We have breaking news tonight on debt talks. President Obama met with fellow Democrats and tried to coax them into backing a deal to cut spending immediately, then cut entitlements and raise revenue later. Jessica Yellin will have the latest from Washington. Plus, the con man who saw the light and turned his life around. He built a new career busting other frauds, but old ways apparently die hard. He returned to a life of crime and learned his sentence today. That story as we wrap up our 'Crime and Punishment' series on con men. Plus, tonight's other headlines.
Scroll down to join the live chat during the program. It's your chance to share your thoughts on tonight's headlines. Keep in mind, you have a better chance of having your comment get past our moderators if you follow our rules.
Here are some of them:
1) Keep it short (we don't have time to read a "book")
2) Don't write in ALL CAPS (there's no need to yell)
3) Use your real name (first name only is fine)
4) No links
5) Watch your language (keep it G-rated; PG at worst - and that includes $#&*)
|
Filed under: Live Blog |
Anderson Cooper goes beyond the headlines to tell stories from many points of view, so you can make up your own mind about the news. Tune in weeknights at 8 and 10 ET on CNN.
Questions or comments? Send an email
Want to know more? Go behind the scenes with AC361°
Bring the troops home or maybe send some of them to Somalia and Kenya. The cost of one week in Afghanistan is more than the U.N. says is needed to provide aid to the famine victims. At the same time raise taxes on high incomes. Look at historical tax rates - highest tax rates are among the lowest in history - even Reagan had more to work with (around 50% top tax rate in most of his years in office).
Good night everyone. Good show. Be sure to read David Gergen's column "No Way to Run a Country" under CNN.com, Politics section. Very very good.
If Congress doesn't dt it's job and raise the debt limit. The members should be held liable if this causes a recession. The Tea Party members are unrealistic.
Not one who is against helping out others, but...before cutting benefits for Americans have our "leaders" even considered cutting funds going out of the USA? I'm not suggesting stopping all aid but cutting back and taking care of our own first. Let's take care of our own, then get back to being the generous big brother to foreign countries. Cut back all foreign aid by 30% and see how much that helps out the deficit. Then if reports are to be believed and corporate America and Wall Street have rebounded but Main Street has not, let their tax breaks go before cutting entitlements to...guess who...those Main Street folks who still have not recovered!!!! How hard is this to figure out???
That was one smart dog finding the perfect spot with back support to climb the wall. Can we send him to Washington!
Why is it we aren't hearing anything about cutting waste and loopholes instead of cut, cut, cut?????????
Awwwww, dogs rule!!
If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace.
Thomas Paine, The American Crisis, No. 1, December 19, 1776
We must feel the pain NOW, get this debt out of here. This is fiscal child abuse. How can these congressman look there children or grandchildren in the eyes???
This is absolutely ridiculous. The Bush tax cuts were extened because we didn't want to raise taxes of the "job creators" and no jobs have been created! Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me!
The republicans have been doing one thing since Obama has been elected, anything to make him a one term president, and they don't care if they take the country down doing it. I'm so tired of this, can't wait for re-election.
I think that the Republicans are just plain idiots over the issue of raising taxes on the rich, closing loopholes, etc. If it is what will help resolve the issue then I am all for it and for people that are not considered rich, like myself, should not be punished for this game of chicken. It just seems the Republicans do not really care about the majority of the American people. Politicians always say "the American people have spoken" but yet they cannot seem to take care of the issue at hand.
No aid to Somalia! Make the Somali pirates spend their ill-gotten gains to help their own people. They have extorted enough from their ship hijackings and hostage taking to pay for all the aid their people could ever use. No more using our tax dollars to aid them!
I think the House is showing partisan stubborness,we have to increase revenue and cut spending, they should kill the idea of extending the debt ceiling and show Americans that our elected officals can acually get something done together.
Enough already with all the handouts and freebies.... Taxing the top 10% more will not solve the problem, closing loopholes will help but as a nation we are spineless and unwilling to make the hard decisions. It is indicative of what we are as a society in the sense that we need more and worry how to pay for it later, because later never comes. People all over the nation can say the rhetoric of "the American people deserve better", we can't do this our children and grandchildren, blah, blah, blah. But until we elect people that are not worried about a job for life then they will vote for what is right and forget about if they will re-elected in the next go round.....
The right thing is to protect this weak recovery and vote next November
Why does this have to be so difficult. Washington? Please grow up and work together.Maybe you can get some tips by watching children; they get along better than you.Why does it always have to affect the elderly and the military. Shame on you! The world is watching!
There is no good solution here! If we take 2 T dollars out of the economy, we will have massive job loss. If we default , we will have massive job loss. Anyway you take it, the middle class is screwed. This economy is too weak for this theater.
Can someone please tell me what is going to happen to social secuirty retirement payments and disablitiy payments? And also Veterans benefits and active Military pay? How many hundreds of thousands of people rely on this money month to month paycheck to paycheck? What will happen to the economy when those people have no money to pay their bills and their electric and gas gets shut off? What happens when their credit score drops? What happens when they can not pay their home or auto loans? what happens when they have no money to feed their children? My question is what about the American and not the politicians?Will They get paid well while the rest of us suffer?
Nothing will happen as we have the money to pay those things. We will receive $172B in August and yes tough choices will have to be made because all expenses can not be covered but the president will have to make those decisions. It is unfortunate but that is where we are. We will not default but definitely items will not get covered and that will have an impact.
These freshman think they have got it all figured out and it's a little scary. It's almost 2012 so they are trying to force the presidents hand. The problem is he said ok lets make a deal and now they either have to work with the president they want to unseat or watch the economy get worse. I'm glad I dont have it all figured out because no one wants to be in their shoes.
Yes, the freshmen are unwilling to compromise. I firmly believe they misunderstand the "mandate" they claim when they were voted in. Look at the polls and see what the people really want. They want a compromise and at least in the short term to avoid economic disaster.
That won't happen, it's textbook political scare tactics, they (politicians , not all) are always trying to scare the public to further their ageda. Its happened over and over again and will continue to happen. Read my earlier comment, it's why their trying to scare the public to death, the rich have bought them, sadly.
Just have seen a video of Cornel West. Your US-guys are listening to the wrong people (banksters and their puppets,...). Tax the 10% of the richest and you don't have problem. Greets from "socialistic" (ridiculous) europe!
Blah, blah, blah, no compromise. Same old Rushpublican nonsense.
I just don't recall big birthday parties with lots of celebs. We need a President, not a celebrity.
The issue isn't about taxes, it should be about the monitary system, it doesn't work. You can increase taxes all you want, but debt will still accumulate. Countries shouldn't borrow money from private entities at interest. They should print their own money. This is what truelly caused this debt crisis. If America defaults on August 2nd, the world will be forced to address this issue, as much as the money monopolisers would hate it. Presidents Lincoln and Kennedy died for this issue. Why have we all forgot about this?
Good evening John King and everyone and Anderson wherever you are. The debt deal better get done soon. Time is running out and America is sick of the posturing in Washington. There must be a compromise. Let's show the world that we are still a great nation who can overcome our problems and work together toward a common goal.
Exactly!
hello everyone, hi John King, nice seeing you twice in one evening...smiles