11:00 p.m. here on the east

coast. this is "cnn tonight," i'm don lemon. pyongyang says it has conducted a successful nuclear test according to the north korea state news agency which confirmed this was a hydrogen test. a hydrogen bomb test. jim sciutto joins me now on the phone. apparently this caused a seismic event in the country? jim, are you there? >> reporter: that's right. first detectived as a 5.1 magnitude earthquake which has been in the past the first signs of a nuclear test conducted underground in north korea. same size test took place in 2013. what is different about this one is they are claiming it is a hydrogen bomb, a more powerful explosion. the u.s. is assessing this test and it could take them days to determine how large an explosion it was. the u.s. has expressed doubts in

recent weeks as north korea has said it is developing a hydrogen bomb. the u.s. has expressed doubts they have that capability. but, north korea, we know, has conducted three previous nuclear tests so the u.s. is aware they have the ability to do at least do that. and there are increasing concerns about advances they have been making and in the possibility of miniaturizing nuclear warheads so they can be placed on top of missiles and threatening their neighbors and the west coast of the united states. that is not confirmed but that is what the north koreans are seeking to do. this is at a minimum a provocation. things to watch for now, not only the u.s. reaction but the reaction of its neighbors, south korea and china. china is a north korean ally and it has been upset with provocations from north korea

but not necessarily clamping down on north korea to the agree that the u.s. and others would like. it's a sobering development tonight, don. to be clear the u.s. has nonconfirmed it is a nuclear explosion and has expressed doubts whether they have the capability for a hydrogen nuclear test by any measure it's a suberring development tonight and a provocation. >> here's what the pacific command spokesman is saying, they are aware of the test and they are fully committed to working closely with the republic of korea ally to maintain security on the peninsula. what are the next steps to take in trying to keep the area secure or what happens next? >> the first step is confirming this was a nuclear explosion. it has all the hallmarks and a similar earthquake as in 2013.

so assessing the size of this, confirming it's nuclear and the u.s. making an assessment as to whether it was indeed hydrogen would be a step forward technologically. but let's be honest, don, in recent years, north korea has made many advances. they have set off several nuclear explosions, granted underground. they have made progress with missile technology and at least claimed to be able to miniaturize that technology. the warhead technology so they could put it on top of a missile. at the same time, u.s. analysts some estimated that north korea may have as many as 10 to 15 nuclear weapons. the question becomes then, what is the stick at this point? what is the punishment? and as you know, we have been watching this for years, negotiations haven't worked. north korea has reneged on

previous nuclear deals going back to the bush administration. china has tried to squeeze them diplomatically. south korea has offered them detente, in effect. all of these things have been tried with north korea and it hasn't worked. and it's a great frustration of everyone involved. meanwhile, you have an unpredictable dictator there with a nuclear weapon. it's bad all around. >> what can we expect to hear from washington, the president, the pentagon? what should we expect to hear? >> i have been in touch with the white house tonight. they say they are still assessing this. i would expect to have a statement -- some sort of reaction from the white house tomorrow morning. will you see any immediate announcement of moves, penalties, sanctions, et cetera? all these things? likely not immediately. they have seen these tests before and the u.s. has minimal

leverage with north korea. but there will be moves to reassure allies in the region and hard questions about the policy going forward and you want to look at what china does. there has been a lot of speculation about when will china run out of patience with north korea and squeeze them truly economically to influence their decisions? and we haven't seen that to a agree that changes north korean behavior. whether this changes that we'll have to see. >> jim sciutto our chief analyst. north korea has conducted a nuclear test congress to pyongyang, specifically, a hydrogen bomb. we will update the developments as we get them. we want to turn to the events in washington today. president obama saying he will take action on guns with or without congress. he made a passionate plea at the

white house for america to come together and stop gun violence. introduced by mark barden whose son was killed in the massacre at sandy hook elementary school. we are bringing you the whole thing right now. it was an extraordinary speech. >> thank you so much. mark, i want to thank you for your introduction. i still remember the first time we met and the time we spent together. and the conversation we had about daniel. and that changed me that day. and my hope earnestly has been that it would change the country. five years ago this week, a sitting member of congress and

18 others were shot at, at a supermarket in tucson, arizona. it wasn't the first time i had to talk to the nation in response to a mass shooting, nor would it be the last. ft. hood, binghamton, aurora, oak creek, new town, the navy yard, santa barbara, charleston, san bernardino. too many. and thanks to a great medical team and the love of her husband, mark, my dear friend and colleague, gabby giffords

survived. she is here with us today with her wonderful mom. [ applause ] it is thanks to a great medical team, her wonderful husband, mark, who by the way, the last time i met with mark, this is a small aside, you may know mark's twin brother is in outer space. he came to the office and i said how often are you talking to him? he says i usually talk to him every day but the call was coming in right before the meeting so i think i may not have answered his call which made me feel kind of bad. that's a long distance call. [ laughter ] so i told him, if his brother,

scott, is calling today, that he should take it. turn the ringer on. i was there with gabby when she was still in the hospital. and we didn't think, necessarily, at that point, that she was going to survive. and that visit right before memorial -- about an hour later, gabby first opened her eyes. and i remember talking to mom about that. but i know the pain that she and her family have endured these past five years.

and the rehabilitation and the work and the effort to recover from shattering injuries. and then i think of all the americans who aren't as fortunate. every single year, more than 30,000 americans have their lives cut short by guns. 30,000. suicides, domestic violence, gang shootouts, accidents. hundreds of thousands of americans have lost brothers and sisters. or buried their own children. many have had to learn to live with a disability. or learn to live without the

love of their life. a number of those people are here today. they can tell you some stories. in this room right here, there's a lot of stories. there's a lot of heart ache. there's a lot of resilience, there's a lot of strength, but there's also a lot of pain. and this is just a small sampling. the united states of america is not the only country on earth with violent or dangerous people. we are not inherently more prone to violence. but we are the only advanced country on earth that sees this kind of mass violence erupt with

this kind of frequency. it doesn't happen in other advanced countries. it's not even close. and as i've said before, somehow, we've become numb to it and we start thinking that this is normal. and instead of thinking about how to solve the problem this has become one of our most polarized, partisan debates. despite the fact that there is a general consensus in america about what needs to be done. that's part of the reason why on thursday i'm going to hold a town hall meeting in virginia on

gun violence because my goal here is to bring good people on both sides of this issue together for an open discussion. i'm not on the ballot again. i'm not looking to score some points. i think we can disagree without inpuning other people's motives or without being disagreeable. we don't need to be talking past one another. but we do have to feel a sense of urgency about it. in dr. king's words, we need to feel the fierce urgency of now because people are dying. and the constant excuses for inaction no longer do, no longer suffice. that's why we're here today. not to debate the last mass shooting but to do something to try to prevent the next one. [ applause ]

to prove that the vast majority of americans, even if our voices aren't always the loudest or most extreme, care enough about a little boy like daniel to come together and take common sense steps to save lives and protect more of our children. i want to be absolutely clear at the start. this also becomes routine. there's a ritual about this whole thing that i have to do.

i believe in the second amendment. it's there written on the paper. that guarantees a right to bear arms. no matter how many times people try to twist my words around i taught constitutional law. i know a little about this. i get it. [ applause ] but i also believe that we can find ways to reduce gun violence, consistent with the second amendment. i mean, think about it. we all believe in the first amendment. the guarantee of free speech. but we accept that you can't yell "fire" in a theater. we understand there are some constraints on our freedom in

order to protect innocent people. we cherish our right to privacy. but we accept that you have to go through metal detectors before being allowed to board a plane. it's not because people like doing that. but we understand that that's part of the price of live impugning in a civilized society. and what is ignored in this debate is a majority of gun owners agree that we can respect the second amendment while keeping americans safe.

right now a man can walk into a gun store and purchase a gun safely and responsibly. this is not an infringement on the second amendment. contrary to the claims of what some gun rights proponents have suggested this is not the first step in some slippery slope to mass confiscation, contrary to some presidential candidates before this meeting, this is not a plot to take away everybody's guns. you pass a background check, you purchase a firearm. the problem is, some gun sellers have been operating under a different set of rules. a violent felon can buy the same weapon over the internet with no

background check, no questions asked. a recent study found one in 30 people looking to buy guns on one website had criminal records. one out of thirty had criminal record. we're talking about individuals convicted of serious crimes, aggravated assault, domestic violence, robbery, illegal gun possession. people with lengthy criminal history buying deadly weapons all too easily. this is just one website within the span of a few months. so, we've created a system in which dangerous people are allowed to play by a different set of rules than a responsible gun owner who buys his or her gun the right way and subjects themselves to a background check. that doesn't make sense. everybody should have to abide by the same rules. most americans and gun owners

agree. and that's what we tried to change three years ago after 26 americans, including 20 children, were murdered at sandy hook elementary. two united states senators, joe mansion, and pat tumey, both gun owners and both with "a" grades from the nra. that's hard to get. worked together in good faith, consulting with folks like our vice president, who's been a champion on this for a long time. to write a common sense compromise bill that would have required everybody who buys a gun to get a background check. common sense stuff. 90% of americans supported the

idea. 90% of democrats in the senate voted for that idea but it failed because 90% of republicans in the senate voted against that idea. how did this become such a partisan issue? republican president george w. bush once said i believe in background checks at gun shows or anywhere to make sure that guns don't get in the hands of people that shouldn't have them. senator john mccain introduced a bipartisan measure to address the gun show loophole saying we need this amendment because criminals and terrorists have exploited and are exploiting this very obvious loophole in our gun safety laws. even the nra used to support expanded background checks. and by the way, most of its members still do and republican voters still do. how did we get here?

how did we get to the place where people think requiring a comprehensive background check means taking away people's guns? each time this comes up, we are fed the excuse that common sense reforms like background checks might not have stopped the last massacre. or the one before that. or the one before that, so why bother trying? i reject that thinking. [ applause ] we know we can't stop every act of violence, every act of evil in the world. but maybe we could try to stop

one act of evil, one act of violence. some of you may recall that the same time that sandy hook happened, a disturbed person in china took a knife and tried to kill with a knife, a bunch of children in china. but most of them survived. because he didn't have access to a powerful weapon. we maybe can't save everybody but we could save some. just as we don't prevent all traffic accidents but we take steps to try to reduce traffic accidents. as ronald reagan once said if mandatory background checks could save more lives it would be well worth making it the law of the land.

the bill before congress three years ago met that test. unfortunately, too many senators failed theirs. [ applause ] in fact, we know that background checks make a difference. after connecticut passed a law requiring background checks, gun deaths decreased by 40%. 40%. [ applause ] meanwhile, since missouri repealed a law requiring comprehensive background checks and purchase permits, gun deaths have increased to an almost 50% higher than the national average. one study found unsurprisingly, that criminals in missouri now have easier access to guns.

and the evidence tells us that in states that background checks law-abiding americans don't find it harder to purchase guns whatsoever. their guns have not been confiscated and their rights have not been infringe judged. and that's just the information we have access to. with more research we could further improve gun safety just like we have reduced traffic fatalities enormously over the last 30 years. we do research when cars, food, medicine, even toys harm people so that we make them safer. and you know what, research, science, those are good things. they work. [ applause ] they do. [ applause ] but think about this, when it comes to an inherently deadly weapon -- nobody argues that guns are potentially deadly --

weapons that kill tens of thousands of americans every year, congress voted to make it harder for public health experts to conduct research into gun violence. made it harder to collect data and facts. and develop strategies to reduce gun violence. even after san bernardino, they refused to make it harder for terror suspects who can't get on a plane to buy semiautomatic weapons. that's not right. that can't be right. so the gun lobby may be holding congress hostage right now but

they cannot hold america hostage. [ applause ] we do not have to accept this carnage at the price of freedom. [ applause ] [ applause ] now i want to be clear, congress still needs to act. the folks in this room will not rest until congress does. [ applause ] because once congress gets on board with common sense gun safety measures, we can reduce gun violence a whole lot more.

but we also can't wait. until we have a congress that's in line with the majority of americans there are actions within my legal authority that we can take to help reduce gun violence and save more lives. actions that protect our rights and our kids. after sandy hook joe and i worked together with our teams and we put forward a whole series of executive actions to try to tighten up the existing rules and systems that we had in place. but today we want to take it a step further. so let me outline what we're going to be doing. number one, anybody in the business of selling firearms must get a license and conduct

background checks or be subject to criminal prosecutions. [ applause ] it doesn't matter whether you're doing it over the internet or at a gun show. it's not where you do it but what you do. we're also expanding background checks to cover violent criminals who try to buy the most dangerous firearms by hiding behind trusts and corporations and various cutouts. we're also taking steps to make the background check system more efficient. under the guidance of jim comey and the fbi and our deputy director tom brandon at atf we're going to hire more folks to process applications faster and we're going to bring an

outdated background check system into the 21st century. [ applause ] and these steps will actually lead to a smoother process for law-abiding gun owners, a smoother process for responsible gun dealers, a stronger process for protecting the people from -- the public from dangerous people. so that's number one. number two, we're going to do everything we can to ensure the smart and effective enforcement of the gun safety laws that are already on the books which means we will add 200 atf investigators and require firearms dealers to require more lost or stolen guns on a timely basis. we're working with advocates to protect victims of domestic abuse from gun violence, where too often -- [ applause ]

-- where too often people are not getting the protection that they need. number three, we're going to do more to help those suffering from mental illness get the help that they need. [ applause ] so high profile mass shootings tend to shine a light on those few mentally unstable people who inflict harm on others but nearly two in three gun deaths are from suicides. so a lot of our work is to prevent people from hurting themselves. that's why we made sure that the affordable care act, also known as obamacare -- [ laughter ] -- that law made sure that treatment for mental health was covered the same as treatment for any other illness. that's why we're going to invest

$500 million to expand access to treatment across the country. [ applause ] it's also why we're going to ensure that federal mental health records are put in the background check system. if we can continue to destigma size mental health issues and fill background checks in the system we can spare more families of losing a rushed one to suicide and for those in congress who rush to blame mental illness for mass shootings, here's your chance to put your money where your mouth is. [ applause ] number four. we're going to boost gun safety technology.

today many gun injuries and deaths are the result of legal guns that were stolen or misused or discharged accidentally. in 2005 alone, 30 children younger than five years old lost their lives. in the greatest, most technologically advanced nation on earth there's no reason for this. we need to develop new technologies that make guns safer. if we can set it up so you can't unlock your phone unless you got the right fingerprint -- why can't we do the same thing for our guns? [ applause ] if there's an app that can help us find a missing tablet, which happens to me often -- the older i get -- [ laughter ]

-- if we can do it for your ipad, there's no reason we can't do it with a stolen gun. if a child can't open a bottle of asprin, we should make sure they can't pull a trigger on a gun. all right? [ applause ] so we're going to advance research. we're going to work with the private sector to update firearms technology. and some gun retailers are stepping up by refusing to finalize a purchase without a complete background check or refraining from selling semiautomatic weapons or high capacity magazines. and i hope that more retailers and more manufacturers join them. because they should care as much as anybody about a product that kills almost as many americans as car accidents. i make this point because none

of us can do this alone. i think mark made that point earlier. all of us should be able to work together to find a balance that declares the rest of our rights are also important, second amendment rights are important. but there are other rights that we care about as well. and we have to be able to balance them. because our right to worship freely and safely -- [ applause ] -- that right was denied to christians in charleston, south carolina and that right was denied jews in kansas cities and sikhs in oak creek. they had rights too. [ applause ]

our right to peaceful assembly, that right was robbed from movie goers in aurora and lafayette. our unalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, those rights were stripped from college kids in santa barbara and high schools in columbine and from first graders in new town. first graders. and from every family who -- who never imagined that their loved one would be taken from our lives by a bullet from a gun.

every time i think about those kids, it gets me mad. and by the way, it happens on the streets of chicago every day. [ applause ] so -- all of us need to demand a congress brave enough to stand up to the gun lobby's lies all of us need to stand up and protect its citizens. all of us need to demand that governors and legislators and businesses do their part to make our community safer. we need the wide majority of responsible gun owners who grieve with us every time this happens and feel like your views are not being properly

represented to join with us to demand something better. [ applause ] and we need voters who want safer gun laws and who are disappointed in leaders who stand in their way to remember come election time. [ applause ] i mean, some of this is just simple math. yes, the gun lobby is loud and it is organized in defense of making it effortless for guns to be available for anybody, any time. you know what? the rest of us, we all have to be just as passionate. we have to be just as organized in defense of our kids. this is not that complicated.

the reason congress blocks laws? is because they want to win elections. and if you make it hard for them to win an election if they block those laws, they'll change course, i promise you. [ applause ] and, yes, it will be hard. and it won't happen overnight. it won't happen during this congress. it won't happen during my presidency. but a lot of things don't happen overnight. a woman's right to vote didn't happen overnight.

liberation of african-americans didn't happen overnight. lgbt rights, that was decades worth of work. so just because it's hard, that's no excuse not to try. and if you have any doubt as to why you should feel that fierce urgency of now, think about what happened three weeks ago. dobson was a sophomore at fulton high school in knoxville, tennessee. he played football, beloved by his classmates and his teachers. his own mayor called him one of their city's success stories. the week before christmas, he

headed to a friend's house to play video games. he wasn't in the wrong place at the wrong time, he hadn't made a bad decision. he was exactly where any other kid would be. your kid. my kids. and then gunmen started firing. and xavian, who was in high school, hadn't even gotten started in life, dove on top of three girls to shield them from the bullets. and he was shot in the head. and the girls were spared. he gave his life to save theirs. an act of heroism a lot bigger than anything we should ever expect from a 15-year-old.

rare have no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends. we are noted and to do what xavian dobson did, a heart that big, reactions that quick, i'm not asking people to have that same level of courage or sacrifice or love. but if we love our kids and care about their prospects and if we love this country and care about its future, then we can find the courage to vote. we can find the courage to get mobilized and organized. we can find the courage to cut through all the noise and do what a sensible country would do. that's what we're doing today and tomorrow we should do more and we should do more the day after that.

and if we do, we'll leave behind a nation that's stronger than the one we inherited and worthy of the sacrifice of a young man like xavian. [ applause ] thank you very much, everybody. >> the president's speech in its entirety at the white house. the question is did the president go far enough and will anything change? we're going to discuss that. and the latest on reports of a successful nuclear test in north korea. could it have been a hydrogen bomb? sup jj, working hard? working 24/7 on mobile trader, rated #1 trading app on the app store. it lets you trade stocks, options, futures... even advanced orders. and it offers more charts than a lot of other competitors do on desktop. you work so late. i guess you don't see your family very much? i see them all the time. did you finish your derivatives pricing model, honey?

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we just played the president's speech in its entirety. he is taking executive action on reducing gun violence and crying when he talks about the children massacred at sandy hook elementary school. let's talk to marc lamont hill. did the president go far enough?

>> he hit the right note. obviously he could have gone farther. he could have set a number that a person could sell to be a gun dealer. but he doesn't want to get in a legal battle. but he wants to move the ball forward. >> he wants to expand background checks. and you see there, and it includes research gun safety and technology. is it more symbolic or is it about doing. >> it's both. some things require money from congress and the republican congress is going to say no. he is saying you say mental health, so this is an example where they can take half a billion dollars and invest in the plan and address mental health. but the president says we are going to refine and define what

constitutes a gun dealer. that is concrete and within his power and something that is immediate and can be done quickly. >> i was trying to understand earlier, your argument when it came to mental illness and background checks. what are you trying to say? >> well, look, i think you have to look at what is it that we accomplish when it comes to mental health? studying and researching is one thing. that's fine. but we don't have a clear plan for what would constitute you to be ineligible to buy a gun. your will we should agree on a moratorium amount of time you are not able to buy a weapon. i'm in favor of that. but that's not what we did today. what we have is ambiguity about who should be reporting what. we know now that doctors no

longer have to worry about hippa laws if you have someone that is depressed and might be a threat to themselves or other that information can go into the fbi database which could also not allow you to purchase a weapon. there are a lot of people that go and get help and we want people with mental health issues to get help. now the concern is do you go and get that help because you may get on a list that says you can't buy a gun should you lose your second amendment right -- >> do we know that yet? >> we don't know that because we don't know how you get on the list, what constitutes you getting on the list. and we also don't know how to get off the list. because no one is described and explained if you are on the list and get help and you say, look, i'm better i struggle with that -- >> don't you think that there is going to be some explanation of that? you know if you can't pass a driver's license test you don't

get a driver's license. >> why not have the explanation today. >> by saying what's going to happen doesn't mean you have to explain every detail of how it's going to go into effect. >> you are dealing with the constitution and a second amendment right. you should have this planned out. >> i understand what you are saying -- >> you are misrepresenting the president's argument. i'm not saying that the president doesn't have a plan and he's going to throw it against the wall and do what works. tonight the president didn't outline every minute detail of the plan. the second part of this is some of what the president is doing is outlining a broad set of provisions and recommendations for federal agencies. you can't say that the president shouldn't make law outside of congress and then say he is not specific enough. he is outlining within the boundaries of his power what is possible. part of what he wants is to do research and investigate and develop a plan. you are mad he doesn't have a

plan -- >> but based on what is in the executive order when they gave social security administration now the power to decide who is capable and not capable of handling -- these are their words their own personal affairs and then that could disqualify you from buying a gun. that is in the executive order tonight. that's -- >> who should decide then? >> i don't want someone looks a it a chart at the social security administration to decide because an older elderly person is not doing their taxes right that should take aware their constitutional right -- >> do you know that to be true specifically if someone is not doing their taxes right -- >> no one said that. >> if you read the executive order. the white house put it out it says that if somebody in the social security administration deems an individual not capable of handling their own personal affairs. that has nothing to the with

mental health. that could be your finances. that's when the social security steps in on finances. >> but that is not made by a bureaucrat. >> who is making it? do you think the head of the social security administration. >> they are working with the person's doctor. if the person's doctor and family decides this person cannot take care of themselves. >> that is not true. >> that is absolutely true. >> they are not saying a woman or guy at a desk is going to say you can't handle your affairs you can't have a gun. >> which is what happens every day. people say you can't drive at this point, you are suffering from alzheimer's or dementia. these things happen every single day. i have to go, i have to run. >> if you can't drive -- >> it depends. >> why can't you drive? because you can't put you shoe on the ignition you shouldn't have the gun. i don't know why you keep

stopping that. >> president obama joins anderson cooper for an exclusive one-hour live town hall, guns in america. when we come back, pyongyang says it has successfully carried out a hydrogen bomb test. i'm there for ray. ted loved baseball. dr. phil likes to watch football. renne, who wants sloppy joe on the menu every day. rosie's my best friend. evelyn likes to dance. harriett wants her fried shrimp as well. alice anne likes vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup and rainbow sprinkles. they give me so much back. i can't even imagine how i could possibly give them what they give me.

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a breaking news tonight out of north korea. pyongyang says it has conducted a successful nuclear test. that's according to the north korea state news agency which says this was a hydrogen bomb test. i want to go to paula hancocks tonight in seoul. what do you know, paula? >> reporter: the north koreans announced this test took place at 10:00 a.m. local time on wednesday. that is 8:30 p.m. eastern on tuesday in the united states. they say that it was a successful hydrogen bomb test but of course we don't know for sure if that is accurate. the u.s. senior u.s. administration official say it could take several days before they obtain the scientific data

to confirm whether it was successful. as far as the north koreans are concerned it was successful and it was to defend themselves against the united states. they have used this as a justification for these tests many times in the past saying they have a legal right to defend their country and that if the u.s. does not violate north korean sovereignty we will not use nuclear weapons. this has been widely condemned already. japan's prime minister condemning it saying it is a threat to japan's security. and the south koreans trying to figure out how to make north korea pay a price. they have said is it a violence of the united nations security council resolutions. there will be meetings around the world. emergency meetings, to figure out what the next step will be, what response should the international community give to

north korea? in the past it has been the u.n. security council passes resolutions and sanctions, but up until this point that simply does not work, north korea continues. >> paula hancocks reporting about the activity in north korea this evening. thank you for joining us this evening. now our live coverage is goint to continue with von vause in los angeles. good night, everyone. >> we begin with breaking news out of north korea. i'm john vause out of los angeles. a test of a hydrogen bomb registered a magnitude of 5.1. north korea has only tested less powerful plutonium bombs. it