Transcripts For CNNW The Situation Room 20130114 : vimarsana

Justin timberlake is going to be on the album. Its his first album since 2006. Hey, quick thank you to the l. A. Bureau and Golden Globes crew for hosting me here in los angeles. Im back in atlanta tomorrow. To washington, joe johns at the helm of the situation room. Happening now, president obama draws a line, which republicans already insist theyre going to ignore. Welcome to a new year of washington gridlock. Lance armstrong is apologizing. But what exactly is he admitting hes done wrong . And suzy ormans joining us to explain why youll have to spend less money this year, and what you need to do to make up for it. Wolf blitzer is off today. Im joe johns. Youre in the situation room. Captions by vitac www. Vitac. Com we begin with washingtons latest standoff. During a white house News Conference today, president obama told Congressional Republicans they will not, in his words, collect a ransom by demanding spending cuts as a condition for raising the debt ceiling. The house of representatives is back in session today, too, and republicans are just as adamant, insisting they wont raise the debt limit, unless the president goes along with spending cuts. Lets go live to cnn White House Correspondent Brianna Keilar. Reporter president obama stating very clearly today that he will not negotiate deficit reduction, tax increases and spending cuts attached to the debt ceiling. This of course does follow that bruising battle the year before last, where he did negotiate on the issue, and the u. S. Nearly went to the brink of default. He said that congress has to pay the bills that its already racked up. You dont go out to dinner and then, you know, eat all you want and then leave without paying the check. And if you do, youre breaking the law. And congress should think about it the same way that the American People do. You dont now, if congress want, to have a debate about maybe we shouldnt go out to dinner next time, maybe we should go to a more modest restaurant, thats fine. Thats the debate that we should have. Reporter in this press conference that was called last minute in the east room, president obama said he will negotiate a deal on deficit reduction but not, as he put it, quote, with a gun to the head of the American People. As you know, joe, republicans are saying theyre not going to increase the debt ceiling unless they get spending cuts in return. So, it really throws into question, as president obama obviously is trying to disarm them, trying to make moot, really, this one pretty hefty card theyre able to play here throughout this battle. It throws into question how tackle things like entitlement reform and tax reform and also those spending cuts that were only put off for a couple months. Spending cuts that are set to kick in at the end of the month. How all of of that plays out. Brianna, for the first time, the president actually responded to questions about the administration not having enough women in the second term cabinet. What did he say . Reporter he stressed his record on this during his first term, that Hillary Clinton was the secretary of state, still is, but is going to be stepping down and will be replaced by a man. He stressed that Janet Napolitano is heading the department of Homeland Security and at least for now appears to be staying there. He stressed as well that he appointed two women to the supreme court. And he also told people to essentially wait a sec, he urged some patience. I would suggest everybody kind of wait till theyve seen all my appointments, whos in the white house staff and whos in my cabinet, before they rush to judgment. Reporter but for now, joe, there is still some criticism over this because his recent picks, which really are top cabinet posts, treasury, state, defense, cia director, have all been white men and that has rankled a number of critics, particularly female critics. Brianna keilar at the white house, thank you. Cnn chief political analyst Gloria Borger is with me here in the situation room right now. And, you know, of course weve got some Quick Reaction from House Speaker boehner yeah, boom. Absolutely, lets put it up. Ill read it. The American People do not support raising the debt ceiling without reducing Government Spending at the same time. The consequences of failing to increase the debt ceiling are real, but so too are the consequences of allowing our spending problem to go unresolved. So it certainly appears were set up for another major showdown already. We are. I thirn its going to be a bigger showdown in fact than the fiscal cliff. You know, the president today said, quote, we have to stop lurching from crisis to crisis to crisis. Then he went and set the stage for yet another crisis, right. This time of course it over the debt ceiling. And its going to be big, because it really reflects two different visions of what the debt ceiling is all about. For the president , you heard today, its about paying your bill. Going to a restaurant. Picking up the tab for food youve already eaten. Fine. Very common sense, yes. Very common sense. For republicans, its about solving a problem. Making a government that is too big, smaller and getting control of runaway spending on entitlements like Social Security and medicare and fixing a longterm problem. Its not just about paying the bills. Its about the future. Right, but there are also a lot of political calculations in here. I assume theyre very close to the political calculations we saw in the last crisis. Yes, they are, although, you know, in the last crisis it was very clear that the president had the let me rverage. He had just won the election. He had won an election over the tax issue and the republicans lost over the tax issue. Theyre pushing that so far off the table that i dont even hear them talking about tax reform anymore. The president is making a gamble here, that the public will see the republicans as irresponsible and absurd, as he called them, that you cant let the United States of america default, thats not who we are, and that the American Public will be embarrassed by this fight. The republicans are making the calculation, you know what, the public is going to be on our side, because we have to get on a path of fiscal sustainability over the long term so theyre going to be with us, theyre going to want spending cuts. Weve been measuring the political pressure on the speaker as it builds, it seems, to a big climax here. How much pressure is he in right now . Huge amount of pressure. Dont forget, he didnt have a great time in the fiscal cliff fight. He couldnt bring a majority of his own caucus to vote for that final proposal. This time, his own caucus has put him on notice. A, dont you dare propose anything that doesnt have a majority of us on board to begin with. And, b, we want dollar for dollar parity. Over dollar you raise on the debt limit, we want a dollar of spending cuts. Thats a very difficult, almost impossible task. Unless you get some kind of grand bargain. Which, sense these two groups are talking past each other, it doesnt seem like thats a possibility. Well see. It could end up affecting everybodys pocketbook. Every piece of legislation on the table, gun control, immigration, if these people are angry, theyre not going to get anything done. Thank you so much, Gloria Borger, good to see you. Thanks. Just in to cnn. Some very dramatic poll numbers on how the American Public feels about guns. They show broad support for tougher gun control measures. A just released pew poll shows 85 of americans favor background checks for private gun sales and sales at gun shows. Only 12 are a, are opposed. A clear majority favor assaultstyle weapons. The polls shows only 40 favor an idea being pushed by the National Rifle association. Have more teachers and School Officials carrying guns. On that topic, Vice President joe biden met with house members and cabinet officials today. Preparing to give the president his task forces recommendations on how to reduce gun violence. Cnn White House Correspondent dan lothian join us live now. Dan. And the Vice President ao met with the president today. They went other some proposals. The president saying that later in the week, hell be outlining some specifics about watt Administration Needs to do. There will be no doubt, some resistance to what the president will be offering. But the president says that he is not worried about the politics. President obama says hes already reviewing the Vice President s recommendations aimed at tackling gun violence. While some may require congressional approval. How we are gathering data, for example, on guns that fall into the hands of criminals. And how we track that more effectively. There may be some steps that we can take administratively as opposed to through legislation. Reporter strong resistance to executive orders from some gun right advocates who fear their Second Amendment rights might be put at risk. Vice President Biden, meeting with everyone from gun Rights Groups to the entertainment industry, sat down with House Democrats on a task force put together by House Minority leader pelosi. Whats been promoted as a bipartisan effort has yet to include House Republicans. This debate has spread from washington to state and local governments. Maryland governor Martin Omalleys putting together his own proposals to reduce violence. There is a sickness in our country. And that sickness is gun violence. Reporter new york mayor michael bloomberg, who joined omalley and other leaders at a summit in baltimore, is putting pressure on the white house and congress. Enough is enough. Its time for congress and the white house to put Public Health above special interest politics. Reporter the group he cofounded, i mayors against illegal guns, have released a new tv ad calling for gun control. Enough. Enough. Enough. A line has been crossed. Reporter the nra says the focus should be on Mental Health issues and violent entertainment, not gun control. And the groups president raised doubts about an assault weapons ban getting through congress. You dont want to bet your house on the outcome, but i would say that the likelihood is that theyre not going to be able to get an assault weapons ban through this congress. Reporter it may be a steep climb, but it has the support of the president , some members of congress, and the police chief in newtown, connecticut. Ban assault weapons, restrict those magazines that have so many bullets in them. Reporter now, as for the Vice President not meeting with House Republicans, a source familiar with the talks tells cnn that other members of congress will be brought into the process once they start exploring legislative options. Dan lothian at the white house, thanks for that, dan. A quick programming note. This wednesday, be sure to watch a special gun control town hall on Anderson Cooper 360. Well break down all the issues. Thats wednesday at 8 00 eastern, only on cnn. Up next, Lance Armstrong says im sorry but he hasnt said i did it, at least not yet. Hear why we could hear him say those words soon. Plus, tracking the flu with the smart phone. The new way you can find out who is infected and where they are. Transitions® lenses automatically filter just the right amount of light. So you see everything the way its meant to be seen. Maybe even a little better. Visit your eyecare professional today to ask about our newest lenses, transitions vantage and transitions xtractive lenses. Experience life well lit. Ask which transitions adaptive lens is best for you. We asked total strangers to watch it for us. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Ill be right back. They didnt take a dime. How much in fees does your bank take to watch your money . If your bank takes more money than a stranger, you need an ally. Ally bank. Your money needs an ally. Getting a flu shot was one of the more popular activities you could engage in recently. Thats a story well have a moment. First, a hint of what Lance Armstrong will tell Oprah Winfrey in his interview. The cyclist apologized to the staff at the Live Strong Foundation today. This week, well find out if the onetime champion is ready to come clean about whether he doped his way to victory. Our ed lavandera has more from dallas. Ed. Reporter hey, john, sorry about that. Lance armstrong made a visit to the Live Strong Foundation this afternoon. Met with the staff there for about 15 to 20 minutes and apologized to them for everything that hes put them through, but stopped short of admitting he had used steroids. Its a script that would make a hollywood writer jealous. Cycling athlete gets cancer, nearly dies, but heroically comes back to win the worlds most historic race a recordbreaking seven straight times. By the way, he also starts a Cancer Foundation which has raised 470 million. And has provided inspiration to millions around the world. But a dark cloud hovering over this story never blew past. Suspicions that grew into allegations that Lance Armstrong used performance enhancing drugs to accomplish his incredible feats. The suspicions were confirmed in october when the United States Antidoping Agency released thousand, of pages of evidence of what it said was a sophisticated doping program. Armstrong was stripped of his Tour De France titles and banned from all olympic sports for life. One by one, his sponsors have left him too. Late last year, armstrong was forced out from live strong, the Cancer Charity he founded. Armstrong was kept a low profile at his austin home since the report was released. But armstrongs repeated denials other the years to protect his name have angered many. Ive said it for seven years. Ive said it for longer. I haver in doped. I can say it again. It doesnt help. Reporter former team mads found guilty of doping themselves went on record. Did you see Lance Armstrong using other performance enhance drugs . At times, yeah, different training camps. He took what we all took. Really no difference between Lance Armstrong and id say the majority of the reporter repercussions. So why is he doing this now . One reason could be hope a confession might give him a shot at resuming his competitive triathlon career, for which he is banned for life. At age 41, he doesnt have much time left to make a clean start in another sport. So that interviews probably taking place as we speak now, down there in austin, and its scheduled to air thursday night on Oprah Winfreys network. Ed, give us some sense as to whether we think there is a legal problem for Lance Armstrong. Reporter well, hes still facing a lot of problems that are potential pitfalls out there. Maybe theyll watch closely to what extend he confesses. What he confesses to. Hes got sponsors who have paid bonus money for winning the Tour De France titles. Some say theyll watch this closely to see if theyll sue to regain that money. There was also a newspaper that Lance Armstrong sued for libel. There are still plenty of issues out there the that armstrong faces. Not to mention the questions of rehabilitating his image. Thanks, ed lavandera. Getting a flu shot was a popular activity this weekend. If you can find a flu shot. Health officials insist theres no shortage. But demand has never been higher. Cnns mary snow joins me now with more. Reporter joe, this is just one small slice of the country, but new york is particularly seeing a surge in demand for vaccines because the governor issued a Public Health emergency for the state on saturday. Now that order gives pharmacies more latitude in being able to administer shots. But it also means some pharmacies are now running short on supply. This pharmacy in brooklyn has a sign telling people they give flu shots. Inside, the best pharmacist could do was put people like david okeefe on a waiting list. Hopefully, well have flu shots for you tomorrow. I have 80 shots coming in. Your number will be 76. Reporter the pharmacist ran out of vaccine on sunday after new yorks governor declared a Public Health emergency over the weekend. The declaration gives farm sivts the ability to give children flu shots. In new york, they ordinarily can only give vaccines to people 18 and older. What was this weekend like . It was chaotic. A lot of people come in in panic. They want to get the whole family immunized. Reporter it wasnt much different at bigger chains like walgreens. Its been a little bit insane to be honest. As soon as the public emergency was declared, it was like the floodgates opened and everyone wanted their flu shot and they were coming in just in hordes looking to get it. Reporter this