassed, frankly, to confront my constituents when they say what are you going to be doing when you return to washington, d.c.? are you going to be dealing with jobs or the energy sector, which is a very bright spot in our economy? what are we going to do to make sure the millennials, the young adults can actually find jobs so they can pay down their college loans and so they can get to work. what are you going to do to keep the promises that the president made on health care that if you like what you have, you can keep it, the premiums for a family of four are going to go down by $2,500 and you can keep your doctor if you like your doctor. what are you going to do to make sure those promises are kept? well, instead of dealing with all of those really important issues, it's embarrassing for me to tell my constituents that look, the majority leader is the one who controls the agenda in the senate. he's the traffic cop, and an individual senator, certainly not one in the minority, doesn't have any ability to control what the agenda of the united states senate is. so this is all senator reid's choice as the majority leader. and he claims that this proposed constitutional amendment is all about getting so-called dark money out of the political system. in reality, if that were all this was about, we might have a good -- good debate and a vote here, but in reality, what he is concerned about is opposition, political support that is going to make it more likely that republicans regain the majority in this senate and democrats become a minority. that's what is motivating this vote. in reality, what this amendment would do would be to undermine some of our most cherished, most fundamental and most important liberties. if this proposed amendment ever becomes law, state and federal lawmakers would suddenly have vast new powers to regulate or even criminalize political speech. so to state the blindingly obvious, the founding fathers proposed and we adopted the first amendment precisely because we saw how dangerous it was to let politicians restrict the exercise of free speech. the founders understood that without the first amendment, we could end up with a never-ending cycle of elected officials shrinking the boundaries of permissible speech. a political system like that would be totally incompatible with the principles and values of a free society, yet that is exactly the type of political system we would have if this constitutional amendment being proposed ever were to take effect. now, i heard the majority whip saying that this isn't really about political speech, this is just about the money. but that argument quickly falls apart. for starters, my colleagues' amendment would allow congress to restrict freedom of assembly and freedom of petition as well, both of which are essential to safeguarding political speech. and while the amendment might not give congress the power to curtail freedom of the press per se, it would give congress the power to curtail political speech by individuals and activists. which begs the question: why should the political speech of newspapers and magazines be any different from the political speech of you and me? why should theirs be carved out and be unrestricted in terms of the financial resources it can advance those points of view in newspapers and magazines, yet our ability to communicate about the things we care about the most would be restricted by limiting the amount of money that we could spend to advocate those points of view? after all, when newspapers publish editorials about public policy, they're trying to persuade politicians and other elected officials to adopt a given position, and that's an important part of our -- our system. mr. president, i would ask unanimous consent for an additional three minutes. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. mr. cornyn: and so newspapers all the time are trying to persuade voters to elect a given candidate because they endorse those candidates. i remember the first public office i ran for was a district judge in bear county, san antonio, texas. and one of the most important things that i sought was the endorsement of the editorial board of the local newspaper because i knew that if nobody knew anything else about you, if the newspaper editorial board thought that you were a credible candidate, that that might help in my election. neither federal nor state lawmakers should have the power to decide which types of political speech are permissib permissible. free speech is free speech, and the solution to speech is more speech, not less speech. for 225 years, the first amendment has served as the guarantor of american democracy. it was designed to protect all speech, not just speech we happen to agree with or that supports our particular point of view. a recent supreme court decision put it this way. there is no more basic right to our democracy than the right to participate in electing political leaders, closed quote. unfortunately, this amendment would undermine that right and it would roll back perhaps the most elemental freedom of our founding document, by creating a system in which vital, indispensable liberty would be contingent on the ever-shifting tides of partisan politics. these efforts should not only be not supported, they should be repudiated firmly, loudly and unapologetically. nothing less than the very bedrock of american democracy is at stake. and, mr. president, just as i close, i want to add that the founders wisely put in our constitution the process by which the constitution could be amended. so two-thirds of the house and two-thirds of the senate must vote for a constitutional resolution. and then it goes to the states, where three-quarters of the states must ratify this constitutional amendment. i can tell you that there is no doubt in my mind that that would never, ever, ever happen with this amendment. so why is the majority leader bringing this up now, less than 60 days before the midterm elections? perhaps to motivate his own political base in hopes that that will mitigate some of the losses in the november the 4th election. but it certainly can't be with any hope or even a pipe dream that it would ever become the law of the land. and for the reasons i've stated, it should not. mr. president, i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from new mexico. mr. udall: thank you, mr. president. and to my good friend texas, let me just say, there are very important reasons for bringing this up now and it's the elections that are going on. he wants to make this sound like this is some kind of political process. what's going on is in our elections right now -- and there's the nine top senate races in the country. and in the blue you have the -- what is partial or nondisclosed money. so this is the dark money. nobody knows where this money's coming from. it could be billionaires. it could be large corporations. it could be almost anyone with -- with a secret agenda. and so in this race in arkansas, more than half the money is dark money. more than -- in georgia, you can see almost all the money is in this category of partial or nondisclosure. in kentucky, almost half the money. in north carolina, almost half the money. and in significant amounts in the other nine states. so this has to do, mr. preside mr. president, this has to do with what's happening right now in our elections and how this -- these rulings by the supreme court -- citizens united. just six months ago, i went over to the supreme court and listened to the mccutcheon argument and the ruling -- well, i went over longer than six months, and about six months ago we had the ruling. that ruling -- that ruling said that one individual can give $3.6 million. so that's what this is about, is we're trying to get to the bottom of what's happening in our elections and how our elections are being taken away from us and how they're being influenced in terms of dark money. so this is -- this is a very good time to have this debate. and let me say to my friend from texas, this is a bipartisan amendment. this amendment started back in 1983 with ted stevens, a republican. ernest hollings couldn't be more of a bipartisan figure in the senate, picked it up. we've had over the -- since 1983 to today 11 republicans either vote for the amendment or a similar amendment or beyond the amendment. so this isn't anything that should be partisan. this is something that the american people are very worried about, this dark money and the impact that it's having. but i'll come back to this chart in a minute. and this is a crucial period in our history. americans will go to the polls and vote. that's our heritage. it's something to celebrate. it's something to protect. the integrity of our elections is crucial but our campaign finance system is under siege. drowning in cash and records amounts of money, much of it from outside groups, much of it hidden. our elections should not be for sale to the highest bidder. money has poisoned our political system. the american people have lost faith in us as they watch this merry-go-round, this constant money chasing from special interests and very, very little getting done. folks want congress to get to work and to work together, finding real solutions to real problems and spending our time raising hopes instead of raising cash. that's why senator bennett and i have introduced our constitutional amendment and that is what i want to talk about today. total spending on federal elections -- over $6 billion in 2012. that's double which was spent in 2000, just 12 years before. that is a lot of money. where does it come from? most of it comes from a tiny fraction of the population, and they're billionaires and special interests writing checks, and often in dark corners. a lot of the dark money i talked about at the beginning of my speech here, where nobody knows who's behind that dark money and they're in our elections in a big way. there are basically two questions. how did we get into this mess, and how do we fix it? first, the history, which is important to understand because folks can change the subject but they cannot change the facts, and the facts are very clear. our campaign finance system is being destroyed by misguided supreme court decisions one after another, narrow 5-4 decisions giving a hammer to big money, chipping away at our democracy. the tradition normally has been in the supreme court of justices deciding things 9-0, 8-1, trying to work with each other. but these are narrow 5-4 decisions dividing -- dwietiondg the country and dividing the court. we can go all the way back with the supreme court decisions to 1976 and a case called buckley v. valeo, when the court said and free speech are the same thing. then four years ago, citizens united, where the court said corporations are persons and they can spend all they want. basically the supreme court put a "for sale" sign on elections. these elections -- these decisions opened door, allowing a flood of money, ignoring political reality and drowning out the voices of ordinary americans. and most recently, the mccutcheon decision, knocking down aggregate contribution limits. so what we're talking about there, one person can dole out $3.6 million directly to candidates and parties in all 50 states. let's put that in perspective for the average american working full time making minimum wage. he or she would have to work 239 years to make that much money. so because of the mccutcheon decision, one person can dole out $3.6 million now directly to candidates and parties in all 50 states. it would take the average american working full time making minimum wage 239 years to make that much money. look at the imbalance. look at the inequality there. justice ginsburg said in a recent interview in the ""national law journal,"" and -n the "national law journal" -- and this is her quote -- "i think the biggest mistake this court has made is in campaign finance. it should be increasingly clear how money is corrupting our system." supreme court justice ruth bader ginsburg. you know, justice ginsburg is right, it is clear to most americans, which is why opponents of reform either change the subject or muddy the water, which i will get into in a minute. but the point must be made, the five conservative justices on the supreme court are not done. if left unchecked, the hammering will continue, the destruction will go on. chief justice roberts made a troubling statement in the mccutcheon decision. he said that preventing bribery is the only basis, the only justification for congress to pass campaign finance laws. what does this mean? it means more bad decisions from the court. it means the floodgates stay open, the money keeps pouring in. short of prohibiting out and out bribery, congress is powerless to act and the american people must step aside, billionaires will stay at the front of the line. all of this, folks, defies -- defies -- common sense. senator mccain said after mccutcheon -- quote -- "there will be scandals involving corrupt political officials and unlimited anonymous campaign contributions that will force the system to be reformed once again." i'm afraid my friend is right, there will be scandals. we are setting the stage today for scandals. just look at the millions of dollars of undisclosed money pouring into our elections. but how can there be -- how can there be reform? the court has tied the hands of congress. until the constitution is amended, we cannot enact real reforms, reforms like mccain-feingold. the court will just strike them down. we're headed back to the pre-watergate era. in 2012, outside groups spent $450 million to influence senate and house races. in 2008, before citizens united, they spent $43 million. that's a tenfold increase. there is an obvious trend and it is deeply troubling. much of that money is hidden. according to a recent report by the brennan center, over half the money -- half the money -- spent in this year's top nine senate races is not fully disclosed. so in two months, we will know the outcome of these elections but we won't know who paid for them. and this chart is a great indication here. you have the top most contested senate races and here in the red have you full disclosure of the money. so the red shows you what people know and they know who the contributors are, but the blue, which more than half, if you average it through all the elections, partial or absolute nondisclosure. this clearly shows that we have a broken system, and there are only two ways to fix it. first, the court could reverse itself. that is unlikely. or we could amend the constitution, make it clear in the constitution that people have the right to regulate campaign finance. until then, we will fall short of real reform. that is why a constitutional amendment is essential, because the time has come to give power back to the elected representatives of the people. opponents say this is just an election-year stunt. but, again, this ignores history. our amendment is similar to other bipartisan amendments introduced in nearly every congress since 1983, when ted stevens, a republican, with us was the lead sponsor. many prominent republicans cosponsored and voted for these amendments. over the course of three decades, people like john danforth, strom thurmond, nancy cassel balm, arlen specter, thad cochran, this was always a bipartisan effort and that was before citizens united, before mccutcheon when things went from bad to worse. it's not a radical idea. in fact, it's pretty simple. it would give back power to congress to regulate campaign finance at the federal level, and to states at the state level. that's it. period. we do not dictate specific reforms. we cannot -- we can debate the specifics and we should, but congress has a duty and a right to enact sensible campaign finance reform. the american people support reform because they know a basic truth -- no matter how hard some may try to obscure it, when the court says money is free speech, there is a great risk that special interests can drown out the voices of everyone else. because we know you don't get something for nothing. folks writing those checks want something in return,whether it's democratic billionaires or republican billionaires, then value for their money, which usually means less compromise. and which usually means less compromise and more gridlock. opponents of reform are in full throttle. by ignoring history and torture -- in their tortured logic. but let's be clear, here's the bottom line -- they oppose any limits, they oppose any restrictions on how big the checks are or even saying which billionaires are writing them. it's hard to defend that. instead, they change the subject and talk about threats to free speech which goes something like this -- if congress can regulate campaign finance spending, then it could also regulate free speech. i think this is a strawman argument not supported by history, logic, or the law, and it isn't persuasive and it's basically a scare tactic. congress has a long history of regulating campaign finance. often in the wake of scandal. since 19 -- since 1867, congress has been in the business of regulating that, banning solicitation of campaign funds yeah yard government employees. we've had the pendleton act, the federal construct practices act of 1925, the hatch act, the federal campaign act of 1974, the bipartisan campaign act of 2002. first scandal, then reform. that is the fortunate pattern. every generation has faced that challenge for ethical government, for standing up to the power of big money. and the congress has acted. it has not banned books, suppressed preachers or stopped printing presses. reforms have been modest, reasonable, and responsive. sensible enough to pass both houses of congress and get the signature of the president. we have to answer to our constituents, unlike supreme court justices. further, our amendment does not give congress free rein. there is still a reasonable -- reasonableness requirement in the court's interpretation of any constitutional amendment. if congress did pass extreme laws, the court could still overturn them as unreasonable. the first amendment is in full effect. so in the classic example, we protect free speech, but you cannot yell fire in a crowded theater. reasonable is not a complicated idea, except maybe here in washington. or to billionaires who demand their way or the highway. opponents also argue our amendment protects incumbents. this again misses the point. if anything, the current system favors incumbents, raising $10 million or $15 million or $20 million for a senate seat is a tall order, one that many qualified candidates will decline. and if you're elected, it's just the beginning. this endless campaign cycle to compete, to keep up, raise more money, every member in this body can speak of this, the hours on the phone dialing for dollars when our time could be better spent, meeting the real needs of our constituents and serving the folks who sent us here in the first place. the presiding officer: the senator's time has expired. mr. udall: thank you. i'd ask for just another minute to sum up. the presiding officer: is there objection? hearing none. mr. udall: thank you, mr. president. this -- this is not about free speech and the american people know it. it's about the wealthiest interests trying to buy elections in secret with no limits, period, that's it. and let me just finally say that i have had a great group of senators working with me on this amendment over the years. one of them you're going to hear from right now, senator bernie sanders from vermont. all of us, senator leahy, senator durbin on the judiciary committee, we have worked and refined this amendment to do everything we can to make sure that it is responsive to the american people and going to make us responsive to the american people in terms of having good, solid electoral -- a good, solid electoral system other than the one supreme court is leading us down the path. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. sanders: let me begin by thank senator tom udall for his extraordinary work offer the years in calling attention to this disastrous supreme court decision called citizens united which is doing so much to undermine the foundations of american democracy and it's been a pleasure working with him, we're going to continue to fight. mr. president, you may not know it by reading the newspapers or watching tv, but, in fact, this week we are going to be having a debate on what i consider to be the most important domestic issue facing the united states of america. and that is in fact whether this great country retains its democratic foundations, one person,with one vote, or whether we move into an oligarchic form of society where a small handful of billionaires are able to control not only the economic life of our nation but the political life as well. mr. president, whether you are a democrat, whether you are a republican or whether you as you and and i are, as independents, the overwhelming majority of the american people do not believe that free speech has anything to do with billionaires being able to buy elections. mr. president, "the washington post" reported earlier this week that one family, the koch brothers, a family worth $80 billion, has already put up on the air some 44,000 ads in this -- and this campaign has two and a half months, two months left to it. 44,000 ads. what america is supposed to be about is a debate about issues. it is not supposed to be a process where a billionaire can come into a small state like maine or vermont and plop $50 million down or $20 million down to elect candidates whose sole job in life is to represent the wealthy and the powerful. men and women have put their lives on the line and died to defend american democracy, the right for all of us to be involved in the political process, not to create a situation where a handful of superwealthy families can elect candidates that they want. you know, mr. president, i think some people when they hear the citizens united they say, well, it's kind of ans owe tieric issue, it's not relevant to my life. and anyone who believes that, they are dead wrong. if you are concerned about the collapse of the middle class, if you are concerned about the fact that more people today are living in poverty than any time in american history, if you are concerned about the fact that we have more wealth and income inequality in america today than any other major country on earth, if you're concerned we're the only major country on the house without guaranteeing health care to all people, if you're concerned about the crisis of global warming and many, many other issues you have got to be interested in the issue of citizens united and how, in fact, we elect members of the house and senate and governors and so forth and so on. because ultimately what this is about is whether the wealthy can determine the agenda of the house and the senate, whether they can say to candidates here it is, we're going to put $50 million into your campaign and all you got to do is support us on a, c, d, and e. you got to make sure that the rich get more tax breaks despite the fact that the wealthy are doing phenomenonally well. you got to make sure that we cut food stamps or we cut education and we eliminate the environmental protection. that's why we are giving you the money that we're giving you. people do not spend hundreds of millions of dollars on campaigns for fun, for the hell of it. they are spending money because they have an agenda, and the billionaire agenda is not the agenda of the american people. mr. president, i want to read for a moment language, exact language from the 1980 libertarian party whose vice-presidential campaign and major funder was one david koch, one of the two koch brothers. and i'm going to read you today is what i believe their agenda remains today, i've seen no evidence that it has changed. so when you turn on the tv and you see an ad coming from one of the koch brothers organizations, know what they stand for. i quote. "we favor the abolition of medicare and medicaid programs" -- end of quote. that doesn't mean cutting them, that means ebbed ending them. -- quote -- "we favor the repeal of the oppressive social security system." that means not opposition to raising the minimum wage which many of us want to do, they want to -- they want to do away with social security entirely. not cut social security, but do away with it. we support repeal of all law which impede the ability of any person to find employment such as minimum wage laws end of quote. what that means in english is while we are trying to raise the minimum wage, they want to abolish the concept of the minimum wage when so high unemployment areas an employer can pay a worker $3 an hour or $4 an hour. this is also from the koch brothers platform. -- quote -- "-- quote --"we oppose all government welfare, relief projects and aid to the poor programs. all these government programs are privacy invading, paternalistic, demeaning and inefficient. the proper source of help for such persons is the voluntary efforts of private persons and organizations." that means goodbye federal aid to education, goodbye unemployment insurance. mr. president, this is not a conservative agenda. this is not a small government agenda. this is an extremist agenda designed to eliminate virtually every piece of legislation passed by congress in the last 80 years which protects the middle class, working families, low-income people, seniors, and the sick. that is their agenda. now, i'm not saying every republican adhered to every aspect of this agenda but these guys are pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into the political process for a reason, and that reason is to make the wealthiest people in this country even won't wealthier while they do away with all legislation that protection working families. citizens united is one of the worst decisions in the history of the united states supreme court. i would hope that every member of the u.s. senate votes this week to start the process for a constitutional amendment to over turn citizens united. and with that, mr. president, i would -- i promised -- i would yield to the senator from georgia. a senator: i thank the distinguished chairman from vermont. today the state of georgia lost a great citizen and america lost a great patriot. the founder of chic-fil-a restaurants passed away. he started a restaurant called the dwarf house in college park park, georgia during into the chic-fil-a which how has over 1,800 residents in 40 states and the district of columbia. mr. isakson: it's a business built on the principles that drew and kathy believed in. true and kathy's stores are never open on sundays. he believes sunday is a day of rest owe so he separates prates six out of seven days. everybody who competes operates for seven days but everybody that competes finishes second in gross sales, second in quality and the line. he is an -- drew kathy is a man whose life is a tribute to all the things. he gave back no to his community more than any person i know of. he founded win shape homes, win shape to build boys, children who couldn't find a post foster parent. he's a prolific writer of book after book after book about his belief in life and his greatest book is one i gave to each member of the senate five years ago. it's easier to build boys than to mend men. because he knew the citizenship 6 our country would be better if we had good foundation from the beginning so he tried to make sure those who were less fortunate who didn't have the advantages he had had ear others had had a chance to grow up in a home with a nurturing environment, a christian environment, an environment dedicated to the principles of this country and freedom and democracy. atlanta and georgia will miss truett kathy. he is i are i replaceable. the legacy and legend he built will go on as a flagship with everything right about free enterprise and the united states of america. on this floor of the united states senate, to his family and legion of friends and to all he stood for and stands for, i mourn the loss of truett kathy, a great american and great citizen. i urge everybody when they get the chance to read the story of his life because it is the story of the american way of life, the story of principles that you're committed to, vision that you hope for, taking a risk to try and create a reward and giving back to the community when you earn the money from that reward to see to it that you leave the place a better -- leave the world a better place you found it. he has gone on to a better place and left our city, our country a better place than what he found. may god bless the life of truett cathy. . snomr. nelson: mr. president, i ask consent that amanda ferguiero, a defense fellow sesqui on our office -- sesqui on our coves staff and dale dawton, also a defense assistant, be granted privileges of the floor for the remainder of the 113th congress. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. nelson: mr. president, i have filed today and would like to insert in the record, if i may be granted, the senate joint resolution that i have filed today. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. nelson: mr. president, this is a resolution that will express the authorization for the use of united states armed forces against the islamic state in iraq and the levant. mr. president, it is a resolution that has been necessitated by legal scholars since the president has used his existing authorization for the use of military force in iraq, most recently against isis -- isil, isis ... i.t it's the same thing. the levant is that area broadly from about baghdad all the way to the mediterranean. that's i-s-i-l. isis, i-s-i-s, is the islamic state in iraq and syria. and, of course, we know that this organization that is calling itself an islamic caliphate, it knows no jurisdictional boundaries; it has taken large swaths of territory in syria as well as iraq; and when the president successfully employed the use of air power, both manned and unmanned, against isis targets as they were marching toward irbil, the capital of kurdistan, and then likewise, as they were marching toward the mosul damn, the president used his -- the mosul darnlings the president used his norse iraq and also his authority as commander in chief to protect americans. there are americans in irbil, there are americans in bag dated, there are -- in baghdad, there are americans in other places in iraq, and protection of the dam in mosul was to protect those americans downriver, because if the dam were blown, that would have flooded all downriver, and it would have flooded baghdad. legal scholars disagree with me that the president has the authority under the constitution as commander in chief to go after isis in syria. i describe isis has a snake. if the head of the snake is in syria, which it is, a lot of their organization, a lot of their leadership is there, then we ought to go after the snake where the head is. and decapitate the snake. in doing that, we're going to have to go into syria. now, i believe that the president has the authority to do this under the constitution anyway. but there are some who disagree. so rather than quibble about legalities, i have filed this legislation. there's no pride of authorship. the senate is obviously going to debate this. i believe that if you're seeing the polls from today where 90% of the people of this country are concerned about isis, and some huge number want us to go on and attack isis in other places than where we are attacking now, then i think it is obvious that the united states is going to have to continue this attack on isis. now, i want to compliment the president. often as i have talked about this issue, people have come -- or members of the press and say, well, the president has dillydallied and so forth. i don't think he has at all. i think the president, indeed, has employed a very successful strategy of going after isis in iraq, in fact, stopped their march on irbil, in fact, stopped their march on the mosul dam, and is going after them in other locations in coordination with the peshmurga of the kurds as well as the iraqi army. and, indeed, the president started on august the 25th the surveillance flights over syria so that we can collect the intelligence that is necessary as you prepare to go after them in syria. but the president has done something more. he has started to put together a coalition, realizing that the american people have no appetite for american boots on the ground in syria, to put together a coalition so that maybe the free syrian army, maybe other members of the arab league, maybe some other members of nato, would participate. but the way we drew this resolution, it talks about that there would not be a recurring military presence in the implying of an american army on the ground. it leaves the flexibility that clearly there would be american boots on the ground, just as there already has been when we sent our special operations forces in there to try to rescue the two american journalists that subsequently met such a brutal and uncivil end in their beheading. so american boots have been there. and we might need special operations kinds of missions in the future. we might need forward air observers actually on the ground to direct in airstrikes. so there's flexibility in this resolution. i want to say that, if there is anybody with any doubt about the intent of isis, they have made it so clear, not only taking the lives of these journalists, the second one of which was from my state of florida, but in their statements of what they intend to do setting up an islamic caliphate, the leader al-baghdadi, even calls himself the caliph, or religious leader, but they have also sthaid they y have also said that they will not stop until the black flag of isis is hanging and flying over the white house. so their intent is pretty clear. are and so we're going to -- and so we're going to have to deal with them, not only in iraq, as we are now, but elsewhere. and it's going to be sooner or later. now, it's not going to be a one- or two-day operation. the american people, as the president has already indicated, this is going to be a long-term kind of operation. and the fact is that the united states is the one that has to lead the coalition. so to get this right out front and center of what we need to do, i have filed -- and it's inserted as part of the record -- the resolution that i am offering to give the legal authorization from the congress for the president to strike isis in syria and to do as the president has said; to bring it to a successful conclusion to stop this horrendous, uncivil, extraordinary kind of inhumane behavior that is being illustrated by these folks. mr. president, i yield the floor. mr. roberts: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from kansas. mr. roberts: thank you, mr. president. this evening the senate will vote on whether it should proceed to consideration of a constitutional amendment that would, of all things -- of all things -- alter the bill of rights. specifically, it seeks to amend the first amendment to permit this congress to regulate speech and political activity of american citizens. as written, the first amendment does not permit regulation of the sort the majority wishes to impose, so they have decided to rewrite it. this is incredible. mr. president, and a sad demonstration of the lengths to which this majority is willing to go in its quest to retain power. it is particularly sad when you realize that in just over two weeks we will be celebrating the anniversary of the senate action that made ratification of the first amendment possible. it was on september 25, 1789 that this body passed the first ten amendments to the constitution of the united states. that was 225 years ago. the ratification process was completed when virginia became the 11th state to approve the amendments on december 15, 1791. since then, for over two centuries, the first amendment has guaranteed all americans will have the right to express themselves and participate in the political process without fear of government reprisal. while other nations have struggled to build and sustain democracy, the liberties guaranteed by our constitution have given us a stability that allowed the united states of america to grow and to prosper and to become a beacon of freedom around the globe. our founders knew that the free expression of ideas was essential to the life and health of our democracy. many other nations have yet to learn this lesson and still punish and imprison their citizens for daring to speak out and challenge those in power. that does not happen here because of the system our founders gave us. it does not happen because of the first amendment. these things should be obvious, mr. president. you might even call them self-evident. and you would think that even in these polarized times, we would have a consensus or could have a consensus on the wisdom of the founders on this point. you would think that senators on both sides of the aisle would recognize and agree that the first amendment which has preserved our liberty must itself be preserved. well, i'm very sorry to say, mr. president, that if you thought that, you would be wrong. i am very sorry to say that as we stand here today in september 2014, those on the other side of the aisle now want to reverse the decision this body made that september 225 years ago. 49 -- 49 members of the majority have chosen to cosponsor senate joint resolution 19, an amendment to the bill of rights. i am pleased to say that not a single one of my republican colleagues has joined them, but i am saddened that so many of those across the aisle have taken the extraordinary step of supporting it. i think the reason is clear. they want to silence their opponents. the first amendment does not allow them to do so, so they are going to try and change it. well, the first amendment begins "congress shall make no law for a reason." our founders knew a great deal about human nature. they knew that those in power would be inclined to retain it, and unless constrained would use their power to punish those who would seek to challenge them or remove them from office. the first amendment denies us that power. it explicitly prohibits this congress from passing laws that restrict the speech of the american people. now, the majority wants to remove that prohibition. they want to grant themselves the power to control speech, to silence their opposition. now, we will hear from the other side. there's nothing to worry about. that all they wish to do is impose reasonable regulations. of course, the point of the first amendment is to prevent this congress from making determinations about what speech is reasonable and therefore permitted and what is unreasonable and, therefore, prohibited. and we don't need to speculate about what the majority will deem reasonable and what it will deem unreasonable. as i described at a recent rules committee hearing on the disclose act, prior consideration of that legislation has shown us what the majority regards as reasonable. the disclose act is the majority's most recent version of their now biennial attempt to create a new regulatory structure to deter speech. it is precisely the kind of legislation we can expect to see more of if the majority grants itself the power to regulate speech through the amendment we are debating today. so with past as prologue, let us recall what happened when the disclosure act was considered by the house -- by the house -- in 2010. not surprisingly, the restrictions and obligations that imposed were applied to groups disfavored by the majority at that time. a number of corporations were simply prohibited from speaking. government contractors and tarp recipients were prohibited from making independent expenditures. during floor consideration, an amendment was added also to prohibit speech by companies that explore and produce oil and gas on the outer continental shelf. the bill is on the floor soon after the deepwater horizon spill. you see, so this was an easy target. not surprisingly, the majority thought it was perfectly reasonable to prevent any of these companies from speaking but did not think it was necessary to extend those restrictions to the unions that might represent the workforce in these companies. republican amendments to extend those restrictions to those unions were rejected. the majority did not find them reasonable apparently. in some cases groups were excluded from the disclosure operation solely because the votes were not there to include them. that is what happens once the congress starts imposing speech restrictions. restrictions get applied to whoever doesn't have enough votes in the congress to prevent them. imposing speech regulations based on the whims of whatever party happens to be in the majority in the congress at a given time is not reasonable. but it is exactly what happens once we start down this path. and the majority has not deviated from it. the rules committee hearing revealed the disclose act continues to exempt groups sympathetic to the majority from the obligations it would impose on others. mr. president, it may be a natural impulse to wish those who were criticizing us would stop. everybody understands that. but the first amendment does not allow us to make it stop. we should not have the power to silence our critics, and we should never have it. i know many members on the other side of the aisle are upset about the ads that are attacking them and their agenda. i know they want those ads to stop. well, we don't get to choose who gets to speak. the proponents of this amendment and the critics of the citizens united decision are clearly exorcised by the prospects of corporate speech. it is obvious they fear how such speech might influence public policy debate in this country and their own electoral prospects. they have decided these voices should not be heard and must be suppressed. they claim to be motivated only by a desire to promote the health of this democracy. they claim they just want all voices to be heard and want to make sure powerful corporations do not drown out the voices of others. this claim is belied by one simple fact, mr. president. there are and always have been powerful and wealthy corporations that have exerted enormous influence over our politics in this country, our culture even. but the majority has not had a problem with them. i'm speaking, of course, of media corporations. they were never limited by the electioneering restrictions imposed on other corporations. the citizens united decision simply leveled the plague playing field and ended that nonsensical distinction. that result alarms the majority because they fear that other corporations may not be as sympathetic to them as media corporations have been. they, therefore, regard it as perfectly reasonable to allow media corporations to say whatever they want while at the same time regarding it as intolerable that other corporations be permitted to do the same. while the amendment they propose would allow them to prohibit speech by any corporation, including the media, we can expect their allies will continue to enjoy the right to free expression. their opponents, however, will be targeted. those whose views align with the majority should draw no comfort from this fact, though, mr. president. you see, majorities do change. the whole point of the first amendment is to ensure that the people's right to speak is not dependent on the whims of whatever majority happens to be in power at a given time in the senate of the united states. people have a right to express themselves, and that right is not limited to whatever this body might deem to be reasonable. we have a free marketplace of ideas. we do not entrust this congress with the power to decide what ideas will get expressed or how much they will be expressed. again, we don't entrust this congress with the power to decide what ideas will get expressed or how much they will be expressed. now, the majority proposes this amendment because they want that power, but they should never have it. and neither should any future majority. we have already seen from the rule change they imposed unilaterally a few months ago that this majority is willing to jettison long-standing traditions and practices for short-term political gain. this mentality has already done serious and possibly irreparable damage to this body, but apparently destruction of the senate rules will not suffice. now the constitution itself must yield. the interest of the majority are paramount and everything -- everything -- even our most basic principles must be sacrificed on the altar of the majority. well, thankfully, the rules cannot be discarded as easily as the rules of this body. to ensure against precisely what the majority wishes to do -- alter the constitution for their own benefit -- the founders made it very hard to amend. two-thirds of each house of congress must agree to an amendment. then three-quarters of the states must ratify it. that's just not going to happen. but the fact that they will not succeed does not mean we should take their threats seriously. to even begin down this path shows a remarkable contempt for our political traditions and founding documents. it reveals the desperation of the majority at the same time it reveals the wisdom of our founders. and seeking to amend the first amendment to protect themselves, the majority reminds us again how lucky we are to live in a country with a constitution that prevents such abuses. i am profoundly grateful for the wisdom of the founders and proud to stand here today to defend the first amendment that they gave us. i will oppose this amendment today, tomorrow, and forever. and i ask my colleagues to do the same. thank you, mr. president. mr. roberts: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that time be charged to both parties and that -- i think it is obvious that we do not have a quorum. the presiding officer: without objection. the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from new hampshire. mrs. shaheen: mr. president, i ask that the quorum call be lifted. the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. shaheen: mr. president, these last few weeks have been very trying for america. in august, as the result of the cowardly and barbaric acts of a terrorist group, isis, america lost two courageous and inspiring journalists, james foley and steven sautlof. along with my colleagues, senator ayotte, senator nelson and rubio and chairman menendez, i'm introducing a resolution to honor the lives of james foley, who was born and raised in new hampshire, and steven sautlof, a florida native but a graduate of kimball union academy in maridan, new hampshire. our resolution mourns james and steven, two outstanding journalists who pursued their profession under the most difficult and dangerous conditions in order to tell the stories that needed to be told of the struggles that people that the ground were facing in the middle of difficult conflicts. we will never forget the bravery of james and steven and their dedication to the ideal ideals f freedom that they so embodied. our resolution strongly condemns the terrorist group isis, a group that has committed unspeakable atrocities against humanity and attempted to justify them through a perverted interpretation of islam. isis fighters have targeted iraqi christians, killing many and forcing others to flee their ancient homeland. they have massacred muslims, who do not subscribe to their debraved ideology. they have threatened genocide against the ancient yzidi population of iraq, and have targeted other religious and ethnic minority groups. they have threatened to conduct terrorist attacks internationally, including here in the united states. and, of course, isis brutally murdered these two american journalists, jim foley and steven sotloff. so let us be clear. we must hold isis accountable for their despicable acts. we must vigorously pursue those responsible and bring them to justice. and we must not let the deaths of these two americans go unanswered. the terrorists who murdered jim foley are deeply mistaken if they think their barbaric acts will lessen americans' resolve and pave the way for isis to continue terrorizing. we will bring an end to those who stand against everything these men stood for. and i hope that the entire united states senate, republicans and democrats united, will stand together to pass this resolution. and independence. let us show the world that our nation is united in its commemoration of the lives of james foley and steven sotloff and our commendation of the barbaric group who took these brave americans from us. thank you, mr. president, and i yield the floor. and note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the senator from georgia. a senator: i ask the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. isakson: mr. president, in a few minutes, in fact, in about 19 minutes, the senate will exercise one of its constitutional responsibilities of advice and consent on the appointment of a judge to the circuit court of appeals for the 11th district in the united states of america. we will be considering a recommendation of president obama of miss jill a. pryor. i want to urge all of my colleagues to vote favorably for miss pryor, a lawyer from the city of atlanta and the state of georgia, a grout nominee and a great appointee. as i make this recommendation, i want the chamber to know loud and clear that i praise the president and his staff, particularly kathy rumler, for the job they did in coordinating with senator chambliss and myself and seeking advice and consent to come up with a series of appointees to the district and circuit courts in georgia. jill pryor is an outstanding lawyer and an outstanding attorney. a graduate of washington and l lee, she graduated from yale university and was editor of the yale law review, an outstanding jurist, an outstanding person practicing in business, law and practice and specializing in representing plaintiffs and defendants -- not in the same case, i might add -- she represented them either way but not in the same case. in the areas of business torts, corporate governance and the shareholder disputes, class action, trade secrets, fraud, intellectual property fraud, and the georgian federico statutes. she's an outstanding member of the firm of bonderant, nixon and elmore and clerked for the 11th circuit judge when they got out of yale university law school. she's an outstanding individual of impeccable credentials, impeccable integrity and will be a great credit to the 11th circumstance put and the federal bench and the federal court of appeals. i commend her to each of my colleagues here today with my highest recommendation and i thank again the president of the united states and his staff for their cooperation in nominating a superior judge to the 11th circuit court of appeals in the united states of america. and i yield -- note -- i'd like to have the -- if the chair would equally divide the quorum call, and i would note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: without objection. the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: quorum call: a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. mr. grassley: i ask that the calling of the quorum be suspended. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. grassley: mr. -- oh, i ask to speak now. okay. thank you. the presiding officer: the senator has the floor. mr. grassley: mr. president, with all the problems facing the country and the world, the majority has decided that the time has come to cut back on the bill of rights to be amended for the first time in our history. we hear from the other side repeatedly that they revere the constitution, but they want to restrict the core of free speech. that is speech that allows a self-governing people to choose in elections the people who will represent them. this proposed amendment would enshrine in our constitution the ability of elected officials to criminally punish those who would dare to criticize them more than the elected officials think is reasonable. today, americans are free to spend unlimited money on behalf of candidates and political issues and messages of their choice. the amendment being proposed would put those who would engage in political speech unnoticed that they may be prosecuted for being active citizens in our democracy. that threat of criminal prosecution would not just chill speech, it would freeze political speech. this proposed amendment would be the biggest threat to free speech that congress would have enacted since the alien and sedition acts of 1798. the first amendment creates a marketplace of ideas. when people disagree on political speech, competeing voices respond to each other and the public then decides. when speech is free, people are not shut up with the threat of jail if government thinks they speak too much. since the 1970's, the supreme court has ruled repeatedly that because effective speech can only occur through the expenditure of money, government cannot restrict campaign expenditures by candidates or anybody else. the court has recognized that effective campaign speech requires that individuals have the right to form groups that might actually spend money on campaign speech. the proposed amendment is very radical. it would not overturn just one or two but it would overturn 12 supreme court decisions. that was the testimony before the judiciary committee of the country's foremost first amendment lawyer floyd abrams. the other side may think that the senate can simply filibuster the motion to proceed and then move on to some other political vote that they may want to have us take. proposals to amend our fundamental charter of liberty, meaning the bill of rights, should be treated more seriously so we should have debate on this important amendment. the majority should be made to answer for why they want to silence their critics under threat of criminal prosecution, so i look forward to supporting the vote to move to that debate, and i now yield the floor. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from georgia. mr. chambliss: mr. president, i rise today in support of the nomination of jill pryor who has been selected to serve as circuit judge for the 11th circuit. ms. pryor's judicial pedigree is beyond reproach. she worked to put herself through college at william and mary, and she then went on to yale law school where she was the senior editor and chief of the yale law journal. after finishing law school, she clerked for judge edmondson on the 11th circuit court of appeals in atlanta, the very court for which she is today being considered. once she finished her clerkship, she decided to stay in atlanta in private practice, and there she has been practicing for the last 25 years. during that time, she has played a pivotal role in some of the largest, most complex cases in the history of our legal system in our great state of georgia. but like any other well-rounded attorney, ms. pryor has taken time to give back outside the courtroom. she is currently on the state bar of georgia board of governors and she is also on the board of governors of the georgia legal services program. she is the former chair of the appellate practice section of the state bar and she is a past president of the georgia association for women lawyers. the 11th circuit will be well served boy the -- by the addition of ms. pryor. as i said in july, before the senate unanimously confirmed judge julie carnes to this very same court, this is a vacancy that needs to be filled and needs to be filled quickly. ms. carnes certainly has the judicial as well as educational background to serve on the 11th circuit. she has done extensive work inside the courtroom as well as at the appellate level, and she is well qualified to now go to the 11th circuit. i'm pleased to speak on behalf of this highly qualified nominee, and i urge my colleagues to vote in support of jill pryor to the 11th circuit judicial court. thank you very much. and i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: quorum call: the presiding officer: the senator from oregon. mr. wyden: i ask unanimous consent to vacate the quorum call. the presiding officer: without objection. morning business is closed. under the previous order, the senate will proceed to executive session to consider the following nomination which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, the judiciary, jill a. pryor of georgia to be united states circuit judge for the 11th circuit. the presiding officer: the question occurs on the nomination. a senator: i ask for the yeas and nays. the presiding officer: is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will call the roll. vote: vote: vote:
ArkansasUnited-statesMontanaAlabamaNevadaVermontShelby-countyOhioFort-hoodTexasSyriaNew-mexico it is 1:00 p.m. on the east coast, 10:00 a.m. out west. for those of you just tuning in, thanks for being with us here today. i'm deborah feyerick. here are the top stories we're following for you in the "cnn newsroom." bye-bye blizzard, that huge blizzard that came and conquered parts of the northeast is headed out to sea right now. it left a very white powdery calling card. people across the region are digging out today. connecticut, not boston, as predicted, was hit hardest with some cities getting more than 3 feet of snow. 65,000 customers across the region, they are without power. we're live in the storm zone and have a report straight ahead. in chicago, first lady michelle obama is attending the funeral of a 15-year-old honor student and band majorette who was killed about a mile from the obamas' family home. hadiya pendleton was shot and killed while she and friends were trying to escape rain by seeking shelter in a children's park. the shooting happened just days after the teenager who always had a smile performed at the president's inauguration. a $40,000 reward is offered for information leading to an arrest. he's considered armed and very violent. in los angeles, police are heading back up to into the air using helicopters to find the ex-cop they accuse of killing three people already. one of them is a police officer who dorner allegedly ambushed. billboards are up all over the place showing christopher dorner's face. he says that he wants revenge on those who unfairly, in his opinion, cost him his job. we're going to show you exclusive video of dorner during his days at the police academy. and police at the grammys will be on guard not only for the safety of celebrities but for their own safety as well. that's because of dorner's threats. the show will go on. those attending are under a warning, their own warning to be careful but also to dress appropriately and not show too much skin. at least that's what the network's asking. a new name and suddenly a grammy favorite, frank ocean has racked up six nominations including new artist of the year and also album of the year. back to the blizzard. forecasters say the storm system will linger across providence, rhode island, and boston today. most of the heavy snow will taper off late they are afternoon. we're now hearing that there are five deaths linked to the storm in new york, connecticut, and ontario, canada. hundreds of thousands across the region are shivering in the cold right now. they are without power. take a look at this. almost 650,000 customers in the region without power. some cities in connecticut also got lots of snow with a few locations getting more sththan inches, some nearing 40. portland, maine, got 29.3 inches of snow, breaking the old all-time record of 27.1 inches in 1979 and boston's logan international airport, well, it got almost 22 inches of snow. it's going to take a lot of digging out before planes get off the ground there. all airports are open in new york. commercial flights will be running on a delayed schedule because those at the airport will have to come in from somewhere. a total of nearly 4,800 flights have been canceled. united airlines canceled the maximum number followed by delta with 1,200, us airways, jetblue, and american airlines. as a blizzard heads slowly out to sea, i'd like to show you some amazing video from connecticut. watch this. well, this is a time lapse video posted on youtube by jeff fox. okay. snow's sort of gently falling there. he set his camera at the door of his deck and let it capture one frame per minute starting at 6:07 a.m. yesterday morning. when he stopped it a little after 11:00 p.m. not because the snow was over but because the snow went way over the lens. you can see it there. what a great way to record it. poor camera getting hit with the storm. our ashleigh banfield is standing in all that snow, speaking of things that are being hit by the storm and people, of course. ashleigh, what is the situation out there? you have been out there and it is -- you look cold. i got to tell you. you look really, really cold. >> reporter: you know what, i'm canadian so i dress for it and the sun is out, deb ferryerickfo i feel like i'm at a ski resort if i squint. here's the thing. i've been living that time-lapse photo from last night and lived the drive on 95 to get to fairfield, connecticut, where i am right now, from near stamford. that should take about 20 minutes. took an hour 45. we were parked because people are breaking the travel bans. not a smart idea. governor of connecticut has said this travel ban is in effect until i say so. it doesn't mean it's lifted because the sun came out. we still have problems. we still have people unable to maneuver in this gas station. in fact, the gas station operator couldn't make it into work so the guy from the night shift is still running it. he's going to shut it down at 2:00 because he said he can't handle it himself. all these people, presumably with somewhere really critical they got to be, keep floating the ban and skidding around and then getting stuck right here, you know-in a couple inches of snow and requiring people to dig and push them out. the new york governor, andrew cuomo, has been kind enough to send snowplows throughout new england as well. obviously, new york has been spared the worst of this. connecticut, rhode island, massachusetts, with all these travel bans, and some of those deaths, as well, reported, deb, as you mentioned, there's a lot of trouble pap lot of people are still stuck. power lines are buried. utility crews can't even find some of those lines. we still have the statistic of 650,000 people who ultimately lost power because of this blizzard. it's sunny and lovely now and the snow has stopped but the wind gusts in connecticut i can tell you are upwards of 40 miles an hour so they kick up a ton of snow and they continue to cause drifts. so the plows may be out, but the snow keeps coming and drifting. that's why the travel bans are still in place. i want to bring up indra petersons in boston. indra, i've been watching you and your live shots from early yesterday as you watch the snow come in and the visibility go away. you were doing your yardstick measuring. how is it now? are you getting the same sunshine we have next door in connecticut? >> let me see if i see the sun. not really seeing it peek through just yet. but you can tell this is nothing like we saw in the overnight hours. the situation generally lightening up. we're in between these two bands, in between another band farther inland. either way, the big focus is having fun. so many people are running in shorts, making snow angels behind me. we see people sledding. everyone walking their dogs. i even have a family with me this morning or afternoon, and you know what, you guys tell me, are you loving this? tell me in your own words. what do you think? >> so far it's been really fun. right? >> yeah! been very fun! >> we were all here freezing and the girls just sat down in the snow. that's how you know the difference in age. they are loving this. going to have a snowball fight later between the sisters maybe? >> yeah! >> i think i might have scared her. she was so adorable a second ago. we were going to have a snowball fight. but cold wind out here this morning. do you feel like the city was prepared? was this the biggest blizzard you've seensome. >> they did a really good job, very thorough. they've been working all day. fantastic. >> you felt like you were prepared for the storm? >> yep. we stayed inside. it was great. >> until now, right? i want to keep you updated. we still have 415,000 people without power. we still do have until 4:00 today stay off the roads because the governor tweet ed he's goin to lift that at 4:00 p.m. we haven't heard word on public transportation just yet. >> all right, indra. thank you. i'm glad that you showed the kids out playing because in some places obviously like where that you are would be fun. where i am, where the winds are gusting and the boughs are still heavy, i'm not so sure i would have my kids outside at this point. i have two little kids in connecticut. if you're watching, boys, stay inside with your dad because those boughs can break and we can have lots of -- check it out over here if you can. scoot over here. there you go. that's what's happening live right now. all throughout connecticut, massachusetts, rhode island, you name it. so many people without power, these utility companies are making their way around where they can, where it's plowed, and also where people who shouldn't be clogging up the roads aren't clogging up the roads. these guys got to get to where they're going. a lot of them from out of state. already mentioned that the new york governor has been sending plows from out of state. we've also been getting utility company workers from out of state coming in to help the roughly 650,000 people who ultimately did lose power at some point during this storm. not as many here in connecticut. i think at last look it was about 39,000. there were a lot more but they've been establishing things very quickly which has been lucky for us here. that said, again, i can't state this enough. with the none in massachusetts and here i am in connecticut suggesting these winds are really dangerous because those trees snap so quickly and take those power lines down. chad myers, you and i have these conversations ad nauseam about the dangers even when it doesn't look like it's dangerous. please, could you reiterate why the governor has a travel ban and why you have to be careful outside? >> there's something else i haven't heard anybody else address. far while yesterday we had freezing fog, so on these limbs of these pine trees and whatever, there's a layer of ice. hard to see but kind of black ice. so these limbs are really heavy. they don't even want to stay up. then all of a sudden the wind stars to move those limbs around and they fall down quite a bit. look at the numbers, ashleigh. you and i were texting last night about 2:00 in the morning because you were in greenwich, didn't get a lot of snow. i said where do you need to go? i said east anywhere, milford, new haven, bridgeport, over three 3 feet of snow. at least the snow is done. i've heard a lot of people complain that we didn't get 25 or 30 inches in boston. let me tell you this. you got 35 inches worth of moisture. but for a while it wasn't a snowflake. it was little ice pellets. and they didn't pile up as much. when you move that 21 inches of snow today you're going to feel like you're moving 35 inches of snow so you have to be careful. that is heart attack snow for sure up in new york. islip, over 2 feet of snow. it's all there. still there. even central park had picked up now finally 12 inches of snow in the city proper. ash? >> all right, chad. thank you. i'm just watching as people come in and out of this gas station. they're having a really tough time. take a look over here, this guy pulling out. usually what happens is they try to make it out, hit these cumulative mounds of snow that have either drifted or been shove around by other drivers and then just losing it, lose traction. i'll tell you what, they can't keep a straight line with their cars. so even we in this location here at a gas station close to the front doors step out of the way of vehicles that don't seem to be able to maintain control. it's for that reason, chad myers, we saw several wreck, one after the other along 95. people spent their nights in their cars last night, many of them, and on long island, 100 vehicles plus also abandoned. people spending their nights in those cars as well. that can be lethal, folks. we do know about five db i'm just going to watch this car as he comes in. a little bitty car without a lot of traction so i'm just going to watch myself. every man for himself in this blizzard, folks. whoa. okay. that's probably going to be a tough spot for him to get out of. i just keep watching this happen over and over. deb feyerick, i just don't know how to stay it loud enough to anybody who's watching. if you do not need to be out, please let the utility people do their jobs and the snowplows. there are several thousand of them throughout these states trying to get things cleared so that we can all function as a society once again. we cannot to-do that with cars like this chlogging everything up. >> the good thing is the fact that it's a weekend. probably a lot of people, they don't really have anywhere to go. they can actually stay at home and sort of enjoy family time or enjoy some quiet time as well. i do want to read you, nick christophe, you'll appreciate this, the columnist for "the new york times," just tweeted out, "we never get around to getting a snowblower figuring we rely on our kids but one shoveller is in college and another in a gap so we only have one at home to exploit." that tells you what's going on for people shoveling. for older people, be careful. it's very grueling. i used to do it as a kid. >> yes. i am so glad you just said that. when i got home last night about midnight after reporting all evening long there was 2 feet of snow piling up in my walkways. i realized if i don't do this now it will be 3 or 4 feet of drifted snow tomorrow and i will not be able to and it will become dangerous because it is an exhausting thing to do to shovel that much snow over and over. it's not the kind of exercise we're used to. growing up in canada i remember hearing about heart attacks people who went to shovel their walks and didn't think they were overexerting but they are. watch it, be careful, do it slowly and gradually. >> absolutely. ashleigh banfield, thanks so much. we'll be back in just a little while. we're going to move to the west coast. police are lose helicopters to try to find a fugitive accused killer christopher dorner who used to be one of their own, a former los angeles police officer. in fact, he now blames many in law enforcement for the loss of his job. he's vowing revenge. dorner's accused of already killing three people. nick is live at los angeles police headquarters. nick, mishave to be nervous and tense. this man is trained, counterinsurgency training, survival, and he knows how to do it. he's been off the force for three years planning this. >> reporter: not just police officers that are nervous. you get the sense of lingering sentiment of anxiety throughout all of southern california, especially here behind me at the lapd headquarters in downtown los angeles. but i want to share some information with you that we just got in. new information confirmed by the los angeles police department. if you remember the predawn incident on thursday morninging where two women were delivering newspapers near a house that was being protected by the lapd, lapd officers, at least six aufsers, opened fire against these two women, mistaking them for christopher dorner. they were driving a blue pickup truck. they mistook that truck for dorner's truck. those officers involved in that shooting death have been put on paid administrative leave. that just in to the "cnn newsroom." maggie carranzas and her 70-year-old mother were injured in that shooting. both are expected to survive nap's the latest information on the investigation. again, six officers involved in that shooting put on paid administrative leave. deb? >> they're hunting somebody who is hunting them. right now it appears that he's got control of the so-called battlefield. nick, we'll check in with you in a little while for the latest. thanks so much. after shooting death one mile from their family home, michelle obama is at the funeral of hadiya pendleton. we'll take you there live as the first lady and a chicago community say farewell to yet another child killed by gun violence. well we suddenly noticed that everything was getting more expensive so we switched to the bargain detergent but i found myself using three times more than you're supposed to and the clothes still weren't as clean as with tide. so we're back to tide. they're cuter in clean clothes. thanks honey yeah you suck at folding [ laughs ] [ female announcer ] one cap of tide gives you more cleaning power than 6 caps of the bargain brand. 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happier than dikembe mutumbo blocking a shot. get happy. get geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. first lady michelle obama saying farewell to a child full of hope and promise. s she's attending the funeral of hadiya pendleton, 15-year-old student and band majorette shot dead just days after marching in the president's inauguration parade. she was taking shelter in a park just blocks of the obamas' family home in kenwood. athena jones is on the south side of chicago at the funeral. athena, the first lady's presence clearly increases the amount of attention on this case. it focuses on the tragedy of what's happening in chicago right now. what's happening? >> reporter: well, i can tell you that crowds began lining up here to get into the sanctuary hours ago. the service is now under way. and, yes, this is personal in some ways for the fist family because chicago is the first lady's hometown, the president's adopted hometown. you've also got other chicagoans from the white house who are here, senior adviser valerie jarrett, education secretary an duncan, illinois governor pat quinn also here. this tragic killing of a child who wasn't on the wrong -- hanging out with the wrong crowd. she urged friends to stay away from gangs and stay on the straight and narrow. it has focused the nation's attention during this debate over gun violence. i can tell you that during this service here we already saw a young person speak to this idea that she was a bystander. she said it's sad that in chicago you have to watch your front while watching your back. i can tell you the first lady met with about 30 of young hadiya pendleton's friends and classmates before the service and then had a private meeting with her family as well. and in the funeral program it has hadiya's entire bio, talks about her favorite foods -- chinese, cheeseburgers, fig newtons, said she wanted to go to college and nay major in journalism or pharmacology. it includes a copy of a handwritten note from the president himself saying they are going to work as hard as they can to put an end to this senseless gun violence. he says we realize our words can't soothe you but we're going to work on this. >> you have to wonder whether, in fact, the first lady is sort of thinking about her own daughters who are roughly the same age as this young girl. police believe it is gang related but haven't found anybody yet. >> reporter: that's right. no developments in the case. we know the reward money has risen to $40,000 but no ares. this is certainly a case that's going to be getting a lot of attention not just today but going forward. about those young children, many of these classmates, many of the pews in this relatively small sanctuary are being filled by her friends and clas mates in addition to family members. a lot of tears and young people concerned about gun violence in this city. deb? >> tragic and unnecessary. athena jones, thank you so much. we appreciate it. former illinois congressman jesse jackson jr. signed a plea deal with federal prosecutors. the son of the well-known civil rights leader was under investigation for misusing campaign funds. jackson resigned from congress last year after taking an extended medical leave. well, your favorite singers are getting ready for the biggest night in music, the 55th grammy awards. it is the hottest night for fashion as well. we're taking you to los angeles. if you're one of merely a half million people who have had your identity stolen, well, you know how hard it is to get your life back. good news, the irs is vowing to help you and it's a serious problem but it's getting a lot of laughs in the movie "identity theft." >> you missed your court date in florida three days ago. >> i've never even been to florida. >> the criminal who stole your identity. >> boy, he's -- is that a woman? >> andy bigelow, patterson. >> well, the irs says that the number of people who reported having their social security number stolen shot up to more than 80% last year. victims normally have to wait more than six months to speak to various irs employees about the issue. they're hoping to make it easier for those folks. jeremiah wright's snow season for some parts of the country. it is awards season for musical "a" listers. tomorrow musicians will line the red carpet for the grammy awards. here to give us a sneak peek of what to expect, cnn's a.j. hammer. a.j.? deb, the 55th annual grammy awards on sunday night. i want to get you prepared for music's biggest night of the year. here today is top grammy buzz makers. first off got to talk about the whitney controversy. before the fwrgrammys get start whitney houston is being celebrated at clive davis' annual pre-grammy party tonight but don't expect her family to show up. whitney was found dead just hours before that party last year. whitney's mother is actually calling this tribute obscene, which is sort of hard to believe. but when the grammy awards actually fire up on sunday, don't call it a comeback for ll cool j. oh, no. he is presenting at the grammy awards for the second year in a row and i can tell you ll is fired up and getting ready to nail his hosting gig. in fact, "showbiz tonight" just caught up with the star rapper for a rare behind-the-scenes look at his big grammy preps. >> we are actually having a tech runthrough, a technical run-through where we check out all the cues, make sure that the speeches are in the teleprompter for the various presenters aren't either too long or too short. we have stand-ins on stage helping us run through it to get an idea of what's what. and we have three hours to do it. we just want to make sure that everything's running smoothly. >> and you know ll cool j will keep it running smoothly. i personally can't wait to see ed's elton moment. the grammy nominated singer of the a team, ed sheeran is teaming up with elton john for what i know is going to be a show-stopping duet. i spoke with ed about what it's like to be center stage of the biggest music awards show in the world. >> it's quite nice to be accepted by the american industry in such a cool way. you know, it's not like -- it's not like any other awards show, is it. it's the biggest on the planet. so to be able to be part of that kind of ilk of musicians is is quite humbling. >> yeah, quite humbling indeed. the guy is 21 years old and he is just so stoked to be there tomorrow night. >> a.j., what is the deal with cbs now restricting what the artists can and cannot wear? is that going overboard a little bit? >> well, you know, what's going on interesting is to see if this can work for them but it's getting a lot of graememygoers fired up. cross-examination sent out a notice to everyone scheduled to show up and the message is cover up. they're saying no breasts or butts on display, no sheer clothing, so i'm thinking at this point nobody can say they didn't get memo but i'm also thinking that's only going to push some of these artists to push the envelope of fashion a little bit further. >> thanks so much. >> you got it, deb. stay here for more from a.j. hammer and his showbiz at the grammys special at 2:30 eastern here on cnn. lots of music, lots of fashion, and just ahead in our next hour, bruno mars opens up to our piers morgan about how his career almost ended when his first record label told him get lost. that blizzard is on the move leaving behind a snowy mess. here are aerials from long island, a bird's-eye view of the snow. live from the storm zones after the break. 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[ male announcer ] enbrel may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events, including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, nervous system and blood disorders, and allergic reactions have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. you should not start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if you have symptoms such as persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. if you've had enough, ask your dermatologist about enbrel. ♪ many hot dogs are within you. try pepto-bismol to-go, it's the power of pepto, but it fits in your pocket. now tell the world daniel... of pepto-bismol to-go. good afternoon, everybody. thanks nor joining us and spending part of your day with us. i'm deborah feyerick. the top story wes ear following in the "cnn newsroom." police in southern california with up against a man who describes himself as an enemy combatant raging a guerrilla war against the lapd. look at this exclusive video of christopher dorner training at the police academy. he says police turned against him when he accused a fellow officer of misconduct. he now blames police, vowing revenge on all the involved. police say dorner has already killed three people. among them, a police officer this in an ambush. he has a hit list with other names on it. our nick valencia reports several officers are being disciplined far shooting related to the search for dorner. they mistakenly wounded two women seen in a truck resembling the suspects. they believe that he was -- the truck was going to a house that was under surveillance. first lady michelle obama is attending the funeral of a 15-year-old brand majorette. hadiya pendleton was killed days after marching in the inauguration parade. a $40,000 reward is being offered for information that could potentially lead to an arrest. and now to chile, where police say at least 12 people died today when a bus carrying fans of a popular soccer team ran off the road and dropped nearly 100 feet into a ravine. 22 others were injured. a police officer tells us the driver lost control of the bus. and out there in the snow for us in the northeast the storm heading out to sea, not ashleigh banfield. shenise fairfield, connecticut, keeping track of what that storm has left behind. ashleigh? >> reporter: deb, i want you to look over my shoulder. see that white truck with the orange? it's a utility truck. he is the last in a convoy of about ten -- let me move out of the way of this guy. he is the last in a convoy of ten utility trucks that just turned the corner after sitting idle along a street over here for far longer than he should have. i talked to these crews -- i'm just watching because the traffic is skidding all over the place. these people should not be driving. i talked to two of these crew members from the utility trucks. they were from florida. they have flown up here to lend their services, 16 hours on, eight hours off, 16 hours on, eight hours off. they met up with trucks from michigan. we are in connecticut. this is all hands on deck. here's the story they told me that blew me away. they said, ma'am, we can't move. we can't get to where we need to go to restore the power. we're stuck on this street because all those people who think they need to be somewhere and are defying the travel ban on 95, people like this behind me, have clogged up the freeway and we can't move. so please, if you're watching, get off the roads. the utility equipment can't get to the power restoration. there's 650,000 people who are without power when this storm began and as it's been progressing. they're still sitting there. can't move. they just turned a corner and they've been there five minutes. they can't even move after turning the corner to make an effort to get to where they're going. ali velshi is in cape cod. you got to get me off the ledge, vels velshi, on this one, because to see these guys working as hard as they are -- >> i know, ashleigh. >> reporter: crazy. >> let me tell you what it's like up here, ashleigh. >> reporter: go ahead. >> this storm is not anywhere over. what you got we don't have yet. this storm is very much over. in massachusetts, the blizzard warning was supposed to end at 1:00 p.m. it's extended to 3:00 p.m. i have visibility of less than two tenths of a mile to where i am down to whiteout conditions. 24 degrees here, winds at 25 miles an hour sustained gusting to 40. this is very much still a blizzard. of that 600 and whatever number you said of people out of power right now and that number may be changing, more than 300,000 of those cust customers are in massachusetts, in in cape cod and it's getting worse because the snow continues to come down. they are lifting the travel ban in massachusetts, lifting it statewide at 4:00 p.m. they've already lifted it for nantucket county and some areas around there, but for the rest of the kounl ti they're lifting the travel ban but there will be a lot of people without power. it is substantially colder than it was last night. in fact, we went down for a couple of hours last night, and when we got back up this morning the door to our satellite truck was frozen shut, took us an hour to open our own satellite truck. the conditions are still very, very poor arnold here. people are going to start driving when that travel ban is lifted at 4:00 and we'll run into the same problems you're talking about, ashleigh. if you get out and clog the roads as much as you want to, as much as you're getting cabin fever, be careful because there are emergency crews that need to get around and those bucket trucks need to get around to start helping people. i'm on the bottom coast of cape cod about halfway down. go east to chatham, 30 miles, take a left turn, start going up that northeast coast of cape cod, they've got some damage around there and there is some shoreline washed out. about 50 pem were rescued after waves came crashing in. massachusetts is not out from under the gun. you are absolutely right, ashleigh. people should not be blocking emergency or rescue crews. >> reporter: i'm just mad. i got to be honest with you, not only that, just as i was wrapping up the toss to you, ali, a group of young adults, shall i say, just started to joy ride around me, yelling, trying to get on tv and then, you know, spin out and do doe nuts. it's beyond, beyond. looichs are at stake. ali, something else, we are just down from exit 24 on i-95 in fairfield, connecticut. there are people who have been stuck um there so long that they have gotten out of their cars, they have walked down to this gas station to get fuel and to get food. so that's where you start getting really dangerous. if these winds keep up, it takes you down to like, you know, the low 10s and close to zero in the windchill. it is very, very cold. it looks sunny and beautiful but it's very cold. these idiots who are causing potentially lethal situations for others, i just can't say it enough. please. >> it's nuts. remember, it's not sunny and beautiful up in massachusetts. those convoys that you're talking about, some of them have been coming in from the south and from states west to try and get aid. so remember when it clears up around you, you feel like joy riding, there are vehicles that need to get into parts of maine and parts of massachusetts, parts of connecticut and rhode island. they need those roads empty. >> reporter: yeah. and the plows can't move when you get stuck and you're jackknifed and blocking 95. the plows can't get beyond a traffic log either. i want to jump over -- ali, stay warm. i know it's brutal in the wind as well. deborah feyerick is standing by. i just don't how else to report this other than the national guard is out. they are actually pulling plows that are getting stuck. we're hearing flood warnings in massachusetts as well. ali was talking about the dang tler. still a dangerous situation. for that reason, the travel bans are still in effect. >> yeah. i think a lot of people just tend to underestimate how sere it is out there, even with all the warnings, even with all the bans that are in place. once the sun comes out, people also want to sort of move outside to see what's going on. i'm pretty sure that ali velshi is frozen in place on the beach there because i don't even know how he continues to stand out there in the freezing -- >> reporter: summer vacation plans, fair and accurate. deborah feyerick. he's getting his summer vacation plans ready. >> ashleigh banfield, thanks so much. while trying to keep warm, you don't want to forget some of the smallest members of your family. protection for your pets. at 1:45, the aflac duck was brought in with multiple lacerations to the wing and a fractured beak. surgery was successful, but he will be in a cast until it is fully healed, possibly several months. so, if the duck isn't able to work, how will he pay for his living expenses? aflac. like his rent and car payments? aflac. what about gas and groceries? aflac. cell phone? aflac, but i doubt he'll be using his phone for quite a while cause like i said, he has a fractured beak. [ male announcer ] send the aflac duck a get-well card at getwellduck.com. ♪ so i told you before about some very kind crew members who are trying to work with the public utilities to get power back. look who showed up. kevin hoffman, that nice young man from florida. just be careful behind you with these sliding cars. he's come all the way to connecticut to help restore power. and you can't drive around because? >> u.s. 1 is totally closed. there's nothing -- it's just like a dead end right there. >> and the traffic on 95, is that hampering everything? >> we have 50 more miles to go and we just at a dead stop. we've been here two hours. >> are you so frustrated with the notion these are people who shouldn't be on the road? >> like this right here. >> look out. show what we're looking at. see this? this is the reason. kevin and his crew members can't get to where they need to go to restore power, because people like this have two-wheel drive are making it -- what are you going to do? >> we've pulled out six or seven dars in the middle of the road because we were pulled over and they were stuck in the median. and just so we can get our trucks arnold. >> and you're from florida. >> yes, ma'am. this is a culture shock to me. >> do you know how to drive this kind of stuff? >> we try. we leave enough room. that's for sure. >> kevin is dressed like he's in florida. so i want you to get back inside and get something warm to drink while you guys wait to do your jobs. i apologize for my fellow new englanders. >> i hope everybody's okay. that's the main thing. we're here representing the ibew. >> and you can't do what you came to do. you're in michigan truck, right? >> michigan truck, yes, ma'am. >> thank you for your 16 hours and then your 8 hours off and 16 hours on. i'm sorry so much of it is spent sitting there in traffic. go get warm. thank you. so, uh! there you go. i told you, he's told you, i don't know if it will make a difference, but there's something else that's critical when it comes to weather like that. and this is the temperatures. the temperatures and your pets. look, we can dress for this and we can feel it and we can say i need to get inside but your pets can't. jessica genteel is one of those people who knows all too well that pets need to be looked after. she's joining me from new york. give me a bit of a feel, jessica, for what you do for a living and why when the weather turn like this you need to get your message out. >> hi, ashleigh. thanks for having me. looks like you're getting a workout there. it's really important, i'm a vet rarn. i work at a specialty hospital. we see 24-hour emergency cases. and this is the time of year where animals are very, very susceptible to the effects of cold. they can get frostbite, they can get injured while they're out in the snow. they can get lost. so it's really important that we take care of our four-legged friends. bring them inside. keep them warm. >> so here's the other question i have for you. people who think that pets have fur, how long can a p pet be outside really? is this the sort of thing you should be letting them out, closing the door and waiting for them to bark to come back in? or go outside with them and come back in right away? >> that fur gets wet quickly and their feet are bare. imagine going out in the storm with no shocks or shoes on. it would be crazy. we need to watch our pets, as soon as they show any signs of shivering or frostbite, which looks like redness or white patches on tips of the years or the nose, we need to bring them in right away. >> i'm sorry. i'm just watching behind me as you're speaking because i'm in a live location and i am off the actual roadway. >> you're diving out of the way. >> people keep skidding off the roadway into where we are. jessica, thank you for your advice. i hope everyone's listening. it's good to know that there's an advocate -- just take a look at what i'm looking at again here, folks. please? this is one after another. and the wind keeps howling. jessica genteel, thank you for your advice. please, everyone, keep your pets safe and please, everyone, do not do what this person is doing. we're going to take a quick break. we'll be right back. if southern california. police are using all available resources to catch an expolice officer accused of three murders. the challenge? christopher dorner is not only a former cop, he was also a navy security with security clearance. intelligence clearance. he's armed, he's dangerous, and he knows how police and tactical units think. we've asked aaron cohen a national security expert and founder of ims security to join us. first of all, this is a man who can disappear as easily as he appeared. how hard is it going to be for police to catch him? >> well, it's very difficult. obviously, we've been -- they've been on the case going after dorner for almost a week now and the reason why is because he had a significant amount of time to plan what it was that he wanted to do. and so regardless of where he may have wound up, the fact is is that this is a huge country. there's millions of people here. and there's just millions of acres of land. so it's not that hard to become invisible if you really want to. >> what's so fascinating is this is a man who has made it very clear in his writing he is not afraid to die. as a matter of fact, he says "when the roo truth comes out, the killing stops." he's alluding to what he sees as lies made against him while he was on the police force. how much more dangerous does he become because he's got nothing to lose? >> you know, you're right. deb, he has nothing to lose. he stated in this manifesto which i'm looking at right now, it's very thorough. he uses a lot of termology from his navy training or from his military training about how like any other jihadist or any other type of terrorist, the fact that he's willing to die makes him the most dangerous, and that is true. and that is why law enforcement is treating him like a domestic terrorist as they should. but i do want to say that it's important to keep in mind that the officers who are on his list up till now with the exception of the people that he's already murdered who have security in place are being adequately protected. there's hundreds of law enforcement personnel on the ground right now who are using every interdiction method to get this guy. i think it's important for people out there to know that he doesn't represent the police agencies and these departments in terms of being one of the elite. he's just not. he's in fact looked at as almost a boy scout by the law enforcement community. the fact that he's a washout or a burnout and the fact that he was an adequate police officer who clearly has gripes here and never spent more than two or three years with the lapd is really what makes him the most dangerous. he's nothing more than a giant bedroom commando with weapons. that's what makes him dangerous, the fact that he has this thing to prove and that's what makes this delusion of his such a potentially lethal capability. >> yeah, absolutely. right now, obviously, though, because they don't know the where he is, clearly, he's got a bit of the upper hand. all right. aaron, thanks so much for joining us. great insights today. we're going to be going to a break. we've got lots more when we come back. see you then. 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New-yorkUnited-statesCanadaChadValenciaCaraboboVenezuelaFloridaRhode-islandBostonMassachusettsChina captioning sponsored by comedy central ( theme song playing ) ( cheers and applause ) >> stephen: welcome to the show, everybody. welcome to the report. thank you for joining us. thank you so much. folks,-- >> stephen! stephen! stephen! stephen! stephen! stephen! stephen! >> stephen: thank you, ladies and gentlemen. i fight that. i can't fight that. ( cheers and applause ). thank you. thank you so much. please. ladies and gentlemen. thank you for being here. this show is really about you. i am but your humble servant. and, folks, it is nice for our royal baby coverage and we can now report officially-- i've been told we can report officially his royal hyannis prince george of cambridge umbilical stump has dried up and will flake off in three to 10 days. i believe we have a picture of it. there you have it. yup, yeah. doesn't look good. that should be coming off pretty soon. of course, folks, we all remember how we first learned the joyous news. >> the first born of the royal hyannis, the duke and duchess of cambridge. the first in line for the throne. may he be long lived, happy, and glorious, and one day reign over us. god save the queen. >> stephen: yes, london's official town crier was everything you could want, other than intelligible. the only way he could have been better is if he were real. >> the guy who became the face and the voice of the royal baby announcement appears to be a fake. a party crasher. when the town crier stepped up to announce the birth of the future king, everyone listened, assuming it was part of the pag pageantry of the birth of the future king. turns out, he was not invited by the royal family. in fact, he's not even a londoner. >> stephen: she was a fake town crier. i mean, i should have known his hat featured a code of arm with a lion and unicorn when the national coat of arms of london is two dragons. also, the back of his jacket had "long june silver's." ( laughter ) ( applause ) it turns out, the town crier is just a royal lover named tony appleton, who is available as a master of ceremonieses at weddings, birthdays, and bar mitzvahs. ( cheers and applause ) hear ye! hear ye! hear ye! hear ye! hear ye! hear ye! hear ye! mazel, mazel. let it be known that aaron cohen has gone from boy to man. ( laughter ) now let's get it started in here with yonkers premiere hip-hop cover band the black eyed peas. god save the whole meshpuka. ( cheers and applause ) ( bell ringing ) but here's the thing, folks, if this guy is not real, then i can't trust any of it. the whole royal family could be a scam! i mean, they don't do a damn thing. why should we care? in fact,un what, jimmy? i have a suspicion-- put up the photo of wiland kate and zoom in. ( laughter ) >> booyakasha. >> stephen: speaking of institutions that have outlived their usefulness-- detroit. >> now detroit has fallen on such hard times the city is filing for bankruptcy, becoming the largest u.s. city to do so >> move is unprecedented. the biggest municipal bankruptcy in american history. a major u.s. city officially declaring it cannot pay its debt estimated at $18 billion. >> stephen: $18 billion! and detroit borrowed those billions from some pretty serious people. if they don't get paid, they've thrented to cut off michigan's thumb. ( laughter ) now, it turns out, robo cop was an optimistic view of detroit's future because the numbers tell the story. the city's population has dwibdle twd 2 million to 700,000. detroit has the highest unemployment rate in the nation, and at 73,000 abandoned buildings. knowing how far the city has fallen would have henry ford rolling over in his grave and somehow blaming the jews for it. notice, there are a lot of theories out there, about what caused detroit's decline-- manufacturing jobs going overseas. corrupt politicians. but the easiest explanation for detroit's decline is it's all the unions' fault. >> you have all these pensions and you have all this debt, and now it's just taking them down. >> there was over-generous pensions and benefits. >> lavish pensions. >> lavish pensions. >> stephen: yes, lavish pensions, on average $19,000 a year, which detroit now says they will pay 10 cents on the dollar. but retirees, if you budget right, you can afford everything you need in detroit-- food, rent, a cue ball and a sock to fight off hungry raccoons. luckily, luckily, there is a great idea out there on how to pay detroit's creditors. >> the treasurers of the detroit institutes of art could be in danger. >> kevyn orr has warned the d.i.a. it's huge collection could end up on the auction block. >> they have van gogh, matisse, and diego rivera, which is important because it was commissioned by ford himself. >> they might have to pawn detroit's murals depicting a socialist workers' paradise. in fact, they have received a generous offer from the museum of irony. irony. ( laughter ) now the detroit institute of art also owns a copy of rodin's "the thinker" and i might put in a bit boyd that because i need something to keep me company when i'm on the thinking chair. so, for as where detroit goes from here. who knows? this guy does. please welcome will editorial page editor of the "detroit free press," stephen henderson. mr. henderson, thank you so much for joining me. what have you got there? what's that? >> before we get started, you've been pretty hard on us in detroit. >> stephen: i've been pretty honest. >> we need your help to get out of this. so i brought you th t-shirt that sums up our attitude about the whole world. >> stephen: all right, i'll take that. >> made by a detroit vendor, available in detroit. ( cheers and applause ). >> stephen: i notice this is a hoodie. are you trying to get me killed? >> well, i think-- i think it will be good if you don't aware it in florida. >> stephen: what happens to detroit from here? do you guys full out? >> absolutely. one of the first things they teach you when you're born in detroit-- as iefs is how to take a punch, go down, get up, brush yourself off, and say i'm still here. is that all you got? >> stephen: wait a second. wait a second. that's one of the first things they teach jew that's one of the first things. it's a tough place. >> stephen: is punch babies in detroit out of love. >> shameful but true gleel okay, $18 billion, that's how far you're down. bill gates is worth $72 billion. he could enemy in there, wave a magic wand, you have guys thought about getting malaria? ( laughter ) it can't be that far off. it can't be that far off. ( cheers and applause ) >> i haven't talked to the mayor about that, but i will suggest it. >> stephen: okay. >> on the other hand, i think we're very deserving of some sort of help of some kind. this is-- >> stephen: but we already bailed out the auto industry. how much more bailout does detroit need? >> think about it this way. detroit was the arsenal of democracy in the 1940s during world war ii. we with the the tanks and planes that make sheer you don't speak with a german accent. >> stephen: and we thanked you for that by giving you motown. >> actually, i think-- i think we gave motown to the world. >> stephen: whatever. >> but whatever. details, right. >> stephen: yeah. what can detroit do to pull itself up by its own bootstraps before we give it a bailout? doesn't detroit have to make an effort? what about selling the art from the detroit institute of art? that-- that was bought when you gierpz the fourth largest city. you don't need that much culture anymore. >> right. ( laughter ) one of the things about the d.i.a. that's important is it's like a park or like another physical attribute of the city. selling it would prevent the city from being the great place that it could be-- >> stephen: you can keep the building. just sell off what's inside of it, you know. >> i should admit that my wife is the marketing directort museum. >> stephen: another does she have an inside scoop-- >> if you really are interested in art, i probably could get you-- >> stephen: you put this down on a picasso. >> absolutely. >> stephen: all right. maybe a lady, something with an even number of breasts, please. >> all right, all right. i'll see what i can do. ( laughter ). >> stephen: what about turning in all of detroit into sort of a williamsburg, because manufacturing seems to be leaving the united states. >> yeah. >> stephen: you know, williamsburg holds on to a little time capsule of an agrarian society. what if detroit became a time capsule of an industrial society and people could come there and say would you like to see us weld a buick? >> that's only if you believe that manufacturing is only part of our past. i happen to believe-- and most people happen to believe it's part of our future, too. the auto companies after their bailout are back to 15.5 million units a year selling. we are rebuilding manufacturing in detroit. what we need is consistent policy from washington, consistent policy from our state capital in lansing. we need people to support us instead of turning their back on us. >> stephen: you live in detroit and also work in the newspaper industry. are you a glutton for punishment? ( laughter ) >> you might say that. i came back to detroit from washington six years ago. and people looked at me like i was insane. but it's my home. >> stephen: and maybe you wanted to live someplace less corrupt. >> a little less corrupt. it's my home. it's a place that produced me. it produce aid lot of people i know making great contributions in the city and in the country. i wanted to raise my kids there and i'll stick by that. >> stephen: well, good luck. ( cheers and applause ). until this thing blows over, why don't you call chicago and ask if all of detroit can crash on their couch. >> well, we might have to do that. >> stephen: stephen henderson from the "detroit free press." we'll be right back. ( cheers and applause ) >> stephen: hey, welcome back, everybody. information, after liewgz the hispanic vote in 2012, the g.o.p. wants to appeal to immigrants, and the republicans' secret weapon is iowa congressman and mortuary training doll steve king. on monday, congressman king warned us about the real dangers of granting citizenships to young illegals through the dream act. >> they aren't all valedictorians. they weren't all brought in by their parents for everyone who is a valedictorian, there's another out there who weighs 130 pounds and they are hauling 77 pounds of marijuana across the desert. those people would be legalized with the same act. >> stephen: come on! we all say it behind closed doors. mex scrans calves the size of cantaloupes, all right. or honeydues, what have you. a breakfast fruit of some kind. a papaya or particularly grarnlg grape fruit, whatever. one of the twaitz to choose who gets into this country is what size produce their muscles are. it's all about choosing the good ones. steve king knows one. >> you want a good bird dog, pick the one that is the friskiest. you get the pick of the litter, and you have yourself a pretty good bird dog. we got the pick of every dawrnd civilization on the planet. >> stephen: los latinoses were offended of the immigrants as dogs analogy. one of the people offended was friend of the show univision a.f.c.or jorge ramos. >> you recently compared immigrants to dogs. >> no, i didn't. that's a mischaracterization. >> did you watch the video? the full video? that speech was about celebrating legal immigration. anyone that understands the language and the culture knows that if they saw the video. >> stephen: if you weren't such a foreigner, you'd get it! take the jumping beans out of your ears, pedro. try again. >> so from your point of view, you actually did not compare immigrants to dogs? >> that's-- i said that speech was about the vigor of legal immigration. it was a very complimentary speech. >> stephen: yes, when he was comparing immigrants to dogs, which he did not do, he was complimenting them. the same way i'm complimenting steve king when i call him a tool. ( cheers and applause ). meaning-- meaning-- that's a celebration, okay. meaning a useful implement with which to say roof a house. by the way, steve king believes roof is the spanish word for hello as in roof-roof. so, please, it's not about mexicans being animals. steve king is just saying they are human beings who, if you pick the right ones, would make great pets. i've already got one digging in my yard. luis is loyal. he's a member of my family. and it's th at the first sign op dissplaishia i will send him to a farm upstate. i have a long of string beans >> stephen: my guest was a three-term senator but she retired because she wanted to do something with her life. please welcome senator olympia snowe. ( cheers and applause ). hey, senator snowe. thank you so much for joining us. >> nice to see you. >> stephen: nice to have you here. >> it's wonderful to be here. thank you for having me. >> stephen: you were a rare creature. you were a moderate republican. >> unbelievable, isn't it? >> stephen: please tell me the smithsonian has gotten a soosmle of your d.n.a. for future breeding programs because it seems like a recessive gene in republicans-- moderate. and that's what i love about them. what role was for you in the republican party after of as a moderate? >> well, i brought diversity to the republican party. that's what it was all about. >> stephen: as a white person from maine? ( laughter ) >> no. no, political diversity. >> stephen: oh, political diversity, sure. >> political diversity. yes, it broadened the views of the republican party and to be representative of all regions of the country. and now, unfortunately, that is not the case. although, i think there are more moderate republicans, you know, than people realize. >> stephen: are they in the closet? >> no, they-- ( laughter ) so to speak, yes. >> stephen: i'm not one of them. i'm pretty happy with the direction the republican party. i kind of like it. strength, no compromise, scrij lance. now, yu book is called, "fighting for common ground: how we can fix the stalemate in congress." -- >> you say, you know, they're not getting anything done. getting? done, sell me on it. ( laughter ) john boehner just said he-- he just said the job of congress is not to pass laws. they should be judged by how many laws they repeal. mitch mcconnell, leader in the senate, said their number one priority was to make obama a one-term president. nowhere in that is getting something done mentioned. >> well, that's a problem. which i disagree with them on. because i think we have to solve problems. that is the purpose of being in public office. that's the essence of public service. >> stephen: note purpose of being in public office is to stay in m.l.b. office. >> no. >> stephen: you have to compromise. you have to compromise to pass laws. >> you have to compromise. yes. i'm a moderate republican. i have my strong beliefs. i've always held to my principles but i appreciate and understand other people's heartfelt views on issues but you have to work it out. >> stephen: you can't have it both ways. >> you can't have 100% of what you want. >> stephen: madam, respectfully, you cannot have it both ways. you cannot work for the other side and raise money for your election. you can't send out an e-mail that says, "help! i need your money right away because some of my opponents' ideas are good, and i want to help them pass laws. check here to help me compromise my ideals." >> well, for those who view it that way, we have to change it. that's the problem we've got in washington right now. >> stephen: too much money? >> yes, too much money. campaign finance reform. that should be a must ( cheers and applause ) >> stephen: but you filibustered-- wait. that was one of the things i agreed with you. >> you do? >> stephen: no i agreed with you when you filibustered the disclose act which was going to reveal how money gets into superpacs. >> first of all, let me say my provision was struck down by the supreme court, citizens united. so i've been a strong advocate and proponent-- >> stephen: you don't believe i should have been able to have a superpac. >> exactly. ( laughter ) you're absolutely right. >> stephen: but corporations are people. >> how ask that help-- >> stephen: corporations are people. >> how does that help the campaigns of today? has it benefitted-- has it improved. >> the supreme said money is speech, madam. >> unfortunately, they-- they ruled that way. but it is regrettable for the country in terms of the impact it's had on elections. has it improved the outcome? >> stephen: for me it did. i raised a lot of money. over $1 million. >> to the detriment of the country that-- unfortunately, that we've moved in that direction. >> stephen: i agree. barack obama was elected. that didn't turn out well. >> no, it's not necessarily the case in terms of we're going to have different views. and people do get elected. but you know what? you have to work with those who get elected. and you have to work on both sides. and that has always been my purpose in public office. >> stephen: why did you leave the senate then? why did you leave the senate? >> because the polarization wasn't going to diminish and i wanted to take my fight outside of the senate. that's my spartan side of my greek heritage. continue to fight. not like 300. ( cheers and applause ). >> stephen: 300 doesn't turn out all that well. >> no. >> stephen: senator snowe, thank you so much for joining me. >> my pleasure. >> stephen: senator olympia snowe. "fighting for common ground." we'll be right back. ( cheers and applause ) ( cheers and applause ). >> stephen: that's it for the
United-statesMexicoMaineGermanyWilliamsburgMichiganIowaFloridaDetroitCambridgeCambridgeshireUnited-kingdom it will be on every friday at 11:00. it will be lovely if you watch it. i will understand if you don't. please join us again next week. here it is, your moment of zen. >> tourists don't know how to walk. it is-- if you come here, go faster. figure out where you're going first. yes, the buildings are tall. step over to the captioning sponsored by comedy central ( theme song playing ) ( cheers and applause ) >> stephen: welcome to the show, everybody. welcome to the report. thank you for joining us. thank you so much. folks,-- >> stephen! stephen! stephen! stephen! stephen! stephen! stephen! >> stephen: thank you, ladies and gentlemen. i fight that. i can't fight that. ( cheers and applause ). thank you. thank you so much. please. ladies and gentlemen. thank you for being here. this show is really about you. i am but your humble servant. and, folks, it is nice for our royal baby coverage and we can now report officially-- i've been told we can report officially his royal hyannis prince george of cambridge umbilical stump has dried up and will flake off in three to 10 days. i believe we have a picture of it. there you have it. yup, yeah. doesn't look good. that should be coming off pretty soon. of course, folks, we all remember how we first learned the joyous news. >> the first born of the royal hyannis, the duke and duchess of cambridge. the first in line for the throne. may he be long lived, happy, and glorious, and one day reign over us. god save the queen. >> stephen: yes, london's official town crier was everything you could want, other than intelligible. the only way he could have been better is if he were real. >> the guy who became the face and the voice of the royal baby announcement appears to be a fake. a party crasher. when the town crier stepped up to announce the birth of the future king, everyone listened, assuming it was part of the pag pageantry of the birth of the future king. turns out, he was not invited by the royal family. in fact, he's not even a londoner. >> stephen: she was a fake town crier. i mean, i should have known his hat featured a code of arm with a lion and unicorn when the national coat of arms of london is two dragons. also, the back of his jacket had "long june silver's." ( laughter ) ( applause ) it turns out, the town crier is just a royal lover named tony appleton, who is available as a master of ceremonieses at weddings, birthdays, and bar mitzvahs. ( cheers and applause ) hear ye! hear ye! hear ye! hear ye! hear ye! hear ye! hear ye! mazel, mazel. let it be known that aaron cohen has gone from boy to man. ( laughter ) now let's get it started in here with yonkers premiere hip-hop cover band the black eyed peas. god save the whole meshpuka. ( cheers and applause ) ( bell ringing ) but here's the thing, folks, if this guy is not real, then i can't trust any of it. the whole royal family could be a scam! i mean, they don't do a damn thing. why should we care? in fact,un what, jimmy? i have a suspicion-- put up the photo of wiland kate and zoom in. ( laughter ) >> booyakasha. >> stephen: speaking of institutions that have outlived their usefulness-- detroit. >> now detroit has fallen on such hard times the city is filing for bankruptcy, becoming the largest u.s. city to do so >> move is unprecedented. the biggest municipal bankruptcy in american history. a major u.s. city officially declaring it cannot pay its debt estimated at $18 billion. >> stephen: $18 billion! and detroit borrowed those billions from some pretty serious people. if they don't get paid, they've thrented to cut off michigan's thumb. ( laughter ) now, it turns out, robo cop was an optimistic view of detroit's future because the numbers tell the story. the city's population has dwibdle twd 2 million to 700,000. detroit has the highest unemployment rate in the nation, and at 73,000 abandoned buildings. knowing how far the city has fallen would have henry ford rolling over in his grave and somehow blaming the jews for it. notice, there are a lot of theories out there, about what caused detroit's decline-- manufacturing jobs going overseas. corrupt politicians. but the easiest explanation for detroit's decline is it's all the unions' fault. >> you have all these pensions and you have all this debt, and now it's just taking them down. >> there was over-generous pensions and benefits. >> lavish pensions. >> lavish pensions. >> stephen: yes, lavish pensions, on average $19,000 a year, which detroit now says they will pay 10 cents on the dollar. but retirees, if you budget right, you can afford everything you need in detroit-- food, rent, a cue ball and a sock to fight off hungry raccoons. luckily, luckily, there is a great idea out there on how to pay detroit's creditors. >> the treasurers of the detroit institutes of art could be in danger. >> kevyn orr has warned the d.i.a. it's huge collection could end up on the auction block. >> they have van gogh, matisse, and diego rivera, which is important because it was commissioned by ford himself. >> they might have to pawn detroit's murals depicting a socialist workers' paradise. in fact, they have received a generous offer from the museum of irony. irony. ( laughter ) now the detroit institute of art also owns a copy of rodin's "the thinker" and i might put in a bit boyd that because i need something to keep me company when i'm on the thinking chair. so, for as where detroit goes from here. who knows? this guy does. please welcome will editorial page editor of the "detroit free press," stephen henderson. mr. henderson, thank you so much for joining me. what have you got there? what's that? >> before we get started, you've been pretty hard on us in detroit. >> stephen: i've been pretty honest. >> we need your help to get out of this. so i brought you th t-shirt that sums up our attitude about the whole world. >> stephen: all right, i'll take that. >> made by a detroit vendor, available in detroit. ( cheers and applause ). >> stephen: i notice this is a hoodie. are you trying to get me killed? >> well, i think-- i think it will be good if you don't aware it in florida. >> stephen: what happens to detroit from here? do you guys full out? >> absolutely. one of the first things they teach you when you're born in detroit-- as iefs is how to take a punch, go down, get up, brush yourself off, and say i'm still here. is that all you got? >> stephen: wait a second. wait a second. that's one of the first things they teach jew that's one of the first things. it's a tough place. >> stephen: is punch babies in detroit out of love. >> shameful but true gleel okay, $18 billion, that's how far you're down. bill gates is worth $72 billion. he could enemy in there, wave a magic wand, you have guys thought about getting malaria? ( laughter ) it can't be that far off. it can't be that far off. ( cheers and applause ) >> i haven't talked to the mayor about that, but i will suggest it. >> stephen: okay. >> on the other hand, i think we're very deserving of some sort of help of some kind. this is-- >> stephen: but we already bailed out the auto industry. how much more bailout does detroit need? >> think about it this way. detroit was the arsenal of democracy in the 1940s during world war ii. we with the the tanks and planes that make sheer you don't speak with a german accent. >> stephen: and we thanked you for that by giving you motown. >> actually, i think-- i think we gave motown to the world. >> stephen: whatever. >> but whatever. details, right. >> stephen: yeah. what can detroit do to pull itself up by its own bootstraps before we give it a bailout? doesn't detroit have to make an effort? what about selling the art from the detroit institute of art? that-- that was bought when you gierpz the fourth largest city. you don't need that much culture anymore. >> right. ( laughter ) one of the things about the d.i.a. that's important is it's like a park or like another physical attribute of the city. selling it would prevent the city from being the great place that it could be-- >> stephen: you can keep the building. just sell off what's inside of it, you know. >> i should admit that my wife is the marketing directort museum. >> stephen: another does she have an inside scoop-- >> if you really are interested in art, i probably could get you-- >> stephen: you put this down on a picasso. >> absolutely. >> stephen: all right. maybe a lady, something with an even number of breasts, please. >> all right, all right. i'll see what i can do. ( laughter ). >> stephen: what about turning in all of detroit into sort of a williamsburg, because manufacturing seems to be leaving the united states. >> yeah. >> stephen: you know, williamsburg holds on to a little time capsule of an agrarian society. what if detroit became a time capsule of an industrial society and people could come there and say would you like to see us weld a buick? >> that's only if you believe that manufacturing is only part of our past. i happen to believe-- and most people happen to believe it's part of our future, too. the auto companies after their bailout are back to 15.5 million units a year selling. we are rebuilding manufacturing in detroit. what we need is consistent policy from washington, consistent policy from our state capital in lansing. we need people to support us instead of turning their back on us. >> stephen: you live in detroit and also work in the newspaper industry. are you a glutton for punishment? ( laughter ) >> you might say that. i came back to detroit from washington six years ago. and people looked at me like i was insane. but it's my home. >> stephen: and maybe you wanted to live someplace less corrupt. >> a little less corrupt. it's my home. it's a place that produced me. it produce aid lot of people i know making great contributions in the city and in the country. i wanted to raise my kids there and i'll stick by that. >> stephen: well, good luck. ( cheers and applause ). until this thing blows over, why don't you call chicago and ask if all of detroit can crash on their couch. >> well, we might have to do that. >> stephen: stephen henderson from the "detroit free press." we'll be right back. ( cheers and applause ) [jjj4fs20r9:9:hh,xá.á.á.á.d@,x >> stephen: hey, welcome back, everybody. information, after liewgz the hispanic vote in 2012, the g.o.p. wants to appeal to immigrants, and the republicans' secret weapon is iowa congressman and mortuary training doll steve king. on monday, congressman king warned us about the real dangers of granting citizenships to young illegals through the dream act. >> they aren't all valedictorians. they weren't all brought in by their parents for everyone who is a valedictorian, there's another out there who weighs 130 pounds and they are hauling 77 pounds of marijuana across the desert. those people would be legalized with the same act. >> stephen: come on! we all say it behind closed doors. mex scrans calves the size of cantaloupes, all right. or honeydues, what have you. a breakfast fruit of some kind. a papaya or particularly grarnlg grape fruit, whatever. one of the twaitz to choose who gets into this country is what size produce their muscles are. it's all about choosing the good ones. steve king knows one. >> you want a good bird dog, pick the one that is the friskiest. you get the pick of the litter, and you have yourself a pretty good bird dog. we got the pick of every dawrnd civilization on the planet. >> stephen: los latinoses were offended of the immigrants as dogs analogy. one of the people offended was friend of the show univision a.f.c.or jorge ramos. >> you recently compared immigrants to dogs. >> no, i didn't. that's a mischaracterization. >> did you watch the video? the full video? that speech was about celebrating legal immigration. anyone that understands the language and the culture knows that if they saw the video. >> stephen: if you weren't such a foreigner, you'd get it! take the jumping beans out of your ears, pedro. try again. >> so from your point of view, you actually did not compare immigrants to dogs? >> that's-- i said that speech was about the vigor of legal immigration. it was a very complimentary speech. >> stephen: yes, when he was comparing immigrants to dogs, which he did not do, he was complimenting them. the same way i'm complimenting steve king when i call him a tool. ( cheers and applause ). meaning-- meaning-- that's a celebration, okay. meaning a useful implement with which to say roof a house. by the way, steve king believes roof is the spanish word for hello as in roof-roof. so, please, it's not about mexicans being animals. steve king is just saying they are human beings who, if you pick the right ones, would make great pets. i've already got one digging in my yard. luis is loyal. he's a member of my family. and it's th at the first sign op dissplaishia i will send him to a farm upstate. i have a long of string beans 9 >> stephen: my guest was a three-term senator but she retired because she wanted to do something with her life. please welcome senator olympia snowe. ( cheers and applause ). hey, senator snowe. thank you so much for joining us. >> nice to see you. >> stephen: nice to have you here. >> it's wonderful to be here. thank you for having me. >> stephen: you were a rare creature. you were a moderate republican. >> unbelievable, isn't it? >> stephen: please tell me the smithsonian has gotten a soosmle of your d.n.a. for future breeding programs because it seems like a recessive gene in republicans-- moderate. and that's what i love about them. what role was for you in the republican party after of as a moderate? >> well, i brought diversity to the republican party. that's what it was all about. >> stephen: as a white person from maine? ( laughter ) >> no. no, political diversity. >> stephen: oh, political diversity, sure. >> political diversity. yes, it broadened the views of the republican party and to be representative of all regions of the country. and now, unfortunately, that is not the case. although, i think there are more moderate republicans, you know, than people realize. >> stephen: are they in the closet? >> no, they-- ( laughter ) so to speak, yes. >> stephen: i'm not one of them. i'm pretty happy with the direction the republican party. i kind of like it. strength, no compromise, scrij lance. now, yu book is called, "fighting for common ground: how we can fix the stalemate in congress." -- >> you say, you know, they're not getting anything done. getting? done, sell me on it. ( laughter ) john boehner just said he-- he just said the job of congress is not to pass laws. they should be judged by how many laws they repeal. mitch mcconnell, leader in the senate, said their number one priority was to make obama a one-term president. nowhere in that is getting something done mentioned. >> well, that's a problem. which i disagree with them on. because i think we have to solve problems. that is the purpose of being in public office. that's the essence of public service. >> stephen: note purpose of being in public office is to stay in m.l.b. office. >> no. >> stephen: you have to compromise. you have to compromise to pass laws. >> you have to compromise. yes. i'm a moderate republican. i have my strong beliefs. i've always held to my principles but i appreciate and understand other people's heartfelt views on issues but you have to work it out. >> stephen: you can't have it both ways. >> you can't have 100% of what you want. >> stephen: madam, respectfully, you cannot have it both ways. you cannot work for the other side and raise money for your election. you can't send out an e-mail that says, "help! i need your money right away because some of my opponents' ideas are good, and i want to help them pass laws. check here to help me compromise my ideals." >> well, for those who view it that way, we have to change it. that's the problem we've got in washington right now. >> stephen: too much money? >> yes, too much money. campaign finance reform. that should be a must ( cheers and applause ) >> stephen: but you filibustered-- wait. that was one of the things i agreed with you. >> you do? >> stephen: no i agreed with you when you filibustered the disclose act which was going to reveal how money gets into superpacs. >> first of all, let me say my provision was struck down by the supreme court, citizens united. so i've been a strong advocate and proponent-- >> stephen: you don't believe i should have been able to have a superpac. >> exactly. ( laughter ) you're absolutely right. >> stephen: but corporations are people. >> how ask that help-- >> stephen: corporations are people. >> how does that help the campaigns of today? has it benefitted-- has it improved. >> the supreme said money is speech, madam. >> unfortunately, they-- they ruled that way. but it is regrettable for the country in terms of the impact it's had on elections. has it improved the outcome? >> stephen: for me it did. i raised a lot of money. over $1 million. >> to the detriment of the country that-- unfortunately, that we've moved in that direction. >> stephen: i agree. barack obama was elected. that didn't turn out well. >> no, it's not necessarily the case in terms of we're going to have different views. and people do get elected. but you know what? you have to work with those who get elected. and you have to work on both sides. and that has always been my purpose in public office. >> stephen: why did you leave the senate then? why did you leave the senate? >> because the polarization wasn't going to diminish and i wanted to take my fight outside of the senate. that's my spartan side of my greek heritage. continue to fight. not like 300. ( cheers and applause ). >> stephen: 300 doesn't turn out all that well. >> no. >> stephen: senator snowe, thank you so much for joining me. >> my pleasure. >> stephen: senator olympia snowe. "fighting for common ground." we'll be right back. ( cheers and applause )
United-statesMexicoMaineGermanyWilliamsburgMichiganIowaFloridaDetroitCambridgeCambridgeshireUnited-kingdom now report officially-- i've been told we can report officially his royal hyannis prince george of cambridge umbilical stump has dried up and will flake off in three to 10 days. i believe we have a picture of it. there you have it. yup, yeah. doesn't look good. that should be coming off pretty soon. of course, folks, we all remember how we first learned the joyous news. >> the first born of the royal hyannis, the duke and duchess of cambridge. the first in line for the throne. may he be long lived, happy, and glorious, and one day reign over us. god save the queen. >> stephen: yes, london's official town crier was everything you could want, other than intelligible. the only way he could have been better is if he were real. >> the guy who became the face and the voice of the royal baby announcement appears to be a fake. a party crasher. when the town crier stepped up to announce the birth of the future king, everyone listened, assuming it was part of the pag pageantry of the birth of the future king. turns out, he was not invited by the royal family. in fact, he's not even a londoner. >> stephen: she was a fake town crier. i mean, i should have known his hat featured a code of arm with a lion and unicorn when the national coat of arms of london is two dragons. also, the back of his jacket had "long june silver's." ( laughter ) ( applause ) it turns out, the town crier is just a royal lover named tony appleton, who is available as a master of ceremonieses at weddings, birthdays, and bar mitzvahs. ( cheers and applause ) hear ye! hear ye! hear ye! hear ye! hear ye! hear ye! hear ye! mazel, mazel. let it be known that aaron cohen has gone from boy to man. ( laughter ) now let's get it started in here with yonkers premiere hip-hop cover band the black eyed peas. god save the whole meshpuka. ( cheers and applause ) ( bell ringing ) but here's the thing, folks, if this guy is not real, then i can't trust any of it. the whole royal family could be a scam! i mean, they don't do a damn thing. why should we care? in fact,un what, jimmy? i have a suspicion-- put up the photo of wiland kate and zoom in. ( laughter ) >> booyakasha. >> stephen: speaking of institutions that have outlived their usefulness-- detroit. >> now detroit has fallen on such hard times the city is filing for bankruptcy, becoming the largest u.s. city to do so >> move is unprecedented. the biggest municipal bankruptcy in american history. a major u.s. city officially declaring it cannot pay its debt estimated at $18 billion. >> stephen: $18 billion! and detroit borrowed those billions from some pretty serious people. if they don't get paid, they've thrented to cut off michigan's thumb. ( laughter ) now, it turns out, robo cop was an optimistic view of detroit's future because the numbers tell the story. the city's population has dwibdle twd 2 million to 700,000. detroit has the highest unemployment rate in the nation, and at 73,000 abandoned buildings. knowing how far the city has fallen would have henry ford rolling over in his grave and somehow blaming the jews for it. notice, there are a lot of theories out there, about what caused detroit's decline-- manufacturing jobs going overseas. corrupt politicians. but the easiest explanation for detroit's decline is it's all the unions' fault. >> you have all these pensions and you have all this debt, and now it's just taking them down. >> there was over-generous pensions and benefits. >> lavish pensions. >> lavish pensions. >> stephen: yes, lavish pensions, on average $19,000 a year, which detroit now says they will pay 10 cents on the dollar. but retirees, if you budget right, you can afford everything you need in detroit-- food, rent, a cue ball and a sock to fight off hungry raccoons. luckily, luckily, there is a great idea out there on how to pay detroit's creditors. >> the treasurers of the detroit institutes of art could be in danger. >> kevyn orr has warned the d.i.a. it's huge collection could end up on the auction block. >> they have van gogh, matisse, and diego rivera, which is important because it was commissioned by ford himself. >> they might have to pawn detroit's murals depicting a socialist workers' paradise. in fact, they have received a generous offer from the museum of irony. irony. ( laughter ) now the detroit institute of art also owns a copy of rodin's "the thinker" and i might put in a bit boyd that because i need something to keep me company when i'm on the thinking chair. so, for as where detroit goes from here. who knows? this guy does. please welcome will editorial page editor of the "detroit free press," stephen henderson. mr. henderson, thank you so much for joining me. what have you got there? what's that? >> before we get started, you've been pretty hard on us in detroit. >> stephen: i've been pretty honest. >> we need your help to get out of this. so i brought you th t-shirt that sums up our attitude about the whole world. >> stephen: all right, i'll take that. >> made by a detroit vendor, available in detroit. ( cheers and applause ). >> stephen: i notice this is a hoodie. are you trying to get me killed? >> well, i think-- i think it will be good if you don't aware it in florida. >> stephen: what happens to detroit from here? do you guys full out? >> absolutely. one of the first things they teach you when you're born in detroit-- as iefs is how to take a punch, go down, get up, brush yourself off, and say i'm still here. is that all you got? >> stephen: wait a second. wait a second. that's one of the first things they teach jew that's one of the first things. it's a tough place. >> stephen: is punch babies in detroit out of love. >> shameful but true gleel okay, $18 billion, that's how far you're down. bill gates is worth $72 billion. he could enemy in there, wave a magic wand, you have guys thought about getting malaria? ( laughter ) it can't be that far off. it can't be that far off. ( cheers and applause ) >> i haven't talked to the mayor about that, but i will suggest it. >> stephen: okay. >> on the other hand, i think we're very deserving of some sort of help of some kind. this is-- >> stephen: but we already bailed out the auto industry. how much more bailout does detroit need? >> think about it this way. detroit was the arsenal of democracy in the 1940s during world war ii. we with the the tanks and planes that make sheer you don't speak with a german accent. >> stephen: and we thanked you for that by giving you motown. >> actually, i think-- i think we gave motown to the world. >> stephen: whatever. >> but whatever. details, right. >> stephen: yeah. what can detroit do to pull itself up by its own bootstraps before we give it a bailout? doesn't detroit have to make an effort? what about selling the art from the detroit institute of art? that-- that was bought when you gierpz the fourth largest city. you don't need that much culture anymore. >> right. ( laughter ) one of the things about the d.i.a. that's important is it's like a park or like another physical attribute of the city. selling it would prevent the city from being the great place that it could be-- >> stephen: you can keep the building. just sell off what's inside of it, you know. >> i should admit that my wife is the marketing directort museum. >> stephen: another does she have an inside scoop-- >> if you really are interested in art, i probably could get you-- >> stephen: you put this down on a picasso. >> absolutely. >> stephen: all right. maybe a lady, something with an even number of breasts, please. >> all right, all right. i'll see what i can do. ( laughter ). >> stephen: what about turning in all of detroit into sort of a williamsburg, because manufacturing seems to be leaving the united states. >> yeah. >> stephen: you know, williamsburg holds on to a little time capsule of an agrarian society. what if detroit became a time capsule of an industrial society and people could come there and say would you like to see us weld a buick? >> that's only if you believe that manufacturing is only part of our past. i happen to believe-- and most people happen to believe it's part of our future, too. the auto companies after their bailout are back to 15.5 million units a year selling. we are rebuilding manufacturing in detroit. what we need is consistent policy from washington, consistent policy from our state capital in lansing. we need people to support us instead of turning their back on us. >> stephen: you live in detroit and also work in the newspaper industry. are you a glutton for punishment? ( laughter ) >> you might say that. i came back to detroit from washington six years ago. and people looked at me like i was insane. but it's my home. >> stephen: and maybe you wanted to live someplace less corrupt. >> a little less corrupt. it's my home. it's a place that produced me. it produce aid lot of people i know making great contributions in the city and in the country. i wanted to raise my kids there and i'll stick by that. >> stephen: well, good luck. ( cheers and applause ). until this thing blows over, why don't you call chicago and ask if all of detroit can crash on their couch. >> well, we might have to do that. >> stephen: stephen henderson from the "detroit free press." we'll be right back. ( cheers and applause ) >> stephen: hey, welcome back, everybody. information, after liewgz the hispanic vote in 2012, the g.o.p. wants to appeal to immigrants, and the republicans' secret weapon is iowa congressman and mortuary training doll steve king. on monday, congressman king warned us about the real dangers of granting citizenships to young illegals through the dream act. >> they aren't all valedictorians. they weren't all brought in by their parents for everyone who is a valedictorian, there's another out there who weighs 130 pounds and they are hauling 77 pounds of marijuana across the desert. those people would be legalized with the same act. >> stephen: come on! we all say it behind closed doors. mex scrans calves the size of cantaloupes, all right. or honeydues, what have you. a breakfast fruit of some kind. a papaya or particularly grarnlg grape fruit, whatever. one of the twaitz to choose who gets into this country is what size produce their muscles are. it's all about choosing the good ones. steve king knows one. >> you want a good bird dog, pick the one that is the friskiest. you get the pick of the litter, and you have yourself a pretty good bird dog. we got the pick of every dawrnd civilization on the planet. >> stephen: los latinoses were offended of the immigrants as dogs analogy. one of the people offended was friend of the show univision a.f.c.or jorge ramos. >> you recently compared immigrants to dogs. >> no, i didn't. that's a mischaracterization. >> did you watch the video? the full video? that speech was about celebrating legal immigration. anyone that understands the language and the culture knows that if they saw the video. >> stephen: if you weren't such a foreigner, you'd get it! take the jumping beans out of your ears, pedro. try again. >> so from your point of view, you actually did not compare immigrants to dogs? >> that's-- i said that speech was about the vigor of legal immigration. it was a very complimentary speech. >> stephen: yes, when he was comparing immigrants to dogs, which he did not do, he was complimenting them. the same way i'm complimenting steve king when i call him a tool. ( cheers and applause ). meaning-- meaning-- that's a celebration, okay. meaning a useful implement with which to say roof a house. by the way, steve king believes roof is the spanish word for hello as in roof-roof. so, please, it's not about mexicans being animals. steve king is just saying they are human beings who, if you pick the right ones, would make great pets. i've already got one digging in my yard. luis is loyal. he's a member of my family. and it's th at the first sign op dissplaishia i will send him to a farm upstate. i have a long of string beans >> stephen: my guest was a three-term senator but she retired because she wanted to do something with her life. please welcome senator olympia snowe. ( cheers and applause ). hey, senator snowe. thank you so much for joining us. >> nice to see you. >> stephen: nice to have you here. >> it's wonderful to be here. thank you for having me. >> stephen: you were a rare creature. you were a moderate republican. >> unbelievable, isn't it? >> stephen: please tell me the smithsonian has gotten a soosmle of your d.n.a. for future breeding programs because it seems like a recessive gene in republicans-- moderate. and that's what i love about them. what role was for you in the republican party after of as a moderate? >> well, i brought diversity to the republican party. that's what it was all about. >> stephen: as a white person from maine? ( laughter ) >> no. no, political diversity. >> stephen: oh, political diversity, sure. >> political diversity. yes, it broadened the views of the republican party and to be representative of all regions of the country. and now, unfortunately, that is not the case. although, i think there are more moderate republicans, you know, than people realize. >> stephen: are they in the closet? >> no, they-- ( laughter ) so to speak, yes. >> stephen: i'm not one of them. i'm pretty happy with the direction the republican party. i kind of like it. strength, no compromise, scrij lance. now, yu book is called, "fighting for common ground: how we can fix the stalemate in congress." -- >> you say, you know, they're not getting anything done. getting? done, sell me on it. ( laughter ) john boehner just said he-- he just said the job of congress is not to pass laws. they should be judged by how many laws they repeal. mitch mcconnell, leader in the senate, said their number one priority was to make obama a one-term president. nowhere in that is getting something done mentioned. >> well, that's a problem. which i disagree with them on. because i think we have to solve problems. that is the purpose of being in public office. that's the essence of public service. >> stephen: note purpose of being in public office is to stay in m.l.b. office. >> no. >> stephen: you have to compromise. you have to compromise to pass laws. >> you have to compromise. yes. i'm a moderate republican. i have my strong beliefs. i've always held to my principles but i appreciate and understand other people's heartfelt views on issues but you have to work it out. >> stephen: you can't have it both ways. >> you can't have 100% of what you want. >> stephen: madam, respectfully, you cannot have it both ways. you cannot work for the other side and raise money for your election. you can't send out an e-mail that says, "help! i need your money right away because some of my opponents' ideas are good, and i want to help them pass laws. check here to help me compromise my ideals." >> well, for those who view it that way, we have to change it. that's the problem we've got in washington right now. >> stephen: too much money? >> yes, too much money. campaign finance reform. that should be a must ( cheers and applause ) >> stephen: but you filibustered-- wait. that was one of the things i agreed with you. >> you do? >> stephen: no i agreed with you when you filibustered the disclose act which was going to reveal how money gets into superpacs. >> first of all, let me say my provision was struck down by the supreme court, citizens united. so i've been a strong advocate and proponent-- >> stephen: you don't believe i should have been able to have a superpac. >> exactly. ( laughter ) you're absolutely right. >> stephen: but corporations are people. >> how ask that help-- >> stephen: corporations are people. >> how does that help the campaigns of today? has it benefitted-- has it improved. >> the supreme said money is speech, madam. >> unfortunately, they-- they ruled that way. but it is regrettable for the country in terms of the impact it's had on elections. has it improved the outcome? >> stephen: for me it did. i raised a lot of money. over $1 million. >> to the detriment of the country that-- unfortunately, that we've moved in that direction. >> stephen: i agree. barack obama was elected. that didn't turn out well. >> no, it's not necessarily the case in terms of we're going to have different views. and people do get elected. but you know what? you have to work with those who get elected. and you have to work on both sides. and that has always been my purpose in public office. >> stephen: why did you leave the senate then? why did you leave the senate? >> because the polarization wasn't going to diminish and i wanted to take my fight outside of the senate. that's my spartan side of my greek heritage. continue to fight. not like 300. ( cheers and applause ). >> stephen: 300 doesn't turn out all that well. >> no. >> stephen: senator snowe, thank you so much for joining me. >> my pleasure. >> stephen: senator olympia snowe. "fighting for common ground." we'll be right back. ( cheers and applause ) ( cheers and applause ). >> stephen: that's it for the report, everybody. good nig captioning sponsored by comedy central captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org frank: hey, hey-- what do you think of these, guys? mac: my god, frank. my god. you look ridiculous in those, dude. dude, why are you wearing skinny jeans? because they're hip! and i want to stay young. well, stay old, bro, because that looks terrible. - dress your age. - i like 'em. i think they make me look sexy. i am getting a tremendous amount of enjoyment watching you parade around in those things. so i say keep them. - yeah? - yeah. like a humpty dumpty vibe going on with those.h those. hey-oh! big news, bitches! the ban's been lifted and we are back in. - flipadelphia, here we come. - (all exclaiming)
United-statesMexicoMaineGermanyWilliamsburgMichiganIowaFloridaDetroitCambridgeCambridgeshireUnited-kingdom [laughter] >> aah! godzilla! [godzilla roaring] [laughter] ♪ >> yeah! oh! [laughs] >> help! my baby's on fire! [laughter] [vomits] [laughter] >> thank you. [baby gurgling] [laughter] >> see you next season. good night. [cheers and applause] captioning sponsored by comedy central ( theme song playing ) ( cheers and applause ) >> stephen: welcome to the show, everybody. welcome to the report. thank you for joining us. thank you so much. folks,-- >> stephen! stephen! stephen! stephen! stephen! stephen! stephen! >> stephen: thank you, ladies and gentlemen. i fight that. i can't fight that. ( cheers and applause ). thank you. thank you so much. please. ladies and gentlemen. thank you for being here. this show is really about you. i am but your humble servant. and, folks, it is nice for our royal baby coverage and we can now report officially-- i've been told we can report officially his royal hyannis prince george of cambridge umbilical stump has dried up and will flake off in three to 10 days. i believe we have a picture of it. there you have it. yup, yeah. doesn't look good. that should be coming off pretty soon. of course, folks, we all remember how we first learned the joyous news. >> the first born of the royal hyannis, the duke and duchess of cambridge. the first in line for the throne. may he be long lived, happy, and glorious, and one day reign over us. god save the queen. >> stephen: yes, london's official town crier was everything you could want, other than intelligible. the only way he could have been better is if he were real. >> the guy who became the face and the voice of the royal baby announcement appears to be a fake. a party crasher. when the town crier stepped up to announce the birth of the future king, everyone listened, assuming it was part of the pag pageantry of the birth of the future king. turns out, he was not invited by the royal family. in fact, he's not even a londoner. >> stephen: she was a fake town crier. i mean, i should have known his hat featured a code of arm with a lion and unicorn when the national coat of arms of london is two dragons. also, the back of his jacket had "long june silver's." ( laughter ) ( applause ) it turns out, the town crier is just a royal lover named tony appleton, who is available as a master of ceremonieses at weddings, birthdays, and bar mitzvahs. ( cheers and applause ) hear ye! hear ye! hear ye! hear ye! hear ye! hear ye! hear ye! mazel, mazel. let it be known that aaron cohen has gone from boy to man. ( laughter ) now let's get it started in here with yonkers premiere hip-hop cover band the black eyed peas. god save the whole meshpuka. ( cheers and applause ) ( bell ringing ) but here's the thing, folks, if this guy is not real, then i can't trust any of it. the whole royal family could be a scam! i mean, they don't do a damn thing. why should we care? in fact,un what, jimmy? i have a suspicion-- put up the photo of wiland kate and zoom in. ( laughter ) >> booyakasha. >> stephen: speaking of institutions that have outlived their usefulness-- detroit. >> now detroit has fallen on such hard times the city is filing for bankruptcy, becoming the largest u.s. city to do so >> move is unprecedented. the biggest municipal bankruptcy in american history. a major u.s. city officially declaring it cannot pay its debt estimated at $18 billion. >> stephen: $18 billion! and detroit borrowed those billions from some pretty serious people. if they don't get paid, they've thrented to cut off michigan's thumb. ( laughter ) now, it turns out, robo cop was an optimistic view of detroit's future because the numbers tell the story. the city's population has dwibdle twd 2 million to 700,000. detroit has the highest unemployment rate in the nation, and at 73,000 abandoned buildings. knowing how far the city has fallen would have henry ford rolling over in his grave and somehow blaming the jews for it. notice, there are a lot of theories out there, about what caused detroit's decline-- manufacturing jobs going overseas. corrupt politicians. but the easiest explanation for detroit's decline is it's all the unions' fault. >> you have all these pensions and you have all this debt, and now it's just taking them down. >> there was over-generous pensions and benefits. >> lavish pensions. >> lavish pensions. >> stephen: yes, lavish pensions, on average $19,000 a year, which detroit now says they will pay 10 cents on the dollar. but retirees, if you budget right, you can afford everything you need in detroit-- food, rent, a cue ball and a sock to fight off hungry raccoons. luckily, luckily, there is a great idea out there on how to pay detroit's creditors. >> the treasurers of the detroit institutes of art could be in danger. >> kevyn orr has warned the d.i.a. it's huge collection could end up on the auction block. >> they have van gogh, matisse, and diego rivera, which is important because it was commissioned by ford himself. >> they might have to pawn detroit's murals depicting a socialist workers' paradise. in fact, they have received a generous offer from the museum of irony. irony. ( laughter ) now the detroit institute of art also owns a copy of rodin's "the thinker" and i might put in a bit boyd that because i need something to keep me company when i'm on the thinking chair. so, for as where detroit goes from here. who knows? this guy does. please welcome will editorial page editor of the "detroit free press," stephen henderson. mr. henderson, thank you so much for joining me. what have you got there? what's that? >> before we get started, you've been pretty hard on us in detroit. >> stephen: i've been pretty honest. >> we need your help to get out of this. so i brought you th t-shirt that sums up our attitude about the whole world. >> stephen: all right, i'll take that. >> made by a detroit vendor, available in detroit. ( cheers and applause ). >> stephen: i notice this is a hoodie. are you trying to get me killed? >> well, i think-- i think it will be good if you don't aware it in florida. >> stephen: what happens to detroit from here? do you guys full out? >> absolutely. one of the first things they teach you when you're born in detroit-- as iefs is how to take a punch, go down, get up, brush yourself off, and say i'm still here. is that all you got? >> stephen: wait a second. wait a second. that's one of the first things they teach jew that's one of the first things. it's a tough place. >> stephen: is punch babies in detroit out of love. >> shameful but true gleel okay, $18 billion, that's how far you're down. bill gates is worth $72 billion. he could enemy in there, wave a magic wand, you have guys thought about getting malaria? ( laughter ) it can't be that far off. it can't be that far off. ( cheers and applause ) >> i haven't talked to the mayor about that, but i will suggest it. >> stephen: okay. >> on the other hand, i think we're very deserving of some sort of help of some kind. this is-- >> stephen: but we already bailed out the auto industry. how much more bailout does detroit need? >> think about it this way. detroit was the arsenal of democracy in the 1940s during world war ii. we with the the tanks and planes that make sheer you don't speak with a german accent. >> stephen: and we thanked you for that by giving you motown. >> actually, i think-- i think we gave motown to the world. >> stephen: whatever. >> but whatever. details, right. >> stephen: yeah. what can detroit do to pull itself up by its own bootstraps before we give it a bailout? doesn't detroit have to make an effort? what about selling the art from the detroit institute of art? that-- that was bought when you gierpz the fourth largest city. you don't need that much culture anymore. >> right. ( laughter ) one of the things about the d.i.a. that's important is it's like a park or like another physical attribute of the city. selling it would prevent the city from being the great place that it could be-- >> stephen: you can keep the building. just sell off what's inside of it, you know. >> i should admit that my wife is the marketing directort museum. >> stephen: another does she have an inside scoop-- >> if you really are interested in art, i probably could get you-- >> stephen: you put this down on a picasso. >> absolutely. >> stephen: all right. maybe a lady, something with an even number of breasts, please. >> all right, all right. i'll see what i can do. ( laughter ). >> stephen: what about turning in all of detroit into sort of a williamsburg, because manufacturing seems to be leaving the united states. >> yeah. >> stephen: you know, williamsburg holds on to a little time capsule of an agrarian society. what if detroit became a time capsule of an industrial society and people could come there and say would you like to see us weld a buick? >> that's only if you believe that manufacturing is only part of our past. i happen to believe-- and most people happen to believe it's part of our future, too. the auto companies after their bailout are back to 15.5 million units a year selling. we are rebuilding manufacturing in detroit. what we need is consistent policy from washington, consistent policy from our state capital in lansing. we need people to support us instead of turning their back on us. >> stephen: you live in detroit and also work in the newspaper industry. are you a glutton for punishment? ( laughter ) >> you might say that. i came back to detroit from washington six years ago. and people looked at me like i was insane. but it's my home. >> stephen: and maybe you wanted to live someplace less corrupt. >> a little less corrupt. it's my home. it's a place that produced me. it produce aid lot of people i know making great contributions in the city and in the country. i wanted to raise my kids there and i'll stick by that. >> stephen: well, good luck. ( cheers and applause ). until this thing blows over, why don't you call chicago and ask if all of detroit can crash on their couch. >> well, we might have to do that. >> stephen: stephen henderson from the "detroit free press." we'll be right back. ( cheers and applause ) )bb0f[p"p"4dpñ >> stephen: hey, welcome back, everybody. information, after liewgz the hispanic vote in 2012, the g.o.p. wants to appeal to immigrants, and the republicans' secret weapon is iowa congressman and mortuary training doll steve king. on monday, congressman king warned us about the real dangers of granting citizenships to young illegals through the dream act. >> they aren't all valedictorians. they weren't all brought in by their parents for everyone who is a valedictorian, there's another out there who weighs 130 pounds and they are hauling 77 pounds of marijuana across the desert. those people would be legalized with the same act. >> stephen: come on! we all say it behind closed doors. mex scrans calves the size of cantaloupes, all right. or honeydues, what have you. a breakfast fruit of some kind. a papaya or particularly grarnlg grape fruit, whatever. one of the twaitz to choose who gets into this country is what size produce their muscles are. it's all about choosing the good ones. steve king knows one. >> you want a good bird dog, pick the one that is the friskiest. you get the pick of the litter, and you have yourself a pretty good bird dog. we got the pick of every dawrnd civilization on the planet. >> stephen: los latinoses were offended of the immigrants as dogs analogy. one of the people offended was friend of the show univision a.f.c.or jorge ramos. >> you recently compared immigrants to dogs. >> no, i didn't. that's a mischaracterization. >> did you watch the video? the full video? that speech was about celebrating legal immigration. anyone that understands the language and the culture knows that if they saw the video. >> stephen: if you weren't such a foreigner, you'd get it! take the jumping beans out of your ears, pedro. try again. >> so from your point of view, you actually did not compare immigrants to dogs? >> that's-- i said that speech was about the vigor of legal immigration. it was a very complimentary speech. >> stephen: yes, when he was comparing immigrants to dogs, which he did not do, he was complimenting them. the same way i'm complimenting steve king when i call him a tool. ( cheers and applause ). meaning-- meaning-- that's a celebration, okay. meaning a useful implement with which to say roof a house. by the way, steve king believes roof is the spanish word for hello as in roof-roof. so, please, it's not about mexicans being animals. steve king is just saying they are human beings who, if you pick the right ones, would make great pets. i've already got one digging in my yard. luis is loyal. he's a member of my family. and it's th at the first sign op dissplaishia i will send him to a farm upstate. i have a long of string beans @"-wuubñ0io$o$@wwúaa]@-x announcer: sunday's your last chance announcer: to save big during sleep train's triple choice sale. for a limited time, you can choose to save hundreds on beautyrest and posturepedic mattress sets. or choose $300 in free gifts with sleep train's most popular tempur-pedic mattresses. you can even choose 48 months interest-free financing on the new tempur-choice with head-to-toe customization. the triple choice sale, ends sunday at sleep train! ♪ sleep train ♪ your ticket to a better night's sleep ♪ >> stephen: my guest was a three-term senator but she retired because she wanted to do something with her life. please welcome senator olympia snowe. ( cheers and applause ). hey, senator snowe. thank you so much for joining us. >> nice to see you. >> stephen: nice to have you here. >> it's wonderful to be here. thank you for having me. >> stephen: you were a rare creature. you were a moderate republican. >> unbelievable, isn't it? >> stephen: please tell me the smithsonian has gotten a soosmle of your d.n.a. for future breeding programs because it seems like a recessive gene in republicans-- moderate. and that's what i love about them. what role was for you in the republican party after of as a moderate? >> well, i brought diversity to the republican party. that's what it was all about. >> stephen: as a white person from maine? ( laughter ) >> no. no, political diversity. >> stephen: oh, political diversity, sure. >> political diversity. yes, it broadened the views of the republican party and to be representative of all regions of the country. and now, unfortunately, that is not the case. although, i think there are more moderate republicans, you know, than people realize. >> stephen: are they in the closet? >> no, they-- ( laughter ) so to speak, yes. >> stephen: i'm not one of them. i'm pretty happy with the direction the republican party. i kind of like it. strength, no compromise, scrij lance. now, yu book is called, "fighting for common ground: how we can fix the stalemate in congress." -- >> you say, you know, they're not getting anything done. getting? done, sell me on it. ( laughter ) john boehner just said he-- he just said the job of congress is not to pass laws. they should be judged by how many laws they repeal. mitch mcconnell, leader in the senate, said their number one priority was to make obama a one-term president. nowhere in that is getting something done mentioned. >> well, that's a problem. which i disagree with them on. because i think we have to solve problems. that is the purpose of being in public office. that's the essence of public service. >> stephen: note purpose of being in public office is to stay in m.l.b. office. >> no. >> stephen: you have to compromise. you have to compromise to pass laws. >> you have to compromise. yes. i'm a moderate republican. i have my strong beliefs. i've always held to my principles but i appreciate and understand other people's heartfelt views on issues but you have to work it out. >> stephen: you can't have it both ways. >> you can't have 100% of what you want. >> stephen: madam, respectfully, you cannot have it both ways. you cannot work for the other side and raise money for your election. you can't send out an e-mail that says, "help! i need your money right away because some of my opponents' ideas are good, and i want to help them pass laws. check here to help me compromise my ideals." >> well, for those who view it that way, we have to change it. that's the problem we've got in washington right now. >> stephen: too much money? >> yes, too much money. campaign finance reform. that should be a must ( cheers and applause ) >> stephen: but you filibustered-- wait. that was one of the things i agreed with you. >> you do? >> stephen: no i agreed with you when you filibustered the disclose act which was going to reveal how money gets into superpacs. >> first of all, let me say my provision was struck down by the supreme court, citizens united. so i've been a strong advocate and proponent-- >> stephen: you don't believe i should have been able to have a superpac. >> exactly. ( laughter ) you're absolutely right. >> stephen: but corporations are people. >> how ask that help-- >> stephen: corporations are people. >> how does that help the campaigns of today? has it benefitted-- has it improved. >> the supreme said money is speech, madam. >> unfortunately, they-- they ruled that way. but it is regrettable for the country in terms of the impact it's had on elections. has it improved the outcome? >> stephen: for me it did. i raised a lot of money. over $1 million. >> to the detriment of the country that-- unfortunately, that we've moved in that direction. >> stephen: i agree. barack obama was elected. that didn't turn out well. >> no, it's not necessarily the case in terms of we're going to have different views. and people do get elected. but you know what? you have to work with those who get elected. and you have to work on both sides. and that has always been my purpose in public office. >> stephen: why did you leave the senate then? why did you leave the senate? >> because the polarization wasn't going to diminish and i wanted to take my fight outside of the senate. that's my spartan side of my greek heritage. continue to fight. not like 300. ( cheers and applause ). >> stephen: 300 doesn't turn out all that well. >> no. >> stephen: senator snowe, thank you so much for joining me. >> my pleasure. >> stephen: senator olympia snowe. "fighting for common ground." we'll be right back. ( cheers and applause ) :n]nn/0w ( cheers and applause ). >> stephen: that's it for the report, everybody. good nig captioning sponsored by comedy central captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org from comedy central's world news headquarters in new york, this is the "daily show" with jon stewart. ( cheers and appla captioning sponsored by comedy central >> john: welcome to the "daily show." i'm john oliver. jon stewart, jon stewart, i'm afraid, is still not here. word is that he has been kidnapped and trapped in a cave in the middle east constructing his own iron man suit. ( laughter ) our guest tonight, currently head coach of the egyptian national soccer team, bob bradley will be with us and amazing stories, amazing stories to tell. let's start tonight, though wnews from the game monopoly, where big changes are afoot. >> they're taking the jail out of the monopoly game. >> booo! >> john: you heard right. the game designed to teach children how capitalism work has removed the "go to jail" option to reflect the financial system they're going to grow up in, presumably replacing it with a "get ideal at by congress and then go directly to the caymen islands" option. ( laughter ) ( applause ) also, also this week, we actually have news from the real financial sector. >> the big story this quarter has been financial stocks, the bank stocks all had spectacular numbers. here's goldman sachs, by the way, which had an absolutely terrific earnings report. >> profits double at goldman sachs in the second quarter to $1.93 billion. >> john: yes, goldman sachs have been covering their investors in goldman showers. as an interesting sidenote here, one of the reasonses that goldman is doing so well is its trade in aluminum. as of i will incorrectly pronounce it for your comfort, aluminum. for years, aluminum has helped build our airplanes. it's kept us from sipping beer out of our hands. and provided much-needed headgear for our crazy people. ( laughter ). but wall street's darling has worked out that there is gold in that there aluminum. >> hundreds of millions of times a day, thirsty americans open a can of soda, beer, or jees expemp time they do it, they pay a fraction of a penny more becauseave shrewd maneuver by goldman sachs. >> the "new york times" reporting over the weekend that goldman sachs is running a scheme to artificially inflate aluminum prices. >> john: that scheme-- to marry an elderly aluminum heiress and murder her for her money. so goldman sachs is running the classic reynold wrap grist on the american people, which means it's time for another
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