Happening now in the newsroom just four days until we go over the socalled fiscal cliff. Why that deadline could hit unemployed americans hard. Training teachers to defend themselves and their students. Hundreds of educators attend a free gun class in utah. Its the latest response to the Newtown School massacre thats attracting a lot of attention this morning. Thousands of dockworkers could put the u. S. Economy at risk if they go on strike on sunday. Well take you inside the crisis some are calling the container cliff. And sea world taking its water act all the way to wall street. Why investors could soon own a peace of shamu. Newsroom starts right now. Good morning. Im Victor Blackwell. Carol has the morning off. With the nation still reeling from the shooting massacre in newtown, connecticut, and engaged in a National Debate on gun control, chicago suffered a grim milestone last night, a man was killed in a shooting on chicagos dangerous west side. This scene marks chicagos 500th homicide this year alone. Thats up more than 50 from last year. Now when were researching this story this morning, one statistic really jumped out at us. In the past five years, 270 children have been killed by gun violence in chicago. On top of that, there have been dozens of other people injured. Cnns ted rowlands rode along with two Chicago Police officers earlier this year to get a firsthand look what its like on the streets of chicago. Here is his report. Theres a couple places i want to check out. Reporter its a friday night on the streets of chicago in theening. Wood neighborhood. Joe patterson and leo schmidt have been cops here for 26 years. We go around the blocks, what you do is you scan everything and when they see theyre a policeman if theyre doing something wrong or got a gun they start moving away or running. Reporter as we ride along theres near constant reports of shots fired over the radio. We have a person with a gun reporter a call comes in that gets their attention. 64 to loomis, shots fired, thats one block away from the police station. Reporter its also near a park where, in the morning, theres a Community Event planned. Someone with a gun there, we got people over there setting up. Reporter when we arrive theres no sign of the person with the gun and theres no time to linger. We leave as quickly as we arrive because theres another call just a few blocks away. A man with a gun on 6444 bishop. Reporter when we arrive theres a man in custody and this gun found in the house. Were still working but thats the name of the game and how we stop the next shooting. We expected to make much greater gains by this point. This idea of not in my backyard is not okay. We have to make the entire city safe. Reporter mccarthys plan includes holding gang members in custody, taking back specific street corners where drugs are solding and using gang information to predict and stop retribution killings, but he says he needs more help from the community. Law enforcement is not going to solve the gang problem in chicago. Law enforcement is not going to solve the gun problem in chicago. Law enforcement is not going to fix the educational system or the poverty rate or any of those other things. Get close to home now, starting to get late, boys. Reporter one thing we noticed was the amount of children on the streets after dark. You guys about to go in the house, right . We got to get them home where the parents can help us a lot. We need the parents to step up a little bit more and take ownership sincerely of their children and raise them a little bit better. Stay here. Reporter at one point they pull over two men driving a car with illegal tailpipes. You got a license. They approach with caution and end up being clean, no tattoos, just two young men out trying to have a good time. The men may feel like theyre being harassed. Leo and jose its a part of the job. Overall, we do a good job as a Police Department and our numbers although they might have doubled up a little bit this year, by the end of the year we might have that taken care of. Reporter easier said than done and theres more work to be done in every day. Shots were just fired. Reporter ted rowlands, cnn, chicago. Coming up in the next hour ill talk with reverend Jesse Jackson about the ongoing problem of gun violence in chicago and important ways to solve it. Yesterday Carol Costello interviewed the president of the nra david keene. Ill tell you who id like to have indicted and prosecuted, the people in chicago, the criminals in chicago who made that one of the most violent cities in maeshlamerica. In chicago theres less chance that youll be prosecuted under federal firearms laws than in almost any major city in this country and thats a crime. Reverend jackson knows that city very well so of course well get his response to that, thats coming up in about 90 minutes. Shifting gears now, by now youve heard all about the finger pointing over the fiscal cliff, its happening all day, both sides blame each other for the lack of progress and today, top congressional leaders will head to the white house for a meeting with president obama, trying to strike a deal with just four days to go. Getting lost in the rhetoric are Everyday Americans like my next guest, she says washington needs to know how important the fiscal cliff is to those who are out of work, specifically to the 2 million americans who will lose their federal Unemployment Benefits an average of about 300 a week if no deal is reached. Good morning. You were laid off a year ago. Tell us your story. Well, yes, i was laid off a year ago around this time in december. And i received employment so ive been trying to look for a job which has been very difficult, on the internet every day. I also tried to start my own Small Business in the same field, janitorial services, which the whole thing of not having any money has caused a great hardship because im unable now to finance my business as well or get a Small Business loan because i dont have a job. 300, i just want to jump in, i apologize for cutting you off 300 a week doesnt get you very far to the point of financing a business. How much did this cover just your everyday expenses of living and taking care of your grocery bill and all that you have to pay for . Well, in actuality, it doesnt. It doesnt even cover my entire rent. We have to juggle to pay the rent, to buy food, and maybe one month pay the electric bill and the next month not. You know, it doesnt help to pay for everything. When you say we are you raising children as well . Yes, my grandson, my 14yearold grandson. And how do you explain this to him . Well, he understands. You know, he constantly says grandma, dont worry. Its going to be all right. Its going to be all right. I have worked my entire life for over 30 years, i have never felt such hardship as i have trying to find a job this year. Now, hes telling you its going to be all right. Were watching whats happening on capitol hill this back and forth over the fiscal cliff. Do you believe its going to be all right . Well you know, i have to have faith. I have to believe that the senators in congress, people understand that these are real people who are unemployed, that you know, theyre making decisions on peoples lives. Its just not a number. Its not just 2 million people. There are 2 million families and even those people who have not found a job that doesnt even report to the unemployment that they do not have a job, so its many people unemployed and jobs are very hard to come by. Karen, im going to have on some leadership, members of the leadership from washington in a moment and i want to you just speak to them, what do you want them to know before this meeting at the white house today . Just tell them your appeal to come to some kind of deal so that your benefits dont run out. You want me to yes tell me what you would say to them. Im sorry. I would ask them to please, come together and make a decision, a decision is needed, put all the personal, personalities aside and step up and make a decision. Its not that difficult to make a decision to make sure that millions of americans have food to put on their table and to be able to pay their rent, until theyre able to find employment. It is very important. Im sure youre getting a lot of amens from around the country right now. Karen duckett thank you for sharing your story with us. Thank you for letting me be here. Sure. Tributes are pouring in for general Norman Schwarzkopf, Stormin Norman he was known for. Schwarzkopf was 78. Secretary of state Hillary Clinton will be back at work next week. Shes been at home for three weeks, recovering from the stomach flu, when she fainted and suffered a concussion. Clinton promised to testify next month before congress on the deadly attack on the u. S. Consulate in benghazi. Former president h. W. Bush is in intensive care, still in intensive care this morning. The 88yearold is being treated for an elevated fever. Doctors were initially treating bush for bronchitis and a cough when he was first hospitalized last month. His family says they are confidence hell be released soon. Ford living up to its go further tag line. Over the next two years the automaker says it will spend 773 million to expand six manufacturing plants in southeastern michigan. The investment will add more than 2,300 jobs in the state and its part of fords pledge in october to add 12,000 jobs and invest more than 6 billion in the u. S. By 2015. Sticking with our auto theme Consumer Reports is out with the list of best value cars. Alison kosik at the New York Stock Exchange and ready to ride. Good morning. Good morning. Which car came out on top this year . The top spot this year goes to, drum roll, please, drrrr there you go, the toyota prius. This is what Consumer Reports found. It divided the lils st of the b value cars by type of vehicle. The prius came out not just on top in the small hatchback category but also as the best value among all 2013 model year cars. To figure out these rankings, the magazine takes into account how much it costs to own one, how the car performs, how reliable it is and Consumer Reports estimates a prius costs 49 cents a mile to own and if youve got kids the camry hybrid, that topped the family sedan category. Consumer reports says its not just comfortable and roomy, it also gets 38 miles per gallon and looking for something sexier the lexus rx350 is the best value large or luxury suv and despite the fact its a little lackluster in how it drives, it did, however, victor, do pretty well in the magazines performance tests. Some good news for toyota. They need it now. They do. The lexus for folks looking for something, i like the way you said that, a little sexier. Yes. Alison kosik. No more mini vans. Teacher locked in the classroom, theres nothing i can do. Not true. Theres tons of thing we can do and we articulated a whole bunch of them teaching teachers to fight back in the classroom, hundreds turn out in utah for a free lesson on guns, exploring their options for a worst case scenario. Welcome to chevys yearend event. So, the 5. 3liter v8 silverado can tow up to 9,600 pounds . 315 horsepower. Whats that in reindeerpower . [ laughs ] [ pencil scratches ] [ male announcer ] chevys 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 tradein allowance. Hurry. Bonus cash ends january 2nd. You make me happy when skies are gray [ female announcer ] you know exactly what it takes to make them feel better. You make me happy [ female announcer ] thats why you choose childrens tylenol. The same brand your mom trusted for you when you were young. How much i love you [ humming ] [ female announcer ] childrens tylenol, the 1 brand of pain and fever relief recommended by pediatricians and used by moms decade after decade. [ humming ] lets check top stories now. Russia may be emerging as more of a player in efforts to end the syrian civil war. Russias foreign minister held talks on syria with his egyptian counteren part today. Russia is also reaching out to a Syrian Opposition leader to hold the meeting. The florida man known as the dinosaur smuggler is facing 17 years in prison. Eric pricopi pleaded guilty to illegally buying and selling whole or partial dinosaur skeletons and slipping them through u. S. Customs. Sentencing is scheduled for april. The remains are being returned to mongolia. A new years resolution for drivers in chicago, use the l, because starting january 1st the city will have the most expensive parking meter rates in north america. How expensive . 6. 50 per one hour in the loop. It will be the fifth year in a row that the citys meter rates have gone up. The massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School got a lot of teachers thinking, what would they do if they found themselves in that same situation and a debate has exploded over whether arming educators is the answer. This is utah, hundreds of people attended a free gun training class especially tailored to teachers and other school employees, some of them already are sold on this idea, others just want to learn more and maybe give themselves the option. Joining us now is david burnell, ceo of ops gear, he cosponsored the class with the Utah Shooting Sports Council and cory sorenson, a fourth grade teacher who attended the class. Good to have both of you. I want to start with david. David, what did you teach in this class . The class is broken into two parts, its called mass file and solutions and these are alternatives to being murdered in a classroom and we break it down into three categories, we talk about run, hide, fight, and breaking contact from the bad guy and barricading and we talk about the last resort you have to fight and the fight piece we break it down into proximity tools such as tasers, pepper spray, where you have to be close to the bad guy and firearms gives you a standoff defensive capability and most of the teachers were eager to learn about that option. Cory tell us why you took this class . To gain more knowledge as well as to find more options that educators have in the classroom to be able to protect the children that theyre in charge of. Do you currently own a gun . I do. And are you in favor of being able to carry this gun in class . Do you think your colleagues should also carry guns in class . Im grateful for the choice and the option and the right that i have to make that decision whether i want to carry in the classroom or not carry and i think also there are some people who desire to carry and some people who dont, and i believe that those that do desire to carry a concealed weapon in the classroom, that they are trained to do so. Do you think that who should be a part of this conversation, because theres been a lot of discussion from the teachers unions and from parents who send their school, who should be making the decision on if teachers should be able to carry in class. Do you think that parents should have some role in deciding if you carry a gun . You know, i believe that in utah we have that, the right to carry, and im grateful for that right. I believe that parents have that right as well, if they wanted to carry concealed, but im grateful that i have that choice. So i believe that each individual persons right to choose. Lets bring in the National EducationAssociation President and the American Federation of teachers, they issued joint statement, were putting it up on the screen. Guns have no place in our schools, period. We must do everything we can to reduce the possibility of any gunfire in schools, and concentrate on ways to keep all guns off School Property and ensure the safety of children and school employees. David what do you say to people opposed to the idea of putting more guns into educational facilities . Well i think we would all agree as parents that guns in schools especially by felons and by mass murderers is a bad idea. Many parents say any guns is a bad idea. I understand they would say that and a lot of that comes from a lack of education on the safe ownership and responsible deployment of a firearm. Theres education that goes along with that responsibility and we provided that yesterday, the first parts of that. There needs to be followon education. Is it right to arm every teacher . Not every teacher wants to be armed so of course not. Is it right to give those an option that want that . I think its a lot better than putting your hands in front of your face and taking a round in your skull is in the Connecticut School system and having the children murdered after that takes place. Its a much better option. Kung a teacher the teachers are terrified. Do you think an armed teacher could have stopped this man with the bushmaster . Its a matter of good shot placement, it would have definitely stopped that bad guy. Here is the other piece. Its not just about that. Bad guys when theyre on a killing spree need to have a disruptor, something to disrupt their behavior. Several recent shootings and shootings from the past when somebody challenged the bad guy, either they run off and kill themselves or barricade themselves in the place where they started the assault and s. W. A. T. Can come in, contain the area, deal with the threat. In the absence of a disruptor youre at the will of the man with the gun. I have one more question. Go ahead, just i have one more question for cori. We believe and why we supported it that the individual has the right to defend themselves. Our bad guys in this country have tremendous rights, they even have a miranda act that tells them what their rights are yet our teachers are confronted with Violent Crimes before we get to reading someone their miranda rights, we have limited time. Cori my question for to you wrap up is, aside from when there is a bad guy in the classroom, you are a woman of a small stature and when i was in high school i was a big dude, im 62, 220. If theres someone in your classroom, you teach fourth grade but a teacher like you who has a gun in the classroom and they want it, how are you going to stop them from getting it . Thats a concern some people hav