self-imposed deadline for a deal and still there is no deal. some on capitol hill, some of even the president's allies are saying this is now in their view time to cut bait and stop going for this big deficit reductions package they've been talking about and just find the easiest path forward to get the debt ceiling raised and worry about deficit reductions at another time. >> you know, it seemed like there was some enthusiasm and some progress yesterday. but if the two sides are even further dug in, even further apart so to speak, why is the president still pushing for something big? >> reporter: well, there's the overt politics of it. he seems to be nominally winning. the republicans in public polls are doing less well and are getting more blame than the president, in part because he's going for something big. but there's also just the simple fact that they have to figure out a way to get votes in the house of representatives to raise the debt ceiling. and they can't get those votes with a simple effort to do it and to raise the debt ceiling, they have to look for other avenues. now, this is where you mentioned that this is abnormal. outsiders look at this process and say, this is typical washington mess. it always works out in the end. but you know, when you talk to old hands in washington who have been at this for decades, they say this is sort of abnormal washington messiness. and that's because you have these sort of dead-enders in the house of representatives who don't really care. these new freshmen, they don't care about re-election. you can't sweeten the deal or bargain with them to get their votes because they just want to cut spending. so you don't know how this works out in the end. and that's why this negotiation is so messy. >> they were elected you're saying in some ways not to compromise. >> reporter: exactly. >> process versus politics. jessica, thanks so much. unfortunately it's not very encouraging what jessica is talking about. in the past republicans and democrats seem to have always managed to hammer out budget deals containing a blend of taxes and also spending cuts. and each side often had to make painful concessions. you'll remember president clinton cut entitlements. president reagan raised taxes and pushed to increase the debt limit. but this time around as jessica reported there are republican members of congress who believe they were elected specifically not to compromise. when it comes to taxes, both sides appear stuck on their slogans instead of solutions. keeping them honest tonight, first the democrats. >> millionaires and billionaires get to sail around on their yachts and by the way get a tax deduction. >> republicans would propose to use their money to subsidize a millionaire's yacht. >> people who own corporate jets and yachts. n't st tell millionaires and billionaires they don't have to do a thing. just relax. that's fine. we'll take care of this. >> republicans would rather protect millionaires and billionaires. >> millionaires and billionaires. >> tax breaks for the millionaires and the billionaires. >> preserving tax loopholes and payments to oil companies. >> tax breaks for oil companies. >> republicans are choosing tax loopholes for owners of corporate jets. >> tax breaks for corporate jets. >> making sure that millionaires and billionaires keep their tax cuts. >> keeping them honest, they're talking about changing the tax code. so hedge funding can be taxed like regular income instead of at lower rates. according to the the white house, that only gets you about $20 billion in savings over ten years. that corporate jet tax break everyone talks about? eliminating that pulls in about $3 billion. tax breaks for oil companies, only about $4 billion a year. here's the point. the reality is closing a $1.4 trillion deficit can't be done just by taxing tycoons. however, listen to the republican talking points. and those same tycoons aren't even called the rich or the wealthy or the well off. instead, the phrase is -- well, listen to this. >> let's raise taxes on job creators. mr. president, the american people don't want that. >> the job creators of this country are not the bad guys. they're the good guys! we want more job creators! >> the house cannot pass a bill that raises taxes on job creators. >> help the nation's job creators grow the economy and start hiring. >> job-killing tax hike on america's job creators. >> america's job creators. >> america's job creators. >> innovators and job decree -- creators. >> innovators and job creators. >> job creators around our country. >> the job creators as you heard there. keeping them honest, though, not taxing them or anyone as house republicans want means you have to make some pretty brutal budget cuts. if you look at the budget house republicans passed the other night, the cut, cap and balance bill, it calls for 6 -- $680 billion of spending next year, that doesn't count social security, medicare, v.a. benefits or interest on the debt. yet if you exclude those very same items, actual spending last year was $1.24 trillion. we did the math here. doing a deal that doesn't involve raising any revenue means cutting upwards of 40% from all spending but the barest essentials. whatever else you might think about the proper size of government or what's fair to pay in taxes, neither side's rhetoric squares very well with reality. let's get some perspective now from jon corzine, former democratic governor of new jersey, before that a u.s. senator and ceo of goldman sachs. currently he runs an investment firm mf global holdings limited. also carli fiorina, advisor to republican senatorial committee. also former senior campaign adviser to john mccain and before that ceo of hewlett-packard. let me start with you carly. you heard those sound bites. it seems like ending the corporate jet tax hike would be uncontroversial, but it seems like some of your fellow republicans are drawing a hard line on any revenue-raising proposals whatsoever. do you believe we can make a dent without doing that? >> i think first of all with regard to the rhetoric of millionaires and billionaires, the problem is when you look at the fine print what democrats are really talking about is raising taxes on a family that makes $250,000. and if you're a nurse and a fireman raising two kids, you don't feel very wealthy right now. so i think that's the problem. the rhetoric doesn't match the reality. i think, however, for americans one of the frustrating things about this whole debate in washington is there has been a deal on the table for quite some time. and i believe the deal would get bipartisan support. that deal involves lowering the corporate tax rate, which everyone includes president obama agrees is too high, closing all of the loopholes that help small businesses by the way who have a hard time dealing with a tax code that's thousands of pages long, cut some spending. let's give republicans credit for changing the conversation to how much can we spend to how much should we save, and then making some changes in medicare, index medicare differently so that wealthy people have to pay more, and change the inflation assumptions on social security. if you put all that together, that's a big deal. and it's a deal that's been around in washington at least since the deficit and debt commission, and i think would get broad bipartisan support. and so everyone has been pushing up against this deadline which we also knew was coming for a long time. >> right. >> to see how the politics is going to turn out. >> but again, carly, just to be clear without generating any new revenue, can you adequately address this problem? despite all the things you just said? >> oh, i think revenue razors, in my opinion, are fine. that's different than raising tax rates. and i think what we need to do is lower tax rates and close loopholes. and that raises revenue. and i think there's broad support for that. >> jon corzine, let me ask you, on the other hand we're still recovering from a major recession which is i think what's captured so many people's attention. republicans say now's not the time to take any money out of the pockets of, as you heard, job creators. do they have a point? >> let me start with almost everything carly just said i probably could support. i think that's what you're hearing out of the so-called gang of six and growing bipartisan support in the united states senate. it is revenue raising by broadening the tax base and lowering the rates and taking serious steps with regard to expenditures. and it's about a 3 to 1 mix. and i think the president's talking about a balanced approach for quite a long time. it is unfortunate that we are playing sort of russian roulette with the debt ceiling, which is a guaranteed tax increase on everyone. because you're going to see a sharp, sharp rise in u.s. interest rates if this debt ceiling problem isn't fixed. it is real process, but it has real implications in financial markets and the cost of issuing u.s. treasuries for a very long period of time. it just makes no sense. we do need to get a debt ceiling passed. i do agree particularly when you look at talking points, we ought to get off the talking points right now and get around to fixing the problems, the kind of thing that carly talked about, the gang of six has talked about. a lot of that none of us like any individual piece of it. but as a package it moves the ball dramatically down the road on deficit reduction and in revenue increases. >> today the news seemed to be, governor, there was hardly any progress. and carly, one of the biggest questions seems to be will some of these tea party freshmen ever cast a vote to raise the debt ceiling under any circumstance? you heard jessica's report. do you think that's going to happen? is there anything that can be done to convince them? >> well, look, i think there are people on both sides who are not going to support this deal no matter what. i mean, nancy pelosi has said famously as well as some other house democrats that they will never accept entitlement reform. so i think there are going to be folks on both sides. the question is, can you get enough votes? and i think jon is absolutely right. it's critically important that we raise the debt ceiling. i think, however, the president of the united states is not a freshman house republican. >> right. >> and as i said, this deal has been on the table for a long time. this problem has been on the table for a long time. i think we need the president of the united states, the leader of the free world, to step forward and lead here. and i think there will be enough bipartisan support to get a deal done. >> has he not been leading on this? i mean, with regards to the most recent conversations? >> you know, disappointingly, president obama put forward a budget in february. this was his opportunity to lead, in my opinion. that budget was voted down 97-0. it tackled entitlement reform not a bit. he gave a wonderful speech in april which the congressional budget office said it couldn't score because there weren't enough specifics. the truth is, the president himself has never put a deal on the table. he's asked other people to put deals on the table. and so i hope now that in this final two weeks he will come forward and be clear and specific about what it is he wants done and help lead people to get it done. >> and jon, the process part of this now, i mean, some senior senate democrats are saying that there's just not enough time to act on this gang or six or seven proposal. you know how the chamber works. are they right? can they get this through? >> first of all, i do want to say i think the president's been leading very russell visibly. the american people understand he's talked about a balanced approach. it's been repeated meetings and repeated efforts to get to a balanced program, a so-called grand bargain which i think actually speaker boehner has been supportive of. the real effort is being made. we are now also in the process deadlines that will be very hard to meet if there are filibusters, if there is the kind of thing that we saw on tarp, a vote down and then we see reactions in markets that create crisis and then you have to go back and have a second vote. there is not much time left on that candle burning. and the debt ceiling does have to be passed. whether it's short term, wit president talked about today, as long as it's tied to a long-run, balanced program, the kind of program that carly talked about, i welcome. i've heard the president say he's welcomed it. very much at his own peril among democrats across certain elements of our party. you can hear people pushing back against it. i think he's exhibiting truly strong leadership on willingness to make real cuts in spending, but he is asking and demanding that there be revenue raisers. and if that happens, we can get to a long-term program as well as pass that debt ceiling. >> and he has talked about the possibility of an extension for a couple of days as long as there is a plan in place. >> absolutely. >> carly fiorina, jon corzine thanks so much for joining us. let us know what you think as well. we're on facebook. you can follow me on twitter @ sanjay gupta. i'll be tweeting tonight and throughout the show. up next more breaking news. a school system where kids have taken their own lives is the district's policy on discussing sexuality part of the problem? we'll tell you about the possible lawsuits shaping up, and bring you both sides of the debate that matters to parents and kids alike. and later, is america's favorite sport destroying the lives of the people who play it? the link between on-field concussions and serious debilitating long-term brain injuries. and now the nfl is being accused of deliberately hiding the danger. i'll bring you the latest and talk for a former player who's suing the league. man: be kind to your eyes with transitions lenses. transitions adapt to changing light so you see your whole day comfortably and conveniently while protecting your es from the sun. ask your eyecare professional which transitions lenses are right for you. woman: discover the protection, comfort and convenience of transitions lenses for the entire family at transitions.com/walmart or visit a walmart vision center today. agents, these crustaceans are like gold to a restaurant owner. so? water damage can spell disaster for a small business. and restaurants have over 4 million slip and falls every year. that's why we work with our clients and help them find coverage for stuff like this. oh! hey, what are you going to do with these guys? we'll release them into the wild so they can live long, fulfilling lives. aw, really? no. [ male announcer ] we are insurance. ♪ we are farmers ♪ bum, ba-da-bum, bum, bum, bum ♪ our girl's an architect. our boy's a genius. we are awesome parents! biddly-boop. [ male announcer ] if you find a lower rate on a room you've booked, we won't just match it. we'll give you $50 towards your next trip. [ gnome ] it's go time. more breaking news on a subject that frankly terrifies me as a father. bullying that can be so intense that parents claim it can drive a child to suicide. as a parent you do everything you can to protect your child at home. you count on others to do the same at school. tonight we've learned that two civil rights groups plan to take a minneapolis school district to court. this after the school district refused to change its curriculum policy on sexual orientation. in just the last two years, seven children there have committed suicide. seven. the parents of two of those children say their teenagers were bullied over their perceived sexuality, and that's not uncommon among teen suicides nationwide. yet in this particular school system, teachers taking a position on homosexuality, it's off-limits. the question is, should it be? in a moment, the two sides are going to weigh in on that. the federal investigation and the possible lawsuit. but first, the heart-breaking story from poppy harlow. >> these are samantha's swimsuits. they've been hanging here. i just can't put it away. >> reporter: a swimsuit hanging lifeless since november 2009 when michelle johnson's only daughter took her own life. >> we believed that she was just hiding from everybody because she was feeling hopeless. samantha was kind of a tomboy. and she -- she was perceived as gay. >> was she gay? >> no. we don't think she was gay. she was 13. >> reporter: samantha was the first of seven students to commit suicide in a single minnesota school district in less than two years. parents and friends tell us four of those teens were either gay, perceived to be gay, or questioning their sexuality. and at least two of them were bullied over it. erica hoops was samantha's best friend. >> yeah. she didn't feel safe anywhere. during volleyball they would call her names like fag and be like, go over to the boys' locker room. you shouldn't be in here. >> was the bullying part of the reason you think erica that your best friend killed herself? >> most definitely. there's no question about it. >> reporter: allegations of bullying have brought unwanted media attention. and cnn has learned a federal investigation to this quiet suburban community. we're about 30 minutes outside of minneapolis in anoka-hepnnepin. this is the biggest school district in the entire state. but the reason we're here is because it has become a battle ground over homosexuality in the classroom. >> this is the only minnesota school district we could find with a curriculum policy that bars teachers from taking a position on homosexuality and says such matters are best addressed outside of school. it's become known as the neutrality policy. and some teachers say it's part of the problem. >> because there's so much we can't do and say to help create a more accepting and affirming and welcoming environment that would eliminate some of that bullying in the first place. >> reporter: in a school newsletter, and in a voice mail to staff, superintendent dennis carlson denies any connection between bullying and the suicides. >> based on all of the information we've been able to gather, none of the suicides were connected to incidents of bullying or harassment. >> reporter: carlson says the district has a comprehensive bullying policy and has piloted a bullying tip line. he says the neutrality policy is a reasonable response to a divided community. >> it's a diverse community. and what i try to do as superintendent is walk down the middle of the road. >> reporter: but one teacher is ready to take on the district. >> are you afraid that you could lose your job just being here talking about this? >> realistically? yeah. >> and poppy harlow joins us now. it is a heart-breaking story just listening to that mother. poppy, what is the latest on the advocacy groups that have threatened to file a federal lawsuit against this school district? >> reporter: sanjay, just today the school district in minnesota said that they are going to keep -- no question about it right now -- the neutrality policy in place. the southern poverty law center, that's one of the advocacy groups behind this case, says any resolution must include a repeal of that policy. so right now if you just look at it, if this doesn't change they plan to file a lawsuit against the school district. now, the splc was present for our interviews involving its clients. and you know, sanjay, what we also learned today is that school district asked the southern poverty law center and the national center for lesbian rights to assist it in training its staff to support gay students. but that is not going far enough, sanjay, for these civil rights groups. on top of this, cnn has learned and confirmed the departments of justice and education are investigating incidents involving bullying and harassment in that s