attack in the strongest possible terms. >> cnn foreign affairs correspondent jill dougherty is at the state department. we heard some strong words. any action to follow? >> reporter: no action because really what they have to do is get the syrian government to protect these diplomats. it is not just the u.s., candy. it is the french have gone through some similar things. but so far these incidents seem to be escalating. listen to what secretary clinton said specifically about protecting those diplomats. >> this attempt to intimidate our diplomats through violence is wholly unjustified. we immediately raised this incident with the syrian government and we are demanding that they take every possible step to protect our diplomats according to their obligations under international law. >> reporter: so that is the u.s. position, candy is that this is basically ginned up by the syrian government, having people coming out to attack or do something to the u.s. ambassador and others. now, the syrian government says that these are just people who are motivated by this interference, as they would put it, by the u.s. government into the syrian affairs. so where it goes is not clear because the ambassador is making it very clear himself that he was going to go where he wants to go, with or without permission by the syrian government. >> jill dougherty at the state department, thanks very much. in bahrain today, 20 doctors were sentenced to prison terms ranging from five to 15 years. their crime, treating people injured by security forces during this year's crackdown on peaceful anti-government protests. during a visit to libya today, senator john mccain said he would like to see moammar gadhafi captured alive and put on trial. mccain says the libyan people have turned cynics into supporters and inspired the world. >> i believe very strongly that the people of libya today are inspiring the people in tehran, in damascus, and even in beijing and moscow. >> libya's transitional leaders are trying to get the country running again, but as cnn's phil black shows us, tripoli neither looks nor sounds normal. >> reporter: it is one of the most common and iconic images of libya's revolution. smiling, trigger happy fighters firing into the air. any chance they get. libya's capital still echoes with bullets of joy. and no matter how often you hear it, you never quite get used to it. this is now tripoli at night. families, children, everywhere, celebrating this country's new freedom. as well as guns and gunfire. this country has a gun culture that will be difficult to break. this man isn't looking very comfortable. he was standing in the street when a falling bullet penetrated his shoulder. he's lucky it's not serious. it didn't hit bone. his doctor says he's been treating injuries like this and worse every day since anti-gadhafi forces entered tripoli. in the new libya, happiness is encouraged. expressing it with a gun isn't. but not everyone is listening. >> i talk to them, please stop that. you're killing people. >> reporter: phil black, cnn, tripoli. >> in italy today, the defense wrapped up its arguments about why a u.s. student's murder conviction should be overturned. cnn's paula newton is covering the trial for us. paula, what was the crux of the defense attorney's final argument? >> reporter: two points really. one is that there is a lack of evidence. and for this they turned to dna evidence that they say was botched by an amateur police investigation. they also say that that evidence was what the prosecution used to really whip up a fantasy about why amanda knox would have murdered meredith kercher. they say at the end of the day they still could not come up for a reason of why amanda knox would ever want to murder meredith kercher. candy? >> what's next, paula? >> reporter: you know this is going to be very interesting. today was a very emotional day. the defense using a lot of passion, passion i haven't seen in this courtroom before, candy. i'm sure the knox family was hoping this was the defense team they got during the original trial. having said that, amanda knox herself on monday can actually speak to the jury for about 15 minutes, can be an impassioned plea. she will deliver it in italian. she has to get over the hurdle that she herself has admitted, she looks at people and says why won't they believe me? i had nothing to do with this murder. she needs to come up with a new way to pronounce her innocence and make sure they believe her. >> incredible pressure on that young woman, paula. thanks so much tonight. here in the united states, the involuntary manslaughter trial of dr. conrad murray, michael jackson's doctor, also is attracting international attention. today, jurors heard more about the screams and chaos just after jackson was discovered unresponsive and according to the defense, already dead. cnn's ted rowlands is in los angeles for us tonight. ted, why did the prosecutors call jackson's chef to the stand? >> reporter: well, for two reasons, candy. one to provide more of the color, the specifics of what was happening, the chaos that was happening inside that house. one of the things she did say is she held the children while they were screaming during that time. but the the significant reason that the prosecution wanted her, more than the other employees, she's the only one that really has a sense of time. she said because she had to prepare a meal at a specific time, she knew exactly what time it was. she was used by the prosecution as part of their overall argument of a timeline to really time stamp the exact time when murray first signaled trouble in the house. now, before she took the stand, we heard from alberto alvarez, the director of logistics for conrad murray. he was the first person to see michael jackson unresponsive in jackson's room besides murray. he provided gripping testimony including what he claimed was a scenario where he says murray asked him to help put some vials of propofol in a bag before he called 911. >> i didn't question his authority at the time. i knew it was a medical emergency, so i proceeded to follow mr. conrad murray's instructions. >> okay. what did you think you were -- they were being -- what did you think the items were being packed up for, if anything? >> i thought we were packing to get ready to go to the hospital. >> reporter: throughout this proceeding with alvarez, the prosecution used alvarez to really establish all of the details of what went on in the house because he was that first person and really seemed to hit with that jury. they were riveted throughout the proceedings today, candy. >> that's part of what i wanted to ask you, ted. how are the jurors reacting or can you tell and how about jackson's family? >> reporter: well, absolutely. you mentioned the jackson family, they're leaving court right now. there is janet jackson walking without randy jackson as the fans cheer, justice for michael. the family has been riveted throughout this. there is joe jackson walking out as well. and so has the jury, which is fascinating because a lot of times in cases like this, jurors can drift from side to side and sometimes up and down, nodding off, not the case so far, at least. they have been riveted. >> as have we. ted rowlands thanks so much in los angeles tonight. we appreciate it. using a parliamentary maneuver that takes much longer to explain than it does to watch, the house of representatives today kept the government from shutting down by agreeing to the compromise worked out in the senate. >> without objection, the senate amendments conoccurred and motion to reconsider is laid on the table. >> there you go. crisis averted. in presidential politics, republican newt gingrich today unveiled a new 2 161st century contract with america. the first one was ten items and fit on two pages, the new contract is 23 pages and isn't done yet. >> the scale of change i am suggesting is so enormous that i couldn't possibly as a single leader show you everything i'm going to do. >> 391,000 americans filed for new unemployment benefits last week. but that's the lowest number in nearly six months and maybe signals a slight improvement in the job market. speaking on a south florida radio station, vice president biden admitted the obvious, while the economy is hurting his ticket in the polls, they will soon have someone to run against. >> right now understandably, totally legitimate this is a referendum on obama and biden, the nature of the state of the economy. it soon is going to be a choice. it is soon going to be a choice. >> bank of america says beginning next year, it will charge customers $5 a month to use their debit cards. that's in response to a new government rule that caps how much banks can charge merchants on debit card transactions, so now the customers will have to pay. next, more on today's top story. mob violence directed at the top u.s. diplomat in syria. every time a local business opens its doors or creates another laptop bag or hires another employee, it's not just good for business. it's good for the entire community. at bank of america, we know the impact that local businesses have on communities. that's why we extended $7.8 billion to small businesses across the country so far this year. because the more we help them, the more we help make opportunity possible. her morning begins with arthritis pain. that's a coffee and two pills. the afternoon tour begins with more pain and more pills. the evening guests arrive. back to sore knees. back to more pills. the day is done but hang on... her doctor recommended aleve. just 2 pills can keep arthritis pain away all day with fewer pills than tylenol. this is lara who chose 2 aleve and fewer pills for a day free of pain. and get the all day pain relief of aleve in liquid gels. the u.s. ambassador to syria is safe tonight after being attacked by a pro government mob in damascus. rahida derga works for the london based up in elle hayat and p.j. crowley is a state department spokesman. this is an ambassador unlike any i have seen, this is outside the box, is it not? >> for the last three months in particular, he's had extraordinary diplomacy on behalf of the united states. it is one thing for the president and the secretary to be here in washington and say that we identify with the aspirations of the syrian people. it is robert ford that brings that policy and those words to life. he's been to hamaa to visit with syrian people and express the united states concern about their welfare, he's challenged the assad regime, using social media, including twitter, and obviously today he's engaging in an important discussion with syrian opposition about the syria of the future that does not include bashar al assad. >> do you have any fears about this strategy of having the u.s. ambassador over there, so clearly on the side of the opposition to the government? >> yes, of course there is always fear of -- god willing it would never happen. but an attack like this could be harmful and could cause us to worry quite a bit as to what would happen to the ambassador. but as p.j. said, this is an extraordinary ambassador. i was not really for appointing an ambassador to syria when he was appointed. but he had proven to be an exceptional man, doing an exceptional job, and that is why the syrians are trying to push him out. they were hoping that he will be pulled out, you know, by either by nonconfirmation or by the united states deciding that we cannot take this humiliation, but there is also now talk about them trying to expel, maybe, wanting to expel the ambassador because they can't have his watchful eyes exposing what they're doing right there from damascus and other cities. >> p.j., let me ask you, just briefly for our audience, the ambassador was a recess appointment by the president because he could not be confirmed by the senate because there were republicans who didn't want to send an ambassador to syria for precisely the reason we just heard, her initial objections, we shouldn't send anyone there. having said that, he needs to come back at some point before christmas anyway. let me ask you about the danger zone here for him. does there come a point when we need to be worried about this? it seems to me this is a pretty dangerous assignment for him. >> right. this is an unparalleled situation. we have an ambassador in the middle of what is a conflict zone and he's standing between the government and its intimidation and attacks daily on its people. >> what is in it for the syrian government to go after the -- not just the u.s. ambassador's jill dougherty reported earlier but the french ambassador. what are they trying to do. >> they're feeling pressure. they have enormous sanctions by the united states, the europeans and others are putting pressure on china and russia to join this as well. they're feeling the pressure. robert ford is getting under their skin. and clearly they don't quite know what do. there are also things happening here. the syrian embassy here has been accused by the state department of collecting information on a family members in the united states of syrians. and then intimidating those family members back home. so there is this dynamic here. i do expect at some point in time the syrians are going to pull the plug on this and what we call png, you know, expel the ambassador. but that also has geopolitical ramifications for syria. so this is a very difficult dance that we're in. >> go ahead. >> that panicking, you see, they are really feeling the heat now because i think they understand that the united states, this administration is now quite serious in opposing the continued killing that is going on in damascus and they had thought in the past, that, you know, we'll fix it. the u.s. will change their mind, they will come around and everything will be fine. we have been there before, done that. and now they're realizing that's not going to happen. they're upping the ante. in the meantime, in the united nations, in the next few days, you will see a confrontation with russia and china if they don't come along on this resolution they're working. it will not have immediate sanctions but it will condemn the syrians and if the russians insist on equating the opposition with the authorities, the authorities in terms of this possibility of violence, i think there will be no meeting on this draft resolution. but even the russians have to come around because the situation is terrible and i think damascus understands and fears that very much so. >> and do we see any signs that russia will come around? that pressure is really needed at this point. >> well, i mean, they have a traditional -- china and russia, but what they see is interference by the international community and the internal affairs of any government, including their own. eventually i think she's right, they're going to have to do something because they can't ignore t even the iranians, great protector of the assad regime, they're feeling the heat and they have said the assad regime has gone too far and needs to pull back. eventually this will come around at some point, but it could take a while. >> have they gone so far that they really can't come back? it is now the only option is out and when do you see this coming to some kind of head here for the government? >> all right. well, the syrian family, if you will, the syrian regime represented in the assad family, it seems that they are just digging in their heels, they're not interested in any equation or they would be out. they did not even get the lesson from what happened with gadhafi in libya. they feel that they can survive this and they feel somehow the world will change their mind, they will change the subject one way or another, iran still continues to support them, russia and china still continue to encourage them in effect by not having them, you know, scrutinized as supposed to be and then you have countries like brazil, which is changing its mind, india, south africa, that have given them the idea that yes, they can be protected if they go on with killing people as they are and oppression they are exercising against the demonstrators. i think in the final analysis, syria is the linchpin for what will happen in the region. they now understand the new order, if you will, in the middle east, is being drawn and they understand that it is going to get them, they're not going to be there for too long. maybe not tomorrow, as ambassador ford himself suggested, but maybe not in a week, but certainly possibly in six months and certainly definitely most possibly in one year. the united states has got to stay the course. that is important. and the idea we give them we're changing our mind and we're hesitating or going wobbly will encourage them to really escalate against the u.s. and their own people. >> what will be decisive here is the state of the security services. you're seeing an increasing drumbeat of defections if the assad regime loses their military. then the game is over. >> so we're closing in on it. i want to thank you both so much tonight. appreciate it. next, the man who called 911 tells a jury about the screams and chaos when michael jackson's children walked into the room where their father lay dying or already dead. 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>> doctor, did you see what happened? >> i'm just asking questions before the paramedic are there. >> thank you. he's not responding to anything. >> okay, okay. we're on our way. >> marcia, it seems to me that a very good job has been done so far at creating a very sympathetic situation for michael jackson, who wasn't always the most sympathetic of figures, the urgency in this man's voice when he's saying, please, sir, you know, we're working on it, but you need to send someone. is that part of what the prosecution is doing? >> well, the prosecution in general, candy, always wants to show that the victim is a human being, flesh them out, make them 3-d and sympathetic as much as possible because the one thing a prosecutor does not have in a homicide case is your victim sitting next to you in court. and it is too easy for the jury to forget they're a human being. that's always important to personalize and humanize your victim. in addition, in this particular case, no effort needs to be made. the situation was what it was, he died and a tragic thing that he died in this way. so the people who are testifying to what they saw in his last moments on earth naturally have a very compelling and heart breaking story to give. and that, of course, does help to personalize the victim. >> totally does. just the thought of these children screaming and seeing their father on the bed, sort of setting the scene, it seems to me they have done a great job. let me ask you, marcia. we found out today it doesn't appear that dr. murray knew proper cpr techniques. is that a case for being -- if that is so, that proves out, if the jury believes it, it is incompetence, is it criminal in and of itself? >> it may or may not be criminal that he didn't know cpr. but you know what, it adds to the entire picture of incompetence, of negligence, if you will. and this time, in this case, you have so many different aspects of negligent behavior on his part. this is what makes a prosecution's case in my opinion so strong. circumstantially speaking, you have him behaving -- you have him, first of all, you have michael jackson on propofol, a drug that should not be administered in someone's bedroom without the appropriate equipment, but they probably could have afforded to bring it in, no oximeter, not the proper monitor and he leaves the room, which is ridiculous. you have him giving michael jackson propofol in the degree and amounts you're giving it, but on top of that, you have all of these other circumstances. you have the cpr, where he's asking someone, does anyone here know how to give cpr? this is the first time i've given mouth to mouth. are you kidding? i've given mouth to mouth. terrible, he's left michael jackson on the bed when everyone knows or at least the doctor should know that someone has to be on the hard surface to administer cpr effectively. and then, of course, you have consciousness of guilt where he's gathering evidence before he's calling 911. these are incredible wealth of circumstances to show negligent behavior in general. >> jim, i think marcia makes it sort of -- this case that it seems to me they're moving forward at a really quick pace at this point. and it seems as though the case so far has been pretty powerful. i know we haven't heard from the defense. but this -- the whole couple of days is kind of blown me away at how powerful it has been. do you get the same sense? >> i absolutely do. you to remember this is still the prosecution's case. you would expect that it would be powerful evidence for them, rather than the defense. so you don't want to really keep score on a day by day basis, but you're right, we saw that photograph of michael jackson lying motionless on the bed, probably dead. you heard the audio of michael jackson sounding incoherent. you heard testimony of his children, his daughter on the floor in a ball crying. you hear today, daddy, daddy, you can see paris painted in the picture through the testimony in shock, wondering if his dad is going to be okay. and as marcia says very accurately, not only does this doctor perhaps not know cpr, but let's face it, he's giving anesthesia and he's not an anesthesiologist. he's a cardiologist. you all have all of these quest. why did dr. murray do certain things and why didn't he do other things? it is creating a very persuasive argument that this man's behavior rose to the level of criminal behavior. >> last question to marcia, before i leave you, i want to ask you, if you're the defense lawyer, are you looking at this and recalibrating your defense, which appears to be actually michael jackson did it to himself? >> well, i mean, the defense made is very clear -- >> is this for me. >> -- that they're blaming michael jackson. >> marcia, let me get your -- if you're the defense attorney, marcia now, what is your best bet going forward? >> well, they need to attack as they seem to be trying to do, every aspect of what seems to be negligent behavior on his part and try to take the case apart. when you have a circumstantial case, it is the evidence in the aggregate, you put it all together, that is so damming. when you attack it separately, it is a lot less compelling. that's what they need to do. in addition, in saying that it is michael's fault, that seems to be their attitude, the attack they're taking, he administered the lethal dose what they need to do is try to isolate that very last dose of propofol as the cause of death. and thereby kind of distance conrad murray's behavior and say he may not have been the most perfect doctor, but what he did was not most substantial cause, the substantial cause is what michael did. that's the tack they need to take. >> marcia clark and jim moret, two of my favorite legal analysts, thank you so much. still ahead, the presidential candidates just added an early december debate to their schedule and it will be right here on cnn. we'll tell you more in a minute. 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[ sniffles ] not sure what to take? now click on the robitussin relief finder at robitussin.com. click on your symptoms... ...get the right relief. ♪ makes the cold aisle easy. the robitussin® relief finder. relief made simple. and introducing nasal relief pills. now for the very first time from robitussin. welcome back. here is the latest news you need to know right now. this afternoon, arizona's republican party and cnn announced that we're co-response airing republican presidential candidates debate december 1st. jan brewer said she expects illegal immigration, the housing crisis and ongoing power struggle between the states and federal government to -- will be high on the agenda. a couple of governors who some republicans would like to join the presidential race are together today. new jersey's chris christie, and louisiana's bobby jindal are getting together in baton rouge. a study published in preventive medicine suggests risky teen behaveiers like smoking, drinking and sex may be reduced if young people simply get more sleep. the study reveals more than two-thirds of u.s. teens get less than eight hours of sleep on school nights. and china took another step toward building its own space station with today's launch of an unmanned spacelab nicknamed heavenly palace. anderson cooper 360 is coming up at the top of the hour. so, anderson, i think if teens got more sleep, they would have less sex. what kind of study is that? but there you go. really. >> yeah. there you go. >> there is your intro. what have you got? >> wow. well, candy, we're keeping them honest tonight on 360 at 8:00 p.m. eastern. we're looking at a publishing powerhouse with an online portfolio that includes a website that allows users to post and comment on sexually suggestive pictures of teenagers. the website, visitors to the open forum can create subcategories and topics of interest, one which of is called jail bait, an online community for people with a common interest in teenage girls in suggestive poses. we spoke with the general manager and he told us, quote, we're a free speech site, the cost of that is that there is stuff that is offensive on it. it also publishes quality magazines. tonight, we're keeping them honest. day three of the manslaughter trial of dr. conrad murray. testimony for the man who dialed 911 and how he describes murray cleaning up empty drug vials before asking him to call for help. and jackson's oldest children walked in on the scene, including daughter paris' first glimpse of her father while he was dying. a live report from los angeles. we'll talk to mark geragos. those stories and the roidiculos at the top of the hour. there is a lot happening on the presidential campaign trail. is joe biden getting a little too honest about the 2012 race? . that's a coffee and two pills. the afternoon tour begins with more pain and more pills. the evening guests arrive. back to sore knees. back to more pills. the day is done but hang on... her doctor recommended aleve. just 2 pills can keep arthritis pain away all day with fewer pills than tylenol. this is lara who chose 2 aleve and fewer pills for a day free of pain. and get the all day pain relief of aleve in liquid gels. every time a local business opens its doors or creates another laptop bag or hires another employee, it's not just good for business. it's good for the entire community. at bank of america, we know the impact that local businesses have on communities. that's why we extended $7.8 billion to small businesses across the country so far this year. because the more we help them, the more we help make opportunity possible. vice president biden has a reputation for sometimes saying a little too much. you can make a case it just happened again when he told a florida radio station that 2012 election will boil down to this. >> right now, understandably, totally legitimate, this is a referendum on obama and biden, the nature of the state of the economy. it soon is going to be a choice. it is soon going to be a choice. >> with us tonight, democratic pollster cornell belcher who worked for the 2008 po baobama campaign, and susan molinari. we get what joe biden is saying here. he's saying, yes, i know we're doing badly in the polls because everyone is focused on the economy. as soon as we can get a republican candidate, we can make it about that republican candidate. in the end, let me start with you, cornell, is it possible for a president who has served one term, to not have his re-election bid be about him and his performance. >> right now everyone associating with washington is doing badly in the poll compared to sort of the congress, the president, not doing half bad in the polls in some of the battleground states, he's running ahead of the republican or even with the republican. i think there has been a lot of piling on about how bad the president is doing in polling and all of washington is doing bad in the polling. i'm from the south. the truth don't care who tell it just wants to be told. they don't blame the president for getting this mess, they still blame the previous administration for it, but he has inherited it and they look to him to fix it. this is why they're so frustrated with washington. they don't see both sides working together to move it ahead. >> do you think that he can -- that the president and joe biden and those out being surrogates for them can successfully make this an election about whoever his opponent is, because as badly as republicans are doing on capitol hill, the president is not going to run against capitol hill. >> that's right. look, ultimately is will be a choice. elections are compared to what propositions. but what they clearly don't want, biden using the word referendum is not nearly as bad as axelrod using the metaphor of the titanic the other day. but they run in to these head winds where the economy is going to be major factor. everybody knows that. their hope now is that they don't have to run against generic republicans, but against a specific republican and all the folks in this field are particularly weak when stacked up head to head. >> susan, let me play you something else the vice president said in this interview and get your reaction to it. >> what is relevant is we're in charge. and right now we are the ones in charge and it has gotten better, but it hasn't gotten good enough and in states like florida, it is even more stagnant because of the real estate market. and so i don't blame them for being mad. we're in charge. >> i'm thinking romney or perry might want to use that in an ad. >> so there, cornell. i feel like i have to have the vice president debate cornell for me. that's right. vice president biden, whether we -- you like him or hate him and i really have great affection for the vice president, he is oftentimes unscripted, but he isn't saying what the president hasn't said in the past, and i had it pulled down a quote in july where he said the race probably means i'm going to win or lose depending on the population's assessment of my stewardship. jay carney, the presidential spokesperson said the same thing. it is true that elections rise and fall, you run against the incumbent. and if you have someone who is doing okay, and has a background in creating jobs, that person will have the upper hand if the economy stays as stagnant as it is today and as many people are prog fast canosticating toward the election. >> i don't think any of us will say the economy is not front and center. in the end, if you tell me four weeks out from the election, whether it be mitt romney or perry or herman cain is your nominee, or barack obama, which of those two candidates that they trust more, to move the economy forward, as opposed to moving the economy backwards, i'll tell you who will be president of the united states. >> i want to come back here. >> you're next, john. >> i want to see if that really comes true. >> john, in some ways, you know, when you look at it, the -- i think the president's only strategy has to be pretty much, what cornell said, which is, okay, the economy is not as good as we thought it would be, not as good as you would like it to be, but this guy is crazy. right? >> well, i think they'll make a nuanced argument about unified control. do you want to give republicans unified control of washington? do you really trust them to run everything given the influence the tea party especially on the house. and that will be the other saving grace will be the president's persistent approval ratings even while job approval rating is very low. those are pretty slim reads to hang your hopes on. if you're dealing with 9.1% unemployment or something of that variety, but there is a reservoir of goodwill for the president and fears of the republican unified control of washington. >> i think one thing -- i think were the election to be held today, you'll find that enthusiasm gap again that played to the president last time, played to the republicans during the last election and right now, if it were held today, the enthusiasm gap goes to the republicans. >> the good news is it is 13 months from now. >> depending who the candidate is and if you can make him -- >> i think herman cain will be a good candidate for you. >> let me ask you about something that happened today. jon huntsman, who set up his campaign headquarters in florida says, well, now i'm going to move it and i'm going to move it up to new hampshire. it is a little thing. but what does it tell you about the huntsman campaign? >> it is not good. not good. look, he's a lovely man and very smart and very able and he's very capable, but obviously he has not had that sort of charisma that came across. he's too moderate for the republican party, has played on these stages. and he just has not caught fire and so, you know, you can move your headquarters from here to there but i don't think it will change the outcome. >> huntsman is coming up in the polls in new hampshire. you got to have a strategy. you have to say, here is where i make my stand. let's just push this out a little forward and say let's say huntsman does win new hampshire, does that put him in the game or is it just becoming too expensive a game at that point? >> it very much puts him in the game because i think if romney doesn't win new hampshire, i think that becomes devastating for his campaign. even if he's trying to build a national campaign. look, susan and i can speak to the fact that florida strategies can be risky. i think the fact that huntsman is rising in new hampshire, i think that's the right place for him to put his money. right place to remove his headquarters. by putting it in the i-4 corridor, that's looking farther out. i think it says more about the current republican party than about >> i agree with you. jon and i really wear the scars from the giuliani campaign. >> that worked out well. cornell, susan and john, stay with us. up next, screams and gunfire at the u.s. capitol today? well, no. it was a string of tweets from a popular fake news web site and it sparked an interesting conversation among our staff. we'll ask this group, next. and economic growth. north america actually has one of the largest oil reserves in the world. a large part of that is oil sands. this resource has the ability to create hundreds of thousands of jobs. at our kearl project in canada, we'll be able to produce these oil sands with the same emissions as many other oils and that's a huge breakthrough. that's good for our country's energy security and our economy. twitter followers of the unon, a satirical web site received this false message at 10:33 this morning. breaking witnesses reporting screams and guns fire heard inside capitol building. messages didn't stop there. about ten minutes later, an update. breaking capitol building being evacuated 12 children held hostage by group of armed congressmen. hours later a video showing kids as hostages on capitol hill. >> nobody move or you're going to die. >> i want my mommy. >> boehner, this kid has a phone. >> all of which prompted questions over whether the onion's twitter account was hacked. they say it wasn't. a statement from the capitol hill police came reassuring the public that everything was same, none of that happened. is this all in good fun or did the onion go too far? we had quite the discussion because i'm a first amendment girl, freedom of the press, freedom of speech. that's in fact what the onion is saying. what's your response? >> obviously the onion has a right to do something like that, but i think sometimes we have an obligation to rise above what we think is just our right and maybe they had an obligation to first of all not scare people who live in the town who are frequently afraid of the violence that could take place in the united states capitol, whether it was the gunmen that came in and shot a police officer several years ago outside of tom delay's office or we know it is a frequent target of terrorism. when it turns out to be a joke with john boehner holding little kids hostage, i don't know that the people at the -- that one picture where you see john holding a gun to a kid's head, as a mother of a child there's nothing that i can say -- >> we're showing our viewers that picture. clearly it's photo shopped. john, let me ask you -- first, let me tell you the onion's editor gave this show jkusa a statement that said, if there's a lesson that can be learned is that the first amendment in the wrong journalist's hands is a very dieng russ thing. we will continue to report on this incident as well as the hundreds of more despicable acts congress commits every day. so they are dwendzing their right to do this. and me, too. i defend their right to do this. but what happens is, tweets get retweeted and there are people who don't know what the onion is and it's a satirical -- because you and i would look at it and go, okay, this isn't right. >> right. >> because it's the onion. but nonetheless there is a danger here t. reminded me a little bit of the whole thing about "war offed worlds" the invasion of aliens and people began to believe it. is this a self-restraint thing and did they go too far? >> i'm a big fan of the onion, but i do think this went too far. joking about hostages being taken in the capitol and gunfire is a little like making a joke about a bomb an a tsa line. this is like the grainy video that seemed to indicate a child was being shot by a member of congress, maybe john boehner. i think folks would find it less funny it was democrats doing that or even perhaps the president. i think there's degrees of sensitivity. of course it's covered by first amendment but i think it went over the line. again, i love the onion but this went over the line. >> cornell, when you know it's a joke, there's a part of that does make you laugh. here's the point. >> like we chuckled. >> that congress is holding things hostage. that was the whole point of the satire and everything. but did it make you a little queasy? >> yes and no. we can't be protected from everything and do they have the right to do it? absolutely. i think in the end what's going to happen is we've just helped the onion sort of big-time by broadcasting this. as a matter of fact i've never been to the onion before, but guess where i'm going after the show? >> absolutely. >> they've done probably what they want to do because we're talking about it on television. >> and we also discussed that. i said, you know what we're going to do. we're going to go on, discuss it, they get more people following them on twitter. so you're kind of stuck here because we think it's a legitimate story but nonetheless it's great promotion for the onion and in the end, john, let me ask you this. what real harm was done in the end? >> probably not a lot of quantifiable harm. obviously the secret service and capitol hill police took it seriously, that's their job. if the joke was in the first tweet, all of this stuff would be cut in half in terms of it would be obvious p up front this was a joke. china once reported a story from the onion as fact itself. sometimes things get lost. >> i think john had a great statement that he said there are places that are irony-free zones, based on history. that's very well put. >> in the end, i think the capitol police probably found it not all that funny because, again, they had to put out a statement cornell and say, we're getting calls about a hostage attack on capitol hill. so you are involving -- >> i think a group that has no sense of humor it's probably the capitol police. >> certainly about children being held hostage inside the capitol. >> right. but in the end, you know, again we're talking about the onion. we spent the last three or four minutes talking about the onion and people are going to the onion right now. so they probably won from this little stunt they pulled. >> all in all, john, you agree with that? >> yeah. look, on balance, more people should read the onion. >> we expect -- >> you're not helping, john. >> we expect to get a personal thank you note from the onion by tomorrow on my desk. susan, john, cornell, thank you for joining us. that's all from us tonight. remember starting monday, jk usa moves up to
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