Transcripts For CNNW EarlyStart 20121116 : vimarsana.com

Im zonaida sambolin. The i realsraelis pounding targets while Palestinian Militants continue to launch rockets into israel. Israel calls up reservists in preparation for war. Ben joins us by phone this morning. Egypts Prime Minister paid a visit to gaza. Somehow that going so far . Well, it was originally planned it would be a threehour cease fire while the egyptian Prime Minister was making this visit to gaza. According to our sources, it doesnt appear either side significantly reduced their level of military activity in gaza. Certainly before the sun came up there was an intense air attack on gaza itself. It may have been lessened somewhat in the morning while the Prime Minister was touring gaza. But after hes gone, its expected to get back to the same pace. There are elections coming up not too long from now in israel. Palestinians are saying that may be part of the impetus for israel to be taking action. Certainly this is what you hear oftentimes. Tc it was the casame case in the 2008, 2009 offensive. They say the leaders are motivated by a desire to show theyre strong on hamas. In fact, we spoke to one palestinian lawmaker who stressed the point that really this is all about politics. And ben, of course, one of the big concerns right now escalation was initiated by israel. There was a cease fire. There was a truce, which was violated by israel several times. Unfortunately, we all dont want to have any innocent person hit or hurt, but it seems that mr. Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of israel, decided to use israeli and palestinian blood for his election campaign. And certainly because there are elections planned for january of next year here in israel, its widely expected that Prime Minister netanyahu will be reelected for another term. This is the connection many palestinians are making. This is a delicate situation, ben. Obviously all over the region, particularly for the new government in egypt. I understand there will be big demonstrations in cairo today. What are the risks right mow of egypt being drawn in fourth this conflict . The chances are actually fairly small. Egypt has enough problems with it is with fighting militants next to gaza. Egypt says it still respects the camp david peace accord signed with israel back in the late 1970s. Obviously, we can expect egyptian politicians and leaders to make as much political hay as possible over this gaza violence, but its highly unlikely that egypt has really the wherewithal or desire to get sucked into that conflict. I know from speaking to many egyptians, they dont have an appetite for it. They may sympathize with the people of gaza, but that sympathy does not extend to an eagerness or willingness to engage or become involved militarily in that conflict. All right, ben. In jerusalem this morning. Thanks. Coming up later, soledad will be speaking to Israels Deputy foreign minister. Thats in our 7 00 hour. Here at home, president obama will have the four top leaders of congress over to the white house today to begin talks on avoiding the fiscal cliff, which could plunge the u. S. Economy back into a recession. Both side say there is room for compromise, but at the same time, it appears democrats and republicans may have dug in on their longheld positions concerning tax hikes and spending cuts. Jill doherty is in our washington bureau. Good morning to you. Good morning. Jill, both sides have said they are optimistic about a deal here. Theyre also not budging on some key issues. Yeah, i mean, there is some room around the edges, but essentially, and this is the the opening gambit, of course. Theyre both talking about taxes. The president saying and revenue. The president saying that he wants more revenue from the wealthiest americans and the republicans and especially Mitch Mcconnell, whos the Senate Minority leader, hes taking a tougher stand than even boehner. Lets listen to both of those positions. Lets be clear. An opening bid of 1. 6 trillion in new taxes just isnt serious. Its more than Simpson Bowles or any other Bipartisan Commission has called for. Its been unanimously rejected in the house and senate. Its twice as much as the white house agreed to last summer during the debt ceiling talks, and looked at in the context of the spending cuts yet to be implemented, it amounts to about 20 cents in cuts for every new dollar in tax hikes. In other words, no cuts at all. Its a joke. A joke. We right away say 98 of americans are not going to see their taxes go up. 97 of Small Businesses are not going to see their taxes go up. If we get that in place, we are actually removing half of the fiscal cliff. Half of the danger to our economy is removed by that single step. Okay. So is it a joke, or as the democrats would say, the math isnt adding up . Lets look at the issue of deficit reduction. The democrats say the lets say if you cut loopholes or cut deductions as republicans are saying, that doesnt add up. But the republicans are saying mr. Obama does not have any mandate to raise taxes. Here we are. I think youd have to say youve got the tone now. Both looking at the president , how is he going to open up, looking forward more compromise, or digging in the heels trying to parlay his reelection into something that can really push the republicans to do something that they want. Jill, one more thing i want to talk about. Its those tax cuts. We know the president wants to put a bill up to vote that would extend the tax cuts for families earning 250,000 or less. Do you expect Speaker Boehner is going to go for that . Well, probably not initially. They would, of course, want the tax cuts just to continue, but there could be some type of room after all that 250,000 for a family some might consider low for who is rich in america. There might be more flexibility in terms of pushing that to a higher number. Youre not going to get that in this initial discussion, but its a possibility later on. All right, jill. Thank you. Eight minutes after the hour. A parade honoring veterans goes horribly wrong in midland, texas. At least four people were killed when a train slammed into a float packed with veterans and their spouses yesterday. More than a dozen other people were rushed to the hospital. The circumstances that led to the crash are unclear. Union pacific says the tracks lights and crossing gates were working and the train sounded its horn before the crash. The commander in chief as consoler in chief. President obama toured Hurricane Sandy devastation in new york yesterday flying over ravaged neighborhoods in queens, comforting devastated homeowners in the streets on Staten Island and reassuring they will come back and he will also be back. I came up here right after the storm, was on the jersey side, and i had promised to everybody that i was speaking on behalf of the country when i said we are going to be here until the rebuilding is complete. And i meant it. So im going to come back today, but im also going to be coming back in the future to make sure that we have followed through on that commitment. The recovery from sandy now has a point person. President obama named sean donovan, a new yorker, who is the secretary of the department of housing and urban development, as the goto guy. It is nine minutes past the hour. Informative but not necessarily conclusive. Thats how senate and house lawmakers describe realtime video and testimony about the attack on the consulate in bengha benghazi. Senators say the video combines surveillance and drone footage. A source familiar with the hearing said the video includes shots of ambassador Christopher Stevens being dragged out of the building. He and three other americans died in the september attack. And some of the obama administrations sharpest critics on benghazi actually skipped the briefing. Among them, senator john mccain. When one of our producers questioned him about it yesterday, he got very testy. Listen. Senator mccain, listen, i understand that you did miss this briefing yesterday i have no more comment i have no comments about my schedule and im not going to comment on how i spend my time with the media. Is there a legitimate feeling that youre complaining about wanting more i have no comment. Why cant you comment on that . Because i have the right as a senator to have no comment. And who the hell are you to tell me whether i can or not . Later, a more cheerful mccain explained what happened to piers morgan. It was a scheduling error. I can assure you i got all the information. You can tell there that mccain was a little sorry he went off as he did. Our producer was ted barrett, one of the best producers and reporters in capitol hill. Those questions were not at all inappropriate. 11 minutes after the hour. That hearing mccain was referring to happens just a few hours from now when David Petraeus testifies before the house Intelligence Committee. Will he shed new light into what really happened in benghazi . Well take you live to washington next. [ woman ] ring. Ring. Progresso. I just finished a bowl of your new light Chicken Pot Pie soup and its so rich and creamy. Is it really 100 calories . Let me put you on webcan. Lean roasted chicken. And a creamy broth mmm i can still see you. [ male announcer ] progresso. You gotta taste this soup. Mmm i can still see you. Try running four. Ning a restaurant is hard, fortunately weve got ink. It gives us 5x the rewards on our internet, phone charges and cable, plus at Office Supply stores. Rewards we put right back into our business. This is the only thing weve ever wanted to do and ink helps us do it. Make your mark with ink from chase. Former cia director David Petraeus is about to testify before a house Intelligence Committee. The closeddoor session is set for 7 30 eastern this morning. Thats one week after stepping down as director of cia. Petraeus will be asked what he knows about the september 11th attack on the american consulate in benghazi. All the while, theyre investigating the situation with petraeus. A source close to petraeus says he plans to clear up what he calls a lot of misrepresentations about what he told congress initially. What does that mean hes going to say . Well, our Barbara Starr did some excellent reporting talking to a source close to petraeus. They said he really plans to tell lawmakers he knew almost immediately that a radical Islamist Group was involved. At the same time, he got a stream of intelligence, including about 20 distinct reports, also emerging, indicating that it was all based on fear over antiislamic video, which we heard initially from the administration. Now, i can tell you i spoke to lawmakers on the Intelligence Committee yesterday who are still frankly annoyed as what one described as petraeus weak presentation. So could these differences explain the inconsistencies in the administrations response . I guess the question is, it seems pretty contentious on the hill, based on what ive been seeing you report. Will this satisfy the critics . You know, unclear. One thing that became clear, especially after talking to lawmakers after yesterdays intelligence briefings, which went on all day long, is its sort of a political test. Republicans came out saying that they believe that what they heard makes clear that the administration was not telling the full story and democrats came out saying that they got the answers that show the administration was giving the best information that they had based on the intelligence. You mentioned the critics. Listen to what john mccain, whos the leading critic, has been saying. I think its been very clear now for quite a long time that there was no demonstration. That, of course, was the key element in what ambassador rice was saying and what the president was saying. There was not any demonstrations. I didnt have to have any secret briefing to know that. Thats public knowledge. So it knocks all this story about the president not knowing and who was responsible and all that. Now, the one thing these lawmakers can get from David Petraeus they perhaps couldnt get from others is details about what happened from the ground. He was on a trip to tripoli and elsewhere in libya shortly before he resigned. Thats what Intelligence Committee members really want to hear from him, about what he learned while he was there. All right. Thanks. It is now 17 minutes after the hour. Time for early reads, your local news making national headlines. Were going to start with new details about general petraeus, the mistress. A new report shedding light on Paula Broadwells path from homecoming queen through Harvard University to the generals biographer. She first met general petraeus at harvard in this 2007. She earned a masters degree from harvard, but was asked to leave her doctoral problem. Over time, she hinflated some e credentials. And in the arizona republic, the first medical Marijuana Dispensary has been approved to operate in the state of arizona. Voters in 2010 approved the states law to make it legal to sell and grow their own medical marijuana. Its setting up a showdown, including with the attorney general and the controversial sheriff, joe arpaio, who are warning people they can still be prosecuted. That guy is in the middle of everything. Its a federal crime. Yet, in states theyre allowing people to grow it and sell it. Its a great unanswered legal question. 19 minutes after the hour. For an expand look at all of our top stories, head to our blog. If you think the fiscal cliff is just a washington problem, wait until you hear how you might be affect the. Were talking less money for every state. Thats coming up next. Hello [ all ] ohh that is crazy are you kidding me . Let me see oh what thats insane noooo mr. Woodson . Oh hello hello [ whistles ] hello [ all ] hello [ coach ] caleb, ive got someone i want you to meet. Hello. [ male announcer ] at t. The nations largest 4g network. Covering 3,000 more 4g cities and towns than verizon. Rethink possible. Starts with ground beef, unions, and peppers baked in a ketchup glaze with savory gravy and mashed russet potatoes. What makes stouffers meatloaf best of all . That moment you enjoy it at home. Stouffers. Lets fix dinner. That moment you enjoy it at home. The wheels of progress havent been very active lately. But because of Business People like you, things are beginning to get rolling. And regions is here to help. Making it easier with the expertise and service to keep those wheels turning. From Business Loans to cash management, we want to be your partner moving forward. So switch to regions. And lets get going. Together. Monarch of marketing analysis. With the ability to improve roi through seo all by cob. And you. Rent from national. Because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle. And go. You can even take a fullsize or above, and still pay the midsize price. Im going big. [ male announcer ] good choice business pro. Good choice. Go national. Go like a pro. Who have used androgel 1 , theres big news. Presenting androgel 1. 62 . Both are used to treat men with low testosterone. Androgel 1. 62 is from the makers of the number one prescribed testosterone replacement therapy. It raises your testosterone levels, and. Is concentrated, so you could use less gel. And with androgel 1. 62 , you can save on your monthly prescription. [ male announcer ] dosing and application sites between these products differ. Women and children should avoid contact with application sites. Discontinue androgel and call your doctor if you see unexpected signs of early puberty in a child, or, signs in a woman which may include changes in body hair or a large increase in acne, possibly due to accidental exposure. Men with Breast Cancer or who have or might have prostate cancer, and women who are, or may become pregnant or are Breast Feeding should not use androgel. Serious side effects include worsening of an enlarged prostate, possible increased risk of prostate cancer, lower sperm count, swelling of ankles, feet, or body, enlarged or painful breasts, problems breathing during sleep, and blood clots in the legs. Tell your doctor about your medical conditions and medications, especially insulin, corticosteroids, or medicines to decrease blood clotting. Talk to your doctor today about androgel 1. 62 so you can use less gel. Log on now to androgeloffer. Com and you could pay as little as ten dollars a month for androgel 1. 62 . What are you waiting for . This is big news. Minding your business this morning. Stocks are set for another drop today, but the decline hopefully will not be big. It will be the dows fifth drop in a row, however. So the big thing plaguing wall street these days, the fiscal cliff. Today, new details on how the inaction in washington is going to trickle down to all of us. You know who has the details. State houses across the country are really looking across this math. Federal money make up about onethird of state revenues. Let me say that again. Money from washington, d. C. , your federal tax dollars, makes up about onethird of what states have to spend. Many of them, i think 19 states, are already facing budget deficits. On top of that, you have the potential for big cuts for the federal funding of the grants these states get. Theres no state in the union, all 50 states get federal money. All of them are facing cuts starting january 1st if we go over the fiscal cliff. Let me show you a little bit. 18 of federal grants to states would be subject to the cuts. The sequester, that horrible word for a really stupid thing. Overall, 7. 5 billion would vanish from state coffers at a time when theyre already look at billions of dollars in budget deficits. As you know, states are not like the federal government and they can just run red ink forever. They have to balance their budget. If they dont have the money, that means youre going to lose services. What kind of services . Youre going to lose education services, probably all kinds of Different Services youre not thinking of, but youre going to see prices go up for a lot of things you use. Also, things like, you know, preschool, subsidized preschools, food for the needy, food stamps. Let me show you the states that would take the biggest hit as a percentage of their revenue. South dakota, 10. 3 of its state revenues of federal grants are subject to sequestration. It has a big percentage of its money that comes from the federal government. Illinois, georgia, texas, tennessee. These are the state where is the largest percentage of their state revenue is subject to the sequester. It sounds so menacing. I know. Id like to know the origination of that word. Its a pretty bad thing. Everyone thinks theyre going to find a solution to this. Im not trying to be an alarmist. Im just saying the reason we keep tells you this and talking about this every day is because this has real world consequences. If 535 people cant get their acts together, everyone is going to pay for it. Thats something Everyone Wants to avoid. Thats why when Warren Buffett said yesterday we wouldnt go into this recession, a lot of the lawmakers were like, wait a minute. Its really going to affect my state in a big way. Tell that to somebody whos trying to get their kid in head start in georgia, texas, tennessee. I love you, warren. Just saying. All right. Thank you. It is 25 minutes after the hour. We want to go back to gaza coming up. There are real fears that israel could be mobilizing for a Ground Invasion. Well go to the region coming up next. [ male announcer ] this is bob, a regular guy with an irregular heartbeat. The usual, bob . Not today. [ male announcer ] bob has afib Atrial Fibrillation not caused by a heart valve problem, a condition that puts him at greater risk for a stroke. [ gps ] turn left. I dont think so. [ male announcer ] for years, bob took warfarin, and made a monthly trip to the clinic to get his blood tested. But not anymore. Bobs doctor recommended a different option onceaday xarelto®. Xarelto® is the first and only onceaday prescription blood thinner for patients with afib not caused by a heart valve problem, that doesnt require routine blood monitoring. Like warfarin, xarelto® is proven effective to reduce the risk of an afibrelated stroke. There is limited data on how these drugs compare when warfarin is well managed. No routine blood monitoring means bob can spend his extra time however he likes. New zealand xarelto® is just one pill a day, taken with the evening meal. And with no dietary restrictions, bob can eat the Healthy Foods he likes. Do not stop taking xarelto® rivaroxaban without talking to the doctor who prescribes it for you. Stopping may increase your risk of having a stroke. Get medical help right away if you develop any signs or symptoms of bleeding, like unusual bruising or tingling. You may have a higher risk of bleeding if you take xarelto® with aspirin products, nsaids or blood thinners. Talk to your doctor before taking xarelto® if you currently have abnormal bleeding. Xarelto® can cause bleeding, which can be serious, and rarely may lead to death. You are likely to bruise more easily on xarelto®, and it may take longer for bleeding to stop. Tell your doctors you are taking xarelto® before any planned medical or dental procedures. Before starting xarelto®, tell your doctor about any conditions, such as kidney, liver or bleeding problems. Ready to change your routine . Ask your doctor about onceaday xarelto®. For more information including cost support options, call 1888xarelto or visit goxarelto. Com. No backing down. Just more bombs. Is israel gearing up now for a ground war in gaza . Steering clear of the fiscal cliff. President obamas drawn his line. Will republicans draw theirs . Both sides face to face this morning at the white house. Down that long road to recovery, were going to see the real barack obama. The president consoles some of the victims of Hurricane Sandy, but can he deliver on his promise to help . Big question there. Welcome back to early start, everyone. Im john berman. Im zoraida sambolin. First, president obama and the top four congressional leader will meet at the white house to begin talks again on the fiscal cliff. That deadline now just 46 days away. The president has said he wont extend tax cuts for the wealthiest americans. For republicans, thats a nonstarter. Clearly, a lot of work to do. Cnns jill doherty is following developments. Shes in our washington bureau. Jill, the president said hed like to put up a bill right away to extend tax cuts for families earning less than 250,000. That doesnt seem like itll be a go for john boehner, does it . No, at least at this point it doesnt. After all, the republicans want those tax cuts to continue. Thats really the nub of it. How far theyll go, its a very important meeting. This is really it. This is where the president weighs in. Its mano a mano. The person whos taking a harder stance is Mitch Mcconnell. Lets listen to what he says from the senate side. We dont happen to think the government needs more revenue. The government spends too much as it is. If democrats are willing to reduce spending and strengthen entitlement programs, which we all know are on an unsustainable path that threatens our own longterm viability and the economic wellbeing of our children and grandchildren, then well be there. What we wont do is raise tax rates. Okay. So read the fine print. Raise tax rates. Now, theres a difference between raising tax rates and raising revenue, making people pay more by doing things which the republicans have suggested like, you know, capping loopholes or capping deductions, reducing deductions and that type of thing. So there is some type of room. Right now, you know, you do have the sides going in a pretty hard position. The president s also under some pressure from his left flank. In the debt ceiling negotiations, a lot of people forget he seemed willing to trim some entitlement programs. Both senators harry reid and nancy pelosi have opposed that idea in the past. He says the president can get them to budge. Yeah, the president essentially wants what he calls balance. Either you increase revenue or you, you know, decrease the spending or you try to find some type of balance. When he gets into these democratic side, they dont want programs to be cut on the backs of, lets say, the recipients, middle class recipients. Heres nancy pelosi and how she explains that. Whatever adjustments would be made in Social Security should be there to strengthen Social Security, not to subsidize a tax cut for the wealthiest people in america and say thats how we balance the budget. The same thing with medicaid and medicare. Again, we have said we support a grand bargain. Grand bargain. So right now, i think youd have to say the democrats feel that after the election, they have some type of mandate. The republicans obviously dont agree, but the democrats want to strike while the iron is hot. The president certainly wants to come to a deal as quickly as possible. Time really is running out. Yeah, it really is. All right, jill. Thanks very much. 33 minutes past the hour. Thousands of israeli troops on the move at this hour. Americas closest ally in the middle east edging closer to a fullscale war. Three israelis are dead. For t the First Time Since the gulf war, air raid sirens are sounding in telaviv. Israel striking back from the air with attacks on over 300 terror targets, as they call them. Ben wedeman is in jerusalem for us this morning. Hes joining us on the tone. Ben, israeli troops are mobilizing for a possible ground attack. We were reporting that yesterday. Where do things stand right now . The latest is that the israeli army has called up 16,000 reservists in possible preparation for a ground offensive. You remember during 2008, 2009 gaza war, israel sort of softened up targets in gaza before actually sending troops inside. So it takes time to mobilize those forces to get them ready. Were hearing that the roads in israel going in the direction of gaza, there are a lot of tanks being moved, other material being moved to the area around the gaza strip. Certainly, if you listen to what israeli officials say, theyre definitely putting it that ground offensive is if not highly unlikely, a high probability. This is what one said. Hamas are the enemies of peace, not just the enemies of israel. To peace both internally on the palestinian side and between palestinians and israel. Were targeting that military infrastructure so we will be able to sit down with good people on the other side for real, constructive talks. And certainly, however, if you look at experience of israel and hamas over the last ten years, it has not been very successful at crippling the organization. So the possibility of palestinians and israelis sitting down after this offensive is probably wishful thinking. So ben, lets stay on hamas. They were democratically elected in 2006. Is israel, in essence, trying to overthrow the government there . Well, certainly what its trying to do is cripple it, make it so it can barely function with its leaders. As weve heard statements from israelis, officials basically saying any hamas functionary or official had better stay in hiding the next few days. On the palestinian side, for instance, im in jerusalem. Were expecting large demonstrations by palestinians in support. Not necessarily of hamas, because its suffered in terms of popularity in recent years, but its more protests in solidarity with the people of gaza itself. I think if you go to gaza and ask your average person on street there whether they would vote hamas back into power, they would probably say no. The possibilities of elections at the moment down there are slim to none. All right, ben wedeman live in jerusalem this morning for us. Thank you for that. Former cia director David Petraeus says the timing of his resignation has nothing to do with the congressional investigation into the deadly raid at benghazi. He also told hln in an offcamera interview, hes not spoken to mistress Paula Broadwell since news of their affair broke and he never passed on classified information to her. In less than two hours, petraeus will testify before the house and senate committees. Bp has agreed to pay 4. 5 billion and plead guilty to criminal misconduct in the deepwater horizon disaster. U. S. Attorney general eric holder said the deal doesnt end the criminal investigation into the worst ever offshore oil spill. The settlement includes a criminal fine of more than 1. 25 billion, the largest in u. S. History. The Company Faces a possibility of more fines in the civil trial, which is set to start next february. If you pop an energy drink to get a pickmeup, the fda just posted some eyeopening injury information about three of the most popular ones, rock star energy, monster energy, and fivehour energy shots. The records include 13 unreleased reports about monster energy, including five reports of deaths. In 90 filings about fivehour energy, including involvement in 13 possible deaths. Im posting this on facebook for you. 38 minutes past the hour. President obama tells sandy victims he has their backs. The question for thousands of new yorkers still without power this morning is, will the president keep his word . Wants. And you really dont want to pay more than you have to. Only citi price rewind automatically searches for the lowest price. And if it finds one, you get refunded the difference. Just use your citi card and register your purchase online. Have a super sparkly day ok. [ male announcer ] now all you need is a magic carriage. Citi price rewind. Buy now. Save later. Since Ameriprise Financial was founded back in 1894, theyve been committed to putting clients first. Helping generations through tough times. Good times. Never taking a bailout. There when you need them. Helping millions of americans over the centuries. The strength of a Global Financial leader. The heart of a onetoone relationship. Together for your future. Svens Home Security gets the most rewards of any Small Business credit card how does this thing work . Oh, i like it [ garth ] svens Small Business earns 2 cash back on every purchase, every day woohoo so thats ten security gators, right . Put them on my spark card why settle for less . Testing hot tar. Great businesses deserve the most rewards [ male announcer ] the spark Business Card from capital one. Choose unlimited rewards with 2 cash back or double miles on every purchase, every day whats in your wallet . Heres your invoice. Welcome back to early start. Its 41 minutes past the hour. Residents of stormravaged Staten Island getting face time with president obama. The president surveyed all the damage and visited with victims of superstorm sandy. This was all yesterday. He promised to stick with them until the rebuilding is complete. He said he would return. Nearly three weeks after sandy, thousands of new york houses are still without power. People who met president obama yesterday on Staten Island, theyre hoping it was more than just a photo op. Cnns mary snow spoke to one couple. Reporter nicks mission now is keeping the heat on in his familys Staten Island house, paying little notice as his community readied for a visit from the president to view the damage to one of sandys hardest hit areas. Hes more concerned with working on the boiler he was able to rig up to provide heat. You put a generator into your bedroom with an electric oil heat. Its not enough heat to survive. Its you know, can i have left the house and went into a hotel . They wanted to give us something somewhere in jersey. You cant walk away from your house. Reporter cnn first caught up with the family last week as nick described his harrowing experience. I went through the most pain i ever went through in my whole life from being electrocuted trying to get back into my house to watching all my possessions and my family practically almost dying. Reporter since then, they have been getting offers of help. To get through each day, they rely on friends and relatives who have been delivering gasoline for the generator. They plan to rebuild, but they say the 19,000 theyve been told they can get in government aid wont be enough and feared the president wouldnt see how bad the damage really is. Everythings all cleaned up. The streets, you know, look pretty. It wasnt pretty like this. Up until the last two days, they cleaned up now because the president is coming down to see the progress that was made down here. Reporter as the president arrived, nick and diane decided to try and see if they could reach him. They stood in a small crowd waiting, and they were able to speak with the president. My commitment to you is im going stay on it. Im not going to be a stranger and forget about it. Does it change anything for you . Were going to see. I guess well see. Well see down the road. Down the road, theres always a road to recovery. You know, down that long road to recovery were going to see the real barack obama, you know, his true colors. Reporter with a little more hope, they head back to whats left of their home. Their home still has no electricity, and they learned of another potential setback. The gas lines may be shut down while repairs are made, leaving them in the cold once again. Mary snow, cnn, Staten Island, new york. Shlg our thanks to mary. Take a look at this dramatic new video. It shows the devastating flooding caused by superstorm sandy. This is video of two new jersey path train stations completely under water. My goodness. One is in jersey city. The other in hoboken. Service at both stations, as you can imagine, remains suspended nearly three weeks after the storm. Look at the water pour in there. Nearly all the equipment for signaling and all the train equipment just completely damaged or destroyed. Thats horrific. It really is. Now, get this. Theres an east coast Storm Brewing just in time for thanksgiving travel. Say it aint so. No. Meteorologist Alexander Steele joins us now from the cnn weather center. Whos going to be affected by this . Us . No, this is the good news. For the last four days or so, five days, weve been watching this potential east coast storm develop for the thanksgiving week. Now it looks like all computer models showing its going to stay well off shore. The only thing well deal with, maybe through the carolinas, some winds and onshore flow. That is the good news. That looks like its a nonplayer for next week. This is just an area of low pressure. Its a little bit of rain around in the morning hours. Most of this is emanating from the sky but not hitting the ground. The bigger story, the toughest travel through this weekend and thanksgiving week will be here in the Pacific Northwest and on the west coast. All the way from washington to california. Kind of a barrage of storms moving in. Thats where the trickiest travel will be for the next five days or so. Big picture today, youre dry in the northeast. Sunny and cool. Southeast, as well. Theres the west with those storms beginning to come on in through today, through the weekend, and into next week. Temperaturewise, kind of right where we should be for the most part. Maybe a degree or so cooler. If you guys are into the meteor shower, after midnight tonight between 2 00 and 3 00 in the morning, look toward the sky where the constellation leo is. It will be a pretty cool night to look up and see it. Very nice. That sounds awesome. Plus, were up at that time anyway. All right, Alexander Steele. Thank you so much. 46 minutes after the hour. Congressman ron paul bids a nosofond farewell to washington after 36 long, long years. Hear his parting shot to both sides of the aisle coming up next. If you think running a restaurant is hard, try running four. Fortunately weve got ink. It gives us 5x the rewards on our internet, phone charges and cable, plus at Office Supply stores. Rewards we put right back into our business. This is the only thing weve ever wanted to do and ink helps us do it. Make your mark with ink from chase. And this is the nokia lumia 920 from at t. Its got live tiles so all my stuffs always right there in realtime. Its like the ultimate personal assistant. But im me, and me needs handlers. So i hired todd to handle it for me. Todd, gimme that hollywood news whats happening on twitter . Youre trending yes i like you todd. I dont like todd because hes quitting. But now im hiring a new todd and it could be you. [ male announcer ] go to workforwill. Com and try live tiles, that deliver what you want in real time. Only from at t. Rethink possible. So i brought it to mike at meineke. We gave her car a free road handling check. I like free. Free is good. My money. My choice. My meineke. 50 minutes after the hour right now. A lot going on. Heres Christine Romans with the headlines. This morning, violence escalating between israel and Palestinian Militants. The israelis shelled hundreds of terror targets with artillery strikes. Three israelis and 19 palestinians have been killed so far. A parade honoring veterans goes terribly wrong in midland, texas. A train slammed into a float packed with veterans their spouses yesterday. In less than two hours, former cia director David Petraeus is expected to testify behind closed doors about deadly raid on the u. S. Consulate in benghaz benghazi. Hes expected to tell members of the house and senate Intelligence Committees that he knew almost immediately the work was the result of a terrorist group. Texas congressman ron paul gives what is likely his final speech in front of congress in a 48minute speech. The republican, who leans libertarian, slammed both parties, saying theyre leading the country in the wrong direction. The financial crisis is actually a moral crisis. Many are acknowledging that a financial crisis looms, but few understand its in reality a moral crisis. Its the moral crisis that has allowed our liberties to be undermined and permits the exponential growth of illegal government power. Paul is stepping down from his seat in congress at end of the year. Maybe its an understatement to say he leans libertarian. They should let him into the republican debates four years from now. Grandfather him in. When i was covering all those debates, the young people on College Campuses who loved ron paul was amazing to me. The young the paul group was always the most vocal and our dentd, i would say. All right. Thank you, christine. It is 52 minutes past the hour. Up next, kim jongun versus channing tatum. The race is on. Well explain. [ lane ] your antiwrinkle cream is gone. But what about your wrinkles . Neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair visibly reduces fine lines and wrinkles in just one week. Why wait if you dont have to. Neutrogena®. To provide a Better Benefits package. Oahhh [ male announcer ] it made a big splash with the employees. [ duck yelling ] [ male announcer ] find out more at. [ duck ] aflac [ male announcer ]. Forbusiness. Com. Ha ha the wheels of progress. Seems they havent been moving much lately. But things are starting to turn around because of Business People like you. And regions is here to help. With the experience and service to keep things rolling. From Business Loans to cash management, we want to be your partner moving forward. So switch to regions. And lets get going. Together. Welcome back, everyone. Its 56 minutes after the hour. Im john berman. Thats zoraida sambolin. Were looking at the top cnn trends on the internet. This is something you should participate on. Pants on fire, the annual worlds biggest liar competition under way in england. Let me get this straight. That would mean that you lied about your age to make yourself older. But why would any woman want to do that . I changed it so i could get married. And the truth shall set you free so that was a clip from the movie liar, liar where jim carey played a lawyer, which is fitting. Lawyers and politicians are banned from the competition for having a, quote, unfair advantage. Each contestant is given up to five minutes to weave the best fib in the contest. How do you like that . All right. Move over, people. The onion has named its sexiest man alive. Drum roll, please. Its kim jongun. Hes officially been named the newspapers sexiest man. Youre looking at him side by side with channing tatum, who won the People Magazine award. Kim, with he is devastatingly handsome looks, round, boyish face, charm, and strong, sturdy frame. They also said hes ever womans dream come true. Plus, he has a cuddly side. He does. To check out the other top cnn trends, head to our blog. So president obama winning with gifts, an ode to turkey day, and the petraeus scandal. Its all in this episode of late night laughs. How on earth did mitt romney find out about the extraordinary bag of gifts that we got . Theres something for everybody in this. What did obama give us . Oh, bag of weed. That is nice. Weve got food stamp cozy. Contraception variety pack. Thanksgiving just a week away, yeah. Thanksgiving going to be a little different this year in los angeles. You know, since that proposition b passed last week, porn stars will now be required to wear condoms while stuffing the turkey. Chris christie loves thanksgiving. He calls it the show. They have the macys big balloon parade. They have new balloons for the kids. They have elf on the shelf. That will be big. Who wants to stand in subzero weather and sleep looking at elf on the shelf. How about papa smurf, ladies and gentlemen . How about the shirtless fbi agent . Hell be there. Theyre calling this the First National security scandal that involves the cia, fbi, omg, and wtf. All right. Early start continues right now. No let up despite talk of a cease fire. Bombs rain down on gaza. Rockets crash into israel. Now global fears of a fullscale ground war. David petraeus in the hot seat. The excia chief heads to capitol hill this morning with members of Congress Demanding answers. And steering clear of the fiscal cliff. President obamas drawn his line. Will republicans now draw theirs . Both sides facefacetoface thi morning at the white house. Good morning, everyone, welcome to early start im john berman. And im zoraida sambolin. Lets get started. A summit on the nations looming fiscal cliff begins in just a few hours from now. President obama, and four top congressional leaders will meet at the white house for talks. That raises the curtain on a sixweek push to beat a january 1st deadline. If no deal is reached by then, 500 billion in tax increases and spending cuts simply start taking effect. Cnns Jill Dougherty is live in our washington bureau. Boehner has said he is open to discussing revenue increases that dont involve racing tax rates. Tax rates. But that is something many other gop house members have vigorously opposed. Is there a sense that the tide may be turning at this point . Well, at this point, i would i think youd have to say that this is their opening gambit. It is pretty locked in at this point. But there is some type of flexibility, especially on whether or not lets say the cutting loopholes, they would say, the republicans would say, you should do that. Or you should have deductions. I should say cut deductions. The democrats say that doesnt add up at all. But lets look at what Mitch Mcconnell says, whos taking a harder line on all of this. We dont happen to think the government needs more revenue. The government spends too much as it is. But if democrats are willing to reduce spending and shrink on entitlement programs, which we all know are on an unsustainable path that threatens our own longterm viability, and the economic wellbeing of our children and grandchildren, then well be there. What we wont do is raise tax rates. Tax rates. And again, thats really the issue. Can you do it in another way . Dont raise tax rates but raise effectively how much people actually pay in taxes, especially president obama would argue the rich. President obama has said he is open to cutting spending on entitlement programs but both senator harry reid and Representative Nancy Pelosi have opposed that in the past. Any chance that theyre going to change . Its very difficult for the democrats to really want to change at this point, because thats one of the key things. They dont want cutbacks on any type of programs that help the middle class. And you hear that very strongly coming from nancy pelosi. Whenever adjustments will be made in Social Security to strengthen Social Security not to subsidize a tax cut for the wealthiest people in america and say thats how we balance the budget. The same thing with medicaid and medicare. But again we have said we support a grand bargain. And the grand bargain, thats what the president continues to talk about. Something balanced. And hes really the man that theyre paying attention to today. He is the person who will set the tone, and its a very important meeting, as you can imagine. All right, jail doherty, thanks very much. One week after resigning former cia director David Petraeus is preparing to testify before a house Intelligence Committee. The closeddoor hearing begins at 7 30 eastern this morning. Petraeus will be asked what he knows about the deadly september 11th attack on the u. S. Consulate in benghazi. All while the cia is launching an investigation into his conduct while he headed up the agency. Senior Congressional Correspondent dana bash who never sleeps live from washington this morning. What do we expect David Petraeus to say, dana . Well, our Barbara Starr got some great information from a source close to petraeus who says that hes going to tell lawmakers that he knew almost immediately that Ansar Al Sharia which is a loosely connected radical Islamist Group was involved. But at the same time he saw a string of intelligence, including about 20 reports, that indicated that there was some brewing furor over that antiislamic video that preceded the attack. But the only briefing that petraeus did for lawmakers on the Intelligence Committee back in september, after that attack in libya, he apparently left the impression that they still believe its the more likely scenario, was that violence sparked this demonstration. And, john, i talked to some lawmakers yesterday who are still quite annoyed. One described petraeus presentation at the time as weak. So you can be sure hes going to hear about that today. We also know the cia is going to be continuing its investigation into petraeus and his affair with Paula Broadwell. What are they hoping to find out at this point . At this point, the cia investigation includes whether he used cia resources to carry out his affair with Paula Broadwell. Now, one of the reasons that lawmakers have been so outraged about the petraeus affair in not being informed about it is because theyre concerned that there was National Security risk. Well, the attorney general insists there wasnt. Listen. We felt very secure in the knowledge that a National Security threat did not exist, that warranted the sharing of that information with the white house or with the hill. But when we got to a point in the investigation, it was very late in the investigation, after a very critical interview occurred on the friday before we made that disclosure, when we got to that point, where we thought it was appropriate to, to share the information, we did so. We shouldunder score that todays briefing, both for the house and senate Intelligence Committees,ry are going to start in a little more than an hour are supposed to really just be on benghazi, what the former director knows, based on the trip that he took to libya and other and other information that he had. Its going to be hard to imagine that there wont be some questions that will at least try to get to, if not if nothing else, the question of whether or not there was anything leaked inadvertently or otherwise to Paula Broadwell. Dana, youve been covering these hearings now for over well, since they began. And you know the rules on both sides of the aisle. Is there anything David Petraeus can say about benghazi that will bring these two sides together . Because it just seems so contentious right now. I think if theres anybody that can do it, it would be David Petraeus. Yes, obviously his reputationed is sullied and no longer the cia director. But he still, in terms of the substance of his work, commands more respect than just about anybody. So, particularly because he gave a presentation that led the lawmakers, and outlawed the unclassified version did the same, to believe that it was much more likely that this attack was sparked by these demonstrations based on the video, if he explains why that was, and that there were these two streams of information coming to them, that probably will be he has the best shot at doing it than anybody else. Because right now, its a political rorschach test. The democrats coming out saying, ahha, you see the administration was right to be cautious. And republicans saying, based on what im hearing in here the Administration Simply went off on a tangent that they shouldnt have. All right, dana bash in washington. Thanks for being with us this morning. Youll be covering it all day again, im sure. We were talking about this earlier. I asked you if you watched on anderson cooper, it was representative king was on there and adam schiff and they were in the exact same hearing and two very different stories. And thats what they were fighting about. Very contentious. So at the end of the day, its like it doesnt matter. Same information and the way that you digest it very differently. So we expect more fighting to happen. Seven minutes past the hour. A parade honoring veterans goes horribly wrong. This is midland, texas. At least four people were killed. A train slammed into a float packed with veterans and their spouses yesterday. More than a dozen other people were rushed to the hospital, as well. The circumstances that led to that horrific crash are unclear. Union pacific says the tracks lights and crossing gates were working at the time, and that the train sounded its horn right before the crash, as well. The commander in chief, consoler in chief. President obama toured Hurricane Sandy devastation in new york yesterday. Flying over the ravaged neighborhoods in queens, comforting devastated homeowners in the streets on Staten Island. And reassuring them that they will come back, and that he will also be back. I came up here right after the storm, was on the jersey side, and i had promised to everybody that i was speaking on behalf of the country when i said we are going to be here until the rebuilding is complete. And i meant it. So im going to come back today but im also going to be coming back in the future to make sure that we have followed through on that commitment. The recovery from sandy now has a point person, as well. President obama named sean donovan, a new yorker who is a secretary of the department of housing and urban development. He is now the goto guy. There is a lot going on in the middle east this morning, flaring violence in gaza. We will return to gaza coming up because there are real fears this morning that israel could be mobilizing for a Ground Invasion. We will go live to the region, next. [ gordon ] for some this line is a convenience. How you doing today . Im good thanks. How are you . Im good. [ gordon ] but for others, its all they can afford. Every day nearly nine million Older Americans dont have enough to eat. Anything else . No, not today. Join me, aarp, and Aarp Foundation in the drive to end hunger by visiting drivetoendhunger. Org. Thors couture gets the most rewards of any Small Business credit card. Your boa [ garth ] thors Small Business earns double miles on every purchase, every day ahh, the new fabrics, put it on my spark card. [ garth ] why settle for less . The spiked heels are working. Wait [ garth ] great businesses deserve the most rewards [ male announcer ] the spark Business Card from capital one. Choose unlimited rewards with double miles or 2 cash back on every purchase, every day whats in your wallet . [ cheers and applause ] whats in your wallet . Trying to find a better job can be frustrating. So at university of phoenix were working with a growing list of almost two thousand Corporate Partners Companies Like microsoft, American Red Cross and adobe to create options for you. Not only that, were using what we learn from these partners to shape our curriculum. So that when you find the job you want youll be a perfect fit. Lets get to work. Get selsun blue for itchy dry scalp. Strong itchfighters target scalp itch while 5 moisturizers leave hair healthy. Selsun blue. Got a clue . Get the blue. 12 minutes past the hour. Americas closest ally in the middle east is edging closer to a fullscale war this morning. Thousands of israelly troops are mobilizing at this hour, and for the First Time Since the gulf war, that was in 1991, air raid sirens are sounding in tel aviv. Palestinian militants in gaza launching hundreds of rockets into israeli territory for a second straight night. Israel, striking back from the air with attacks on over 300 what theyre calling terror targets. Ben wedeman is live in jerusalem this morning. Ben, were hearing there are protests happening right now in jerusalem. You are in jerusalem. What are the details on these protests . The Israeli Police were bracing for protest in solidarity by palestinians with the people of gaza. Our understanding is there have already been some small clashes between the police and palestinian protesters, in some cases theyve been throwing rocks at the police. The police responding, at least by the sound of it, from here, either with stun grenades or tear gas. In some cases, some fisticuffs were exchanged. But this was really to be expected. Now, today is friday. A day of prayer for muslims in jerusalem and elsewhere. But it was expected it would be a day of protest. So the Israeli Police basically put a limit, anybody over the age of 40 will not be allowed into this compound behind me. The temple mount. What they were trying to do is really just to keep the numbers down in jerusalem from going in to the mosque. But it appears that protests are already going ahead. Were expecting other protests elsewhere in the west bank. One palestinian legislator mustafa bar beauty saying this is a time for palestinians to raise their voices. This was to stop israel attacking not hamas, israel attacking gaza. Israel attacking because we were protesting peacefully and nonviolently. This Israeli Government is not a government of peace. Its a government of war. And their behavior is killing the very opportunity of peace based on twostate solution. And certainly any talk of the twostate solution or diplomacy at the moment is really on the back burner. Its really the generals, and the politicians calling the shots. And they are shots. Ben, ive been in the region for a couple of these cycles of escalating violence. Once they start it really seems just really nothing that can stop them. I mean israel now calling up Ground Troops, were understanding, reservists in preparation possibly for some kind of invasion. Do you think thats a possibility of having Ground Troops in gaza soon . Its certainly a possibility. If someone reminisces of the Israeli Offensive against gaza in late 2008, early 2002009. It began with several days of intense air strikes on hamas targets around the gaza strip, as those forces concentrated around gaza, and eventually went in. Now whats interesting is that what were hearing from israeli officials, that theyre not talking simply about a limited operation that somehow cripple hamas military ability. Theyre also talking about the possibility of what amounts to regime change. Heres what one israeli official had to say. Hamas are the enemies of faith, not just the enemies of israel, enemies of peace, regional stability in the region and to peace both internally on the palestinian side and between palestinians and israel. So we are targeting that military infrastructure so we will be able to sit down with good people on the other side, for real, constructive talks. And its hard to say, however, where those good people are going to come from. Oftentimes, after these offensives, its the militants who are actually strengthened politically by these israeli incursions into gaza. Not, really, the moderates. All right, ben wedeman live in jerusalem this morning. A lot of questions about this. Coming up later in the next hour, Soledad Obrien will be talking to Israels Deputy foreign minister. Be sure to catch that interview in our 7 00 hour. It is now 16 minutes after the hour. Want to get you caught up on all the headlines. Heres Christine Romans. A lot happening this friday. As the fiscal cliff inches closer, president obama and Vice President biden have brought to the table. Informative but not necessarily conclusive. Thats how senate and house lawmakers describe realtime video and testimony about the attack on the consulate in benghazi. Senators say the video combines surveillance and drone footage, and a source familiar with the House Committee hearing said the video includes shots of ambassador Christopher Stevens being dragged out of the building. He, and three other americans, died in that september attack. A Major Political shakeup in japan. The countrys Prime Minister dissolved the lower house of parliament, setting the stage for general elections next month. The move is part of a deal between japans two main political parties, a move that helps the government avoid a financial crunch, and continue financing itself. Bp agrees to pay 4. 5 billion and pleads guilty to criminal misconduct in the deepwater horizon disaster. But attorney general eric holder says the deal doesnt end the criminal investigation into the worstever offshore oil spill. The settlement includes a criminal fine of more than 1. 25 billion. That is the largest in u. S. History. The Company Faces the possibility of more fines in its civil trial, which is set to start next february. All right, thank you, christine. 18 minutes past the hour. They say that twinkies can actually last forever. But the company that makes them might not last that long. Up next a bakers strike that could turn the ovens off at hostess. No depressing. Since ameriprise l was founded back in 1894, theyve been committed to putting clients first. Helping generations through tough times. Good times. Never taking a bailout. There when you need them. Helping millions of americans over the centuries. The strength of a Global Financial leader. The heart of a onetoone relationship. Together for your future. We are minding your business this morning. Were expecting another down day on wall street. Analysts say the trend for the markets is going to be down until washington puts together a deal on that fiscal cliff. And were following another showdown, a really serious one. This one has to do with twinkies. Hostess threatening to close its doors if its workers dont return to work. And Christine Romans has all the details. It is serious if you like twinkies. But its really serious if youre one of the 18,000 workers who have already been through this company thats gone through bankruptcy, its still in bankruptcy, and who have already taken like big cuts to your pension contributions and stuff. Hostess gave its bakers an ultimatum. Get back to work by 5 00 p. M. Yesterday or were just going to close our doors. Were requesting to liquidate the company. Were not going to play the games anymore. Deadline passed. No deal. Now were waiting to hear from hostess whether it will make good on its threat. Hostess is controlled by hedge funds, by the way, in its most recent bankruptcy it ration. The company is trying to force pay and pension cuts on its workers. The workers said no more of this. They went on strike last week. Not all of them, though, just the bakers union. Thats 5,000 people. 30 of hostess workforce. Hostess says it doesnt have the money to survive an ongoing strike. Bakers say the cuts are outrageous. A liquid igs would mean it would close all 33 plants laying off all 18,000 workers. Would twinkie go away . Probably not. In liquidation, other companies would probably swoop in and buy those brands. I think those brands would survive. I think those workers would not. And youve got this real standoff between, you know, the financiers who run the company and the bakers union that say weve already taken enough hits. There you go. Theres another deadline looming on obama care. Its been extended. This is so interesting. You had some republican governors who were saying they didnt want to file they didnt want to set up the state Health Care Exchanges or they were waiting to decide until the outcome of the election. They were hoping mitt romney had win and he had said he would repeal obama care. The president won, the state exchanges must be up and running by 2014. The deadline was today for states to declare that they were going to get those going and now the hhs, the health and Human Services administration has said, you have another month to decide. You have another month to decide to put that off. You see, youve got to have an online marketplace to make Health Care Affordable thats open in 2014. Its all laid out in the Affordable Care act. The cbo, congressional budget office, says the state Health Exchanges will cover 25 Million People with insurance. You will get subsidies. The state doesnt do it. The federal government will come in and do it for them. Right. Which the states have to decide which way theyd rather have it. Theyll lose some revenue. I think theres some financial incentives for them to act to the and get it done by the deadline. Political. Thats insane. That is the story of the world. Whats the one thing we need to know about our money . Remember yesterday i was telling you about the bright signs in the housing market. More write signs. 30year sixed rates 3. 34 . I cant even believe these numbers come out of my mouth every week. Last year it was 4 . We thought that was great last year. 2. 65 on the 15year fixed. Now rates are falling because, you know, investors are worried about the economy. Just throwing money in the bond market and out of the stock market. Thats why youve got rates falling so much. Banks keeping rates very, very low. Those rates are so low you might have to look and see if its time you might have to go and refinance again. Can you send out a calculation of when it is advantageous to you. Usually when its three quarters of a point or a point. Somebody asked me yesterday im going to sell my house in a year should i refinance now. No, absolutely not. And i said my rate is 6. 2 . I said why do you have a 6. 2 rate . Thats too high. Christine, thank you. Theres been no letup despite the talk of a ceasefire this morning in the middle east. Bombs raining down on gaza, rockets crashing into israel. Could we see signs of a Ground Invasion . Were going to take you live to jerusalem coming up next. Campbs that will make it drop over, and over again. From jammin jerk chicken, to creamy gouda bisque. See whats new from campbells. Its amazing what soup can do. child screaming underwater . underwater noises . Is what drives us to broadcast the worlds biggest events in 3d, or live to your seat high above the atlantic ocean. Its what drives us to create ecofriendly race tracks, batteries that power tomorrows cars, nearly indestructible laptops, and the sustainable smart towns of the future. At panasonic, were driven to make what matters most better. Just another way were engineering a better world for you. But they havent experienced extra strength bayer advanced aspirin. In fact, in a recent survey, 95 of people who tried it agreed that it relieved their headache fast. Visit fastreliefchallenge. Com today for a special trial offer. Two. Three. My Credit Card Rewards are easy to remember. With the bankamericard cash rewards credit card, i earn 1 cash back everywhere, every time. [ both ] 2 back on groceries. [ all ] 3 on gas no hoops to jump through. I earn more cash back on the things i buy most. [ woman in pet store ] its as easy as. [ all ] one two. [ all ] three [ male announcer ] the bankamericard cash rewards credit card. Apply online or at a bank of america near you. [ male announcer ] the bankamericard cash rewards credit card. Were lucky, its not every day you find a companion as loyal as a subaru. Love. Its what makes a subaru, a subaru. Aww, not the mall. Well, ill do the shopping. If you do the shipping. Shippings a hassle. Ill go to the mall. Hey. Hi. You know, holiday shippings easy with Priority Mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. If it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. Yea, i know. Oh, youre good. Good luck Priority Mail flat rate boxes. Online pricing starts at 5. 15. Only from the postal service. No backing down, just more bombs. Is israel gearing up for a ground war in gaza . Plus hes been out of sight but not today. Excia director David Petraeus set to testify on capitol hill in just a few hours. So we were standing here while the place was filling up, the water would come up to our neck . It would almost cover your head and come up to my neck. Wow. The Manhattan Medical Center washed out by Hurricane Sandy, where sick babies were rushed down the stairs. Remember that . Now making a comeback. Cnn takes you inside the extraordinary cleanup. Welcome back to early start everyone, im john derman. And im zoraida sambolin. In the next hour, former cia director general David Petraeus will be on capitol hill to testify about the attacks on the consulate in benghazi. Sources tell our Barbara Starr that petraeus wants to clear up a lot of misrepresentations of what he told congress initially and that you saw then two streams of intelligence about the attacks. The intelligence hearings will take place behind closed doors. It will be the first time the former cia director will speak to government officials since his shocking resignation last week over an extramarital affair with his biographer. Some republicans have actually suggested his departure was linked to what he knew about the attacks that killed four americans, including the u. S. Ambassador to libya. Im joined by congressman, chairman of the terrorism subcommittee which held its own hearing on benghazi on tuesday. Congressman royce do you think theres any truth to the idea that general petraeus quit the cia because of the ben zbauzdy situation . I think the reason general petraeus wants to testify is because, as he said, he knew almost instantaneously, that this was an attack linked to al qaeda. And i think hes trying to clear the record of the Central Intelligence agency on this. I dont think it should be any surprise to those of us monitoring the situation given the attack in june on the mission and giving the training by cia affiliates, or given the fact that our cia was watching al qaeda in that area, that that was an al qaeda attack on 9 11. So, congressman, our Barbara Starr tells us that what the general wants to do, what David Petraeus wants to do, is clear up his testimony from september 14th, when he may have been unclear about the cause of the attack. Barbara starr tells us that petraeus is staying that he knew almost immediately that Ansar Al Sharia, a terrorist group, was responsib responsible. But he was also seeing separate streams of intelligence that did suggest that protests over that video weve all talked about were involved. How do you hope the general clears this up . What do you need to hear from him here . Well, i think we know the answer to this. Because we have the films. And the films do not show any protests whatsoever. What, in fact, did occur, was the same the same attack that our ambassador there feared. What happened was that those al qaeda affiliates that he had requested support and security personnel to help defend against, did, indeed, attack the compound. So i believe what will come out of this is a much more clear understanding of how in preparation for this attack our personnel on the ground made repeated requests. And i think the other aspect that were going to learn more about is why a firefight that lasted six hours occurred without reinforcements coming in from tripoli. Why the Rapid Reaction force was removed from the theater of operations several months prior. And why we lost those personnel on the ground. I think for us thats whats important. Because al qaeda has a modus operandi of attacking the targets, attack iing again and again. They did that on 9 11. They have a pattern of behavior of hitting the same targets. Now weve opened up our consul e9s and embassies overseas as a target, as a result of not being prepared here. Not having contingency plans here. And especially not coming to the aid of our personnel while they were under attack. Congressman it seems like some of your colleagues may have different motives for these hearings or at least want to address slightly different issues. I want to play you a found bite from congressman dana rohrabacher. What is clear is that this administration, including the president himself, has intentionally misinformed, read that lied, to the American People in the aftermath of this tragedy. What you were discussing a second ago was a mess surrounding a foreign isy dent where actions werent taken that should have been taken. What congressman rohrabacher is accusing there is flatout dishonesty. Do you agree with him . Well, heres the problem. When you become wedded to a certain mindset, and lets say that mindset is that the problems in the world are because theres protests against america, or theres protests against a video, and you begin to advance that, and you begin to pressure agencies and the federal government to advance that theory, what if youre wrong . What if, in fact, things are exactly as they seem, and it is an al qaeda attack just as suspected by our personnel on the ground, and as witnessed by our own Central Intelligence agencies there. Sir wrong is one thing. Lying is another. You have clearly stated that things went wrong. Its pretty obvious at this point a lot went wrong let me explain rohrabacher is saying lying. Im explaining when you have a mindset and youre wedded to that video, youre wedded to a certain scenario that you cling to for weeks, so much so that you take your u. N. Ambassador, whose task is not to explain National Security, and you put her out in front of the media, and you give her talking points, which, according to our chairman of the Intelligence Committee, were not the same talking points that were received by the Central Intelligence agency. Now, we need to get to the bottom of all of this. As senator feinstein has said, you know, this is the opening of a process of fact finding. We need to find out how this happened. What if, indeed, a certain scenario was laid out and the administration and the president himself stuck to that line of arguments, day after day after day in the face of evidence, and in the face of a video that the white house resumebly would have watched, then theres very real question as to why would you maintain that line of argument in the face of the facts. All right, congressman ed royce, thanks for joining us this morning. Thank you very much. The violence in gaza escalating overnight, leaving israel on the brink of a fullscale ground war with hamas. The israelis shelling more than 300 terror targets, as theyre calling them, with air strikes and heavy artillery overnight. Bombs are still pounding gaza, as officials talk of a brief ceasefire with each of the Prime Ministers on the ground in gaza this morning. But Palestinian Militants launched hundreds of rockets into israeli territory for a second straight day, at least two of them striking tel aviv. Israel is now calling up thousands of reservists, theyre saying in preparation for war. Ben wedeman joins us from jerusalem. He is on the phone. Ben we understand there are protests that are happening right now. Maybe youre in the middle of them. What can you tell us about that . There are limited protests around jerusalem. Im at the damascus gate, one of the entrances to the predominantly palestinian old city, where several hundred palestinian protesters, including older women, are haranguing and shouting and chanting against the Israeli Police here. Im seeing some bottles are being thrown, but its still relatively calm compared to what could happen here. One protest of many going on, not just around jerusalem, but also in the west bank, as well. Ben, israel is now calling up thousands of reservisreservists presumably in preparation for war. Could we see Ground Troops move into gaza any time soon, do you think . Certainly very good possibility. They called up 16,000 reservists, there are apparently tanks on the move. Other equipment and heavy armor heading for gaza. Very similar to what we saw in 20082009, the last time there was a major outbreak of fighting between gaza and israel. And therefore, yes, definitely from what were hearing from israeli officials, and from others, it does appear that they are preparing, not necessarily that theyve taken a final decision for a major ground assault inside gaza itself. And, ben, what could you tell us about that brief ceasefire with egypts Prime Minister on the ground in gaza . That was about just three hours long. What the israelis said was it was hamas didnt fire any rockets or other militants, fire any rockets from gaza. Israel will not accept any aberrations. Our understanding is rockets were fired from gaza into israel, and aircraft were active over gaza during that brief visit by the egyptian Prime Minister. All right, ben wedeman live from jerusalem. Thank you. 39 minutes after the hour right now. Next on early start, it was one of the most heartwrenching images from superstorm sandy. The evacuation of newborn babies from nyu langone medical center. An exclusive look inside the facility to survey the damage. Ie with savory gravy and mashed russet potatoes. What makes stouffers meatloaf best of all . That moment you enjoy it at home. Stouffers. Lets fix dinner. I have a cold. I took dayquil, but i still have a runny nose. [ male announcer ] truth is, dayquil doesnt work on runny noses. What . [ male announcer ] it doesnt have an antihistamine. Really . [ male announcer ] really. Alkaseltzer plus cold and cough fights your worst cold symptoms, plus has a fast acting antihistamine to relieve your runny nose. [ sighs ] thank you [ male announcer ] youre welcome. Thats the cold truth [ male announcer ] alkaseltzer plus. Oh what a relief it is [ male announcer ] to learn more about the cold truth and save 1 visit alkaseltzer on facebook. Why should saturday nightlearn have all the fun . Old truth get two times the points on dining in restaurants, with chase sapphire preferred. It is friday. Soledad is here for a look at whats ahead on starting point. Welcome, everybody. Ahead this morning on starting point weve been talking a lot about the violence thats been escalating between israel and hamas and secretary leon panetta spoke to the Israeli Defense minister ehud barak. Were going to talk about what they talked about. And well talk with the israeli Deputy Foreign minister danny eyalen about exactly what was discussed and where this conflict goes from here. Talks in washington, d. C. On the fiscal cliff. Well talk with connie mack, alabama senator Jeff Sessions and take a look at what could happen in any kind of a friday compromise. Plus actress Jada Pinkett Smith will join us to talk about her continuing fight against human trafficking. Shes trying to help 27 million victims worldwide. And Denzel Washington has a new movie. This looks so awesome. Were going to talk to his costar the actress kelly reilly that and much more at the top of the hour. You know i saw that film the other day. It was fantastic. But if you are scared of flying, dont go see the movie. That would be my suggestion. Fill me in on the commercial break. 44 minutes, thank you, soledad. 44 minutes past the hour. One of the most compelling images that emerged from superstorm sandy. The evacuation of newborns from nyu langone medical center. Hospital staff carried the infants down flight after flight of stairs because of all the massive flooding. Now an extensive cleanup operation is under way and cnn is the First Network allowed inside to survey the devastation. Heres senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen. After the rain fell, and the river overflowed into nyu langone medical center, this is what was left. A hospital ruined by more than 10 million gallons of floodwater. Now, two weeks later, Richard Cohen is my guide to see the damage. So were in the cellar right now . Were at the lowest portion of the building. Down here, the filthy river water went up to the ceiling. Its been pumped out but it still smells bad so we have to wear masks. This was an mri suite. Unfortunately they were all flooded. Oh, my gosh. How expensive is that machine . Probably several million dollars. And kaput . This is kaput. The water continued rising up to the first floor. This lecture hall became a swimming pool. So we were standing here while the place was filling up the water would come up to our necks . It would almost cover your head and would come up to my neck. Id be under water . Almost. Tim langone the medical centers chairman of the board was there that night, as a patient. On the 11th floor. How did you get down . I walked. And you were suffering from pneumonia. They said were evacuating. I said fine and i got up to brush my teeth. Put my clothes on, i said lets go. 322 patients were evacuated. Now this once busy emergency room is empty. This place took a hell of a hit. Nyu langone has brought in hundreds of cleanup workers. Some with specialized skills from around the country. Hot air in these tubes is drying out the ceilings, floors and walls. Cleanup is 24 7. Expected to cost around 700 million. Peoples lives were saved in this room. And now it sits idle. How does that feel to you . Well, it feels like i cant wait for it to start saving lives again. Reporter elizabeth cohen, cnn, new york. You have to take a look at this dramatic video just released by new jersey and new York Port Authority showing the devastating flooding caused by superstorm sandy. This is two new jersey path train stations under water in jersey city and hoboken. Service at both stations remains suspended nearly three weeks after the storm with nearly all the ee equipment for signaling and train equipment damaged or destroyed. Look at that. You wonder how long its going to be before they can reopen that. Congressman ron paul bids a not so fond farewell to washington after 36 long years. You ought to hear his parting shots at both sides of the aisle coming up. Welcome back, everyone. 51 minutes after the hour. We want to get you up to date on all the headlines right now. Americas closest ally in the middle east may be edging closer to war. Violence intensifying overnight between israel and palestinian extremists in gaza. Hamas fighters launching hundreds of rockets into israel overnight with the israelis shelling hundreds of terror targets with artillery strikes. Three israelis and 19 palestinians have been killed. A parade honoring veterans goes horribly wrong. This is in midland, texas. At least four people were killed when a train slammed into a float packed with veterans and their spouses. This all happened yesterday. More than a dozen other people were rushed to the hospital. And in less than an hour, former cia director David Petraeus is expected to testify behind closed doors about the deadly raid on the u. S. Consulate in benghazi. Hes expected to tell members of the house and senate Intelligence Committees that he knew almost immediately the attack was the work of loosely formed militia with members sympathetic to al qaeda. Hes also expected to say he had no direct involvement in the talking points used by u. N. Ambassador susan rice in the days after the attack. Talks on the looming fiscal cliff begin this morning at the white house. President obama has invited the four top leaders in congress, john boehner, nancy pelosi, harry reid and Mitch Mcconnell to try and strike a deal to protect the economy. Texas congressman ron paul gives what is likely his final speech in front of congress. In a 4minute speech the republican libertarian slammed both parties saying theyre leading the country in the wrong direction. The financial crisis is actually a moral crisis. Many are acknowledging that a financial crisis looms but few understand its in reality a moral crisis. Its the moral crisis that has allowed our liberties to be undermined and permits the exponential growth of illegal government power. Congressman paul is stepping down from his seat in congress at the end of the year. Thanksgiving travel around the corner. Who will see the worst of the weather . Meteorologist Alexandra Steele joins us now from atlanta. Hi. Or the best of it. Actually, pretty benign weather around the country, so some great travel conditions. Theres one calf yet and thats the west coast. Good morning, everyone. Hope youre waking up to a good friday. Around the dealtway in washington, pretty dry. But outside that, around richmond, virginia, a few rain showers. Through the delmarva, as well. On the whole this will all dissipate and really end up a pretty sunny day. On the west coast this is just kind of the beginning. A barrage of storms from washington to california coming in for the next few days include that very important wednesday, thursday, friday of next week, again. Heres the future cast taking you through the three next days. All the way from the siskiyous to the sierra. Heavy mountain snow, a lot of rain at the valleys and really, really rough travel conditions. So thats going to be the only kind of caveat in the country, in terms of planning ahead for the next couple of days. Big picture today, were dry in the northeast, and into philadelphia and new york, boston, dry, sunny skies. A few degrees below average. Southeast similar scenario. Of course, theres the west. So thats where those storms beginning to come in. But pretty quiet. Temperaturewise, maybe just a few degrees below average. Chicago 53, in the 40s in the twin cities. Today, but, tonight, late tonight, big celestial sky sighting if nur into that. Leon id meteor shower. Around 2 00 tomorrow morning, look up into the sky, guys, toward the cancellation leo, thats where it looks like this is emanating from, and we also have a new moon so the skies are pretty dark. So pretty good conditions for a lot of the country. See some meteors coming at you tonight. All right. Thank you. Okay. Meet you out there. Get your kids up at 2 00 in the morning for that. Oh, sure. Christine romans has todays best advice coming up. The wheels of progress havent been very active lately. But because of Business People like you, things are beginning to get rolling. And regions is here to help. Making it easier with the expertise and service to keep those wheels turning. From Business Loans to cash management, we want to be your partner moving forward. So switch to regions. And lets get going. Together. Till you finish your vegetables. [ clock ticking ] [ male announcer ] theres a better way. V8 vfusion. Vegetable nutrition they need, fruit taste they love. Couldve had a v8. Or. Try kids boxes couldve had a v8. A hybrid . Most are just no fun to drive. Now, heres one that will make you feel alive. Meet the fivepassenger ford cmax hybrid. Cmax says ha. Cmax says wheeee. Which is what you get, dont you see . Cause cmax has lots more horsepower than prius v, a hybrid that cmax also bests in mpg. Say hi to the allnew 47 combined mpg cmax hybrid. That was me. The day i learned i had to start insulin for my type 2 diabetes. Me. Thinking my only option was the vial and syringe dad used. And me. Discovering oncedaily levemir® flexpen. Flexpen® is prefilled. Doesnt need refrigeration for up to 42 days. No drawing from a vial. Dial the exact dose. Inject by pushing a button. Flexpen® is insulin delivery. My way. Levemir® insulin detemir [rdna origin] injection is a longacting insulin used to control high blood sugar in adults and children with diabetes and is not recommended to treat diabetic ketoacidosis. Do not use levemir® if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. The most common side effect is low blood sugar, which may cause symptoms such as sweating, shakiness, confusion, and headache. Severe low blood sugar can be serious and life threatening. Ask your Healthcare Provider about alcohol use, operating machinery, or driving. Other possible side effects include injection site reactions. Tell your Healthcare Provider about all medicines you take and all of your medical conditions. Get medical help right away if you experience serious allergic reactions, such as body rash, trouble with breathing, fast heartbeat, or sweating. With flexpen®. Say good night to vial and syringe. Ask your doctor about levemir® flexpen. Covered by 90 of insurance plans, including medicare. Find your copay at myflexpen. Com. At meineke i have options. Like oil changes starting at 19. 95. My money. My choice. My meineke. As always we wrap it up with best advise. Twihards listen up this mornings best advice. I think some of the most important advice maybe actually sounds strange coming from an actress is to be yourself. And that thats the only your authentic self is really the only thing thats interesting, and its the only real worthwhile way to spend your time, i think. The only way to move forward in your life is to sort of know yourself, and to live up. Be yourself except when youre being paid to be someone else. My advice to you, have a great vacation. Oh, thank you, i will. I will be my authentic self on vacation. Sure. Hes been teasing me all morning. Thats all for early start. And thats johns authentic self. Starting point with Soledad Obrien starts right now. Morning, welcome, everybody. Our starting point this morning, the brink of war. Shells pounding israel, war missiles, more troops on the 3406. Were live in the middle east with a region on the brink of a fullscale