good wednesday, everybody. i'm contessa brewer covering the big news coast the coast. the big story, one of the busiest days on capitol hill. this is the action live on the senate floor. lawmakers voting on amendments to the tax bill that could put more money in the pockets of millions of americans beginning january 1st. >> i am absolutely convinced

this tax-cut plan, while not perfect, will help grow our economy and create jobs in the private sector. >> president obama is pushing congress to get the tax deal done before the holiday break two days away. it goes for a full senate vote this afternoon. it is expected to pass with overwhelming support. even one of the senators who voted against it says he will vote yes. >> i still don't like the package. i don't like how it was done. i'm not going to look an unemployed worker in the eye and say, sorry. >> the bill goes to the house where democrats are angry about two generous breaks on estate taxes. they held a tense, closed door meeting last night. >> it is clearly going to widen the deficit. >> a vote is expected on the stand alone bill to repeal don't ask, don't tell. as if there wasn't enough drama on the hill already, senators

are getting their first look at a mammoth federal spending plan packed with pork. >> are we tone deaf? are we stricken with amnesia? what is going on here? >> both democrats and republicans promised to stop the spending on special projects the new bill is bulging with 6,400 so-called earmarks wovrt $8 billion. >> $300,000 for the polynesian voyaging society in hawaii. kelly o'donnell, explain what the senators are doing with these amendments. >> this is the way to start off the ultimate vote on the tax package. three senators have put forward ideas to make changes. they are considering tom coburn, republican from oklahoma, who is offering suggestions on how to pay for the unemployment piece

of this tax bill. they are going to extend for 13 months unemployment checks. he thinks that should only be done if there is a way to pay for it. these interim steps need 67 votes. it is very unlikely. it is way for the senators to make a statement about their opposition about aspects of this. jim demint is going to say the tax cuts should be permanent. bernie sanders will say it should be the highest earners who don't get the benefit. the big vote probably in the 1:00 hour. >> the following hour you are looking at action on the s.t.a.r.t. treaty. >> a nuclear arms reduction package has been hanging over the senate. it doesn't work like typical legislation. it can be brought forward without all of the votes. republicans are saying they would like the entire thing read on the floor which could take ten or 12 hours.

their main objection is they don't think they should be asked to consider something so important for national security at the same time they are figuring out spending measures. they think they are being rushed. the democrats say no, it needs to get done. we expect that to be an unexpected development of the reading of the s.t.a.r.t. treaty. some real tension over that. >> we are going to talk more about the spending bill that arrived in congress and the earmarks stuffed into that later this hour. if congress gets through all of this tax cut rigamarole, my big question, should overhauling our tax laws be a priority in the new year. you can reach me on twitter, on facebook and hidden there just a little bit contessa@msnbc.com is

my e-mail address. i'm joined by the reverend jesse jackson, president and founder of the push coalition. do you think overhauling our tax code would level the playing field? >> those who make the most should pay the most. those who do not have jobs should not pay in. 27 million are without a job. 59 million without health insurance, 59 million in poverty. so those who have the most must pay the most. what is troubling about this particular deal is the millionaires and billionaires are getting huge tax subsidy without any obligation to reinvest and chances are they will not reinvest. >> we are talking about a couple of different things, number one, extending the tax cuts to the wealthiest americans. the republicans argued it creates jobs. i have said it again and again in this hour on msnbc, we have seen the slowest job growth under the bush era tax cuts

since world war ii. we have seen the slowest job growth. it is not as though people are -- it is not as though january 1st comes around and they say here are the tax cuts we've been getting for the last seven years and go out and hire. >> these ceos are not going to stop making things in malaysia. they are globalizing capital without globalizing workers rights. there is no benefit. we give the big deal to the banks, they got bailed out, which was a good thing. bank of america is -- >> here is what president obama and a lot of democratic lawmakers did not want, they did not want to have to go to unemployed people and saying you don't get your benefits.

>> i don't believe the republicans have the nerve to cut off -- >> well, they did. >> $50 billion for 2 million workers which is a big deal. it is not balanced. >> here is what the president had to say about the compromise he made. >> i know there are different aspects of this plan to which members of congress on both sides of the aisle object. that is the nature of compromise. but we worked hard to negotiate an agreement that is a win for middle class families and a win for our economy. we can't afford to let it fall victim to either delay or defeat. >> i mean, they want to move forward. the folks who are voting yes, they want to see the middle class tax cuts extended. will there be consequences for those who vote for the bill because of the tax cuts for the rich? >> i don't know what the consequences may be. if tax cuts in december these will be spending cuts come april

because once karzai and afghan and iraq get their bit and the big man gets their bit -- >> it is unusual seeing someone coming on from the democratic side saying let's see spending cuts. >> no. that is what is going to happen. they are going to say now we have run out of money we must cut suocial security and medicae and medicaid. where did the money go? it went to afghanistan, iraq and the wealthiest. this is a sugar high. we will be exhausted by april or may. >> are there places you would tell your lawmakers here is where you cut? >> you come out of the hole by reinvesting. detroit has 90,000 abandoned or vacant homes. if there is a plan to reconstruct not let them rot you

could people back to work. i hope we, the working people, should have some voice in this debate. >> reverend you are going to stay with me as we watch capitol hill. we are watching the senate for the vote on tax cuts. you are marry to break down how things should go. i appreciate your time today. the president's tax cut deal is a big deal. is his decision to meet with who's who of corporate ceos. the president is leading with 20 leaders of the nation's top companies. he said he hoped the head honchos would offer good ideas. >> ideas to encourage businesses to invest in america and american jobs when they are holding $2 trillion on their books. we know the path that will lead to economic success. the only question is whether we will take it. >> nbc's athena jones is live at the white house.

are are specific agendas at the white house today? >> the president is at blair house talking with ceos, talks about ways to spur investment for hiring, how companies can feel certain to invest in this economy. the president mentioned the $2 million in cash reserves corporate america has on the sidelines. they will be talking about that, about trade. among the ceos are the people from cisco, pepsi co, google, american express, ge, boeing. a slew of ceos are there to talk about how to spur the economy. this is the kind of meeting the white house likes to have. the president would have a private lunch with executives or last week he had a meeting on how to increase trade and talked about doubles exports. they are trying to get ideas from these companies on how to

spur growth and create jobs. breaking news right now from iowa, a prison inmate is on the loose. police launched a massive manhunt for the alleged bank robber who escaped custody at a hospital in iowa city. this man stole two vehicles, made a woman drive him to davenport. the woman was not hurt. police are not sure if the escapee has a weapon. another breaking story out of west hartford, connecticut. police have evacuated northwest high school because of a suspicious package. they are mobilizing all available resources to that school and as soon as we get new details in we will bring them to you. developing in greece. protests against the government turn violent.

protesters smash cars, hurling gasoline bombs. police fired teargas and flash grena grenades. some 20,000 protesters took to the streets. we have seen this in multiple countries. the protests we've seen ongoing in greece are among the worst yet. brand new details about the search for a possible serial killer in long island. why a mailman was arrested for a, hmm, special delivery shall i call it? wait until you hear the story behind this one. for strong bones, i take calcium.

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we're keeping our eye on the u.s. senate where lawmakers are voting on tom coburn's amendment from oklahoma pushing ideas on how to pay for the extended unemployment benefits part of the tax cut compromise. this amendment is expected to fail. we'll keep our eye on it. we are seeing an update to the news out of west hartford, connecticut. the bomb squad has cleared northwest catholic high school. students and staff are being alued to return to the high school. when we find out what was in the suspicious package we'll pass that along. wikileaks's founder julian assange will spend one more night in jail. he is being held in england on sex crime charges filed by sweden.

assange's mother says her son is holding up well. >> he's good. he knows it's unjust but he's focused on with his legal team on bringing the unjustice to the fore. there are good people out there who can see the truth. >> assange is going to fight an extradition to sweden. michael moore told keith olbermann he donated $20,000 to help assange. >> anyone who supports wikileaks is committing an act of patriotism. it guarantees, i hope, that we have a better shot the next time the bad guys try to pull one off of us. >> council members in berkeley, california, are questioning whether or not to bestow hero status on pfc bradley manning.

he provided assange allegedly with confidential material. both police and school officials in panama city, florida, are coming to terms with a shocking violent incident at last night's school board meeting. a man had been sitting quietly stood up, pulled out a gun, wrote on the wall, ordered everybody to leave the room, took the panel hostage. you are seeing the big large redv" on the boardroom wall. he accused them of firing his wife, a teacher. panicked board members tried to reason with him. one school board member knocked him in the head with her purse. afterward littleton described what she was thinking. >> i've got a good friend who sent me an e-mail this morning. she is a lawyer in new york.

she said i don't know about that ginger woman but i want her in my fox hole. that is exactly how i feel about it. >> what followed was horrifying. the man pointed his gun at panelists and pulled the trigger. this is disturbing video that may not be appropriate for children. a security guard ended up exchanging gun fire with duke and he turned the gun on himself. here it is. listen. oh. and no one was injured or killed there. police verified that duke's wife did indeed work on the board. >> we have clarified this morning she had been employed as a teacher by the school board and that, like i said, within the last year her employment had been terminated. >> police say the 56-year-old gunman was an ex-convict. they are continuing to

investigate. an armed robber swipes $1.5 million in chips from the bellagio in vegas. escapes on a motorcycle. run, guy, run. did not escape the security camera. police are laying low, waiting for him to try to cash in his chips. guess he would have had better luck going to the vault. the bellagio says the chips won't work. a "wall street journal" story posted all over, the air force is blocking news sites that publish the wikileaks cables. military users who try to log on to the newspapers, "new york times," "the guardian" and other world newspapers got this, access denied. internet use monitored. they could get punished for logging on to news websites. no gay sex at the world cup.

a 2022 world cup will be het in qatar which has strict laws against homosexuality. >> i would say they should refrain from any sexual activities. >> critics are demanding a full apology. the mailman showed up, the bad news, he showed up naked. >> the mailman just showed up at the door delivering our mail completely naked. >> the mailman was naked? >> yeah. >> he said he was just trying to cheer up a 21-year-old receptionist who seemed stressed out. he was arrested and admitted to police that delivering mail in the buff probably wasn't that great of an idea. [ male announcer ] this is james.

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police are worried they have a serial killer on the loose. they are working to identify all of the bodies they found on a remote beach outside of new york city. a woman in maine says police told her her daughter may be one of the victims. the victims were dumped at oak beach periodically over the past year and a half. cliff vanzant is a former fbi profiler. the woman in maine, her daughter reportedly met somebody on craigslist, reportedly she may have been a prostitute going to meet this john and that's why this mother thinks her daughter may be involved here. >> that is a dangerous occupation. there are a lot of men and women, children, who get into prostitution and many times they are just, contessa, we hear these stories, there is no one to raise their hand to say my

son, my daughter, my child is missing. it can be a week or two where that is devastating for law enforcement to try to pick up the trail. police should be able real quickly if the remains are all there, contessa, if the skull is there, they ought to be able to look at the dental records of the victim and compare it to the skull and see if they can make a fast identification or not. >> they say all four of the b y bodies are female. >> yeah. >> one of the bodies could be a prostitute from new jersey who was reported missing last year. they had a 911 call from 24-year-old shannon gilbert the day she disappeared. she told the 911 operator a john was trying to kill her. police say they know who the john is. it is a good lead. >> they have identified him, talked to him a few times. the statistical probability once we identified these women it could well be they were

prostitutes taken off the streets. the challenge is trying to simply identify the victims. we have all these csi things, dental records, dna, but the question comes if these bodies were dumped over a period, police say, up to two years, that is a lot of time to account for the victims. cell phones, computers, craigslist, we are looking at four dead women. >> cliff vanzant, thank you for your time. a possible break through for patients with hiv. doctors may have found a cure. plus, all aboard, including your guns. why amtrak is now letting passengers take their heat along. for strong bones, i take calcium.

but my doctor told me that most calcium supplements... aren't absorbed properly unless taken with food. he recommended citracal. it's different -- it's calcium citrate, so it can be absorbed with or without food. citracal.

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going through amendments to the tax cut bill. for instance tom coburn's amendment on how to pay for it. this amendment is expected to fail. it just failed. that coburn amendment on paying for unemployment benefits failed in the senate. they are expecting a vote on the whole tax cut compromise to happen in half an hour, maybe 45 minutes. wanted to give you an update on the s.t.a.r.t. treaty. there is a proposal to read the whole law concerning the arms reduction with russia on the floor. it would take 12 to 14 hours. some say it is a political stunt that puts politics ahead of national security. #. right now in u.n. security

council lifted a sanction barring iraq from pursuing a civilian nuclear program. a border patrol agent was shot and killed in arizona last night. at least four people are in custody. the justice department will join a civil lawsuit against bp and its partners over the gulf coast oil disaster today. and facebook founder and ceo mark zuckerberg was named "time" magazine's person of the year. we are watching the senate floor now for the movement on the tax cut compromise. again, there's been a lot of opposition to a couple big parts of this bill. one is the tax cut for the wealthy, another is the big generous tax cut it gives for people who inherit millions of dollars. it is expected to pass through the senate. once it goes to the house there are still democratic senators who are digging in their heels and saying they will not support

this. passage in the house probably more up in the air. let me go to the panel. karen finny, the former communications director and msnbc political analyst, pat buchanan and reverend jesse jackson, the founder of rainbow push coalition. good to see all of you. let's start on the failure of the coburn amendment. pat, when they are proposing these amendments is it a delaying tactic? >> senator coburn is conscientious and wants these tax cuts paid for. the deal has been cut between the president of the united states, mitch mcconnell and that is the deal that is going to stick. there are grievances in the house. in the last analysis it is going through exactly how the president and mitch mcconnell agreed. if the democrats don't put it through the republicans will come back in january and write one that will be more offensive

to their ideology. >> they're talking about these senators who previously said they couldn't support it, the fact that on january 1st they don't want to go back to middle class folks and say i'm sorry your taxes are going to go up because we couldn't compromise against tax cuts for the rich and couldn't say to unemployed people we can't extend the benefits. >> i do not believe taking the heat on denying 2 million unemployment benefits can give $700 billion to the richest americans. what happens now is we add to the deficit and cut revenue, which could have offset the deficit. guess what? tax cuts this month, come april, spending cut. cut what? cut what is left, workers,

social security. >> it is interesting that you bring up the whole balance between spending and revenue. the spending bill arrived in the senate offices includes 6,400 pork barrel items comes to about $8 billion. here is what senators thune and cornyn said. >> we could have passed appropriation bills in july and september. >> the idea of dropping this bill on december 14 and trying to jam it through again is reminisce sent of the health care bill. >> harry reid was worried about getting home for his re-election. didn't want to take up anything with a hint of controversy. this is a terrible way to run a government. >> karen, aren't senators given what the american people were saying about their concern over the nation's budget, wouldn't they be a little embarrassed to tuck in these earmarks for these special groups back in their districts? >> well, sure, of course.

although, i think we need an earmark reform and in some instances, all earmarks are not the same. this is another instance where the gop pulled one thing out and made it a broader issue and in some communities those earmarks are very important. that being said, one of the most important things to come out of the last week or so is that republicans can no longer claim to be the party of fiscal responsibility or they care art the deficit. what they cared about was protecting the tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires not deficit reduction. i hope going into the next session democrats will hold them accountable. there are plenty of republican members who tried to slide in earmarks as well. it seems everybody is afraid come the new congress they are not going to be able to get earmarks in so it seems they are trying to slip them in. >> senator thune is exactly right. harry reid and the democrats had

58 senators, three to two majority in the house. they could have passed all of this in july, august, september, october. they could have gotten probably their own tax cut bill and gotten rid of the tax cuts that are well to do. they didn't do it because they lacked the courage to vote their convictions when they had the opportunity. now we have this stuff jammed in at the end, the s.t.a.r.t. treaty, don't ask, don't tell. they are responsible. >> we are watching for the main vote on the tax cut compromise the president made with republicans. it is expected to pass the senate. the panel is going to stay with me. thank you, guys, for they. let me get into some other news. on amtrak, guns allowed. passengers can check unloaded ammo and fire arms in their

luggage. amtrak's new fire arms policy brings in line with the rules for air travel. it changed its reservation system and installing secure storage. critics say it is too easy to walk onboard a train with a loaded weapon. the former inspector general for homeland security, good to see you today, sir. >> you, too. >> is there any safety risk to allow passengers to pack unloaded fire arms in their checked luggage? >> there is. all the safeguards sound good in theory. it is an unloaded gun, in checked baggage, a locked container and in a security facility. who is going to check to make sure all of that is the case? who is going to make sure the gun is unloaded. >> who checks it now? >> no one does.

you can bring a gun on to a train. there are no metal detectors. there is very little police presence. we should be lowering the risk that a gun, a knife, a bomb can be placed on to a train especially now -- >> are you proposing airport type security for the nation's trains? >> well, we can't exactly replicate the airport security environment in trains. we should be increasing security in the mass transit train sector rather decreasing. the timing is as curious as the policy change. we are approaching the busy holiday season. next year will be the tenth anniversary of 9/11. amtrak spent $2 million to bring guns on when amtrak has been starved for funds to match the aviation security environment. i'm troubled by the change of

policy and the timing of it. >> moving on, if we are looking at how best to protect the nation's trains, not just amtrak here, but light rail in a lot of different cities, the subway systems in washington, d.c., new york, san francisco, chicago, the like, how do you best do that and still keep the cost manageable for people who otherwise would not be able to afford that mass transit? >> you spend the $2 million and the other limited resources amtrak has to increase police presence, more bomb sniffing dogs and technology, random bag searches. we should be increasing security measures not decreasing them. will this guarantee a gun is going to be misused by a criminal or terrorist? of course not. it increases the risk. we should be lowering the risk. >> clark kent ervin, i love your first two names.

you probably heard it. >> it is the first time, i assure you. >> thank you. researchers say an hiv patient in germany might have been cured by a bone marrow transplant. the man has leukemia. he got a transplant in 2007. it wiped out the transplant. he could be cured. this does not mean that aids can be cured by bone marrow transplant. quick break here. we'll be right back. nobody in my family ever had a heart attack. if anything, i thought i'd get hit by a bus, but not a heart.

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all right. on the senate floor just now we know that an amendment proposed by senator jim demint has failed. this was his proposal to permanently extend those tax cuts and the estate taxes. it was expected to fail and it did fail. the lawmakers are moving forward, approaching a vote on the tax cut compromise the president made with republicans.

live picture from the senate floor. then it goes to the house where angry democrats threaten to block the measure over the estate tax cut. representative crowley joins me from the house. good to see you today, sir. >> thank you, contessa. >> what happens when this bill presumably gets to the house? >> we expect the bill will be taken up sometime tomorrow after the senate worked it. there will be at least one dealing with the estate tax. the kyl language agreed to for $5 million or $10 million per couple, the after rate being 35% will be challenged in the house in amendment form. the pomeroy language, $3.5

million, $7 million per couple and 45% tax rate. the savings to the wealthiest 3% derived from the senate language totals $25 billion that will affect just 6,600 families and won't create a single job. >> is that enough of an issue for you to take stand and go back to your constituents in new york state and say your taxes are going to go up on new year's day, you are not going to get unemployment benefits because i could not support the estate tax cuts. >> what democrats stand for is helping the middle class and the poor in the country and the unemployed. there are a lot of good things in the deal the president worked out. the obama tax plan has good things for my constituency. i will have to look at that in terms of final passage. we made it clear. we stand for the middle class

and the working poor in this country. the republicans have held out for the wealthiest 3%. they voted no oun employment insurance extension. they showed it when we had a tax bill that exempted the first $250,000 of a couple. they are not standing with the middle class or working people in this people. they are standing with the rich. >> representative, are you upset -- democrats are in between a rock and a hard place. are you upset this is an issue that wasn't tackled before the midterm elections and before you lost the majority in the house that now you have to go in a lame duck session and there is a lot of pressure to act on this? >> i'm about looking forward. there is no sense in looking back at this point in time. i recognize our president, president obama is under a lot of pressure. it is a tough job. he had to make some decisions as it pertained to negotiating this bill. it goes back to the senate. a handful of senators seem to

dictate the will of government at least in the legislative branch. what the president accomplished are some good things for the american people. again, we are not happy for what this has done for the wealthiest 3%. nobody in our party begrudges people for making a buck. this is not class warfare. we didn't create this problem. the wealthy have gotten off in the last decade. two wars unpaid for, the extension of medicare unpaid for. we need to bring responsibility back to this country. >> congressman joseph crowley, we here are also about looking forward. thank you for taking a stand on that. when we come back, my panel joins me again for the wrap up with the tax cut vote. we'll be right back. it's the only complete multivitamin with ginkgo to support memory and concentration.

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we have some breaking news

coming in to me right now from huntsville, alabama. they have had horrible weather there, a lot of wintery precipitation. here is traffic backed up because apparently there was an accident where two students were killed and one critically injured in a walnut creek bridge on route 231. three teenagers headed to school. they hit an icy patch on the bridge and lost control. all three teens were ejected from the vehicle. apparently they hit a semi. the driver of the semi was treated at a local hospital. two students killed due to wintery weather. we are watching a busy day on capitol hill. sometime this afternoon a final vote could happen, as soon as the next hour. two attempts to change the bill have failed. my panel back with me.

kelly o'donnell, karen finny. she is now an msnbc political analyst, so is pat buchanan. reverend jesse jackson. moving forward on this, if this passes the senate and goes to the house, if all the lawmakers pass this tax cut compromise, what is your prediction for how it affects the nation? >> the price for the $56 million workers is a trillion dollar deal in the jaws of china. there is a tax cut for the wealthiest americans cutting revenue from our budget. by april they will say we have a deficit crisis let's cut spending. that is cut medicare. cut medicaid. cut social security and so it is tax cut in december, but it is spending cut in april and the most vulnerable americans will be in that cut. >> karen, let me ask you.

this is expected to pass the senate and go on to the house. what is the likelihood amendments are offered in the house that delay or kill the tlegs? >> i think, unfortunately, most of the democratic -- fortunately, the democratic members of the house know there will not be an opportunity to make changes. the change would have to go back to the senate and that violates the agreement. they don't want to be the ones who make our taxes go up in january by halting this bill. ultimately it will pass. there will be attempts to try to make changes. congressman peter welsh reporting he recognizes this deal is pretty much done and it will be hard to make changes. >> ceos from the biggest fortune 500 companies are with the president right now. there are some republicans who

said, hey, this is a great deal for democrats. it is basically a second stimulus. business folks are excited, not just about the extension of the tax cuts by the cut for social security payroll taxes. they think people are going to spend that money on the economy. >> there is a real hope that is exactly what is going to happen. i certainly hope that is what happens. let me agree in part with the reverend jackson. this will add $900 billion to the deficits coming up in the next couple of years. that deficit is headed for $1.5 trillion this year and $1.4 and $1.3 trillion. that is a heldish problem. with due respect to reverend jackson you will have to go after more than medicare, medicaid and social security. you have to go after defense. that is what got senator coburn deeply concerned and senator

demint and mitt romney. >> that is a merry christmas. right on, guy. >> this is an historic day when pat buchanan and jesse jackson agree. >> reverend jackson is right. >> can you give us an update on the floor? >> the amendment is going down in defeat. we are minutes away from the overall vote on the tax cuts we have been talking about. they moved through three the paint is dried on those, the big vote that will send a message to the house. if it passes as we expect, the republicans and the president can see this as a big victory for them. >> i wish this was a dinner party where we could go on, but andrea mitchell tends to get angry if i let my time eat into

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