Transcripts For CNNW CNN Newsroom 20121115

Thank you so much, everybody. Im going to be relatively brief. 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. I want to thank the outstanding leadership thats been provided by state and local officials. Obviously, Governor Cuomo and mayor bloomberg have done an outstanding job. To borough president , thank you so much for your leadership at a time when the folks here on this island were obviously going through extraordinarily difficult times. The people of long island who are going through really tough times. Across the board what we have seen is cooperation and a spirit of service and, you know, for the First Responder who is are here, the police officers, the firefighters, the ems folks, the sanitation workers who sometimes dont get credit, but have done heroic work, we are so grateful to you because you exemplify what americas all about. Im grateful to the red cross whos been so responsive not just here but in disasters around the country and i want to thank all the volunteers. As we were shaking hands over there, we had folks from every part of the country. We had some canadians who had come down to help out. And, you know, during difficult times like this, were reminded that we are bound together and we have to look out for each other. And a lot of the things that seem important, the petty differences melt away and we focus on what binds us together and that we as americans are going to stand with each other in their hour of need. Now, more specifically, we are now still in the process of recovery. As you can see as you travel around parts of Staten Island, as we flew over parts of other parts of the city and the region that had been impacted, theres still a lot of cleanup to do. People still need emergency help. They still need heat. They still need power. They still need food. They still need shelter. Kids are still trying to figure out where theyre going to go to school. So theres a lot of shortterm immediate stuff that has to be dealt with and we are going to make sure that we stay here as long as people need that immediate help. Thats femas primary task. Well be coordinating closely with state and local governments to make sure folks are getting the shortterm help and heard theres longterm building thats required. You look at this block. And you know that this is a community that is deeply rooted, you know, most of the folks i met here have been here 20, 30, 50 years. They dont want to see their community uprooted. But theres got to be a plan for rebuilding. And that plans going to be to have to be coordinated and resources. So what i have committed to doing is work with the outstanding congressional delegation led by your senators Chuck Schumer and christin gil brand a gillibrand and trying to come up with a game plan for how were going to be able to resource the rebuilding process. And im confident as Governor Cuomo said that we can do it. But it requires everybody focus on getting the job done. Were going to have to put some of the turf battles aside. We have to make sure that everybodys focused on doing the job. As opposed to worrying about whos getting the credit or whos getting the contracts or all that stuff that sometimes goes in to the rebuilding process. On the federal level, because this is such a big job, i want to assign one particular person who would be in charge from our perspective. Who would be our point person because fema basically runs the recovery process. It doesnt focus on the rebuilding. For that, weve got to have all Government Agencies involved. Janet napolitano has done a great job but we thought we would have a new yorker to be the point person and so our outstanding hud secretary sean donovan who used to be the head of the new york housing authority, so he knows a little bit about new york and building is going to be our point person and hes going to be working with the mayor, the governor, the borough president s, the county officials to make sure that we come up with a strong, effective plan and then ill be working with the members of congresso do everything we can to get the resources needed to rebuild. And i have every confidence that sean is going to be doing a great job and people should feel some confidence about that. Let me just close by saying this. I had the opportunity to give some hugs and communicate thoughts and prayers to the moore family. They lost two young sons during the course of this tragedy. And obviously, i expressed to them as a father, as a parent, my heart break over what they went through. And theyre still obviously a little shell shocked. But they came here in part because they wanted to say thank you to all of the people supportive of them. They in particular mentioned lieutenant Kevin Gallagher of the nypd who when they knew that their sons were missing, lieutenant gallagher made a point of staying and doing everything he could so that ultimately they knew what had happened with their boys and able to recover their bodies and has been with them as a source of support ever since. Thats not in the Job Description of lieutenant gallagher. He did that because thats what so many of our First Responders do. They go above and beyond the call of duty to respond to people in need. And so i want to give a shout out to lieutenant gallagher and point out the moors even in their grief asked me to mention lieutenant gallagher and that says something about them, as well. And that spirit and sense of togetherness and looking out for one another, thats whats going to carry us through the tragedy. It is not going to be easy. Theres still believe it or not complaints over the next several months. Not everybodys going to be satisfied. I have to tell you the Insurance Companies and some of the other private sector folks who are involved in this, we need you to show some heart and some spirit and helping people rebuild, as well. But when i hear the story of the moors and i hear about lieutenant gallagher, thats what makes me confident well be able to rebuild. All right . Im very proud of you, new york. You guys are tough. You bounce back. Just as america always bounces back. The same is going to be true this time out. All right . Thank you very much, everybody. All right. President barack obama there on Staten Island. The second visit to the region after Superstorm Sandy reiter e reiterating that the federal government will be there in the complete rebuilding of this region devastated by that storm. There he is with the governor of new york and also Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano and senators Chuck Schumer also there as well as the new york city mayor michael bloomberg. You heard the president there also talking about poignant moment with the moore family and many people recall their two sons swept away and he talked about whats been a very emotional visit to the Staten Island area, but also a kind of reaffirms that resolve that the federal government will be there as best it can in the rebuilding process. Our Victor Blackwell is there, also, in Staten Island outside of recovery center. So victor, give me an idea what the reception has been like for the president s second now visit, the first postreelection there to Staten Island. Reporter well, i think the president today said what the people in the community wanted to hear. Not just that he would come today and give hugs and kind words as he mentioned but the support they need to rebuild here in Staten Island and highlighted to come back and the federal government would support this community in the rebuilding but thats very expensive. And people here know that. The Governor Andrew Cuomo asked for or in the process of asking for 30 billion to rebuild the homes and rebuild the infrastructure and improve some of the things lacking after Superstorm Sandy. Right now, the fema fund is only at about 12 billion and considering the financial cliff thats coming, the fiscal cliff thats coming, the financial crisis, thats going to take some work on capitol hill to get 30 billion for new york if its approved and then consider maryland and new jersey and connecticut and on up the coast. The people here know it takes a lot of time and money and hope theres the support not only from the president but from places like this, like this Salvation Army here on mid land avenue where they have been handing out water and food and supplies for 17 days now. Since the storm. They tell us that they have supported 5,000 people at this location alone and people have been coming nonstop. And again, this is 17 days after the storm. A lot of these people lost everything and they hope the president and the governor and mayor bloomberg and the delegations who showed up understand that its going to take time and support. Victor blackwell, thank you so much from Staten Island. Appreciate that. Major stories including crisis developing overseas aziz real and militants in gaza step up attacks against each yoer. Plus, at any minute now u. S. Attorney general eric holder officially announcing a record fine against bp to settle criminal claims over the gulf oil spill. 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Call today. At any moment now attorney general eric holder is expected to announce that bp agreed to a fine to settle criminal charges for the involvement in the Worst Oil Spill in history. Hell be making that announcement from that place right there on the right of the screen in new orleans. Number of his Staff Members have already walked in to the room. This explosion on bps oil rig in the gulf of mexico as you recall killed 11 people in april of 2010. Millions of barrels of oil got dumped in to the gulf of mexico. Devastating the environment there. Tourism costing many people their jobs, as well. Cnns ed lavandera saw the devastation firsthand when he covered the story. Ed, as, of course, we wait eric holders arrival, ill let you proceed and may have to interrupt you as soon as he is to enter the room. So, what kind of reaction is there from this 4 billion planned settlement . Reporter well, i think a lot of people in the Gulf Coast Region trying to figure out what all of this means and the money will be parcelled out. All right. Sorry about that, ed. You have to hold that thought there. Heres u. S. Attorney general eric holder. Im honored to join with associate attorney general tony west, assistant attorney general for the Criminal Division of the Justice Department lanny brewer, director robert casami of the security and exchange division, john beretta, head of the de deepwater horizon and achieving justice for those whose lives and livelihoods were impacted by the largest environmental disaster in the history of the United States. And to hold accountable hold accountable those who for responsibility for this tragedy. Today, in the United States District Court here in the Eastern District of louisiana in new orleans the Department Filed a 14count information charging bp with 11 counts of felony manslaughter. One count of felony obstruction of justice. And violations of the clean water and mike are tori bird treaty acts in connection with the oil spill that began in april of 2010. Bp has agreed to plead guilty to all 14 criminal charges. Including responsibility for the deaths of 11 people and the events that led to an unprecedented environmental catastrophe. The company agreed to pay 4 billion in fines and in penalties. This marks both the largest single criminal fine, more than 1. 25 billion. And the largest total criminal resolution 4 billion in the history of the United States. It stands as a testament to the hard work of countless investigators, attorneys, support Staff Members and other persons from the Deepwater Horizon Task force and a range of federal, state and local agencies who have worked tirelessly to advance a complex and wide ranging investigation that began even before the oil well was capped. And it constitutes a major environmental toward achievement of fulfilling a promise that i made here in new orleans along with my colleagues, nearly two years ago, to engage with our partners and counterparts to determine the cause of the disaster, to respond to its consequences, to seek justice on behalf of the victims and to enable gulf residents to continue to recover and to rebuild. To this end, under the terms of the agreement that we announce today, about 2. 4 billion of the criminal recovery funds will be dedicated to environmental restoration, preservation and conservation efforts throughout this region including Barrier Island creation and river diversion projects right here in louisiana. Additional 350 million will aid in the development of state of the art Oil Spill Prevention and response technologies, education, research and training. And more than 1 billion will go to the United States cost guards Oil Spill Liability trust fund to be available for cleanup and compensation for those affected by oil spills in the gulf and throughout the United States. Now, as part of its guilty plea, bp will retain a monitor for four years who will oversee safety, Risk Management and equipment maintenance in relation to deepwater drilling in the gulf and an independent auditor who will conduct annual reviews to ensure compliance with the terms of this agreement. The company will also hire an ethics monitor to improve its conduct and to foster robust cooperation with the government. Now, there can be no question that this historic announcement represents a critical step forward and really underscores the Justice Departments determination to stand with gulf coast communities. In february, the same commitment led to the department to reach a partial settlement with mox offshore related to the companys liability for the deepwater horizon disaster and approximately 45 million of this total will go directly again to the gulf in the form of penalties for expedited environmental projects. But our work is far from over. In the trips that my colleagues and that i have made to the gulf coast since the deepwater horizon spill we have seen the damage to lives and businesses as well as coastal areas and wetlands that this tragedy has inflicted. We understand the tremendous costs, both economic and environmental, that have been associated with this disaster. And weve inspired by the resilience displayed by each and every gulf coast resident whens been affected. Attorney general eric holder there in new orleans announcing the goal here to achieve justice and to, quote, hold accountable bp now facing 11 counts of felony manslaughter officially, obstruction of justice among other charges. All of this leading to this tragedy leading to the deaths of 11 people and causing what eric holder called an environmental catastrophe. Our ed lavandera is there on the gulf coast. You covered this extensively when it happened in 2010 and a chance to hear eric holder there. He says in addition to these charges, it also means that bp will continue to do business there in the gulf but with a monitor. Explain more on that. Reporter well, there were two monitors, process monitor and an ethics monitor that will essentially i guess be the eyes and ears of the federal government as bp continues to operate. Theyre also under a fiveyear probation with this settlement announcement. So as they continue to operate, which i guess in some people wondered if they might be allowed to continue to operate here in the United States. But obviously, that heavy of a fine or a penalty has not been issued. Theyll allowed to continue to do business here in the United States but this does not mean that this is the end of this story for bp. Just before this press conference started, fredericka, i wanted to mention that this is by no means the end of the lawsuits and the financial fines that bp faces. There are still fines having to do with the clean water act. If you remember back in the oil spill, there was a huge squabble over just how much oil and at what rate the oil was spilling in to the gulf of mexico. And that is because the basis for the clean water act fines will be based on the amount of oil that spilled in to the gulf and bp is saying that there is theyre still setting aside money and expect liabilities here in the future and expect a billions of dollars in fines for that and other lawsuits and settlements making the way through the court system in the gulf coast and by no means is all of this over. You know, getting a chance to really start getting the reaction of people very critical of bp over the years, some people say this is a welcomed news lbeit taken t long and other people think its not cme soon enough and getting an idea of how it will be used, then that begins to answer a lot of questions people remain. Remember, theres the effects of this oil spill felt dramatically in the gulf coast and just on a Barrier Island in louisiana during hurricane isaac and we saw the tar balls watching up. On rident calleitd b balls washing in tha much. 4 billion settlement coming from bp. All right. Developi rit now, overseas, fes of war as attacks escalate between israel and militants in gaza. Well take you there live next. Copd makes it hard to breathe, but with advair, im breathing better. So now i can be in the scene. Advair is clinically proven to help significantly improve lung function. Unlike most copd medications, advair contains both an antiinflammatory and a longacting bronchodilator working together to help improve your lung function all day. Advair wont replace fastacting inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than twice a day. People with copd taking advair may have a higher chance of pneumonia. Advair may increase your risk of osteoporosis and some eye problems. Tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high Blood Pressure before taking advair. If youre still having difficulty breathing, ask your doctor if including advair could help improve your lung function. Get your first full prescription free and save on refills at advaircopd. Com. At meineke i have options. Like oil changes starting at 19. 95. My money. My choice. My meineke. Rockets and shelling chris crossing the sky and anxiety grows that the worst is yet to come in israel and gaza. The conflict of hamas and israel is moving fast and getting bloodier. Todays death toll, 18. Three israelis killed in rocket strikes from gaza. While an aide worker reported 15 people, palestinians, rather, were killed by israeli strikes. And this, many believe, was the tipping point. An israeli air strike yesterday ended up killing nine people including the young child of the target. Ahmed jabari. He was a founder and military leader of hamas in that vehicle you saw exploded. The group that controls gazas government. Hamas, that is. Today, palestinians carried his body through the streets on the way to his funeral and as they mourn Israeli Forces are giving the play by play of their offensive on the Israeli Defense forces website reporting the spot under attack are hamas Missile Launch sites and israel is not just taking out the launchers. Its teams are detonating rockets in the air. Take a look. Israel says its responding to whats been calling the raining of bombs by hamas on israeli areas that border gaza. No government would tolerate a situation where nearly a fifth of its people live under a constant barrage of rockets and missile fire. And israel will not tolerate this situation. This is why my government is instructed the Israeli Defense forces to conduct surgical strikes against the terrorist infrastructure in gaza. Cnns sara sidner is live for us in gaza city. We are hearing report that is a rocket hit tel aviv. Is that right . Reporter well, look. We are hearing the same thing. But that has not been confirmed. However, we did hear even a chant from a mosque saying god is great, god is great, we ve hit tel aviv. No confirmation it fell in the city. There was talk it perhaps fell in the sea. At we do know is that there have been more than 200 rockets that sailed over from hamas in to israel killing three people and here in gaza there have been a mass of air strikes. They have continued well in to the night. We have been here sincearly this morning an seen at least a dozen hits, plus. Plus tonight, six more huge blasts. You can feel it rumbling and then you see the telltale black smoke from the buildings or whatever the target, whatever target that israel would manage to hit. This is all a reaction to actually something that happened last thursday when 13yearold boy was shot and killed. Witnesses here in gaza say he was killed by israeli soldiers, perhaps by stray bullets of jeep. Israel investigating that but saying that they do not believe they were responsible but theyre still looking in to it. Then, we know that there was an antitank missile fired from a militant group here in hamas in to a military jeep on the israeli side of the border injuring four soldiers. That popped off a back and forth between israel and then the militant groups here including hamas sending rockets in to israel. As that started, as you might imagine, theres concern by civilians on both sides of the border. On the israeli side, people have been told to take shelter. Mere, there are very few people on the street. This is a densely populated place. We are seeing very few people coming out in the daytime and most of the businesses shut. All right. Thanks so much for your reporting. So israel says it has targeted more than 200 terrorist sites in gaza. The Israeli Defense forces said, quote, we recommend that no hamas operatives whether low level or Senior Leaders, show their faces above ground in the days ahead. End quote. The warnings for civilians. Israel has air dropped leaflets warning people to stay away from hamas operatives. Lets bring in jim clancy of Cnn International covering the middle east since the mid80s. Jim, lets talk about whos getting support here. Is hamas seeing some reports of some sort support for their firing or is it israel . Hamas is getting moral support if you will primarily from egypt. Hamas is considered to be the Muslim Brotherhood of the palestinians and president morsi of egypt has been stepping in trying to assert. He withdrew his ambassador. Not a huge move but trying to lend moral support. Theyre condemning the israeli actions calling for calm. Now theres some talk about them canceling the camp david accords, revisiting that. Forget that. At the end of the day, as much criticism as the egypts get from the americans and the israelis, they may end up being the ones to negotiate a brokers truce in this whole deal because they do hold sway with hamas. Is it clear how long this is going on . Israel will say absolutely, 50 years. Well, and a very large umbrella kind of sense. But recently, you know, we are talking about israel saying they were bombarded in recent weeks. Hamas says theyre being bombarded in recent days. Which is it . Typical tit for tat. It has a life of its own and it could spread to a much wider region, much wider effects on the diplomatic and political events of the middle east that after all is in a very fragile state. You have the u. S. Trying to judge its relationships with countries like egypt, postarab spring. What kind of a relationship should they have . The israelis argue they cant be considered your friends. How the region responds is going to be very important here. Well, look at how bhezbollah aching for a fight. Constantly attacking israel, at least verbally. They have held the fire here and remember trying to shore up bashar al assad. Iran. They have a 30year investment in hezbollah and the foothold in the region. If assad goes, they lose it all. Difficult to see the end game her usual. Its very difficult and everybodys judged on how well to manage the conflict and watch particularly hezbollah. Do they fire something to distract away from israel . They and the rebels finally agreed on something. Criticize israel, condemn israel. Jim clancy, thanks so much. All right. All right. Hundreds of people are taking to the streets violently protesting the high price of gas but their demands may not stop there. Anncr some politicians seem to think medicare and. Social security are just numbers in a budget. Well, we worked hard for those benefits. We earned them. And if washington tries to cram decisions about the future. Of these programs into a last minute budget deal. Well all pay the price. Aarp is fighting to protect seniors with responsible. Solutions that strengthen medicare and. Social security for generations to come. We can do better than a last minute deal. That would hurt all of us. Angered by a surge in gas prices and government corruption, demonstrators in amman, jordan, burn tires and battle riot police. Police responded with teargas and water cannons, fury over gas prices now around 4. 25 a gallon. Maybe escalating in to cries for democracy. Demonstrators did something very rare. Hurling insults at king abdullah. Some even burned photos of the king. Insulting the king is illegal and can result in a prison sentence. Arwa damon joins us. Is the Arab Spring Movement taking hold now in jordan . Reporter well, it certainly is manifesting itself in a fairly different manner. Its important to point out that demonstrations began in jordan back in december of 2010 and the demonstrators then calling for Economic Reforms for an end to corruption and whilst the tiny nation is not gripped by the tide of arab spring, demonstrations have been spo sporadic for two years but none of them as severe as what we have been seeing over the last few days and now more jordanians are telling us think eve never been more concerned about the future of their country. As you mentioned, a rare thing to hear in jordan, the calls for the downfall of the king. We heard them in the past by the minority, a very small group of people calling for such an extreme measure. They remain in the minority but that voice, that call most certainly is growing louder. The government for its part says that it had to raise these fuel and gas prices. Just to give you an idea, the cost of one canister of cooking gas went from being just over 9 to 14. But the governments saying it had to do that because of the massive budget deficit but people are blaming government corruption and mismanagement of funds and thats why theyre so enraged. Because they believe that theyre paying the price for the governments mistakes, fredericka. All right. Arwa day non, thanks so much in amman, jordan. A warning for tho that drink this. The e erri possibly being linked to 13 deaths over the course of 4 years. Details on where the investigation stands next. Hi dad. Many years from now, when the subaru is theirs. Hey. You missed a spot. Ill look back on this day and laugh. Its what makes a subaru, a subaru. If youre driing those 5hour energy drinks, you should know the fda is now investigating 13 deaths reported as adverse events after drinking the supplements. It is not known whether they caused the deaths. The company has responded to the reports saying its, quote, unaware of any deaths caused by the consumption of 5hour energy. End quote. Astronaut rich clifford had been on two missions in to space when he was diagnosed with a degenerative brain disease. Dr. Sanjay gupta says that didnt stop him from flying again. Reporter for most of us, this view is the closest well ever get to outer space. But its this view that astronaut rich clifford had three times. And liftoff. Reporter when he blasted in to space in 1992, on every dever in 1994 and atlantis in 1996. As he flew the last Shuttle Mission on the way to the space station, clifford was carrying a secret. He had recently been diagnosed with parkinsons disease. I didnt really have any symptoms than the right arm didnt swing naturally when i walked. Reporter he had a clean bill of health but telling the doctor that his arm affecting the racquet ball game, he was is toent a neurologist. He said you have parkinsons disease. Reporter his bosses at nasa asked him what he wanted to did. I said i want to fly again. Reporter doctors cleared him and nine months later, clifford was heading back in to space aboard atlantis. The crew and walking and my left arm is swinging and the right arm is staying there. It didnt interfere with my job. Reporter only the shuttle commander knew. I was certified for flight and that was good enough for them. Over 650 miles per hour. Reporter with that flight came a once in a lifetime opportunity. Left head is moving along here, rich. Reporter a sixhour space walk. It was fantastic. Definitely fantastic. Space walk is a privilege and something that every astronaut searches for. Reporter for years the stiffness in the arm was his only symptom and then three years ago the trembling began and then head bobbling. The neurologist tried to convince him to go public with the story many times and last year 17 years after being diagnosed, he finally did. I got diagnosed with parkinsons when i was 42 years old. Reporter now he travels raising awareness about the disease and says it helps to talk about it. I encourage people to not let it get you down. Live life to the fullest. You have to keep focused on what it is you want to do in life and proceed down that path. Yeah. Nothing should hold you back. Reporter dr. Sanjay gupta, cnn, reporting. Be sure to watch sanjay gupta md on saturdays, 4 30 p. M. Eastern time and sundays 7 30 a. M. Eastern time. All right. Right now, lawmakers behind closed doors are shown video of inside the benghazi consulate. Thats next. [ woman ] ring. Ring. Progresso. Your soups are so awesomely delicious my husband and i cant stop eating em whats. That. On your head . Can curlers tomato basil, potato with bacon. Weve got a lot of empty cans. [ male announcer ] progresso. You gotta taste this soup. Weve got a lot of empty cans. 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. U. S. Lawmakers are getting an inside look at the terror attack on the u. S. Benghazi, libya. The house and Senate Intelligence committees are Holding Hearings that are not open to the public. Congressional correspondent dana bash is staking out the Senate Intelligence committee after spending the morning outside the house hearing. Dana, lawmakers are being shown video of inside the benghazi compound. What more do we know . At that point, thats about it. Except for the fact theres high level members of the Intelligence Community and the state department behind closed doors. You can see a lot of hubbub here. This is the senate side. We have the acting director of the fbi, the director of National Intelligence and so on and played according to our susan kelly, a closedcircuit video of the compound that was attacked in benghazi which officials are hoping to clear the air or clear up why they had their initial reporting that this was a spontaneous demonstration that started the attack, the deadly attack on benghazi. Well wait to hear from the chairman and ranking republican and speaking public in a little more than an hour. And soda that, i also understand that some republicans are asking for a special committee to further investigate. Anything new on that . Reporter very interesting. Nothing new in terms of whether that will actually happen. In fact, looks more and more like it is not going to happen because these republicans meaning john mccain and others dont have the support of some of their high ranking republicans like the house speaker. Never mind the democrats. But what cnns ted barrett has learned is that john mccain in particular missed a rather important closed door briefing giving information about what happened in benghazi and what he was doing at the time is having a press conference calling for this select committee complaining about not getting enough information and ted barrett learned he was not alone. Very few republicans, most of the republicans on this, the Homeland Security committee actually came. Since then, mccains office told us that that was a scheduling error and why he didnt attend that briefing. But also, before we got that information, ted actually bumped in to john mccain in the hallway here and they had a very Testy Exchange when ted was trying to get information about why he didnt go and mccain said to him that he had no comment. Ted said, why . Im quoting here from senator mccain. I have the right as a senator to have no comment and who the hell are you to tell me i can or not. And went on from there and told by the office it was a scheduling error and shows you how testies and intense the feelings are here on this particular issue. Testy a good word and some others including a democrat of new york who were very critical of Lindsey Graham as well as john mccain saying that there was money that was requested way back when to intensify security at some of the installations and they, some republicans were among those who denied that request and so that republican saying that they need to be looking in the mirror as to what may have gone wrong in benghazi. Reporter right. I mean, theres certainly a lot of finger pointing going on here and in some ways, look, for somebody like john mccain, for example, he has bee on a rampe about this from the beginning because it is personal for him. He was a good friend of ambassador Chris Stevens who were killed but also a lot of i think fair to say political baggage thats left over, particularly between john mccain and the president back going back to 2008. Dana bash, thanks so much on the hill. Appreciate it. Controversial comments now from mitt romney on why he thinks he lost the election. Now other republicans are criticizing romneys claims. And some difficult ones. But, through it all, weve persevered, supporting some of the biggest ideas in modern history. So why should our anniversary matter to you . Because for 200 years, weve been helping ideas move from ambition to achievement. And the next great idea could be yours. And the next great idea cou d be yours. Yeah, im walking in right now. Chilean granite. Chilean granite. So, hows it in person . I should send you a picture. Floor to ceiling bookshelves. Floor to ceiling bookshelves. Original windows. Original windows. And this. Is that a. Fireplace face yes, yes it is. Fireplace shaped like a face. I know right [ male announcer ] only at ts network lets you talk and surf at the same time on your iphone 5. Rethink possible. We are about two hours of a deadline. Hostess, maker of twinkies threatens to close the doors for good if striking workers dont return to their jobs today. Details coming up. [ female announcer ] today, jason is here to volunteer to help those in need. When a twinge of back pain surprises him. Morning starts in high spirits, but theres a growing pain in his lower back. As lines grow longer, his pain continues to linger. But after a long day of helping others, he gets some helpful advice. Just two aleve have the strength to keep back pain away all day. Today, jason chose aleve. Just two pills for all day pain relief. Try aleve d for strong, all day long sinus and headache relief. Yeah, im walking in right now. Chilean granite. Chilean granite. So, hows it in person . I should send you a picture. Floor to ceiling bookshelves. Floor to ceiling bookshelves. Original windows. Original windows. And this. Is that a. Fireplace face yes, yes it is. Fireplace shaped like a face. I know right [ male announcer ] only at ts network lets you talk and surf at the same time on your iphone 5. Rethink possible. Top of the hour now. Im fredericka whitfield. Fears of allout war as rockets and shells chris cross the skies. The conflict between hamas and israel is bloodier. Todays death toll, 18. Three israelis kill ed in rocke strikes. And this many believe was the tipping point. Israeli air strike yesterday killing nine people including the young child of the target, ahmed al jabari. He was a founder and military leader of hamas. He was in the vehicle. The group that controls gazas government, hamas, that is. Today palestinians carried his body through the streets on the way to his funeral. As they mourn, Israeli Forces are giving the play by play of the offensive on the Israeli Defensive forces rather website. It reports the spots under attack are hamas missell launch sites and israel is not just taking out the launchers. Its teams december nating rockets in the air. Watch. Israel says its responding to whats been called the raining of bombs by hamas on israeli areas that border gaza. No government would tolerate a situation where nearly a gift of its people live under a constant barrage of rockets and missile fire and israel will not tolerate the situation. This is why my government is instructed the Israeli Defense forces to conduct surgical strikes against the terrorist infrastructure in gaza. Lets go live now to fred pleitgin. Paint the picture of whats been happening there. Reporter im in a town thats one of the towns thats repeatedly been targeted by missile strikes coming from gaza. They have one of the missile interception systems and the Israeli Defense forces have said that they have intercepted at least 80 rockets coming out of gaza in the past days alone. Not just around here but other places, as well. One place where the three people was killed is 11 miles northeast of here and whats going on here is the air strikes by the Israeli Military ongoing, in gaza and barrage of rockets out of gaza is ongoing, as well. Certainly the Israeli Military saying it will not let up and in fact says that it has the capables, the means and the will to even expand the operation which in the short term probably means more air strikes on targets in gaza, especially those Missile Launch sites and possibly also in the future and israelis deliberately not taken it off the table and possibly a ground operation in gaza. Fredericka . Fred, thanks so much for that update. Joining it seems to me an ireporter waking up to the sounds of rockets. Adel raymer is a teacher who lives in a Small Community in israel on the border with gaza. So adel, what have you been experiencing . Well, we have been experiencing sporadic rockets fire. Sometimes more often than others. This morning, last night it was at a psychopathic rate. This evening so far its been less often but the thing is we dont what we get here, were so close. We are less than 2 i can almost fehrs away from the border which means that they have the short range mortars that they shoot at us and theres no warning for that. The only warning you get is the explosion. In fact, when i was talking to janelle earlier, as i was talking to her, there was an explosion in the background and she heard it. Its been you know, its crazy. Nobody should have to live this way. Janelle, being our booker here on the show. How long has this been carrying on . How long have you felt you and your neighbors have been under attack or dodging these strikes . Well, its been along the past eight years that, you know, we have had the shooting but its only, i dont know, the past year or so, like it gets the breaks between shootings just gets shorter and shorter and lately its been literally every day, numerous times a day. All around all around the gaza environs. Kind of without explanation to escalate, quiet down . Yeah, yeah. So, are you in agreement a morning sometime and see its a foggy morning and think, oh, this is a good morning for them to be able to start shooting. You know . So, are you in agreement with the israel handling this, that it is launching attacks against what it believing to be the Missile Launch sites of hamas . Look. Im not a politician. Im a teacher. I just live here. I want to get on with my life. And i know that most of the people, im sure that most of the people that live on the other side of the fence want to get on with their lives, as well. So i mean, what the politicians do, theres not i just want to find peace. You know . Just want to be able to go out and walk my dogs in the morning or in the evening and not have to worry this im going to have to run and duck and hide because im being shot at. With no firing on either side. I have to trust my government to be doing what they need to do in order to protect me. Adele, thank you so much for your time. All the best and good luck. Vy ucd ifybody isd reading about it, we have a Facebook Group that i started about a year ago that depicts life on the border. Its called life on the border with gaza and its apolitical and just about people here in the area on facebook writing about what its like to live here. And people abroad reading about it because its in english. Your listeners more than welcome to check that out and see what its really about. Thank you so much. Looks like we pulled up the homepage of that site right there. All right. Israel says its targeted more than 200 terrorist sites and Defense Forces have launched a campaign to tell people in gaza and israel to get out of harms way. Its tweeted for operatives to stay underground, sent leaflets warning civilians and issued this video message. Despite the fact that hamas operates from civilian areas, the idf consistently taken measures to minimize casual is to innocent bystanders placing phone calls and leaflets intended to alert civilian bystanders. Deploying Weapons Systems to enable pinpoint accuracy to minimize come lat real damage. Delaying ground and aerial trike strikes in Populated Areas or canceling them when damage to civilians is likely. Joining me right now, bobby goesch, an editor at large for Time Magazine whos reported extensively on the middle east. Good to see you. What do you make of how social media is playing in to this rising or escalating conflict now between israel and hamas . We know its been going on for years but something has reignited it within recent days if not weeks. Well, yes. Social media is doing two things. It is giving people around the world an almost ringside seat in to this particular clash in a way that they havent seen before so this is this is very different in that respect and also allowing the two sides, the idf and hamas almost to talk to each other almost in realtime while the fightings going on. Of course, when i say talk to each other, this takes the form of taunting and cursing at each other and its almost its very primal and primitive that way. This is how man fought battles hundreds of years ago. You looked the enemy in the eye and you yelled curses and insults at each other while trying to kill each other and strangely this postmodern technology of social media is bringing us back in some ways to that place. And given the arse do you fe what could grow in to a regional conflict . Well, that would depend on whether theres a ground offense and hamas responds. What happens next . In the past, whenever theres been a skirmish or a fullscale battle of this nature, at the back of everyones mind was the knowledge that there was a Peace Process. That eventually when saner minds prevailed or people ran out of bullets that they could return to a Peace Process. There is no Peace Process now and there hasnt been one for several years so when the wise council prevails, when somebody runs out of ammunition, where do they go next . Theres the great uncertainty that makes this different. This conflict goes back generations but what is it about why now . Israel felt compelled to assassinate the hamas military leader and carry on with these attacks. Well, you dont assassinate a military leader of hamas, somebody who spends big part of their life hiding from such an air strike. You dont assassinate them just on the spur of the moment. That part of the operation clearly something a long time in the planning. Track him, they had to know where he was and where he would be at any point. Thats probably in the works weeks, months, years maybe. The immediate provocation israel says is the escalation in rocket attacks from gaza in to israel and i was hearing in my earpiece the woman you were speaking to, adele, i think. The rate of rocket fire seems to have gone up. This seems to be the precipitative event of this point. Bobby ghosh, thanks so much with Time Magazine. Appreciate your time. Any time. This information just in. U. S. Attorney general eric holder answering a question about the investigation involving the former cia director David Petraeus and whether it impacted National Security. Joe johns joining us live now from washington with more on this. Joe . Reporter hey, fred. For the first time, the attorney general eric holder answering questions about this case that David Petraeus case. The central question here in washington, d. C. Has been why the Justice Department failed to or chose not to alert people on capitol hill. That they were investigating an alleged extramarital affair that could end up and did bring down the top man at the cia. The attorney generals answer to that question, it wasnt a matter of National Security. Listen. Well, i will say that with regard to that issue what we did was conduct the investigation the way we normally conduct criminal investigations. We do so in a way that so they can be seen as being done in an impartial way. We follow the tacts. We do not share outside the Justice Department, outside the fbi the facts of ongoing investigations. We made the determination as we were going through the matter that there was not a threat to National Security. Had we made the determination that a threat to National Security existed, we would, of course, have made that known to the president and also to the appropriate members on the hill. But as we went through the investigation, looked at the facts and tried to examine them as they develop, we were very 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 and got to that point where we thought it was appropriate to share the information we did so. Reporter so again, eric holder explaining why he didnt tell the congress, why he didnt tell the president about this investigation of David Petraeus. It was not a National Security threat. By the way this had been going on months and months. Probably started back in the spring, fred. The other thing we need to say and you probably said it before on this program, petraeus is expected to testify on capitol hill tomorrow to the intelligence committees of the house and senate. He is expecting to just talk about benghazi. Were told he doesnt want to talk about this affair. It will be behind closed doors. My bet is he might get a question or two about the rest. Yeah. Something tells me he gets a question about both those matters. All right. Joe johns in washington, thanks so much. All right. Still ahead, president barack Obama Meeting with sandy victims. Patience runs out in the northeast. We are learning of charges against a couple of bp employees now over the gulf oil spill. 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. New details today in the Oil Rig Disaster that cost oil giant bp billions. Attorney general eric holder announced last hour that two bp officials are each charged with 22 counts of manslaughter, a third official charged with obstruction of justice in connection with the Worst Oil Spill in history and the punishment doesnt stop there. Bp will pay a record 4. 5 billion fine to settle criminal charges. An explosion on bps oil rig in the gulf of mexico killed 11 people in april of 2010. Millions of barrels of oil poured in to the gulf of mexico, devastating the environment, tourism and costing many people their jobs. Ed lavandera joins me now from the florida gulf coast. Ed, what is next in this case . Reporter well, there are still a vast number of lawsuits that are still pending and potential fines that bp still faces so by no means is this announcement today of this 4. 5 billion settlement bps made with the federal government really the end of the road but this also includes an almost 1. 3 billion criminal fine which is the largest as you mentioned ever levied here in the United States. Also, almost little more than 2. 3 billion to go toward the restoration and the Environmental Research that will be needed in the gulf. Remember, there are a lot of people on the gulf coast who still say were still seeing the effects and havent fully understood the effects of the oil spill and what its done to marine life. In the gulf waters so a lot of that still being researched and still being dealt with dramatically and a 525 million fine to setting with the s. E. C. There are criminal charges that the company has pled guilty to as well as three employees that now Face Criminal Charges including manslaughter and Involuntary Manslaughter and withholdi ining information of investigators and a thing bp has to do is deal with officers that will be put in the company to deal with ethics and process issues and theyll be under probation for the next five years so a lot of their exploration and the way they do business according to this Justice Department settlement will be under heavy scrutiny for several more years. All right. Ed lavandera, thanks so much from st. Petersburg. All right. It is his second visit to the region. President obama touring the devastation left in sandys wake. He met with the victims along Staten Island. Far rockaway and breezy point. I came up here right after the storm, was on the jersey side, and i 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. His visit may not have impacted the 4,500 people still without power. Their anger directed at the Power Companies for failing to prepare for and respond to sandy. Were not in a third world country. Im on long island. My taxes are sky high. I pay so much money each month to lipa. Long Island Power Company is now the target of a classaction suit and its chief operating officer is stepping down. Both lipa and con ed subpoenaed over their sluggish response to the storm. All right. Less than three hours from now 18,000 people could hear that theyre out of a job. Thats unless the maker of twinkies pulls back on the threat. G the companys bottom line, their very first word was. [ to the tune of lullaby and good night ] aflac aflac [ male announcer ] find out more at. [ duck ] aflac [ male announcer ]. Forbusiness. Com. [ yawning sound ] 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. Twinkies on the brink. We recognize the junk food. Sponge cakes with three little holes in the bottom with the white filling inside. Well, hostess that makes them and ding dongs and zingers and chocolate cupcakes is threatening to shut down unless 5,000 striking workers return to their jobs by 5 00 p. M. Eastern today. Less than two hours away from the deadline. Alison kosik in new york at the New York Stock Exchange so arent there more than 5,000 jobs at stake at hostess . The bakers are striking and make up 30 of the workforce. Dont forget about the retail bake bakeries, driving the delivery trucks and warehouses but if the bakers dont cross the picket line by 5 00 p. M. Eastern time, they say theyll close the doors and doesnt have the money to survive a strike. The bakers went on strike last week. But hostess is trying to force pay cuts and theyre pushing against that. Theyre in the middle of bankruptcy proceedings. They said the cuts were outrageous but if they liquidate, forget about the diminished pay but what they would do is close all 33 plants, laying off all 18,000 workers. Oh my goodness. So any chance that some other company could step in and buy hostess at the last minute . Thats a possibility. If italy we dates, it would sell off everything it can to pay off the debt. Yeah, twinkies, wonder bread, could be picked up at auction and they did try to find a buyer before going bankrupt in january. Didnt get bites then but an auction could bring someone in because, you know, that name, all about the value of that name. Its aiconic brand and started in 130 and most people remember a twinkie every now and then. Of course. It could live on. Well see. I cannot imagine a day without a hostess process on the shelf or in a vending machine. Seems unearn. Thanks so much. Appreciate that. All right. Sex and finance scandals in the u. S. Military. Defense secretary panetta had enough. More on his order of an ethic review and what some are calling a culture of courting generals. Next. [ forsythe ] we dont just come up here for the view up in alaska. Its the cleanest, clearest water. We find the best, sweetest crab for red lobster that we can find. [ male announcer ] hurry in to red lobsters crabfest the only time of year you can savor 5 succulent crab entrees, all under 20 dollars. Like a halfpound of tender snow crab paired with savory grilled shrimp, just 12. 99. Or our hearty crab and roasted garlic seafood bake. [ forsythe ] if i wouldnt put it on my table at home, i wouldnt bring it in. My names jon forsythe, and i sea food differently. My names jon forsythe, why they have a raise your rate cd. Tonight our guest, thomas sargent. Nobel laureate in economics, and one of the most cited economists in the world. Professor sargent, can you tell me what cd rates will be in two years . No. If he cant, no one can. Thats why ally has a raise your rate cd. Ally bank. Your money needs an ally. I have a cold, and i took nyquil, but im still stubbed up. [ male announcer ] truth is, nyquil doesnt unstuff your nose. What . [ male announcer ] it doesnt have a decongestant. No way. [ male announcer ] sorry. Alkaseltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms plus has a fast acting decongestant to relieve your stuffy nose. [ sighs ] thanks [ 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. Humans sometimes life trips us up. And sometimes, we trip ourselves up, but thats okay. At Liberty Mutual insurance we can untrip you as you go through your life with personalized policies and discounts when you need them most. Just call. And speak with a licensed representative about saving on your policy when you get married, move into a new house. [crash ] or add a car to your policy. Dont forget to ask about saving up to 10 when you combine your auto and Home Insurance with Liberty Mutual. Security, coverage, and savings. All the things humans need to make our beautifully imperfect world a little less imperfect. Call. And lock in your rate for 12 months. Liberty mutual insurance. Responsibility. Whats your policy . A review of ethics training for generals has been ordered by u. S. Defense secretary leon panetta coming in the wake of the sex scandal that led David Petraeus to resign as director of the cia. Barbara starr joins us from the pentagon. Not just petraeus but other cases that i guess have precipitated panettas response. Right . Reporter absolutely, fredericka. Of course, general john allen, the commander in afghanistan under review, investigation for sending potentially inappropriate emails, two other fourstars just went through investigations for irregularities in the travel and expense accounts. A number of lesser if theres such a thing of generals and admirals also in recent months under investigation for variety of things, so panettas issued an order saying that he wants the joint chiefs of staffs to look at ethic training for senior nil tear leaders. What are we talking about here . Basically, you know, dont cheat on your wife. Dont cheat on your taxes. Dont go get too drunk in public. You know . And dont cheat on your expense account. You think its the blinding flash of the obvious, wouldnt you . But we have talked to a number of Officials Say panetta is just very aware of the Public Perception right now and he wants to make a case to the Senior Leadership and to the American Public that the pentagons taking this seriously. That theyre trying to do something about it. But really, fred, you know, this is something all Senior Leaders should already know. Yeah. And then there are now i guess concerns about the relationships between military bases and civilians who get kind of vip status. Reporter right. Whats that all about . Reporter this is generating, again, public concern, Public Interest since the matter of julie kelley, the other, other woman in tampa, florida, came to light. So, you know, these parties, the socialites, is this appropriate for senior military leaders to be around these kinds of people . Let me sort something out for everybody. Military bases around the country, they have very legitimate, very Extensive Community relations programs. There are jobs involved. Housing. Schools. Churches. Shopping. You know . Theres all the regular Community Relation stuff. Environmental concerns. So communities know that their military bases are good neighbors. All of that is the regular course of doing business. The concern in the kelley matter is was somebody trading on their access to these generals for their own personal gain potentially . Thats where this goes wrong. All right. Barbara starr, thanks so much. Reporter sure. Another popular energy drink under investigation. This time, 5hour energy. The fda looking in to more than a dozen deaths linked and dozens more hospitalized. More on the 5hour Energy Invest coming up. A desktop in zurich. And a telepresence room in brazil. The secure cloud helped us get some numbers from my assistants pc in new york. And before i reached the top, the Board Meeting became a congrats we sold the company party. Wait til my wifes phone hears about this. [ cellphone vibrating ] [ female announcer ] with cisco at the center, working together has never worked so well. [ male announcer ] some day, your life will flash before your eyes. Make it worth watching. The new 2013 lexus ls. An entirely new pursuit. All right. If youre drinking one of those 5hour energy drinks, you should know the fda is investigating 13 deaths reported as adverse events after drinking the dietary supplements. It is not yet known whether the energy shots caused the deaths. The company has responded to the report saying its, quote, unaware of any deaths proven to be caused by the consumption of 5hour energy. End quote. Theres a deadly epidemic in the u. S. Right now that you may not know about. Prescription drug overdoses. Killing more people than car crashes. Thats just one of the startling statistics dr. Sanjay gupta uncovered while investigating his new documentary, deadly dose. Fred, i had noticed certainly an increase in number of pills being doled out in hospitals but its a call of former president clinton that got my attention. He told me about two of his friends who had both lost sons within a few days of each other accidental deaths due to Prescription Drug overdose and said someone dies like this 19 minutes in this country and decided to shine a big bright light on this and listened to president clinton, as well. Listen to what he said, as well. This may be a statistic you know. I was surprised by it. 80 of the worlds pain prescriptions are in this country. 80 . Does that surprise you . I didnt know that. No because reporter is that a cultural problem . Yes. It is cultural. People think, oh, i have a headache or this or my elbows sore or whatever. Look. I dont want to minimize. There are a lot of people who live courageous lives in constant pain. Theyre in pain all the time. For reasons they cant control. They need relief and they should get it. But theres no question that since we represent 5 of the worlds people and far less than 80 of the worlds people with above average incomes, we got no business popping as many pills as we do. People have a preconceived notion of who these people are who are dying but often times families, friends, neighbors. Not people you think of as addicts. People have legitimate pain this need the pain concerns addressed but we consume 80 , again, of the worlds pain pills in this country. Do you really need to get that pain pill when youre at the Doctors Office . Dont misuse the pills or ever take them with alcohol and could kill you. Thats a message that needs to be said and finally go to the medicine cabinet. Get rid of pills that you may have sitting around. You yourself might take them, your kids might take them. That can be a problem. Back the you. All right. Thanks so much. The new documentary deadly dose airs this sunday night 8 00 p. M. Eastern time. All right. Theyre often right there in the middle of violence. Photo journalists risking their lives for gripping images of the front lines. This man has done it for years and now an hbo documentary is turning the camera on him and others. Thats next. Jens car wasnt handling well. 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. Theyre witnesses to war. The men and women who risk their lives to capture and reveal the truth about the deadliest wars across the globe. Now the cameras being turned on them in a new hbo documentary which airs on mondays through november. War photographers like aros hoglan are profiled. Instead of running away from gun fire in surz, mexico, he runs toward it. Taking groundbreaking pictures. Hes joining me now from san diego. Good to see you. Youve been doing this for years. You have been in conflict zones from iraq to afghanistan, mexico. So tell us about your experience in juarez that you feel many people wouldnt necessarily know about. Many people read about it but this is a place you have dared to go and photograph. Yeah. Thank you for having me. I think the main thing to take away from juarez is the amount of violence and killing was so extreme that everybody in the city and the surrounding areas is affected by it. You just everywhere you go, you meet someone thats been affected directly by the violence. And state corruption. And the drug industry. Its just tremendous. And tremendous, too, is the risk that you take and other photographers take in order to get some of these images. You do this at what cost . You have to establish relationships for some of these subjects. Right . Yeah, certainly you have to establish relationships but on the other hand you have to be careful of getting too close, as well. And how do you do that . Time on the ground. You just have to meet people and move slowly and talk to people. Thats the most thats the first step in our profession. You have to put yourself out there and engage with people and get a lay of the land and try to understand exactly what the situation is that particular day. Because its very fluid. So is there a way in which to convey how long it takes to establish that relationship with people who generally do not want to be photographed before youre able to pull out your camera and get the images or even kind of setting conditions with some of the subjects so that, say, in the instance of the image right now that the face is covered up . Are there kind of deals set with some of those subjects saying i dont want my identity revealed but i dont mind you getting close enough to see what i do . Right. More and more these days people are very leary of their picture being taken of their identity being published, especially with the internet when even can see it around the world almost immediately. You have to come up with an agreement. Where, okay, i wont show your face or whatever it may be. Other times people are people are kind of oblivious to that worry or threat. And then you also have to kind of renegotiate with yourself, am i willing to expose this person . They dont seem to be concerned but you might believe that its a danger to them and they dont even know it. Youre constantly balancing how much, you know, youre going to show and in terms of establishing that rap port sometimes it happens instantly or goes over the course of several days, several weeks. Aros, thanks so much. Documentary is witness. Part of a series of hbo on monday nights in the month of november. Im sure in a lot of cases you dont tell your family where youre going until after youve returned from that assignment because i imagine they worry all the time about you. Thanks so much for your time. Youre very welcome. Thank you. Okay. President obama and president Abraham Lincoln together at the white house . Well, kind of. President obamas hosting the screening of lincoln tonight and some historians arent too thrilled about whats in that movie thats coming up next. But first imagine being separated from your family for a year. For more than 100 soldiers from the d. C. National guard and army reserves, thats how long its been since they have been home. And we were there for their reunion. Aah im happy. Oh my god all right. How you doing . Hi. Good to see you. Welcome home. Been in america again, its like everything you always dreamed of. A bunch of mountains, a bunch of rocks. Im happy to be back and see grass. Welcome back, man. Glad to see you, man. Love you, boy. Likewise. Yeah. Love you guys. Carried this around me every day. She gave it to me to remind me of what i got back at home and make sure i get back safe. You know . Welcome home welcome home thank you. Hey, man. Welcome home welcome back 273rd. Daddy loves you. Yes. I love it. It feels good. It feels very good. To know that people miss you as much as you miss them. [ male announcer ] when it comes to the financial obstacles military families face, we understand. At usaa, we know military life is different. Weve been there. Thats why every bit of Financial Advice we offer is geared specifically to current and former military members and their families. [ laughs ] dad dad [ applause ] [ male announcer ] life brings obstacles. Usaa brings advice. Call or visit us online. Were ready to help. Bp has paid overthe people of bp twentythreeitment to the gulf. Billion dollars to help those affected and to cover cleanup costs. Today, the beaches and gulf are open, and many areas are reporting their best tourism seasons in years. And bps also committed to america. We support nearly 250,000 jobs and invest more here than anywhere else. Were working to fuel america for generations to come. Our commitment has never been stronger. All right. Were hearing that there are new signs of wiggle room and possible compromise for fiscal cliff negotiations. Hours ago a group of moderate House Democrats made a big push for some bipartisan bonding. We also need to look at inflated or ineffective programs. Every program has to be evaluated, has to be scrutinized. Were also not going to just cut our way out of this hole. Every day that we wait costs america another 11 billion. The new Democratic Coalition sent a letter to the president and congressional leaders urging immediate bipartisanship. Congress and the white house have to cut a deal before january 1st otherwise massive tax hikes and spending cuts kick in. A leading republican says the gop may be willing to bend a little more. Yesterday the president said he had an open mind when it came to finding a solution to these things. He said hes happy to listen to other peoples ideas. I take that as a good sign. If the president s got an open mind, maybe hell see that republicans are the ones whove expressed a willingness to step out of our comfort zone if it actually leads to a solution. Mcconnell suggested republicans might be willing to consider increasing revenues if democrats cut spending and reignin entitlement programs. Heres a president ial perk that you might not have heard of. Sneak previews . President obama will be screening the new Steven Spielberg movie lincoln at the white house this afternoon. Hell be joined by the cast and crew. The movies set to release tomorrow follows our 16th president Abraham Lincoln in the waning days of the civil war. But some critics are saying hollywood and history arent on the same page. Cnn entertainment correspondent Kareen Wynter has more. This fight is for the United States of america. Reporter Steven Spielbergs lincoln offers a window back in time to the weeks preceding the end of the civil war and passage of the 13th amendment abolishing slavery. Congress must never declare equal those god created unequal. Reporter for some critics the movies limited snapshot of aim han lincolns presidency paints an incomplete picture of history. As cinema, its very, very good. As history, im a historian, it leaves something to be desired. Reporter his book won the Pulitzer Prize for history says the films narrow focus exaggerates the president s role in ending slavery. This settles the fate for all coming time. The emancipation of the slaves is a long complicated historical process. Its not the work of one man no matter how great he was. Bloods been spilled to afford is this moment now, now, now. It was not lincoln who originated the 13th amendment. It was the abolitionist movement. Its only in the 1864 that lincoln changes his mind. Reporter screen writer based the movie script in part on the best selling book team of rivals. We were enormously accurate, steven and i both cared a lot. We worked with doris. We worked with a couple other lincoln historians. What were describing absolutely happened. Its not a question of being wrong. Its just inadequate. It gives you the impression that the ratification of the 13th amendment is the end of slavery. Slavery is already dying at that moment. Reporter in fact he says if the 13th amendment had not passed in january 1865, lincoln had pledged to Call Congress into special session in march. And there the republicans had a twothirds majority and would ratify in a minute. It is not this giant crisis in the sense that the film is portraying it. Shall we stop this bleeding . Reporter one aspect of the film thats not being questioned is daniel daylewis masterful depiction of the president. The most important thing was to get lincoln done right. Daniel daylewis represents a plausible lincoln. I recommend people see it and then read a book about lincoln. Reporter lincoln the movie is not a documentary and a full understanding of history doesnt happen in two hours and 29 minutes. Kareen wynter, cnn, hollywood. 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. Citi price rewind. Social security are just numbers thinkin a budget. D. Well, we worked hard for those benefits. We earned them. And if washington tries to cram decisions about the future. Of these programs into a last minute budget deal. Well all pay the price. 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And learn more about the kinds of plans that will be here for you now and down the road. I have a lifetime of experience. So i know how important that is. Each week were shining a spotlight on the top ten cnn heroes of 2012. Today we want you to meet one who is on a very special mission. Mary cortani is an army vet who helps returning u. S. Troops many of whom suffer from the invisible wounds of war such as posttraumatic stress disorder. Mary, good to see you. You are a former army dog trainer who matches veterans with mans best friend. So give me an idea how gratifying is it to pair up these dogs with veterans . Oh, its unbelievably gratifying. Its an amazing journey working with them, matching the dogs, seeing them train together, learn to be a team, get back out there, navigate life, create their new normal and find joy back in their life and do things we take for granted. Theres no words to describe how gratifying it is. And how has being selected top ten cnn hero kind of built upon your organization . How has it enhanced it . Its been an amazing journey. The only word i can keep saying is, wow. Pinch me, is this real . The positive publicity, the awareness to the issue which is really for me what the cnn hero award is about is bringing awareness that our men and women are coming home facing challenges that they havent faced in the past or been recognized for facing in the past. And we need to be there to help them. Tell me about these healing powers that these dogs seem to have with the vets. You know, the healing powers have to do with the caninehuman bond. The ability of the canine to sense the changes that occur within our emotions and our chemistry and our moods and however you want to describe it and react to it because of their basic Natural Instincts is what we tap into. And its one of the things that helps them get back out in the real world. Mary cortani, thanks so much. Congratulations on being one of our top ten hon rees becoming the cnn hero of the year potentially