Transcripts For CNNW CNN Newsroom 20121212

That this was a heart breaking tragedy, by any standard. And many, many people will be affected by this terrible act of violence every day for the rest of their lives. And we should keep them in our thoughts and prayers. On the other hand, i think we all need to be very thankful that this incident wasnt much worse. We will take you live to portland for more on the shooter in just a moment here. But first, the victims. And this is where this briefing got emotional. I want you to listen here to the sheriff spokesman describe the victims and the requests on behalf of the families. This first statement comes from the family of cindy rule, age 54, from portland. Cindy was everybodys friend, she was a wonderful person who was very caring and put others first. The family has advised us they want time and space to grieve their loss and will not be giving interviews at this time. The family will make a statement at an unspecified later date through the sheriffs office. This is a statement from the forsyth family. Steven Matthew Forsyth was a loving husband, father of two children, a son, a brother, an uncle, a longtime youth sports coach, and a friend to the many people who had the privilege to meet him. Steve was one of the most passionate people with a true entrepreneurial spirit that drove him to start his business, coastums. He had a great sense of humor and a zest for life. He had a vision and a belief in others that brought great joy and value to many lives. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him. And, again, we have our correspondent standing by of all places called happy valley, oregon. Well take you there in minutes. Meantime, a defiant north korea took the u. S. Somewhat by surprise today, firing this long range rocket several days earlier than expected. The launch is raising worldwide concerns about the reclusive governments plans for its nuclear arsenal. The rocket was not carrying a warhead, north korea claims it launched a science satellite. The defense secretary leon panetta talked to erin burnett and said the u. S. Is evaluating whether the rocket launch was a success. He said this, quote, we have no idea. Were still assessing exactly what happened to determine whether or not it really was a success. Eight months ago, north korea totally flubbed a launch attempt, rocket broke apart after 90 seconds and fizzled into the ocean. Jim clancy, Cnn International here. Talk to me, i guess, first, the fact that this was a surprise. How did north korea get this past the u. S. . Well, it didnt really get past the u. S. It said it had a few problems, was going to delay the launch and then suddenly on calendar, e for many, and kim jongil got very lucky. The three latest attempts had all failed. And this one appears, appears to be a success. Something is in orbit. We know the rocket range is Something Like 5,000, 6,000 kilometers. What does the distance tell you . Well, it is technology. It is a three stage rocket. Thats what is significant here. Tells you it is advanced. This is 1950s scud technology they built, a lot of people thought they would never get this far with it. But they made incremental advances. So in that sense, it poses a threat. Remember, while they were celebrating in the streets of pyongyang, there were probably also celebrating in the control rooms in iran because those two share their missile technology. What about ally, china . China that was a big surprise. Let me quote, expressed regret, quote unquote. Regret from china . China has been their backer, tried to support them quietly in all these talks. But for them to come out today and say we regret that this happened north korea further isolating themselves. Further isolating themselves and look at this from another perspective they didnt fire it anywhere close to japan because the japanese have set up antiballistic missiles and they have told the north koreans, we will shoot them down. Remember what the fundamentals are of this north Korean Missile program. First of all, theyll sell it to anybody that has the cash. But second of all, it is blackmail. Give us money for food, give us money for technology, give us money, give us energy, give us oil, otherwise we may kill a whole lot of people. Were going to be out there with that threat and they will be appeased. Strategy isnt working with the south koreans. Isnt working with the japanese. Other asians are now lining up. Theyre looking at all of this and saying, we cant allow this. This country to hold us, you know, at risk, constantly, to get what it wants. Jim clancy, thank you, on north korea and this rocket launch here. Back to oregon. We feel your shock and we feel your grief today and now the shock of learning the gunman, who opened fire at this crowded mall, 10,000 people inside, was 22 years old. Here he was, this is the picture, just handed out by oregon officials. I want to bring in dan simon. Hes outside the mall, this is suburban portland. I was listening to the news, the sheriff walked us through what we refer to as a timeline, a ticktock of the shooting. What did he reveal . Reporter well get to that in a minute, first of all, authorities wanted to stress that the shooter in this case, jacob tyler roberts, acted alone. There was a lot of speculation that perhaps he was with others, but they said time and time again that this was a sole person who went on a rampage, no terrorist attack or anything of that nature. The way they explained the narrative in terms of how this took place, they said that roberts entered the mall on the second floor, going through the macys store, and then rushed towards the food court area, where the shots rang out, thats where the mayhem occurred, and where all three victims were shot. They say at that point Police Responded very quickly and actually arrived at the mall within one minute after the shots rang out. And roberts apparently in a desperate move went downstairs to the first level, got in a corner and then shot himself. Here is how authorities described what happened. The suspect pulled his vehicle in front of macys, parked his car, exited, and moved in a rapid manner toward the food court. A lot of folks reported he was running, moving quickly, left his car, opened fire in this general area. He ended up striking two victims that both died of their injuries. There were some medical staff and other people that rendered aid. Following this, the individual fled down this along this corridor, out down the back hallway down to some stairs, which is this is actually on the upper level, he came down the stairs to the lower level, back in this corner is where he shot himself. And one of the things that we located, a victim, transported to ohsu this was her. We believe she was up in this area, but was able to come out through the front macys, work her way down to near rei, that where Law Enforcement officers met with her and she was subsequently transported. Dan, one question, as i was listening to that newser and he stressed, were talking 10,000 people and he said, many people, thanking them, kept level heads, got themselves out of the mall, many, many heroes. So as there are two lives lost, to quote the sheriff, this could have been so much worse. Reporter thats exactly right. And one other reason perhaps why more people werent shot is that one point the weapon, described as an ar15 semiautomatic rifle, jammed, and authorities said thats one of the reasons why perhaps why more people werent injured or shot during this attack. We can tell you that that weapon, the ar15 was stolen from a friend yesterday, according to authorities, and, of course, were learning a lot more information. Well bring it to you as the day unfolds. Brooke . Well wait for the updates. Dan simon for us, in the portland area, thank you. Before we do move on here, i just want you to listen, one more thing. This is from the Clackamas County sheriff as he pretty much sums up what many of us are thinking. The mall is supposed to be a place that we can all take our families, feel comfortable that this is a great place, especially the holiday season, like this. And these things arent supposed to happen. These things arent supposed to happen. We have heard those words in some form before. A man suffering from amnesia had no identity. My name is benjamin cot. You dont know who i am. And quite frankly, neither do i. Hell join me live on what could be his last chance at having a past and finding a future. Im brooke baldwin. The news is now. An assassin on the loose after a hit in broad daylight. Details about the victims past revealed. An asteroid barely misses earth, and we had no warning. Plus, a former marine behind bars in mexico. What is happening to him there is causing one senator to ring the alarm. [ bells dinging ] hark how the bells, sweet silver bells all seem to say throw care away from everywhere, filling the air [ female announcer ] chex party mix. Easy 15minute homemade recipes you just pop in a microwave. Like caramel chocolate drizzles. Happier holidays. Chex party mix. Happier holidays. 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. 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. 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. Hurry in and try five succulent entrees, like our tender snow crab paired with savory garlic shrimp. Just 12. 99. Come into red lobster and sea food differently. And introducing 7 lunch choices for just 7. 99. Salads, sandwiches, and more. Here is where we are on the fiscal cliff talks. We are less than three weeks now from the 12 punch of tax increases and Government Spending cuts and the two sides appear to be moving farther apart. Heres House Speaker john boehner describing his latest negotiations with the president , just over the phone last night. The president and i had a pretty frank conversation about just how far apart we are. Dana bash is our senior Congressional Correspondent. She s unearthed some Surprising New details here about the speakers latest offer to the president. Dana, what can you tell us . Reporter well, we were told first earlier today by democratic source that part of the reason why that phone call between the president and the speaker didnt go so well to put it mildly is because part of the republican counteroffer they sent to the white house yesterday included a renewed call for, quote, permanent tax cuts for the wealthiest americans. Now, we know that that is a nonstarter in general for the president. He said it ump team times, but the democrats at the white house felt that to put the word permanent in a republican offer made clear according to the source i talked to that it was that they just dont understand what needs to be done to get something to pass the senate and the house, or to get more importantly the president to sign something. Thats one of the main reasons why there is a lot of tension today. I can tell you on the republican side, the speaker wasnt happy because he simply does not think, and he said this in private to republicans today as well as in public that he doesnt think the president has done enough to offer spending cuts. So that is why they are further apart than they were before. Also as you listen to the republicans, more and more they seem to be saying the president is being unreasonable, not really budging. In fact, you talked this morning to trent franks of arizona, he said that the president is out of touch with reality. Lets listen to some of that. I never speak to the negotiations because i think the speakers are at a profound disadvantage in the negotiations as it is. Why . Simply because hes got a recalcitrant senate and a president that is simply out of touch with reality. Thats his opinion. Maybe the opinion of other republicans as well. Let me share this with our viewers. We have this brandnew poll, and it Shows Nearly Half of the public approves of how the president is handling the talks. Only 25 they say, you know, say the same for boehner. We do have one more poll, this is really the big kahuna, shows 65 believe the voters gave the president a mandate to raise tax rates on the wealthy. So dana bash, given all of that, do we have any idea what the republican calculus is here and apparently hardening now their position on the taxes . Reporter im not really sure if in reality their position is hardening on raising or keeping tax cuts in place for the wealthiest americans. It may have been on paper in the proposal, certainly departments are using that today. That is the story line of the day. Democrats are using it politically against republicans. But i talked to so many republicans, trent franks is one of them, who kind of shrugged their shoulders and say they understand that they dont have leverage as you just illustrated in that poll that the democrats have leverage, for a number of reasons, whether it is the amount of that the president won by, politically, or just the substance of this argument, the democrats are winning when you talk about taxes. But what the speaker has been able to successfully do and it happened again behind closed doors today, is keep his party behind him in the house, by turning their anger towards the president for not calling for spending cuts and that is the dynamic that were seeing still today. Thats why the speaker has been able to keep his troops in line. Keep us posted, dana bash. We appreciate it here, 20 days to go, until those automatic tax increases, spending cuts go into effect. From a democrat to an independent here to a Vice President ial candidate, moments ago, long time senator Joe Lieberman called it quits on the senate floor. We will play you what exactly it was that he said next. Joe lieberman joked on the Senate Floor Today that when he became a senator, a blackberry was merely a fruit. The reflection came in his Farewell Speech as he prepares to leave his seat after 24 years. During my time here in washington, we have had our first female secretary of state, nominated and confirmed, and our first africanamerican president elected and reelected. And it will forever remain one of my deepest honors, thanks to Vice President gore i was given the opportunity to be the first Jewish American nominated by a Major Political party for national office. And incidentally thanks to the american people, grateful to have received a half million more votes than my opponent on the other side. But thats a longer story. So while there is still much work to do, and many problems to be solved, i believe we can and should approach our future with a confidence that is based on the real and substantial progress we have made together. Senator lieberman also thanked the staff and the security at the capital for all their service. Thanked his parents who, by the way, never went to college, but saw their American Dream fulfilled when he and his siblings did. A cnn exclusive here, something the Syrian Government does not want seen. Our camera crew inside syria got dangerously close to a chemical weapons productions plant. What did our crew find . Well show you right after this. Americans are always ready to work hard for a better future. Since Ameriprise Financial was founded back in 1894, theyve been committed to putting clients first. 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All waking up. Connecting to the global phenomenon we call the internet of everything. Its going to be amazing. And exciting. And maybe, most remarkably, not that far away. Were going to wake the world up. And watch, with eyes wide, as it gets to work. Cisco. Tomorrow starts here. Cisco. 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. President obama sends a clear message to syrian president Bashar Al Assad, saying the u. S. Now recognizes the Rebel Coalition fighting against assads crumbling regime, the president made that declaration in an interview with abcs barbara walters. The Syrian Opposition coalition is now inclusive enough, is reflective and representative enough of the syrian population that we consider them the legitimate representative of the Syrian People in opposition to the assad regime. Keep in mind here, what he just said, that doesnt mean that the u. S. Will be arming the rebel forces. The declaration is just intended to be a showing of support. But all of this comes one day after a group of rebel fighters called the al nursa front are labeled a terrorist organizat n organization. Some say this latest flurry of diplomacy was triggered by the threat that assad would use chemical weapons against his own people. Cnns arwa damon is in aleppo and has been trying to get close to this plant, believed to be one of syrias largest chemical weapons factories. Watch this. Reporter in most of these villages, we dont dare stop. While no longer fully controlled by the government, the regimes spies still lurk. And were snaking our way towards a facility the government most certainly does not want us to see. A site that multiple sources on the ground say is where the assad regime produces chemical weapons. A place called the Scientific Research facility. To the southeast of aleppo lies the town of al safirah. On the outskirts, a sprawling factory. Manufacturing anything from containers to long range missiles. This is as close as we can get before we hear an aircraft overhead, and quickly leave. To the southeast of that, according to our sources, is the Scientific Research facility. From here we can see the outer most perimeter of the general research facility. And the fighters are telling us that it is amongst the most heavily guarded areas where theyre operating. The village right below it, that is filled with government loyalists. This is about as far as we can go. This man has fighters surrounding the facility. Tasked by his commanders with isolating, but not attacking them. The regime might take extreme actions if we try to assault, so we are just militarily choking it off, he tells us. On all sides it is surrounded by rolling hills. Were being escorted by a defected soldier who worked on the inside and a rebel fighter from the area. We have agreed not to reveal their identities. At one point between the two hill tops, a man made barrier. We have to be very careful filming through here, but visible on the side of the mountains are what rebel fighters with us are telling us were the former positions that Government Troops used to occupy. Since the Free Syrian Army moved into this area, Government Forces have pulled further in closer to the facility itself. This man was recently captured by the rebels. He says he led a unit, whose job was to patrol part of the perimeter. Artillery units are positioned on the hill tops. He agreed to be interviewed if we disguised his identity, and his voice. He says that soldiers like him were constantly searched, their calls monitored, forbidden from seeing people who entered the main building. They arrived escorted by armed guards, concealed from sight. It was even forbidden for us to ask about it. If we did, we were punished, he tells us. They were under orders to shoot, to kill. Anyone who approached, even a civilian, within 300 meters. He says that around five months ago, regular employees stopped arriving. And what i overheard is that those who were allowed to leave were syrians, and those inside were foreigners. We saw large quantities of food still being delivered, he says. Defectors have previously told cnn that iranian scientists have often worked here. There is no way to confirm that. Portions of the complex are under ground. The hill tops have tunnels as well. Guarded, were told, by up to 5,000 soldiers. The fear of chemical weapons has further traumatized people. In aleppo, this doctor says he began requesting precautionary supplies six months ago. Some have arrived but no chemical suits. Youre going to make your own chemical suits . We tried to do that right now. We have, like, two pieces, chemical suits, and reporter you make your own . Yeah, exactly. Because we tried to get chemical suits but we couldnt. Reporter at secret sites around the city, he says, some will be given atrophine and training. But in reality, people can do little more than pray, that syrias war doesnt lead to such a catastrophe. Arwa damon, cnn, aleppo province. Making their own chemical suits. Arwa damon, thank you. Now to this one. This man, lost his past. Has no idea who he is. Watch this. Amazed. Absolutely floored. Just about ready to cry, actually. Ready to cry over getting this, an i. D. , and now he and a filmmaker are taking his fight to the white house. Well tell you why he says a nine digit number will open the door for him having a future. [ 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. [ male announcer ] when diarrhea hits, kaopectate stops it fast. Powerful liquid relief speeds to the source. Fast. [ male announcer ] stop the uhoh fast with kaopectate. Now to a story that will make you appreciate who you are, what you have and maybe what youve been taking for granted. It is about a man who called himself Benjamin Kyle, a man who lost his past and because of that, it has been tough dealing with the present and then preparing for the future. Here is a clip from the documentary, called finding benjamin. Benjamin kyle has been hello. My name is Benjamin Kyle. You dont know who i am. And quite frankly neither do i. This is my story. It looked like somebody tried to kill him. I dont know. Calm down, maam. Ill send an ambulance. Oh, my god. Oh, my god. I was found behind a dumpster at a burger king in 2004. I dont know how i got there and i dont have no memories of who i am. What my actual name is or Social Security number. Benjamin had no identification. The hospital already had a john doe, so they named him bk, Benjamin Kyle. Benjamin was diagnosed with retro grade amnesia, also known as the hollywood amnesia. Whats the matter. Im sorry, but who are you . Hector has been hurt in a horrible accident. He cant remember who he is. He goes, amnesia. Authorities couldnt tell benjamin who he was. And without a Social Security number, he couldnt get a job, or a place to stay. They shifted me from i was in every hospital and every clinic in savannah because they kept shifting me around because everyone was trying to get rid of me. When the media heard the story, they became determined to solve the mystery. Benjamin kyle. Good morning, benjamin. Normally we say how are you, but in your case well say who are you . No closer today. And then the doctor stepped in. This is an age regressed photo of benjamin as he might have looked at various ages. And finally, the fbi was on the case. Since then they have taken my fingerprints, both electronically and the old ink method several times and they cannot find my fingerprints in anywhere in any database. We have not been able to identify him. For all practical intents and purposes, i do not exist. He became the first u. S. Citizen to be listed as missing, despite his whereabouts being known. And the fbi left it at that. Everyone we talk to out there swear up and down that they were going to solve the case. They didnt. With no happy ending, the media gave up. All the national media, they want the big story when they introduce me to my relatives, but until that happens, they dont want theyre not interested in doing an article about the search. You know. Actually, when you think about it, its pretty pathetic if no one is actually looking for someone that disappeared. Isnt that anyone important enough in your past life that want to look for you . So benjamin was stranded. With no name, no Social Security numb number. And no help. Benjamin kyle, about to talk to me live along with the man who made that documentary. They are asking for your help, asking for your signature to the white house will have to act. Dont miss this. Its next. Rest. While a body in motion tends to stay in motion. Staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. But if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. Prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. Because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. Plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is easier. Celebrex can be taken with or without food. And its not a narcotic. You and your doctor should balance the benefits with the risks. All prescription nsaids, like celebrex, ibuprofen, naproxen, and meloxicam have the same cardiovascular warning. They all may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death. This chance increases if you have Heart Disease or risk factors such as high Blood Pressure or when nsaids are taken for long periods. Nsaids, including celebrex, increase the chance of serious skin or allergic reactions or stomach and intestine problems, such as bleeding and ulcers, which can occur without warning and may cause death. Patients also taking aspirin and the elderly are at increased risk for stomach bleeding and ulcers. Do not take celebrex if youve had an asthma attack, hives, or other allergies to aspirin, nsaids or sulfonamides. Get help right away if you have swelling of the face or throat, or trouble breathing. Tell your doctor ur medical history and find an Arthritis Treatment for you. Visit celebrex. Com and ask your doctor about celebrex. For a body in motion. Quite a story. This is a man who scours mying persons website, hoping to find himself. I believe i was born in indianapolis. Im pretty sure i went to a Catholic School and im pretty sure my name is benjamin. Benjamin kyle was found beaten eight years ago in georgia, no clothes, no memory. A case of retro grade amnesia. As hes trying to get back his memories, there is this new effort to help Benjamin Kyle get Something Else he needs, a Social Security number. He joins me live from tallahassee. And the documentary filmmaker who chronicled kyles story is with me from tallahassee. Gentlemen, thank you, both, for being with me. Benjamin, let me begin with you. You have no idea who you are, no one in your past has come forward to find you, how do you wrestle with this every day . Mostly i dont think about it because it is just it gets too frustrating. And besides, i have to get along with my day to day living. I cant concentrate on that because i have to make a living. You have to live day to day. Yes. And in that day to day living, until you got help from john and this documentary, some media coverage, you had no i. D. For those of us who take our i. D. S for granted, what are the challenges of living in this World Without one . Well, you know, you cant even get into a homeless shelter without a Social Security number. Cant rent an apartment, cant get a drivers license. Its like im a ghost walking through the country. John, you stumbled upon this ghost, hes not at all a ghost, hes very much so a person trying to find out who he is. You made this documentary. You got some media coverage, i know, and ultimately helped him get this i. D. Lets look at one more clip. The first good news this man has gotten in a long time. This is benjamins florida legacy i. D. There is no Social Security number yet. But this does establish his new identity on the state level. Amazed. Absolutely floored. Just about ready to cry, actually. So the clip mentioned no known Social Security numbers on this i. D. , john. So youre on this crusade to try to change that. Tell me about the whitehouse. Gov petition, how can viewers help you . If youre not familiar with the we the people petition site, the site promises to give a white house response if you get 25,000 signatures. And with benjamins case, it is a specific enough one that requires high level intervention. And so what were trying to do and awhat wewhat were trying hopefully get the support of viewers is to sign the petition to show support for benjamin so they can use their voice in saying this man should not be the victim of a loophole, this man deserves those nine numbers that make life possible in this country. Those nine numbers. I do just want to let you all know, we picked up the phone, called the Social Security administration, and they told us, via a statement, you know, they wouldnt talk about the case because of privacy laws, but how many signatures is needed . How far along are you . And what do you do if you dont get them . Well, right now we have about 8,500 signatures. And we need 25,000. So were about a third of the way there. If we dont get the signatures, there is no required white house response. They can kind of not address this and, you know, nothing has to be solved. However, if we get 25,000, there has to be has to be a response. So it is my sorry. No, no, i was just i wanted to go back to benjamin because, you know, as youre hearing and hoping for the signatures, there was something that struck me that you said in this documentary and that is that you said sometimes i wish i hadnt woken up. Do you still feel that way sometimes . Yeah. Actually. You do . Yeah. I have down days and good days. And sometimes when im really, really feeling down, yeah, i feel that way. Well, when youre not feeling down, hopefully youre not right now, what do you hope your future looks like . Well, you know, im 64 years old, in ten years im going to be dead. I would just like to make those next ten years a little easier. And i would like to say, even if i get the Social Security number, it will make things so much easier, but im still going to have to work because if they give me a new number, ill have to work you have to work about ten years to earn the benefits. It is still a challenge. We hope youre around longer than ten years, Benjamin Kyle. We wish you luck. Well follow up with you. Benjamin kyle, thank you. John wickstrom, thank you, congratulations on about to be graduating with a film degree. Pretty decent job here. Thank you. Gentlemen, thank you so, so much. We appreciate it. Good luck. Did you know that over the past couple of weeks president obama and House Speaker john boehner have actually maybe moved a little closer here in the talks to avert the fiscal cliff . Maybe . Maybe not. Depends who you ask. Well look at that next with economist and author ben stein. Do you ever wish we had ipads. To practice math more . I love math but two ipads means two data plans . Thats crazy. Maybe not. With at t mobile share, adding an ipad is just 10 a month. But honestly, mom and dads love is all i really need. We should keep these for us. We should keep these. What . [ male announcer ] at t mobile share. Add an ipad for just 10 a month. One plan. Up to 10 devices. At t. Rethink possible. This just in, Federal Reserve lowered its growth forecast for next year. Also, the fed says it will tie Interest Rates to Unemployment Rates. So the Interest Rate will stay right around zero until the nations Unemployment Rate drops below 6. 5 . Fed reserve chairman ben bernanke says u. S. Unemployment, a huge problem, huge waste of potential human potential, he said. Bernanke says the fed will replace operation twist with a new 45 billion asset buying program. Overall, the fed is committing to buy 85 billion worth of securities a month. The Program Seeks to keep downward pressure on Interest Rates to spur the economy. Now back to the fiscal cliff. 20 days, count them with me, 20 days out from higher taxes and punishing Government Spending cuts if there is no deal in washington to craft a softer landing. With me now from los angeles, economist, author, ben stein. Ben stein, good to see you, sir. You know, look, despite all were hearing and seeing out of washington, we can at least discern some movement on this issue of taxes. Let me just take you back, House Speaker john boehner, his first position was no new taxes. President obama was asking for new taxes totalling 1. 6 trillion. After the election speaker of the house ponied up an offer of 800 billion, exactly halfway between his zero and the president s 1. 6 trillion. And then this week the president countered at 1. 4 trillion. And were they to split the difference, doing simple math here, you would be looking at new tax revenues of 1. 1 trillion. Do you think, ben stein, thats where theyre headed right there in the middle, 1. 1 trillion . I dont know exactly where theyre headed but were headed for higher taxes. The palmy days for the rich when the taxes got lower and lower and lower in the Bush Administration are over. The happy times that the country were going to have higher income taxes, much, much higher estate taxes, i suspect. The good times for those who have money to burn, well, theyll still have money to burn, but not quite as much money to burn. There have to be revenue increases. There has to be tax rate increases. I hate to say it, im a modestly upper income taxpayer myself, i hate to see it, but it has got to happen. Lets get a little personal. We caught something this morning and in was republican darrell issa of california, talking to our Congressional Correspondent dana bash. The americans think were going to get rid of a trillion dollar deaf sficit without any to them, they have to ask are they americans . The truth is all of us have to be in it together. So, youre an american. You say youre modestly upper income here. What pain would you be willing to suffer to help the nation erase the federal deficit, the National Debt here . Readily available, happy to pay more taxes, if it will keep us from financial default. Im happy to pay more taxes if it will keep my children and grandchildren from having to face an america that is bankrupt. Im ready to pay more taxes if it keeps us from having to cut defense. The last thing i want to see is cuts in defense, anything at all that negatively affects the defense of this country, anything at all that negatively affects the lives of servicemen and servicewoman, those are bad things. Im happy to write a check for more money. I dont like it. But im getting old anyway. I would rather give it to the government than leave it to than leave it to government, give it to them right now. Youll write the check, maybe semipainfully, but ill write it nonetheless. Ill do it. Europes biggest bank, you heard about this, hsbc agreed to pony up close to 2 billion to settle accusations of Money Laundering. The Senate Banking committee they found that hsbc in mexico shipped 7 billion in cash, mind you, across the border, maybe turned a blind eye to where the money came from, want you to listen to neil barofsky, we had him on the show yesterday, and i asked him whether Top Bank Officials knew they were handling drug money there. The notion that this wasnt something that was known on senior levels of the banks, at least they had plenty of reason to suspect that this was ongoing and, look, i think somebody described it as the biggest slap on the wrist in the history of banking fines. Stuart gulliver receiving the big wrist slap in terms of bank fines. Told me 2 billion bucks, that was chump change and it shows that crime pays. What do you think . I think any big bank, anybody in charge of the bank, bears responsibility for the conduct of the bank. Hsbc is a famously tightly run bank. Obviously the people at the top had to know something was amiss. But, look, the top dog more than fines . More than 2 billion . I dont i question, very respectfully, whether or not there should be some criminal this is a guy watching drug money, apparently, go across the border in gigantic quantities, nothing done about it. If you or i brought a marijuana cigarette into the state of south carolina, we would be put in prison. This guy is shipping billions and he gets to pay it off with the stockholders money. Hes not out one single cent. It is all the stockholders money. Ben stein, appreciate your candor. Thanks for coming on. Always love being here. Thank you. Love being here. Now this, a near miss. Just ahead, an asteroid passes, comes closer to earth than the moon. Hmm. Chad myers joins me on how close this was, calling it a close shave. Also an exmarine jailed in mexico, alarming accusations now on how hes being treated and threatened. So what is one senator planning to do about that . Were going to talk to senator bill nelson, live, coming up. [ bells dinging ] hark how the bells, sweet silver bells all seem to say throw care away from everywhere, filling the air [ female announcer ] chex party mix. Easy 15minute homemade recipes you just pop in a microwave. Like caramel chocolate drizzles. Happier holidays. Chex party mix. Starts with arthritis pain and a choice. Take tylenol or take aleve, the 1 recommended pain reliever by orthopedic doctors. Just two aleve can keep pain away all day. Back to the news. Its lots of things. All waking up. Becoming part of the global phenomenon we call the internet of everything. Trees will talk to networks will talk to scientists about climate change. Cars will talk to road sensors will talk to stoplights about traffic efficiency. The ambulance will talk to patient records will talk to doctors about saving lives. Its going to be amazing. And exciting. And maybe, most remarkably, not that far away. The next big thing . Were going to wake the world up. And watch, with eyes wide, as it gets to work. Cisco. Tomorrow starts here. Theyre calling it a close shave. 125 foot wide asteroid passing within 140,000 miles of earth, and the frightening thing, nasa only spotted it hurdling towards us two days before it zipped between our planet and the moon. Chad myers, here with me now, to talk about this darn close asteroid. How did they miss this . There are a lot of them up there we dont know about. And this is going to happen a lot. Were going to see these things zipping by our earth. And lets just hope they dont collide. Because we talk about when theyre coming, but i guess youre right. There are so many. Theyre bigger than school buses. 125feet wide, that would have hit the earth, would have put a hole somewhere about 800 miles across. Knocking down all the trees, doing an awful lot of damage, something much, much bigger, put the dinosaurs out of work. Out of business. Out of business. And so were going to see these things flying by. I have a graphic, though, that shows you the ones we actually know. There is one coming in february, right . Even bigger . Right. It is o. Nly going to be 8. 9 lunr distances away, like 20,000 miles away. Thats about the width of a little bit more than the width of the earth away. Thats close. Lets hope it doesnt veer off or, you know, a couple hundred feet. This is a big deal. I dont like these. We need bruce willis. Where is he . Tell me about the meteor showers for tomorrow. You bet. Great meteor shower, 120 of these per hour. So that would be good. You got to be away from the city lights and all that. This is going to be a nice meteor shower. Who are those pictures from . The old shower coming in, from last year, a couple of years ago, and it was a very good show. As you run through these belts, sometimes it is a good year, sometimes it is a bad year, this looks like it could be a very good night for us tomorrow night. Think about living in the city. These are little, not going to affect us. These are going to make shooting stars. Pretty sky. Chad myers, thank you very much. Now this. Here we go. Top of the hour. Im brooke baldwin. I want to begin in oregon where people there still very much so in shock after a shooting rampage inside a mall. We now know who the shooter was. 22 years old. Heres a picture. This is what oregon authorities released a short time ago. Investigators are saying he acted alone. Listen to the Clackamas County sheriff describe the shooter. His name is jacob tyler roberts. Hes born march 16th, 1990. Based on all the evidence that we have gathered so far, it appears he did die of a selfinflicted gunshot wound. Were also prepared to release Additional Information about the suspect. During this attack, he was armed with an ar15 semiautomatic rifle. The rifle was stolen yesterday from a person known to the suspect. At the time of the attack, he was wearing a loadbearing vest, not a bulletproof vest, that was earlier reported by some outlets. He was also wearing a hockey style face mask, and we have not yet been able to establish how many shots were fired during the attack, though we believe he was carrying several fully loaded magazines. Clackamas county sheriff there. Before we get more on the shooter, i want to take a moment to listen to the sheriffs spokesman describe the victims and the requests from their families. This first statement comes from the family of cindy rule, age 54, from portland. Cindy was everybodys friend, she was a wonderful person who was very caring and put others first. The family has advised us they want time and space to grieve their loss and will not be giving interviews at this time. The family will make a statement at an unspecified later date through the sheriffs office. This is a statement from the forsyth family. Steven Matthew Forsyth was a loving husband, father of two children, a son, a brother, an uncle, a long time youth sports coach, and a friend to the many people who had the privilege to meet him. Steve was one of the most passionate people with a true entrepreneurial spirit that drove him to start his business, coastums. He had a great sense of humor and a zest for life. He had a vision and a belief in others that brought great joy and value to many lives. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him. Were getting more information here now from dan simon who is our correspondent there in portland, oregon, area. Dan simon, what more do you know . Reporter brooke, the shooter, according to shorts, stole the gun that was used during the attack. He took it from a friend just yesterday. The gun is described as an ar15 semiautomatic rifle, at one point it actually jammed and they believe thats why more people werent killed during the attack. We can tell you that the shooter, jacob tyler roberts, age 22, had no significant criminal history. Authorities are still trying to figure out what may have set him off. Here is some of what the sheriff had to say. The suspect pulled his vehicle in front of macys, parked his car, exited, and moved in a rapid manner toward the food court. A lot of folks reported he was running, moving quickly, left his car, opened fire in this general area. He ended up striking two victims at that both died of their injuries. There were some medical staff and other people that rendered aid. Following this, the individual fled down this along this corridor, out down the back hallway down to some stairs, which is this is actually on the upper level, came down the stairs to the lower level, and back in the corner is where he shot himself. And one of the things that we located a victim that was transported to ohsu, this is her, we believe she was up in this area, but was able to come out through the front macys, work her way down to near rei where Law Enforcement officers met with her and she was subsequently transported. Reporter Authorities Say they searched roberts home and searched his car, found in the parking lot. They did recover some evidence. But theyre not saying what was found. At this point, still no motive for this shooting. No clues as to what may have set this suspect off. The oregonian, the newspaper is reporting he was evicted from his apartment last summer, but certainly that doesnt begin to explain why this may have happened. Brooke . Dan simon, thank you. Just in to us at cnn, getting word that the Syrian Regime has been using scud missiles against its people, scud missiles, soviet era missiles. Jill dougherty is following this live for us at the state department. This is a first, correct . A first that were hearing that the Syrian Regime is doing this. Yes, though i have to tell you, brooke, that there have been reports, you know, coming from the state department that as i say the lethality of the weapons that the Syrian Regime has been using against the forces, the opposition forces, has been increasing. And in fact in the briefing today they were talking about missiles, the spokesperson, victoria newland, wouldnt go so far as to call them scuds, however sources that were talking to are calling them scuds, but she also mentioned another thing that is very disturbing, and that is what are called barrel bombs. Thats another thing. They are incendiary bombs. They set off fires and create burns that human Rights Groups say are extremely painful, can burn right down to the bone, and is very, very hard, especially from people who dont have hospitals or health care at this point to be treated for it. So this is, as we know, coming right on the heels of those reports just a week or so ago about chemical weapons. Yeah. That was my first thought when i first heard about this report of this scud missiles. I thought, my gosh, if theyre using these, chemical weapons could be another step. Well, the administration is saying that Bashar Al Assad is increasingly desperate. And that is the concern that as he grows more desperate, he will resort to more and more frightening things. And these certainly are frightening. You know, the scud missiles as were talking to spider marks, our security adviser, who is a former general, retired general, saying when the scuds hit the ground, that they disperse over quite a large area. And lets say if you marry, as he put it, chemical weapons with scuds, you have a very dangerous situation. So the one thing that also has been happening is dont forget that turkey, the neighbor of syria, fearful that something some type of attack could come from syria, asked for Patriot Missile defense systems. And they have been approved as we reported by nato and now were told that the United States part of that should be coming online relatively soon. So that could be, lets call it an antidote for, but it is very, very worrisome and increasingly difficult for the people who were on the ground. Right. How do you protect yourself from this. Clearly a sign that the violence is escalating. Jill dougherty, thank you. Want to take you to new york city now where police have a murder mystery on their hands here. This happened in broad daylight, monday afternoon, midtown manhattan, right around Columbus Circle and carnegie hall. Take a close look at this still picture. This is what we have from surveillance cameras. Nypd says this is just moments before this suspected gunman here, the guy on lefthand side of the screen with the hoodie pulled over his head, this is right before he pulls the gun and fired, putting a single bullet in the back of his targets head. The target, a California Law student visiting the city. Police say the suspect then got into his silver lincoln mkz, here is the car, you see him coming or going, coming, this is also obviously surveillance video, the suspect simply disappeared after that single shot into new york traffic. So many questions here. I want to bring in New York Times reporter david goodman. David, excellent reporting. All these details in your piece this morning. I guess one of the first things when i read it i thought you have this victim, brandon woodward, law student, apparently had a Law School Exam the next day back in los angeles, but he didnt have a return ticket. Tell me more. Well, yes, thanks for having me, brooke. So thats the the police say he doesnt have a return ticket. His family was under the impression he was coming back on tuesday. And that his mother told us that she had plans to pick him up at the airport. So thats another one of the mysteries that surrounded this death, that has been intriguing from the beginning. Just the very fact of having a man shot in what appears to be a targeted killing, assassination almost, murder, on the streets of one of the tony areas in the city, broad daylight, lunch time, Holiday Shoppers everywhere, and the fact that this shooter who we now have seen on camera, witnesses at the time, he disappeared so quickly into the car that people said it was like a ghost. Heard the shot, turned around and in one there. So no, i was just going to say, in addition to the fact he was such a ghost, i know youre trying to figure out exactly who is this, you know, woodward. Were hearing some a little bit from his childhood friends. Let me play this sound. I wanted to roll a sound bite. Deeply saddened, shocked. There are no words to describe how were feeling. But he was a wonderful young man and his memory will live on in all of his family, he has a young daughter who is the spitting image, very sweet little girl. So he has a daughter. But, david, let me read, you quote someone, quote, as a partier and promoter, mr. Woodward made him part of a world of expensive alcohol and private tables where friends said people with elite pedigrees rubbed elbows with stars and professional athletes as well as with a rougher crowd. Rougher crowd. What do you mean by that . Well, so we talked to more than a dozen of his friends in addition to his family and the picture that started to emerge over those conversations, everyone is very distraught and shocked by the killing, they didnt, you know, didnt know woodward to be involved in this level of activities, but he was arrested before and the police say he was arrested 20 times, though in all the cases he didnt serve very much jail time, apparently only convicted of misdemeanors. Though some of the charges did include drugs. But a lot of his friends were wary to talk to us on the record. A few of them did, but a lot of them off the record said this was a very promising young man in high school he played basketball, a star, a very capable student if not always the most attentive. One told me an anecdote where he would fall asleep in class and a teacher would call on him and he would wake up and know the answer. A very bright young man, but one who was very lured by the club scene and what we heard from people that had been out with him, a lot, is that he started to drift and move towards some of some people in the club scene known to be more engaged with this sort of were calling the darker side, the more illicit side of the club world. And this was told to me he was the kind of guy that had a lot of girlfriends, and so it was the theory among his friends is that, you know, as they started to think about it, this could have been they thought it was very possible it could have been related to a girl, related to drugs, so we dont the mystery is completely we have no idea. Total mystery. Nypd on it. You think about new york, all the cameras, hopefully they will get to the bottom of this, im sure they will. David goodman, New York Times, thank you so much. Thanks so much. An exmarine is behind bars right now in mexico. And whats happening to him in there is causing one senator to sound the alarm. Well talk to that senator live in just a matter of moments. Im brooke baldwin. The news is now. A meteorologist says she was fired for responding to a viewers facebook post. But is that the whole story . Plus, sudden about face from the Obama Administration on School Lunches. Why . Because of a silly viral video. And the life of robbie shankar. The legacy of a beatles mentor and the father of norah jones. So, this board gives me rates for progressive direct and other Car Insurance companies . Yes. But youre progressive, and theyre them. Yes. But theyre here. Yes. Are you. . There . Yes. No. Are you them . Im me. But those rates are for. Them. So them are here. Yes you want to run through it again . No, im good. You got it . Yes. Rates for us and them now thats progressive. Call or click today. The road trip one war veteran was taking was supposed to be about fun, and relaxation, but turned into torment and threats against jon hammar and his family. You see, for the last four months he has been in this mexican jail for allegedly trying to take an illegal weapon into the country. The weapon here, this was the family heirloom, a shotgun he intended to hunt with and he even got paperwork from the u. S. Customs to take it across the border into mexico. But mexican officers still arrested him when he tried to cross from brownsville, texas, into matamoros, mexico. That was back in august. His parents say thats when some of these phone calls, these calls started coming in from drug cartels, apparently began. We get calls from inside the prison saying, you know, this is not about the police, this is about us, and this is our house, and if you dont do send money, were going to kill your son. Heres your son on the phone. A marine, jon hammar, had survived iraq, afghanistan, he was discharged, suffering from ptsd, post Traumatic Stress disorder. And to help deal with it, he just wanted to go surfing. And he wanted to do it in costa rica. Thats where he and a friend were headed when this whole nightmare began. We keep telling him, you know, what were doing and we think it is going to end soon, but you can only say that for so long. Were afraid. Were afraid. Joining me now, live, is senator bill nelson of florida. Senator nelson, welcome, thank you so much. I know you have gotten involved at the familys request. You in fact recently spoke with the mexican ambassador to the u. S. I have to ask about the phone calls that jon hammars parents got all from these drug cartels. What happened in those phone calls . Well, that was last august. And its at that point that we interceded to get him out of the general prison population. He is now being kept in a low kind of intensity place, more like an administrative place. And because it doesnt have a lot of bars, according to the ambassador, thats where they have actually, if you can believe this, chained him to the bed. But at least hes out of that prison population that where he was getting the threats. That was last august. Hes been in this facility. A judge has not ruled on it. There is no excuse for this. And thats why we have got a very good mexican ambassador to the u. S. , and i think hes working it hard right now. Senator, from everything you know about this story, did jon hammar do anything wrong . No. As a matter of fact, when he went through the United States part of the border, he showed them the antique shotgun, he registered it so when he brought it in, back into the u. S. , they would know that this was not a stolen weapon, and i hope that our u. S. Officials told him that it is against the law to take weapons into mexico, so he goes from the u. S. Line, right across the line into mexico to the Customs Border officials there, and thats where they arrest him. He had another marine with him. They let this marine go. And yet this marine has been in mexican custody since august. There is no excuse for this. But, senator, i know as you mentioned you talked to the mexican ambassador to the United States. Where is this going . Is mexico helping you and the familys plight to get this guy out . I hope so. And i believe that the mexican ambassador is trying that right now, through their department of justice, through their attorney generals office, because it is against the law to take weapons into mexico. But obviously the law, you have to look at it under the circumstances. And this is an innocent bystander victim, he obviously was not roaming around mexico with evil intent, he was right there at the border. And for five months, for a mexican judge not to take up this case is inexcusable. So im hoping that ambassador forekhan will be able to get to the bottom of this and get some results right away. Right away because im thinking, you know, look, hammar was home, suffering from ptsd, wants to go surf in costa rica, hes in a jail cell in mexico, these phone calls to the parents, the drug cartels trying to extort them, beating up their son, according to the parents you would agree with me that time is of the essence . Five months is enough. It should have been disposed of within a few days. And what would mexican officials expect of us in our Justice System . And that is speedy justice. Five months is enough. Five months is enough, so says senator bill nelson. Thank you very much, sir. We appreciate it. Well follow this. We appreciate it. Thanks, brooke. Tonight, that marines parents will be talking to anderson cooper, dont miss it, 8 00 eastern here on cnn. The nfl agreed to Start Testing for powerful steroid nearly two years ago. But that never happened. And now congress is getting involved. Hall of fame linebacker dick butkus is testifying next. Performance enhancing drugs in the National Football league. It is a problem. A problem thats been around for years and years and a Congressional Committee here is taking steps to try to get something done about it. Already major league baseball, the olympics, they regularly test for Human Growth Hormone or known as hgh. Now today a House Committee heard testimony on the need for the nfl to follow suit. You see the man, lets listen to what hall of fame linebacker dick butkus had to say about whether the players want to be tested. I believe a lot of them want it. Nobody wants to be playing and have that shadow hanging over, well, did he or didnt he take the juice . Did he or didnt he . I think they all want them, majority of them want to do the theft. So why it is held up, i dont know. Dick butkus joins me on the phone from washington. Mr. Butkus, thank you for calling in. I know that more than a year ago the players in the league, they signed that new Labor Agreement that included testing for hgh. You say most players want it. So whats the deal . Whats the holdup . Well, i dont know. They want to check the validity of the test because, you know, if it is a falsepositive, you know, you could destroy some of your reputation. But as far as i know, the scientific people brought up that the tests are reliable and i think the whole thing stems, for me, really revolves around my i play Clean Campaign, the effect on kids. Im trying to tell get the point across to kids that it is the wrong thing to do and, you know, they look up to nfl players. So thats my part is trying to get the kids educated about performance enhancing drugs because there is, you know, there are surveys that we have been privy to, it is over 400,000 kids experimenting with performance enhancing drugs. Over 400,000. I think thats important. So youre talking to the kids, with this i play Clean Campaign you founded. I want to ask you personally, look, youre a legend, started with the bears, 65 to 73. You think of this drug abuse, how do you compare it to when you were playing versus today . Excuse me, say that again . How do you compare, when you talk about hgh abuse, comparing what is going on today compared to when you were playing in the 60s and the 70s. When i was playing, i dont think it was around. It was prevalent to olympic weight lifters from east germany. I think theyre the ones that introduced it to the states. And no one knew what the consequences or the ramifications were for as far as your health. Do you think that the players sit as some of them are using this and abusing this, are they thinking, oh, this is what it might do to me down the road . Are they worried about that . That, i dont know. I really havent personally asked any of them if theyre worried about their health down the road. Im trying to steer this toward the kids. High School Athletes and everything else. Like i say, there is over 400,000 teenagers experimenting with it, and they see a professional player that has been caught or busted, you know, were trying to convey the message, hey, this stuff is detrimental to your health, and if you get caught, you will not be able to play at the next level. And thats what im trying to do is get the education to the kids. If they think they need it, i know i would love to play on an even field, but im mostly concerned about the kids, the youth that look up to the nfl players. Hall of famer and cofounder of the i play Clean Campaign, dick butkus, dick, thank you so much for calling in from washington. Appreciate it. Appreciate hearing your voice. As president obama and john boehner trade barbs over the fiscal cliff, if there is no deal, it will impact your flight at the airport. Well tell you how. Well hearing that john mcafee, internet pioneer who police want to question in the murder case, is right now heading back to the u. S. Those details coming in next. [ sniffs ] i have a cold. [ sniffs ] i took dayquil but my nose is still runny. [ male announcer ] truth is, dayquil doesnt treat that. Really . [ male announcer ] alkaseltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms, plus it relieves your runny nose. [ breathes deeply ] awesome. [ male announcer ] yes, it is. Thats the cold truth 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. 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. That would hurt all of us. 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. Wooohooo. Hahaahahaha oh. There you go. Wooohooo. Hahaahahaha im gonna stand up to her no youre not. I know. You know ronny folks who save hundreds of dollars switching to geico sure are happy. How happy are they jimmy . Happier than a witch in a broom factory. Get happy. Get geico. Fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. Bottom of the hour, thanks for being with me. Im brooke baldwin. Back to the fiscal cliff. Were less than three weeks now from the 12 punch of tax increases and Government Spending cuts. President obama, House Speaker john boehner held another phone call last night. Here is Speaker Boehner on that. There were some offers that were exchanged back and forth yesterday. And the president and i had a pretty frank conversation about just how far apart we are. As we mentioned just last hour, take a look at the graph, these two sides have moved closer on taxes over the last couple of weeks. Speaker boehner offered up 800 billion in new tax revenues after insisting on none. The president just this week, hes come down a little bit to 1. 4 trillion but still no dice. No deal. Cnns sandra endo is standing by at Reagan National airport, across the potomac from washington. So, sandra, if we hit this fiscal cliff, all the spending cuts kick in, what effect will that have on air travel . Reporter the big unknown is still how it will affect the everyday traveler. And that is certainly something a lot of people here are wanting to figure out. As for the air Traffic Controllers union, they released a statement this afternoon saying that it would be a major blow to the Airline Industry as well as the economy if these cuts are in effect. Now, overall, were talking about a nearly 2. 2 billion projected cut to the department of transportation. Half of that would come from the faa, and the tsa would suffer a 643 million spending cut. So according to the head of the tsa, they do have a plan b. They have a plan in place ready to go if these cuts are in place. Now, he says that the overall front line operations would not be effective, but this would be a major severe budget cut and a lot of travelers here we spoke to, brooke, say they are paying close attention to the negotiations. It does concern me because, yes, i do travel not extensively, but enough on my job. And personally. So, yes, it does have some concern, i dont want to have to drive everywhere i have to go. But, you know, hopefully again we wont see too much of it and increase or inconvenience. Reporter according to Airline Industry experts, the worst case scenario, brooke, would mean that thousands of tsa screeners as well as air Traffic Controllers would be furloughed or get the pink slip as well as some smaller airports may see closures as well. So we could be seeing delays and longer security lines if these budget cuts are in effect. Of course, it will take several weeks to see if they do get put in place. Brooke . Longer lines at the airport, sandra endo, thank you so much for us at Reagan National. Coming up next, ali velshi giving his take on Ben Bernankes announcement a short time ago. Your money next. Because chevys giving more. More efficiency with sonic and cruze. More function in equinox and traverse. More dependability with the legendary silverado. And more style in the allnew malibu. Chevys giving more at the yearend event because tis the season. Chevys giving more. This holiday season, get a 2013 cruze ls for around 149 per month or get 500 Holiday Bonus cash. Stop stop stop come back here humans we are beautifully imperfect creatures living in an imperfect world. Thats why Liberty Mutual insurance has your back with great ideas like our optional better car replacement. If your car is totaled, we give you the money to buy one a model year newer. Call. And ask one of our Insurance Experts about it today. Hello . we believe our customers do their best out there in the world, and we do everything we can to be there for them when they need us. [car alarm blaring] call now and also ask about our 24 7 support and service. Call. And lock in your rate for 12 months today. Liberty mutual insurance. Responsibility. Whats your policy . From the cnn newsroom in new york, im ali velshi. This is your money. Business leaders relent on higher taxes for the rich. Banks, too big to jail. Americas energy boom and prices at the pump. And the Fastest Internet speed out there, all that coming up. But first, your money is getting cheaper every day. Heres why. The Federal Reserve is like a car with no steering wheel, has a gas pedal and brakes. To apply the gas to the economy, the fed lowers Interest Rates making it cheaper for companies and individuals to borrow money that they can then spend or invest, hopefully in ways that stimulate the economy. Four years ago the fed lowered its rates to near zero, that puts the prime rate which is always 3 Percentage Points higher at about 3 . Still, the economy didnt move at a good enough clip, so the fed turned to other options. The latest was what was come to known as qe3 or the third installment of quantitative easing. Thats just a fancy way of saying theyre printing more money to get into the system, a lot more money, rather than just swapping existing money for bonds with major banks. Today, the fed says it will pump even more money into the economy in 2013. The committee took several steps. First, it decided to continue with purchases of agency mortgagebacked securities initiated at the september meeting at a pace of 40 billion per month. Second, the committee decided to purchase longer term treasury securities initially at a pace of 45 billion per month after the Current Program is completed at the end of the year. Do you understand what he said . What effect does the fed dropping all sorts of money in the economy actually do . The most noticeable effect for most people will be felt if youre buying a house or refinancing one. Mortgage rates will continue to be at historically low levels. Generally speaking, the feds actions mean that it is easier and cheaper to borrow money. The aim is that money will be bore rorowed for large investme personal and private and create value for the economy, especially jobs. The fed tied its unusual and aggressive action to the Unemployment Rate by the way, saying it will do what needs to be done until employment is below 6. 5 . The fed does its own projections about the economy and is not as bullish as i am. Cheap and easy money sounds good, but it is what got us into the financial pickle in the first place. Also a practical problem associated with printing lots of money. It has a tendency to devalue the money that is already out there. Thats inflation. When the same amount of the same thing costs more money. Fed says it will keep a close eye on inflation, but says it has it under control for now. Well have to watch closely for that. Okay. Now on to the money menu, the list of opponents to raising taxes on the rich is getting smaller. And Obama Administration official tells cnn that the business round table, a lobby group of ceos and business leaders, pressing washington to avert the fiscal cliff, has dropped its opposition to hiking tax rates on the top 2 of earners. Thats after discussions with the white house. Thats a key demand of the president for any deal. Both democrats and republicans insist that negotiations on a deal are stalled. Except that both sides have traded proposals with each other over the past few days. The british bank hsbc says it is going to spend 700 billion to tighten up procedures on vetting its customers. Thats after agreeing to pay a record 1. 92 billion fine to u. S. Regulators over allegations of Money Laundering from mexican drug cartels among others. Some have said the Justice Department wouldnt go after hsbc with criminal charges, because it might push the bank to collapse and that could collapse the entire Global Financial system. I sat down with lani brewer, the assistant u. S. Attorney general for the criminal division. Skied him if hsbc is a bank that is simply too big to jail. There is no question that if you look at the Guiding Principles that the department of justice looks at, we look at a lot of factors. Of course the main factor is what is the conduct that you engaged in. But surely one factor that we have to consider is the collateral consequences. And im not going to say that was the dispositive factor. But if you do something and you think that by doing it you really risk that there is going to be people will lose jobs, counterparties will be worried. Now if youre wondering what Americas Energy boom will do to the price that you pay at pump, dont expect it to be much lower than where it is today. Analysts predict the price of domestic oil could sink to as low as 50 a barrel in the next two years as a glut of oil comes online. But they say oil prices will still average 90 bucks a barrel over the next two years, around where it is today. That as opec announced today it will not raise the ceiling that it puts on oil exports of 30 million barrs a day and gas prices are still determined by global oil markets. I maintain that mark will see another economic renaissance and in part due to the Domestic Energy boom. Just dont expect prices at the pump to fall anytime soon. If youre sick of slow Internet Connections at home, listen up. Netflix, the on demand home movie provider depends on high speed connections for its customers to watch their movies. Now netflix is starting a new series of monthly ratings of internet providers and the service the services with the fastest connection will edge google fiber rated number one by netflix. The speeds it says are 16 faster than number two verizon fios. Comcast was number three on the list. Here is the problem with google fiber. Right now it is only available in kansas city, kansas. Too bad, virtually nobody lives there. Folks across the city in kansas city, missouri are out of luck for now. From the cnn money newsroom in new york, im ali velshi. Im out. Same time tomorrow. Aids affects us all. Even babies. Chevron is working to stop mothertochild transmission. Our employees and their families are part of the fight. And were winning. At chevron nigeria, we havent had a reported case in 12 years. Aids is strong. Aids is strong. But we are stronger. And aids. Aids is going to lose. Aids is going to lose. How theyll live tomorrow. For more than 116 years, Ameriprise Financial has worked for their clients futures. Helping millions of americans retire on their terms. When they want. Where they want. Doing what they want. Ameriprise. The strength of a leader in retirement planning. The heart of 10,000 advisors working with you onetoone. Together for your future. Aunt sallys singing again. Its a tradition, honey. [ singing Christmas Carols ] mmmm. [ female announcer ] make new traditions with pillsbury grands cinnamon rolls. Welcome to chevys yearend event. So, the 5. 3liter v8 silverado can tow up to 9,600 pounds . 315 horsepower. Whats that in reindeerpower . [ laughs ] [ pencil scratches ] [ male announcer ] chevys giving more. Get the best offer of the year 0 apr financing for 60 months plus 1,000 Holiday Bonus cash. Plus trade up for an additional 1,000 tradein allowance. Hurry. Bonus cash ends january 2nd. Hurry in and try five succulent entrees, like our tender snow crab paired with savory garlic shrimp. Just 12. 99. Come into red lobster and sea food differently. And introducing 7 lunch choices for just 7. 99. Salads, sandwiches, and more. This just in to us here at cnn. Internet pioneer john mcafee is reportedly ready to fly to miami. His Attorney Says mcafee went to Guatemala City airport to catch the flight. Authorities in belize, they want to talk to him still. They want to question mcafee about the murder of his neighbor in belize. American businessman greg faull. Mcafee said he had nothing to do with the neighbors killing and fled belize to escape police persecution. A tv meteorologist says she was fired from her shreveport, louisiana, tv station after she responded to this facebook comment, critical of her short hair. The critic said she looked like here she is, beautiful young woman, critic said she looked like a cancer patient. Rhonda lee responded by saying shes comfortable with the skin and hair that god gave her, and she was fired for responding back. I pled for my job again, just this past friday and asked to see the policy. And was told that there isnt anything written down. So if i was in violation of something, i would also assume it would be in my employee file. Theres nothing there. But station management said they had sent out an all staff email, this is it here, here is pieces of it, highlighted for you, stating that, quote, the only proper response to Facebook Comments is to pass on the Contact Details to a supervisor. Criminal defense attorney drew finling joins me. Welcome. She says she didnt know about this policy, the handbook policy she was talking about. If you respond, in her case by responding via facebook, is that grounds for termination . Well, dont think it is. I think this is yet another example of how the law, whether it be employment, criminal, civil, contracts, domestic, has not wasnt in the handbook and she is going to be told she needed to react to a memo that came her way. An email. Some email that came from somebody, from the marketing division. And clearly she disregarded it and dealt with an issue of and when all is said and done racism. This wasnt a comment on maybe some position she took about whether being misleading. This was a racist facebook message. And ill tell you, if im this station and im their lawyers. About looking like a cancer patient. Well, it was beyond her looking like a cancer patient. It was aimed at an africanamerican woman and it was clearly racist against her. So if and when she decides to sue that was her talking to soledad this morning. If and when she decides to sue, do you think shell have a strong case . Yes. The lawyers are going to come to her right now. They are going to try to find a way to bring this into federal court. They are not just getting people from shreveport but from northern louisiana to try to get them to hear this case and youre going to get some people on there that are going to say, really . You terminated her because she responded to a racist statement . And some folks on that jury are not going to be happy about that. So many people are getting in trouble for what they are tweeting and instagraming and posting on facebook. Thank you. Appreciate it. School lunches are in for a makeover. Parents, heads up. Why . Because the Obama Administration just pulled an aboutface after students made this viral video on youtube. Apparently the white house was listening. Wait until you hear this. Thats twenty bucks less than toys r us. Wow thats a big difference. Would your daughters like it . Theyd love it see for yourself if you could save on the brands you want. Walmart. Anyone have occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating . Yeah. One Phillips Colon Health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these digestive issues with three strains of good bacteria. Approved [ female announcer ] live the regular life. Phillips. I get congested. But now, with zyrtecd®, i have the proven allergy relief of zyrtec®, plus a powerful decongestant. Zyrtecd® lets me breath freer, so i can love the air. [ male announcer ] zyrtecd®. Behind the pharmacy counter. No prescription needed. Your kids School Lunches will be getting a makeover. There rn kids in kansas who were frustrated of the lunches saying they were too skimpy. They uploaded a video on youtube and apparently the white house was listening. I want to bring in Elizabeth Cohen to talk about this rule reversal and you have props. Under these rules that started in august. Okay. What was forbidden. Because its Pretty Amazing what was forbidden. Like what . You couldnt serve this. And this is why. The chicken has protein, the Peanut Butter has protein. So the big reversal says, yeah, go ahead. Give the kids Peanut Butter. Its okay. So they are thrilled, as you can imagine. You also couldnt serve this and the reason is too much carbs . Exactly. The garlic bread plus the spaghetti was too much carbs. They are giving the garlic bread back to the kids. Kids getting garlic bread, will this help fight obesity or not . You still have to limit the calories. The calorie limits, how many calories in a meal are still the same and you still have to do fruit and vegetables and lots of whole grains. Are the we are hungry youtube kids happy with the changes . Ive been talking with the teachers and they say yes. It was that they were missing the favorite foods. They wanted to know, where is the garlic bread . Where is the Peanut Butter . Now those foods are back. Elizabeth cohen, thank you. Thanks. [ male announcer ] everyone deserves the gift of all day pain relief. This season, discover aleve. All day pain relief with just two pills. 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