so the issue here is one of ethics and optics, not a matter of the law. but as stephanie ruhle points out and you point out a lot, this is how washington works. just to put it in context, at&t spent $16.8 million on lobbying in 2017. so this was about 3.5% of their total of make of that what you will. but the fact is, this isn t all that unusual for the way lobeing works and the way businesses work. it s not necessarily draining the swamp, but it s not unusual. it s not unusual. in fact, paying individuals with access to decision makers in washington is an age-old practice. it is increased recently. that is the amounts of money that goes to those who have connections. in particular former lawmakers, former public officials. those include former head of the cia, the fbi, our most augusta institutions can become very wealthy simply providing this kind of advice to private sector
game has 20,000 viewers. cnn s biggest audience in history. the previous record was set back in 1993. that s when al gore and ross perot debated nafta with 16.8 million viewers. now this debate even bigger. why do the ratings matter? all those candidates on stage had a huge opportunity to swag te sway tens of millions of voters. 23 million viewers is the average of the viewer ship for those 180 minutes. it turns out the prime time debate reached 37.9 million people. those are amazing numbers in television. fox s debate averaged 24 million. this is the biggest show of the fall. what is causing all this?
on the trail. we spent time at jim beam s american still house. take a look. jim beam is producing more than 20 different kinds of bourbon, but the original kentucky bourbon started right here in claremont in 1795. let s see how it s done. bourbon is made of corn, rye and malt barley. they produce it right here in the usa. even the ingredients driving those hot summers of ken condition. once the main ingredients are milled down, it s time for bourbon. you ready? anna: ready. it smells like fresh baked bread in here. bourbon by law must be produced in the united states. last year over 16.8 million cases of bourbon were sold in the sus and 38.5 million gallons were exported around the world. the bourbon industry is
bourbon, by law, must be produced in the united states. last year over 16.8 million cases of bourbon were sold in the u.s. and 38.5 million gallons were exported around the world. the bourbon industry is certainly booming. most of it s made in kentucky. we think that s best. anna: this may look like tap water, but it s 125 proof. moonshine, mama. jim beam is one of the top sellers of bourbon with over 700 million cases shipped last year alone. it ain t easy to get ha whiskey made right. the bourbon making process takes years. but beam has some practice. the 218-year-old company has passed through seven generations. after nine years of aging, this bourbon is ready to come play. yeah. the moment of truth. beam has over 3,000 employees world wide.
year 2000. more than 16.8 million background checks performed for the first 11 months of 2012. that s 2% higher -rpb the previous year s total of 16 and a half million. martha: meanwhile on that same note we are just learning compelling new details about what happened in the mass shooting at the movie theater in aurora, colorado. it is coming out in the preliminary hearing that is going on all this week for shooting suspect james holmes how see pictured here. police officers with heart-break accounts of how they tried desperately to save people s lives in that theater after they arrived at that horrific crime scene. alicia acuna is live in centennial, colorado. where do they begin this hearing today? reporter: today attorneys will finish the questioning of aurora police detective todd frederick son. he interviewed a number of injured and survivors after the shooting. he testified yesterday that one