That does it for 360. Erin Burnett Outfront starts now. The president makes a statement putting the pressure squarely on the senate to broker a deal for the fiscal cliff. Senator reid and mcconnell are working on such an agreement as we speak. But if an agreement isnt reached in time between senator reid and senator mcconnell, then i will urge senator reid to bring to the floor a basic package for an upordown vote, one that protects the middle class from an income tax hike, extends unemployment to the 2 million americans looking for a job and lays groundwork for more Economic Growth and deficit reduction. Just moments ago, senator harry reid says hes readying a bill for a vote by monday. All this follows a rare facetoface closed door meeting at the white house today between all the key players, the president , the Vice President , the treasury secretary and all four congressional leaders huddled together with just four days to go before we all go overs fiscal cliff. That meeting lasted for an hour and five minutes. On a story where every second and every maneuver counts, lets get chief to White House Correspondent jessica yellin. Jessica, the president says hes modestly optimist being but each also presented a backup plan. Does the president really think it will come to that . At this point, no, they dont, john, because the white house is hopeful that the agreement that the senators are working on can actually move forward after the meeting here. There is a modest uptick in enthusiasm about that possibility. But as forts backup plan, theres no real likelihood that would ever come to a vote because republicans would likely block it in both the senate and might it would likely not come to a vote in the house. So thats really more rhetoric than it is reality and we have to hope for option a, getting an agreement in the senate if were going to avoid going over the cliff. Rhetoric versus reality. Thats always a tricky place to be in washington. Listen, this is some serious high stakes political poker here. What can you tell us about the meeting at the white house today . Well, weve heard different takes where you hear everybody has a different perspective on what happened depending on which party theyre in. The big takeaway is everybody left grieving on the next step, which is that the senate will confer, the two leaders will confer and try to hammer out an agreement that democrats and republicans can both get on board with this what they will spend their day with tomorrow. We are not going to see or hear a lot of public action tomorrow. Then theyll try to sell it to their respective parties on sund sunday, as you said, theyll try to bring it to a vote maybe sunday night or sometime monday morning in the senate. And at least theres agreement on the next steps, john. Its better than nothing. Thank you, jessica. It will be a working weekend. The minnesota majority in the house of representatives will of course be key to getting any deal across the finish line. Outfront tonight, Republican Congress steve la turret of ohio, a member of the appropriations committee. Thanks for coming outfront. With this plan that the president s put forward, the scaleddown plan which would keep taxes low for 98 of americans, raising them for folks over 250, extending unemployment benefits. Would you vote for that as an alternative to going over the fiscal cliff . I would have voted just to extend the tax cuts for 99. 8 or whatever it was of americans that was John Boehners plan b. A couple of things are either being misreported or inaccurately reported because what gets in the way of the president s plan is the constitution of the United States. And the good thing about this meeting is that the focus is now firmly on the United States senate where it should have been all these months. The house acted a long time ago to extend all the tax cuts and take care of sequestration. The senate has given speeches. Youre referring to the fact that revenue issues are supposed to generate in the house. Right now, both Speaker Boehner and the president say its between reid and mcconnell which does raise the question, whatever procedural and constitutional issues, which are profound. Are you concerned as a republican, someone who is close to Speaker Boehner, if we go over the fiscal cliff, that republicans will get the blame . Well, of course they will. Because republicans get blamed if it rains if washington. That shouldnt be the test here, it shouldnt be the consideration. But senator reid has had it within his power since spring to amend the house bill and send it back with whatever changes he wanted. Thats what the constitution says. Sadly, theyve given speeches instead of getting the job done. But nobody, nobody wants taxes to go up on middle class americans. And i hope that everybody works real hard over the weekend. A lot of americans have to work on the weekend. I dont think its a big deal that we have to work this weekend. Its not a big deal and you should all be working this weekend. Listen, a few weeks ago it looked like Speaker Boehner and president obama were pretty close on a grand bargain. Maybe not as big as should would hope. It looked like the president was saying, well raise that top rate and offer some entitlement reform. Social security changes, cpi. Some talk of raising the medicare eligibility age. Now because of where were at do you feel that the folks on the far right of your own party by not supporting the speaker have ended up undercutting their position and ultimately will get less of a good deal on issues they care about than they might have gotten otherwise . I think the country has missed a huge opportunity to solve the nations problem and instead whatever comes out of the senate will be small ball, kick the can down the road. Thats unfortunate because this is a big problem. I dont think the president and speaker were real close so i dont think my conservative colleagues have screwed anything up because the president , if you look at his call for a balanced proposal, it was never balanced because he was asking for 900 billion of tax increases and chain cpi which was the super piece is 300 billion. When you talk 3 to 1 spending cuts to tax increases he had it lopsided. Fair enough. I want to bring in a third party, s p. Today they released a statement keeping america at its downgraded credit rating. They said august 5, 2011, Standard Poors lowered its rating for the u. S. Citing among other factors the political brinksmanship of recent months that highlights americas governance becoming less stable, less effective, and less predictable. We believe this characterization still holds. Do you know this congress, your congress, has done more harm than good . Do you feel embarrassed being part of a congress that ranks up there with the donothing congresses of all time . I think america should be embarrassed by its leadership in washington, d. C. But that extends to the white house, senate, and house of representatives. This has been the most predictable disaster coming at us for a number of years, and certainly months. And the fact that we have been unable to do things and instead worried about our next elections instead of the next generation of americans, i think its sinful and i hope that people turn out those who have been responsible for it. Congressman, youre a straight shooter, we always appreciate you coming outfront. Next, mixed feelings about gun control. Most americans support a ban on assault weapons but also support the nra. Plus, allegations of child abuse at a u. S. Military base. Two workers in custody and 30 more taken off the job. What their background checks revealed. Horror in the nations largest subway system. For the second time in one month a man is pushed to his death in front of a new york city subway train. This was the hole my waist was on. But since ive been on alli, am i on this one . Nope. Am i on this one . No, no, no, no, no. I am on this one. [ male announcer ] for every 2 pounds you lose through diet and exercise alli can help you lose one more by blocking some of the fat you eat. Simple. Effective. Beltfriendly. Lets fight fat with alli. Have a healthier holiday at letsfightholidayfat. Com. [ male announcer ] everyone deserves the gift of all day pain relief. This season, discover aleve. All day pain relief with just two pills. Executor of efficiency. You can spot an amateur from a mile away. While going shoeless and metalfree in seconds. And you. Rent from national. Because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle. And go. 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A new gallup poll shows 54 have a favorable opinion of the National Rifle association which is adamant new gun laws are not the answer to stemming violence, down slightly from a year ago. On the other hand, a poll by the Washington Post and abc shows 52 of americans favor banning semiautomatic weapons, 59 support banning highcapacity clips. Outfront tonight, roland and margaret. Good to see you guys. Margaret, i know that you grew up hunting, your dad took you hunting in colorado. One of the sea changes weve seen in the wake of this shooting is senators like joe manchin, mike warner, saying ive changed my mind, joe manchin saying, ive never hunted with more than three shells in a clip. Why isnt this a conversation we can be having more broadly . And getting republican senators on board . I would also point you to the democratic governor of colorado in the wake of the aurora shootings also said, im not sure if an assault weapons ban would have stopped james woolsly in this mass certificate in colorado. An assault weapons ban wouldnt have stopped him. Its not just a republican or democratic issue. In 1994, the democrats took a huge political walloping do you like that word . For instituting the assault weapons ban, and the house of representative s went back to republicans for the first time in four years im not sure thats why they took a whooping. Heres why we have had a frank conversation. Any time you talk about guns or gun violence in this country, it goes to, if we do this, it would not have prevented this certain act. The issue is not what just took place in newtown. The issue that is we have an epidemic in america when it comes to gun violence. So with this conversation, it has become onedimensional, its only about guns, its about a magazine. It hasnt been broadened to deal with poverty, economics, mental illness. You can look at newtown, chicago, stand your ground laws in florida, its a broader gun issue. Youre talking about comprehensive reform, youre talking about a larger conversation. I want to read a quote by senator marco rubio. He did seem to indicate a change of sentiment. He said, senator rubio supports a serious and comprehensive study of our laws to find a new and better way to prevent more mass shootings. That is one of the few republican senators who did send that kind of a signal. In the immediate wake. Heres the question if we agree its comprehensive and part of this is obviously Mental Health issues, why cant highcapacity magazine clips or assault weapons, which have no purpose other than to kill as many people as quickly as possible, be part of a comprehensive conversation . In my view everything should be on the table if you can prove it will work or theres a sense it will work. The truth is, roland, if you can agreed with you, if you can take 8 here, 8 here, 8 here, you should do it. That is a reasonable approach. The reason im smiling is because were trial to have inverted conversation. Newtown was a moment. Aurora was a moment. John, what youre really asking for is where is the movement . Thats right. With a movement, there has to be a starting point. If you look at the civil rights movement, that started with emmittville, montgomery. Montgomery was supposed to be a boycott. People on the ground who begin to drive this issue. The conversation cant start in washington. Washington is an aftereffect. It has to start with the people in various places driving them to move. If that doesnt happen, they will not move. Youre absolutely right. That is the history of movements in america. But there is going to be a bill we know senator Dianne Feinstein is going to introduce a bill on the first day of the new congress. Why shouldnt more folks get behind that, including some republicans . Because id like to remind you of one thing. Justice scalia said in the heller decision, like most rights the Second Amendment is not unlighted. Not unlimited. He said, it is not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever for whatever purpose. From the high priest of the Supreme Court of conservatism himself. Why doesnt that create some room for current conservatives like Ronald Reagan did in 1994 to back an assault weapons ban . The issue is, are you going to be punishing lawabiding gun owners with these kind of regulations . There are plenty of people who own these guns who have a right to own these guns who are not part of the problem. Are you punishing those people who have a right to own those guns because there are crazies out there that you are not affecting with an assault guns weapon . There is nothing about this that touches Mental Health do i really need so shoot 30 bullets at one time . Is 10 okay . Who is presumptuous enough to determine what that number is for lawabiding gun owners . Again, this is part of its own issue. This whole issue. When you say highcapacity magazines, youve got people who are law abiding. Of course you do. Guess what . If the people who are lawabiding say, i can hunt. But first of all, that means youre a bad shot if you need 30 bullets. Okay . Again, you have to have those folks step up. John, she can introduce the bill all she wants to. Unless you have Massive Public pressure, which is why i got in trouble last week when i said, if one of those mothers did what mamie till says, and said show my baby in an open casket, versus the photos, it causes people to change on this issue. Because were confronted with it. We dont want to see what it looks like. We dont want to see that. Thats why were continuing the conversation. Thats a great point about emmett till. Two day care workers in Police Custody tonight over allegations of bussing children. At least 30 others have been taken off the job after background checks and criminals records including drug use. Barbara starr has this exclusive outfront investigation. Reporter this little boy was supposed to be safe at an army day care center. This happened to military families a stones throw away from the pentagon. If it could happen here, it could happen anywhere. Reporter this military wife and other of two doesnt want her face shown. Cnn has also agreed not to show her childrens faces or identify them by age. Obviously, barbara, i am concerned about the privacy of my children. And then theres always the possibility of retaliation against my husband. Reporter its every parents nightmare. Finding out her toddler was physically assaulted by child care workers at the ft. Myer army day care center. The scandal grew to the point if the obama made an unprecedented phone call to Army Secretary john mac cue to express his concern. According to this fbi affidavit, this little boy and others were punched and slapped. One child was dragged across the floor. We thought, of all the different options, putting them in a child care facility during the day that was on a military base, that was pretty wellstaffed, would be the safest, most secure environment for them. Reporter it all began back on september 26th when a parent reported misconduct. The army quickly reviewed Surveillance Video and found several young children, all under the age of 5, were physically abused. Charges of simple assault were filed. But parents were still in the dark. Two days later, on september 28th, they are hand adler saying they are handed a letter saying only that there is a report of alleged mistreatment and inappropriate behavior by staff. All along, this first week when we were being sort of given piecemeal information, denied access to the videotapes, we were also being asked if we wanted to seek medical care for our child. Reporter medical care for what . For what . Obviously we wanted to understand and see with our own eyes, since that evidence was available. Reporter she was horrified when she finally saw the surveillance tape of her child. Obviously you dont ever want to see your child subjected to that kind of assault. These were the caregivers we entrusted them to every morning. Reporter november 7, the army started checking other employees records and found backgrounds including charges of sexual abuse of a minor, assault, and drug charges. On december 14th, 30 workers are suspended. But parents are still not told about those faulty background checks. This mother says she moved her children out of the ft. Myer center. We believe the military families deserve better than this. Barbara, a fascinating and disturbing report. One element is that secretary panetta wasnt told about this significant breach of trust, just outside the pentagon, an army facility, for almost two months. What happened with that . Reporter thats right, secretary panetta wasnt told, were told the Army Secretary john mchugh wasnt informed until the very end. Officials tell us there were procedures, going through personnel procedures to look at all these people, and there was this criminal investigation, they