Transcripts For CURRENT Full Court Press 20121212

All of the news of the day. I and introduce you to some of the important newsmakers of the day and most importantly, give you a chance to sound off and tell us what the issues mean to you by giving us a call at 86655press. Our interactive townhall here on current tv. I have to tell you, whether you are a union member or not, if you are a working class american, a middle class american, the republican war has declared war on you. It started in wisconsin. Is spread to ohio. It has hopped up to michigan they are out to destroy working families families, and we intend to fight back. We will get into that and you bet. A lot more. Lets get the latest. Current news update from Lisa Ferguson out in los angeles. Hi, lisa. Good morning to you. Hey, bill. Good morning to you. Good morning everyone. President obama is begin talking his fiscal cliff plans today. He will be on a Conference Call from the white house with a Bipartisan Group of mayors and Community Leaders. The group will focus on how to prevent taxes from going up from middle class americans along with finding ways to grow the economy and reduce the deficit. Turning to syria this morning, president obama is now stepping up pressure on bashar asaad with his official recognition of syrias opposition group. Here with an interview with Barbara Walters. We have made a decision that the Syrian Opposition coalition is 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 outside regime. Again, thats come from an exclusive interview yesterday with abcs barn with a walters. U. S. Security officials are monitoring syria in case asad will use chemical weapons against his own people. Other World Leaders are expected to recognize the opposition. They say they will not arm the rebel fighters, but we should learn more today about how they plan on supporting those opposition groups. More bill press coming up live after the break. Stay with us. Museum youre about to watch an ad message created by a current tv viewer for capella university. Matter. Education is the key. It is the vehicle. Its the way in which we evolve. [ music ] every journey is different every possibility is unique. But the beginning, the beginning is my craft. Im an ordinary person striving to achieve extraordinary things. It started with a dream and im on my way there. [ theme ] [ music ] broadcasting across the nation, on your radio and on current tv this is the bill press show. Bill bill rick snyder from michigan has declared war on working families, and working families have to fight back. What do you say . Good morning everybody. Its a wednesday morning december 12th. So good to see you today. Welcome, welcome to the fullcourt press. Coming to you life across this great land of ours from our studio on capitol hill in washington. D. C. Great to see you today. We are also live on our your local progressive talk Radio Station and, of course on sirius xm this hour only in addition to current tv. We have a lot to talk about today. Yes, in michigan, it is war. Governor snyder sign that right to work legislation here in wablth wablth. Accusations back and forthshington, d. C. Accusations back and forth that no progress is being made on avoiding the fiscal cliff, and yet there are rumors behind the scenes, both sides are getting closer to an agreement, especially an agreement on higher taxes for those who have done the very very well in this economy, those at the highest income level and overseas the United States welcoming and recognizing the Syrian Opposition as a legitimate option force, very very significant movement. So lots of a lot happening on a lot of front today, a lot you are going to want to talk about. Give us a call at 86655 lives press. Its kind of the old fashion way. Get your voice on television and radio across the land. Talk to us on twitter bp show and backtrack billpress. There is a parallel universe to what we are talking about on the air, our big chat room. Go to current. Com. Click on the chat room, and you are in with all of your fellow fullcourt pressers across the land. What do you say . Look around here and you have the whole team in this morning, peter ogburn and dan henning. Good morning guys. Peter happy wednesday. Bill sip rancyprian bowlding our videographer extraordinary narrow. Today is the in the christmas party. Peter happy holidays. I am ready, man. Bill one way, promise them al free meal. Free lunch, baby bill there is a dennys down the street. They have the christmas special. Peter excellent. Bill a half a tunafish sandwich and a glass of milwaukeemilk. I ordered for everybody. Peter we will be ready to roll. Bill last night was a big night for the fullcourt press. We had a party and all stayed up late watching the induck tee inductees into the rock and roll hall of fame. The inductees of the rock and roll hall of fame, Albert King Donna summer. Peters who are albert king. One hand clapping . Rush. Randy newman. Bill this is it. And heart peter that is a weird list bill the weirdest list of all peter rush and heart. Nobody else on there belongs. Maybe donna summers. She is disco. I can see people making the argument because bert king is one of the greatest blues guitarists muchof all time. Nothing was born out of disco. I dont think donna summers should be bill what was born out of public enemy . Now look i am not the worlds expert on rock and roll. You know chuck b. This is chuck b bill that aint rock and roll. Peter you are right. Public enemy is one of my favorite bands of all times. I love public enemy. I dont think they belong in the rock and roll hall of fame bill i am never going back to that museum. Yes go in the first place. Back when we were in akron, ohio, and you and my boyfriend woody peter we went and saw the rock and roll hall of fame. Its a great museum. It is awesome. Bill downhill from here. Anyhow, so there it is last night. What a peter, why dont you get on the board or something. Peter change it . Bill change it. Peter there have been a couple of other hiphop groups that have gone in. This is my annual rant. Every year, they put in a couple of bands that have no business being in the rock and roll hall of fame. Bill why do they do it . Stinks dan there is no hiphop hall of fame. Peter you know, they want to bring in a broader audience i am sure. Bill yeah. Peter rush absolutely belongs in there. Heart belongs on the list. Other than that, randys newman is not rock and roll, as good of a musician he is. Bill allotted of Company Coming in today. Eliot spitzer will join us toward the end of the hour from current tv, of course. President jim hoffa, president of the hemsters union, in michigan, mad as hell. He will tell us all about it and kitty kelly, great historian, biographer, great allaround person. He has a great new book about john f. Kennedy in studio with us but first. This is the full court press. Dan other headlines making news on wednesday, in sports the suspicions of the new Orleans Saints in the bounty head program has been overturned, the former n. F. L. Commissioner who has handled the appeal of the participators for a reward program for hard hits and games. He said the entire case has been come tamnated byt sot the suspensions are being vacated. Two of the three players have been allowed to play while their appeals have been pending Roger Goodell not happy. Dan williams is gone. Yesterday we brought you the story to Charlie Sheen giving money to Lindsey Lohan but to a better cause. Anger management star is giving away 75,000 to a 10yearold girl fighting cancer. This, after he met her father, who is a California Police officer. He told him the story about his daughter jazmin, struck his heart. Gave him 75,000 bucks. How about that. Its all inauguration preparations. The joint Congressional Committee on inaugustral ceremonies announced the platform is will on its way to being completed, 10,000 square feet in size. The 2005 was the biggest ever costing 1. 2 million to build. It will hold 1600 people. Bill they started that construction of that thing months ago. Peter yeah. Bill every day at the whitehouse, the white house viewing stands across from the white house just about completed. And then the president ial viewing stand for the parade is whether finished as well. They have that part of pennsylvania avenue blocked off. They started construction there probably six weeks ago peter its a huge operation. Bill absolutely. Yes, i have to tell you, lets go back to michigan thats the big story. Day. We told you about it yesterday, what was pending in michigan well, it has hammed. They dropped the other shoe. The michigan. Dick dictateor style, no public testimony, no hearings no nothing. They rammed through right to work legislation. This is the war on unions, the war on working families. The war on workers, union and nonunion. What they want to do is strip away all of our collective bargaining rights force everybody to work for lower wages and in worse working conditions t less safe working conditions. It started in wisconsin. It spread to ohio. And now its popped up in michigan michigan, a state that was created by labor unions. Michigan, the heart of the United States Labor Movement and michigans Governor Rick Snyder who ran for office promise to be an independent. He said he was not going to get into those issues like scott walker and john kasic. He said it would be positive. He lied through his teeth. A total scum bag who turned around and stabbed michigan working families in the back. Yesterday, the legislature of both the house and the Senate Passed that legislation. The governor immediately signed it. T, immediately signed it again, having been working with unions as we have heard here on the show for like the last 10 days, up until last friday saying we have to avoid these battles in michigan we cant let this happen. We cant let our state be the next Battle Ground in the war on union. And he totally, totally turned around. It wasnt a doublecross. It was really a triplecross on Governor Snyders part because he flipped from going against this legislation to supporting this legislation. He totally flipped and rejected the pleas of senator debby standard of care stabenow, sandy levin, all of the rest of the delegation john conyers. They asked him, dont sign this thing. Let the legislate do its thing. Dont sign this thing. If you do sign it, if you feel you have to sign it, then at least veto out the money in it. And if there is no money in it, then that righttowork legislation could be subject to a referendum. It would go to the people and the people would get to vote on whether the they approve it or not. Governor rick snyder having already, number 1, again, flipped from nonsupport to support, he then rejected their pleas. He signed the legislation and he left the money in meaning it cannot be the subject of a refer endim. There is no doubt why he did it. Lets talk about it. 86655press. As president obama said the other day, this will legislation is antiworker. What it means is it encourage people to freeload encourages people who work in union shops to refuse to pay their dues but yet they still get all of the benefits that all of the other duespaying members have paid for and fought for and won. They get it without contributing anything. It is just fundamentally wrong and its been proven in state after state after state. We gave you some of the numbers yesterday in those righttowork states where workers are forced to work for less they are they dont get the same benefits and the same protection in the work placed. Its bad for workers. What it is, is pure political payback. Pure political pay back. It is the Republican Party knowing they cant win e elections for one reason is because the democrats get so much support from labor unions. By the way nowhere near the money that republicans get from the big corporations. But what they get is the people power, walking door to door, getting people out to vote. With that, what they try to do is is here, through this right to work legislation is kill the un ions in order to kill the political party. Again, pure politics. Governor rick snyder yesterday, the audacity right . Of saying, oh this is pure kind of fox news bs. What . Me . I just signed this antiworker legislation. No, i am not antiworker. I am proworker. So we are moving forward on the topic of Workplace Fairness and equality. Again, i dont view this antiunion at all. I believe this is proworker. Bill right. Its like Charlie Manson saying i am prolife, you know. Peter right. Bill ridiculous. And then rick snyder says, by the way, its not fair to call these people freeloaders. I think its absolutely inappropriate to say someone is a freeloader. Michigan people are hardworking people trying to make a living. If the union is offering them a value proposition, i dont see a michiganer hesitating to pay those dollars bill i came close to calling that what it is. Total b. S of course they are freeloaders. I have all of these people around me. They are paying their dues so we can get representation in the state legislature in the congress so we can work and get better retirement benefits, better vacation plans, Better Health benefits and all of that for their families. I get it for my family but i dont pay a damn dime. Thats a freeloader by definition. Rick snyder, i dont care what you are say you are not one tough nerd. You are one dumbass governor. How do we fight back . We got to fight back. I think there are at least three ways. We have to let them know what we think about this as a republican legislature. Number 1, i think we have to try to get something on the ballot. First of all, to recall rick snyder in michigan and to recall those republican legislatures. Go after them. Throw them out of office now if we can. Secondly, get something on the balloted to i am that familiar with the michigan laws. There has to be a way of getting something on the ballot to repeal to i am that familiar with the michigan laws. There has to be a way of getting something on the ballot to repeal as soon as there is another election in michigan in 2013, a lot much guys are going to be up for office, including, i believe, rick snyder. Throw the bums out. Clean how the. We have some people in there that are going to stand up for working families. They want war, lets give them war. 86655press. When we come back, we will remind you, peter, how to get in touch with rick snyder and let him know all around the country that you are part of the fight for working families and dont want anything to do with his war against working families. 8665577377. Hd your radio and on Current Tv Bill 25 minutes after the hour. Here we are on the fullcourt press, on wednesday december 12th. President jim hoffa from the team sters joining us from michigan in the next segment. Eric burns is in studio as a friends of bill this hour. Good to have you back. Bill fite strategies. Com. We were talking about the legalizing of drugs. Jimmy carter said he is okay with legalizing marijuana. He was on cnn he was asked about it. He said, quote, i am in favor of it. I think its okay. Bill you know why . It gives you an appetite for peanuts. Munchies. If jimmy carter says its okay, how can it not okay . That reminds me of the old story of Willie Nelson smoking a joint. When when i heard that growing up. I grew up in republicanland. Makes you wonder if the president was up there. I hope thats true. Willie nelson tells that story. He might be stoned every time he tells it. On that note about the war on drugs, our interview that we did yesterday with Neil Franklin is occupy current. Com billpress. Watch that video. Its fantastic a 3yearold veteran of the Baltimore Police force and he says legalize all drugs. Patty reagan told me she smoked pot when her father was president. Those reagans, they always surprise you. They keep surprising us. There you go. We come back to my question. Yeah. You do public relations. Right . You are great at it. What do you tell john boehner about negotiations to avert the fiscal cliff. The public spoke with this election. The republicans lost. And that means that they need to be the ones to come to the table, and they need to demonstrate that they can compromise. I dont think there is any question that this president has attempted over and over and over again to come to the table to compromise, you know, cut 1. 6 trillion, you know, out of the budget cuts when the republicans held these guys up with the debt ceiling debate this last year 2011. For boehner, you know, where i feel he is losing credibility, one is by being, you know, beaten up by eric cantor, two by refuse to go put up specifics and saying to the president of the United States you need to put up spending cuts. On needs to show leadship. Without question. Without question bill you are right. That was the romney plan. The American People have spoken. They wanted the obama plan. His respect and popularity would go through the roof. President jim hoffa next. This is the bill press show. [ music ] every day presents another exciting issue. From financial regulation, iran getting a nuclear bomb, civil war in syria, fraud on wall street, destruction of medicare and medicaid. There are real issues here. Having been a governor, i know that tradeoffs are tough. Things everyday exploding around the world that leave no shortage for exciting conversations. I want our viewer to understand why things have happened. At the end of the show, you know what has happened, why its happened and more importantly, whats going to happen tomorrow. Heard around the country and seen on current tv. 33 minutes after the hour now. This is the full court press, coming to you life from our nations capitol, brought to you today by the International Brotherhood of teamsters under president jim hoffa. We live better because their good work building america. You can find out more about their good work at the website www. Teamster. Org and if you thought the war on working families was over, think good. It started in wisconsin, moved on to ohio. Now, the battleground has shifted to michigan where Governor Rick Snyder didnt hesitate right away sign that right to work legislation last night even though before he had promised labor leaders he didnt like it, he didnt want to see it happen in michigan. On the ground in michigan. Hey, bill. What can we do to turn this around . What is the determination . I would imagine you and other leaders of the Labor Movement in this country are not just going to accept this and walk away. Right . No. This is a battle that goes on and on and on. This has been going on since the Tea Party Took over a number of state houses in 2010. We have seen it in ohio, wisconsin, indiana, michigan there is a battle in New Hampshire for right to work, missouri constantly. This is basically the far rightwing trying to basically fight back and, you know, the defeat of. What we have is retaliation. Yesterday, we must have had 25,000 union people there. We had great demonstrations toss show our outrage with what Governor Snyder has done he had a lame duck group of legislators. He wouldnt wait or have legitimate people coming in. The lame ducks, because we did win a number of seats in the house voted on this. No vote of the people. No debate. Didnt let labor come in and talk about it and they did this in the dark of night. All of the sudden within five days, we have right to work in michigan no debate. No vote. No nothing. Its an outrage. We are taking it to court, going to get on the ballot and fight this. This is more of the same thing. This is their commitment to knowing that, number 1, who has the pour in michigan . Its labor. How do you weaken the Democratic Party in michigan . You weaken labor. The same thing in ohio. I think its claire that barak obama would not have won michigan without labor and wouldnt have won ohio without labor bill the president said this is all political. This is political payback. Isnt it . Absolutely. This is a packyback. They are so angry. They cant believe they lost michigan you heard those stories about dick morris and karl rove thinking they were going to win. Even mitt romney didnt even have a concession speech written up. They were so convinced they were going to win. By the way, i saw on the news last night sheldon adelson, the guy with the casinos in las vegas he is starting all over again. He said i will spend 100 million against labor because they realize and these guys all talk together the karl roves, the norquists. The Koch Brothers. These people all talk to each other and figure out, how are we going to take over . And what the hell went wrong . They were so convinced that they had the money, that they could win this race now they think we have to go after labor because they are the problem. Thats why we lost ohio thats why we lost michigan. I want to make sure president hoffa that our listeners and viewers understand exactly for working families what right to the work legislation means. Because, you know, they do this all the time. They give these fancy positive sounding words. We call it right to work for less. Thats what the president calls it. Thats what we call it. The south, you compare michigan which is, you know until this recent event, its almost a 10,000 dollar difference between mississippi or oklahoma and what people make there. Right to work for less really basically means you can have a free rider. In other words, if there is a union shop, somebody can opt out and not pay anything. But enjoy all of the benefits the union brings the good wages, the grievance procedure. If they get into trouble, get fired, you can ask to represent the union has to represent them for free. Its so wrong. Basically, it creates free riders. Everybody knows eventually, that will erode the power of unions if we have nobody in the union. Human nature is going to be, i will ride along here i will take everything for free and take all of the benefits and pay nothing. So what we have got to do its to and its worked tremendously well for 70 years in michigan seventy years going back to the sitdown strikes. Auvenldz this happens. This is an outrage, but thats what they call right to work for less is. In oklahoma, they keep talking about oklahoma. There was a story yesterday on npr that says they are down 30 or 40 from what they did 10 years ago with regard to new companies. Oklahoma, about 12 years, oklahoma will bloom. There will be flowers everywhere. All we have to do is pass right to work for less. Its been a disaster for oklahoma. Thats what rick snyder said yesterday. Eric burns had a question. Being from texas and seeing, you know, how much incredible wealth is being generated in the state of texas from oil revenues and other things and, you know, minimum wage jobs being created. Its a right to work state, the middle class being squeezed. As we continue to see these trends of, you know the Sheldon Adelsons and Koch Brothers pouring more and more money to decimate the middle classssimat the middle class, do you think we will see growthe the middle class, do you think we will see growth maybe five years from now . Or are you already seeing that . Well where we are seeing it is michigan michigan is coming back. I was interviewed by some woman from cnn yesterday. She said michigans hemorrhaging jobs. I was like shocked. Bill where has she been . I am sitting there going, i couldnt believe i heard this on this headset. She said michigan is hemorrhaging jobs. Isnt this going to help . I said where are you at . Michigan is the comeback state. We are the one thats doing better. Our unemployment is lower than the national average. We are hiring people in the auto industry. Manufacturing is coming back. The teamsters we are getting more employees. There is no way about it. This is a setback. This is basically a continuation of the rightwing conspiracy, the tea party, and this is, you know, the karl roves, the grover norquists, the Sheldon Adelsons and the Koch Brothers. This is the same thing. This just didnt happen. This isnt the will of the people of michigan right now we are fighting this in New Hampshire. We are fighting it in missouri and other states. B they get a republican governor and Republican House and thats what they did in indiana. They jammed it through. We have spent in the labor union, a lot of time and resources on u. S. Senate races and concongressional races do you think we need to look more at state races and governor race than. Thats where they can do the damage. We think the ones that get the publicity are the senate races and house races. You realize the power of a governor who can do the damage that rick snyder is doing here when in michigan we had the house for years. We finally, lost the house in the rightwing landslide of 2010. This is what we get. We have to pay more attention to state houses, state senate and governors are extremely important and, you know, we all get involved with, you know all of these the sectioninessxinesssexiness. Seen it in wisconsin ohio and New Hampshire, now michigan we know we are going to fight back. We are part of the battle any way we can whether its to recall sfieder or to have a referendum and overturn the right to work legislationnyder or to have a referendum and overturn the right to work legislation. You show the way. We will fight with you all the way peter absolutely. Thank you, bill bill thank you for joining us this morning, jim hoffa on the ground in michigan another thing is, you know, michigan is the state labor has built. Absolutely. The auto industry. Think where michigan would be without the uaw. You identify the two of them these gang sisters got in charge. This is not Good Business for American Business in the longterm. Bill no. We are going to find that out. If you dont realize it now, we will find it out in five years or 10 years bill not Good Business for michigan either. So your calls welcome at 86655press. It is the big story of the here on the fullcourt press. Eric byrnes in studio as a friend of bill. This is the full court press the bill press show, live on your radio and on current tv. [ music ] laughing. Thats hilarious . And the thinkers thinking. Okay, so theres wiggleroom in the Ten Commandments is what youre telling me. Shes joy behar. And current will let me say anything. Only on current tv. Lets rock and roll. There is so much going on that every day presents another exciting issue. From financial regulation, iran getting a nuclear bomb, civil war in syria, fraud on wall street, destruction of medicare and medicaid. There are real issues here. Having been a governor, i know that tradeoffs are tough. Things everyday exploding around the world that leave no shortage for exciting conversations. I want our viewer to understand why things have happened. At the end of the show, you know what has happened, why its happened and more importantly, whats going to happen tomorrow. [ music ] this is the bill press show live on your radio and current tv. 15 minutes before the top of the hour here the full court press, eric burns in studio with a friend of bill. Peter ogburn here, keeping in touch with twitter and facebook and, i just wanted to play for our audience one more time, fox news has the answer yesterday. Fox news is making this now. Beating up labor beating up everybody in michigan there were a couple of guys in the protest who got out of line. Okay. So that happens. Right . But it was not a bloody violent protest out there. They said they had 25,000 people. Fox news had the answer. If you dont like what the new law is in michigan the column. One woman said i dont want to work next to somebody who doesnt have to pay what i have to pay. She doesnt have to work. If she doesnt like that. She can get a job, you know. Yeah. If she doesnt like that move somewhere. New york state or something. Yeah. California. Its easy. Thats insane. I have a question. Are those two anchors, are they pout part of a union a Broadcasters Union . An interesting question. At fox news i doubt it. I dont know. I honestly dont know. Lets lets say a quick hello to joey out in. Joey, what have you got . Good morning, bill. Good morning, guys. I think this is good for us. Bill why . Caller the republican is childlike in the way they go about their business. They do everything in secret and, you know, what they did was they woke a sleeping giant. I really mean it. I dont think labor is going to stand for this and i guarantee its going to turn around to bite them in the ass, bill bill yessey i hope you are right. Eric, it could very well. You know, we had a mixed record. We did in hoy. So its not automatic if you take it to the people, you win. But it certainly, i think if you take it to the people with a Good Campaign and all of the right resources and the right message action you can win. All right. A lot of campaigns here organized labor here in michigan, you certainly dont just roll over and give up. No. No. You try to get it on the ballot to repeal it . I think you have to get at a time on baltimore to repeal it and a new legislature. You have to make sure. Right . Well, of course. You know i mean jim mentioned they have a lameduck session. I dont know how many more democratic ceased they have. Bill to take over. They have to start working. I tell you more broadly, labor needs to be more engaged in impacting and being a part of the News Coverage that defines. The fox news is the typical stuffer we see from the cable networks. Labor just isnt represented, you know, when you have a business person talking about any issue. Labor represents the common working man whether you are a member of a union or not. Thats what labor represents. Its what it meant for this company, for 100 years. I think we need more in the media. Out there as part of the media, peter any comments on we are tweeting bp show, bp show. An interview with jim hoffa just now. Naomi says totally right. The state e elections ae e elections, eliza says foxs local camera people are unions workers. So some of the employees that work for fox. Just california, for example, this year california there was this gridlock in california that was very, very similar to what is happening here in washington, d. C. , republicans control the legislature and not compromise on anything with Governor Brown to try to get new revenue and spending cuts as well. The voters this year not only endorsed the initiative which would raise taxes or some taxes in order to get some new revenue. They approved that. But they also cleaned house, threw the republicans out of the legislature and gave the democrats a vetoproof majority or filibuster majority whatever. To get things done. You see the people who are really the obstacles to any progress, you know, like in michigan, you have got to go in and clean house. Yeah. The voters of california saw that. You couldnt get anything done with those republicans in charge. Lets look at how we had the rocker fellers and we had the vanderbilts and the carniagos,. What will happen to the common worker . They were used and abused and treated, you know, very, very poorly poorly. And we are seeing the pattern where we have republicans unabashedly, viciously ripping apartment the middle class. These guys would have my mom, you know, when she was on Social Security and i think there is going to ultimately be a backlash to that longterm. Bill you said it earlier, john boehner acts as if there is no election that the American People havent spoken. So do these republican governors. Jim hoffa is saying they are so disappointed they are so lost, they are they are doing what they can at the local level, the state level to try to push back the extreme rightwing agenda. Eric, we didnt solve all of the problems in the world in the last hour. But we solved a lot of them. Yeah. I feel better. And rush is in the rock and roll hall of fame. Nice to see you. Thanks for coming in. I will tell you what the president is up to next. This is the bill press show. vo current tv gets the conversation started weekdays now at 9 and noon eastern. Im a slutty bob hope. The troops love me. We have a big big hour and the iq will go way up. [ theme ] museum [ music ] this is the full court press, the bill press show live on your radio and on current tv. John nichols from the nation and kitty kelly, biographer historian will be here in the studio president obama light schedule today and the Vice President received a Daily Briefing at a car toquarter to 10 00 this morning. At noon, the president will be hosting a Conference Call with a Bipartisan Group of mayors and Community Leaders to talk about the importance of not going over the fiscal cliff and the importance of having a balance of new revenue and new spending cuts. Jay carney with a briefing at 12 30. This is the bill press show. [ music ] what do you say in good morning, everybody. Fellow americans, its good to see you today. Thank you for joining us, and welcome to the fullcourt press here on current tv. Your progressive morning show. The only progressive morning show anywhere on cable television. Good to have you with us this morning as we discuss the big issues of the day, and, of course take your calls. Always welcome at 86655press. And lets look. Lets do the countdown. There are 12 shopping days until christmas 19 days until we go over the fiscal cliff but according to the mayan calendar only nine days until the end of the world. So if the mayans are right we dont have to worry about all of the rest of it. What if they are wrong . Uhoh. Watch out. We will be up to date and first the latest, the days current news update from wasLisa Ferguson as always joining us from our studio in los angeles. Hey, lisa lisa good morning. Corporate taxes are on the table. The white house didnt offer up many specifics but told republicans that any deal to reduce the deficit will include an overhaul of the Corporate Tax code. Thats unclear how that would affect company tax burdens but considering the white house wants to raise revenue, its safe to assume they will go up. Ceo the says will say low Corporate Tax rates keep the economy going. A new analysis from catthe nation shows that is not true. Listing five ceos who prove the opposite. Randall stevenson has a 3. Excuse me a 6. 3 corporate rate, and the company has laid off 54,000 americans since 2007. Honey well has negative corporate rates, negative 3. 3 and negative 8. 4 and 14. 8 recently. Verizon has killed 30,000. Attorney general eric holder speaking out against Voter Suppression this week in a speech from bosted he said u. S. Election officials should automatically register eligible voters. He said states need to reduce long voting lines t would take little more than modern necknology to do so. More bill press is coming up. Stay with us. [ theme ] announcer broadcasting across the nation on your radio across the nation, on your radio and on current tv this is the bill press show. Bill the war on labor unions continues. It started in wisconsin, spread to ohio, and now here we are at it again in michigan what do you say . Good morning, everybody. Great to see you today. It is the full court press coming to you live on current tv all the way across this great land of ours of course from our studio right here in washington, d. C. On capitol hill, just in the shadow of the capitol dome. And coming to you live also on your local progressive talk Radio Station. Thanks for joining us. We have a lot to talk about. You are going to want to sound off. You can do so, of course at any time. Give us a call. Thats the old fashion way. We will put you here at 86655press. Thats our tollfree number. You can of course join us in a modern way, a new way, on twitter at bp show. Thats our tag, bp show or facebook. Com bill press show. We have the whole team here in place today. Peter ogburn and dan henning. Morning, guys. Happy wednesday. Good morning bill wednesday, phil backer has the phones. Cyprian boldings has the video cam. Videographer this morning, it is a big day today. What was that . Dan party time. My bad bill the dasure. Peter and if it tradition is anything he will get riproaring drunk. Bill pointing a finger . Point fingers at dan henning. Stevie lee webb is not here bill the movie, zero dark30, i cant way to see it. 19th of december. There is a lot of not controversy. A lot about one scene in the movie. Trying to get some information where they might find osama bin laden, they have a problem with waterboarding . Not greg. Like i always say, waterboarding is like awesome boarding. Unspeakable truth is everybody wants and they will never say this but everybody wants torture on the table. If you ask one person one question, say your child or your spouse was abducted and they had a person in custody who had the information and time was running out. Would you mind, would you mind if we used every means available to extract information . If you would deny that you are lying. Bill what an idiot. Awesome boarding bill we want torture on the table. Yeah. Uhhuh. Peter like awesomea bin laden. Bill how much they learned when they did the waterboarding . Nothing. A signature for the nation magazine joining us to talk about it. We will be joined by a historian and biographer, great friend and writer, kitty kelly, a beautiful new book, a photograph of the kennedy, john f. Kennedy family. But first. This is the full court press. Other headlines making news are the novel fifty shades of gray was so successful selling more than 35 million copies, every single employee will be seeing shades of green. Random house announcing it is giving every single worker who has been there for at least a year from the top editors all the way to the warehouse workers a 5,000 dollar bonus each. This is for several thousand employees. They want to be sure. Bill i want to say i read the book. Did you really . I read the book on my trip to turkey. I took it with me. Carol could not believe it. Peter you read fifty shades of gray. It is pure porn. Is it . Its pure porn and its not even good porn. Its badlywritten porn. You are a connoisseur of good porn bill exactly. I know good porn when i read it or enjoy it. Peter now i kind of want to read it bill i can give you my copy. Rock and roll hall of fame announcesing inductees, donna summer. Not rock and roll. Albert king . Blues. Public enemy . Not rock and roll. Heart . Rock and roll. Rush . And randy newman . Not rock and roll. Two out of 5. 2 out of 5 aint bad. You are in for a show. Nasa says for the meet or shower called the geminis, it broke up long enough. It will be bright enough after about tep p. M. Local time you can view them with the naked eye. Tomorrow is the best night this week to check it out. Yes, indeed. Thank you. Right, i admit i read the fifty shades of gray. It was a lousy book. Dont read fifty shades of gray. Read up rising by john nichols and learn all about how wisconsin renewed the politics of protest from madison to wall street. That war on labor was started, war on working families was started in wisconsin as scott walker moved to ohio and john kasic now in michigan under Governor Rick Snyder. John nichols joining us on our life this morning washington correspondent for the nation magazine. Welcome back caller look what they do. Bill yeah, i know. I know you have been up into michigan, john. Caller i have bill rick snyder a guy like scott walker, he is okay. Right . He is not going to be a redivisive kind of character. What happened . Campily call its much worse than scott walker because rick snyder not only ran as a moderate. Bill right. Caller who beat the conservative in his primary on the message that he wasnt going to focus on devise i have hotbutton issues but going to have a real, serious focus on highend job growth. After his election and again and again, promised that he would not do what scott walker did that he did not want a divided decide state. He pivoted and did exactly that. What happens is that snyder to take a serious look at what his chances for reelection were if you had a united and functional rates. He decided to throw in with the alec, American Legislative Exchange council for weakening labor. If you take a look at those that were passed in michigan you will find verbatim polls from alecs model legislation. This is not a local michigan initiative. What snyder and his legislative allies have done is tap into a National Model for weakening labor at the polling place. Labor rights have been harmed. Its going to be deeply harmful to working people at least in the shortterm. The key thing storemember is even if you are not a union member, arent a working person democracy has been assaulted. Its what werearping the discourse so that republicans in 2014 have an easier time getting elected. Bill no. No. Absolutely. I was going to ask you about that. I mean the way this was done seems to me to be the least democratic way possible. No public hearings, no testimony. No nothing. They just rammed this through. The best way to understand it is just a blatantly. It isnt just thely. Snyder is the governor who said he would never do this. The lie of the legislative process fascinating how they approach this. They had another bill that was introduced a year and a half ago, almost two years ago. That bill languished in committee. Nothing happened to it. The other day, last week, they passed it as the bill that had been introduced. We want to do a slight alteration here bill whoa. Through everything away. They put on this alec bigll. The way to understand it is not just that they didnt have theub process. They did a trojan horse. They walked through one bill and passed another. Knowing that they had messed with the law, knowing that they had done things that were inappropriate, they passed it again. Legal gray area here trying to saddle things that they put approaches in it so its hard to override at the polls. They structured it in all sorts of ways to avoid losses. Wrong t cleaning up around the house. Talking with john nichols from the nation magazine at the nation. Com, a website you can follow john on twitter at nichols, nichols uprising. The name of his latest book. Where do with he go from here . What are the possible options . I ask you that as a leader in wisconsin when are the poll fight started and to reflect on some of the lessons you learn from wisconsin in terms of how to fight back. Uhhuh. The most important thing is actually happening right now. Its not the actual bill. With these guys, once you lose control of the legislature and governorship, its likely they are going to do it no matter how much outcry and public petitions you soon. The critical thing is once they pass the bill, you know lawyers, i think so been overturned by the courts. Yeah. To put a hold on it and you need to get into the courts. Great. You need to recognize, you need to recognize that this is a struggle. Michigan has handled what will be a two to 3 year, maybe fouryear struggle. The fact that people are out protesting this morning is the most important thing. You cant accept that the law has been passed and now you have to live with it. Uhhuh. What do you have to do is maintain a steady struggle aiming towards the next big election. There are structural possibilities to overturn this law at the polls. People are examining that. The most critical thing is to recognize that 2014, in michigan ohio wisconsin, pennsylvania, states across this country, it is going to be as important as 2012 because if you dont turn these republican governors out and upset their legislative majority, this is not the end of the antilabor push. Its the beginning. Bill that lesson does seem to me, i think, people are waking up to that. Certainly some of the people we have talked to this morning. We were talking to the president jim hoffa from the teamsters earlier who made the point that its very sexy and still important, right . To focus on u. S. Senate races and congressional races and the rates for the white house. That gets all of the attention but if you want the governors race and the state legislate, they dont get a tension. Right . Where the damage is being done right now. They dont get a tension from our side. Good point. People get a hell of a lot. On the new book on the policy for the current moment how it works, you know, they say the 2012 election in the u. S. Was a 6 billion election. Thats only on the federal level. When you goo on the states, do you know how much money you have with states . Another two bill i dont want dollars. Wow. The reality is that. That is money goes a lot farther in stated races, state legislative races than it does when you spend it at the federal level. Indeed well the fight has just begun. John nichols, good to catch up with you again. Thanks for your good work. Thanks for being with us this morning. Its a good pleasure to be with you. I hope neck time we are talking, we are talking about a win. We are. We will. Absolutely. I hope so . Think positive, john nichols, washington correspondent for the nation magazine 866 the war will continue. Now, the Battle Ground the state of michigan on your radio and on current tv. This is the bill press show. [ music ] on your radio and on current tv. This is the bill press show. Its 25 minutes after the hour on this wednesday morning, december 12th. Kitty kelly has put together a mag enough sent new book called capturing camelot. The photographs of the Kennedy Family taken by photographer white house photographer stanley tresic. Kitty will be here in the next segment, next half hour to talk with us about this and some of the other great stuff she has done, the war on labor unions in michigan peter, whats going on . On twitter at bpshow where you can follow us and rick snyder and send him a message on twitter at onetough nerd. Weibull that twitter handle republican swine says of course you were betrayed. Snyder is a g. O. P. Er. You can never trust him. What do you think would happen . We have a couple of tweets, bill, about your reading choices mark says please tell mr. Press please tell me mr. Press is joking about fifty shades of great. It says, uphoh, bill this is the first time i have disagreed with you since watching the show. Dont make it a habit. Fifty shades of gray is amazing. Tammica loved it. You did not. She disagrees with you. Pure porn and bad porn. If you like bad porn, you will like 50 shades of gray. Carol from Traverse City michigan. I wanted to weigh in on the protest yesterday. Yes. I couldnt make it. But i am retired from a shop. I worked 31 years there. My grandfather worked for ford motor company] before they were union unionized. I know all of his struggles. Killed for unions to become, you know, viable. Yeah. Yeah. Its just like a knife through our heart that this has happened. You are talking about the legislatures and people, republican and its the Koch Brothers. Its all of these outside groups that are ruining our country, and it all started with the Supreme Court decision. And, you know, to allow all kind of money into the election process. I think that thats the core problem. Right. Citizens united but you are right about the Koch Brothers here there are two groups that they have that were involved. One is alec that john nichols mentioned, the American Legislative Exchange council. Its my latest book the obama hate machine. But alec wrote the legislation. They have a group i love this name, americans for prosperity. Thats as big a lie as right to work and americans for prosperity, the ones who went in and funded this campaign defeated that selective bargaining initiative in michigan and have fueled and funded this race for right to work. But dont believe it stops here it just starts here kit kelly is next. About the bill press show. The arguments to feel confident in their positions. I want them to have the data and i want them to have the passion. But its also about telling them that youre put on this planet for something more i want this show to have an impact beyond just informing. An impact that gets people to take action for themselves. As a human being thats really important. This is not just a spectator sport. [ music ] chatting with you live at currently. Com bill press. This is bill press show live on your radio and current tv. The full court press here on this wednesday, december 12th. She is a historian a biographer. She is a good friend. She has written about Elizabeth Taylor, the royals frank sinatra. She has written about nancy reagan. She has written about the bush family and a beautiful book out, on our coffee table at home. Not the white house. Photos of the john f. Kennedy family by a great photographer stanley tredick, kitty kelly. Great to see you. Wanted to get you in. A series of these, a very very special guest. How did you get these stanley was probably the last real photo journalists. He worked for upi. Thats how he got to know the family so well. He was so close to john kennedy that he was hired by look magazine after kennedy was president and his sole assignment was the kennedys because he had such assets. Whether you see these photographs, first i have to tell you you know i met and interviewed john f. Kennedy. He is my hero, has been. He was still then a United States senator. Millions like me who were inspired to get into politics. According to the last gallup poll jfk remains the most popular person in american history. Not the most important. I think historians would say Abraham Lincoln is bill sure. Because he abolished slavery and headld the country together during civil war. Jfk remains the most popular. His president ial accomplishes were slight. He brought a spirit like you said, he i needspired you he inspired a lot of people and a lot of people want to love their president. This particular president gave them a beautiful first lady to fill the white house with pets ponies parakeets. Great music and great art. As type of as i feel i know about the family and the president did, with this book it will it is magnificent as well. A great story to go along with the photograph. There were so many photographs in in here i had never seen before. And i thought i knew the kennedy presidency from beginning to end . I did, too. How did you get these photographs . Well, stanley was a wonderful friend of mine and he had a stroke in the last two years of his life. I took care of him. And i used to visit him at home and he had this marine corps locker that he used as atable. It was locked and i said stanley, what do you have in there . He said nude photos. And i said that was stanley. Right . So when he died the estate had that marine corp locker delivered to me and my husband said, whats in there . And i said, nude photos. He said open that sucker. And i said no. Uhuh. I dont want to remember stanley that way. And john said, open it. So we opened it. And it wasnt nude photos. It was this sentiments ca is ache of kennedy memorabilia, some notes from jackie. Oh, my god. Wow. A towel handstitched jfk towel, gifts the kennedys had given him, a telegram that they had sent him when he got married. I mean all of this. Bill yeah. President and mrs. John f. Kennedy, congratulations and best wishes. May all of your days be as happy as this one. Wedding day. Isnt that beautiful . What a treasurer trove. I went through the archives and stanley left an archive of about half a million images. And i had and the kennedy images are probably 30,000. So i went through them and i found all of these pictures i had never seen before. So with the trunk, with the memos to his editor, with the diary extracts i was able to write about his special friendship with the president and how he got these intimate photos. You know now we we dont get that out of the white house. We get very sanitized pictures that are released by the white house photographer maybe once a week week. Right. But stanley got access that was once a week. A book called capturing camelot kitty kelly wrote the manu crypt and the photos of stanley tredick. Please buy this as a christmas present. Assure them that the author is not going to benefit. All proceeds from this book are going to the Dc Public Library bill wonderful. I didnt know that. No come punctuation. Another reason, you know i have to show. If we can pick this up i guess, if i hold this . This is probably the most famous photo from the john f. Kennedy presidency. I think from any president. Maybe any. Its stanley tredick photo of the kennedy at work at his desk still desk in the open . It is. Looking out like a little roving panel panel a. M. On. Thats the only way jackie got the picture. The president called and said, the coast is clear. Get over here fast. Because mrs. Kennedy was so protective of the children. She never, ever allowed the kids pictures to be taken. And the president was all for it. So stanley came over and he got an exclusive. This is where he took the pictures and then they went over to the white house family corridors. Then they flew to camp david. Staff trainers. This was for a cover story for look magazine called the president and his son. In those days, the lead time was six weeks. The magazine was on the plane to dallas, and jackie told family afterwards, he brought her bum of all of the pictures. She said i am so glad that you and jackie didnt listen to me. She said, i would never have this. An the sad thing about this i wanted to keep him in his home but i was unable to. Very much attention to him. So i contacted young john kennedy, and i asked him if he remembered stanley and if he did, if he would sign that picture so i could hang it in stanleys room so that the people there would know that stampedley thought he was important at one point. John kennedy was so gracious. He said i have never signed a photograph. But i will sign this one because i remember stanley well. He signed the photograph. He never went by john f. Kennedy, jr. He always signed john kennedy. All right. I hung it in the room. And when stanley was dying in july of 1999, it was the same day that john kennedy, jr. s wrote and i am sitting on the bedside with stanley, and the television is on mute and you know they Just Announced john kennedy has been declared dead. I looked up and saw that photograph and i thought, you know, i said, stanley, you can go now. Your pictures are all over the world. A photographer is dying at the same time as his most famous subject. Tom done would say, okay. The publisher at st. Martins press, a wonderful line of books including all of kitty kellys books, all of Pat Buchanans books and i must add all of mine. Company. A wonderful conflict of interest. Some of it maybe by Elizabeth Taylor must have been exciting. Thats my least Favorite Book. Is that right . Hold that story. We have to take a quick break and come back. And then this one which kitty signed for me. She had a lot of flack about the bush family, the real story of the bush dynasty. Lots of stories. We will be we will be right back on the full court presses. This is the bill press show. Live on your radio and current tv. Alright, in 15 minutes were going to do the young turks. I think the number one thing that viewers like about the young turks is that were honest. They know that im not bsing them with some hidden agenda, actually supporting one party or the other. When the democrats are wrong, they know that im going to be the first one to call them out. They can question whether im right, but i think that the audience gets that this guy, to the best of his ability, is trying to look out for us. [ music ] on your radio and on current tv this is the bill press show. Thirteen missed before the top of the hour here now on the fullcourt press. If you are looking for the very, very special gift for the holidays, cant do better than capturing cam lot in the book stories, the magnificent photographs taken by her friend stanley tredick, upi photographer who has incredible access to the white house during the kennedy years. In studio with us of all of the books that you have done elizabeth ta the royals frank sinatra, reagan, the bush dynasty. Again, thank you for signing. Were any of them authorized biographersies biographies . No. They are all what you call unauthorized which doesnt mean illegal. Authentic . They are very authentic but you do the book without the subjects permission. I am the opposite of a paula rod rodwell. I mean she did the book with the generals full cooperation and editorial sensoring. Screen approval . Yes, sir, no, sir, three bags full. I dont do that. Who was your favorite subject to write about . Its always the last book. Its always the last book because you never which was this one . No. My last book was oprah. This was the last one. Capturing camelot i think has been my Favorite Book because it truly is a love letter to history. In fact, all of my other books have been an effort to penetrate a public myth that is put up by very, very powerful people tofluence us. I am perpetuating the myth of camelot but through some beautiful pictures. Bill these pictures will do it. The text is mag of any september. In charlotte i have a friend. I moderated a panel. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend was on a panel. Talking about catholics and how they survive politically with the catholic byrnesishops being so rightwing. She said my daddy, kathleen remember priests are republicans. The nuns are democrats. True bill i wasnt sure if she was making that up until i read your book. You have that in the book. Its got to be true. The kennedys always looked at the bishops and the cardinals as republicans. But the nuns and, you know, something, when john f. Kennedy ran for president , joe kennedy, his father was enraged with the hierarchy of the catholic church, enraged because this was the first time an Irish Catholic had a real chance at becoming president. Joe kennedy felt until an Irish Catholic became president , there would be that bigotry throughout the country. The hierarchy of the church was not behind jfk. They carleddinal sellman did not support him. It turned joe kennedy off of his religion forever. He still supported some catholic causes but not many. And he made it quite clear in his letters that that had done it. They were not behind it. Jfk really made an impassioned speech saying no church would protect his policy. Its too bad that we dont follow jfks example of separation and state in our politics. Amen to that. About a minute and a half left of all of your biographies, there have been a lot of controversy. Really . Bill which one got you most heat . They all did. Some before i had written a word. President reagan and guess what. He had to withdraw the lawsuit. President reagan got very upset about the nancy reagan biography. President nixon wrote to president reagan about that woman, me writing. The bush book, the head of the Republican National committee went crazy and they hissed and spit at the whitehouse and had press conferences about this book. Oprah made Barbara Walters just weep and wail and say i will never have her on. Its just an outrage and yet, you know, if you picked up those books, they have been so lawyered that as controversial as they are, they are accurate. But you pay a price if you write those kind of books. Bill i think you ought to wear that as a badge of honor. Peter that lady. That that woman. There is a letter in the Nixon Library and a copy of it in the Reagan Library of the correspondence between the two president s about that woman. She is kitty kelly. Her latest book is capturing camelot. I cant recommend it too highly. Stanley tredicks images. Thank you for coming in. Great to see you. Happy holidays. Happy holidays to you, too. We will be back with a parting shot for today. Radio meets television the bill press show now on current tv. [ music ] oh my goodness oh my gosh this looks amazing [ male announcer ] our new maine stays 15 entrees under 15 seafood, chicken and more oo the tilapia with roasted vegetables im actually looking at the wood grilled chicken with portobello wine sauce. That pork chop was great no more fast food fridays were going to go to red lobster. Yep. [ male announcer ] come try our new menu and sea food differently and introducing 7 lunch choices for just 7. 99. Salad, sandwiches, and more. vo current tv gets the conversation started weekdays now at 9 and noon eastern. Im a slutty bob hope. The troops love me. We have a big big hour and the iq will go way up. [ theme ] [ music ] the parting shot with bill press, this is the bill press show. Bill on this wednesday, december 12th, my parting shot for today, you know, once upon a time, Supreme Court justices were seen but not heard. They might have asked a question at oral arguments but otherwise, any time you heard from them was to see their opinions in their written opinions. Thats no longer the indicates. Now, a few of them are always out there sounding off, but none of them worse than anton inscalia. He is always outrageous. This week, he even outdid himself. He equated laws banning sodomy with homo sexuality. Quote, if we cannot have moral feelings against homo sexuality, he asked, how can we have moral feelings against murder . Murder. As if there is no difference between the two . Come on. Its okay for somebody to have those kind of warped views in this country. Its scary to have such a homophobe on the Supreme Court but its absolutely unacceptable with someone with those views to rule on any case involving gay rights. There are two such cases in front of the Supreme Court today. Both having to do with samesex marriage. Scalia should recuse himself and if he refuses to recuse himself from those cases, chief Justice John Roberts should publically demand that he do so. Thats my parting shot for today. Congressman Stanley Levin from michigan here to talk about the war in michigan tomorrow. This is the bill press show. The chill of peppermint. The rich dark chocolate. York peppermint pattie get the sensation