to me, to our nation and to the people of american samoa. above all, i thank my heavenly father for his guidance and protection. i go forward, mr. speaker, knowing that the best is yet to come and knowing -- and hoping that i will be remembered for trying my best. for the times i fell short and i ask for forgiveness. and to each of my colleagues and to you, mr. speaker, i extend my kindness and highest regards. may god be with you, always. thank you and may peace be with you always. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from florida, ms. ros-lehtinen, for five minutes. mr. speaker, n: stability in the western hemisphere is in jeopardy due to the political and economic pressures occurring in venezuela. misguided financial decisions, a tax on entrepreneurship and socialist policies have led the economy in venezuela to a freefall. while oil prices continuing to decrease, venezuela is suffering from large budget shortfalls due to its large dependency on oil sales. to try to make up

engel: let me start by thanking my colleague from american samoa, mr. faleomavaega, for offering this resolution and let me also thank him for his many years of distinguished service here in congress. especially moving for me because eni and i were both elected to congress that first time on the same day and started to serve the first day, elected in november of 1988 and we both served starting january 3, 1989, and as the jargon is here in washington, we are classmates. and we've sat next to each other on the foreign affairs committee for so many years, all those years, and had good chance to travel together and to have our families get to know each other, our spouses, our wives, it really has been a pleasure to be a friend and colleague of mr. faleomavaega's. we're going to really miss him but i know he will grace our presence and come back and visit. so this is really a tribute, this is an important resolution, it's important for substance, but it's also important because i look at it as a tribute to eni faleomavaega, my colleague, my friend, a really

what about samoas? i love samoas! the rest bring in about $800 billion a year in sales. soon there will be an app for that. there will be an app for your girl scout cookies. >>> still ahead, the dolphins try and keep their playoff hopes alive in "monday night football." we'll let you know how they held up against the jets. >>> an update on a story yesterday. a republican staffer who went after sasha and malia obama on social media saying that they were dressed to belly up to the bar. what the aide did yesterday after all the backlash. you know, she apologized. she actually preyed ee eed pra it. she spoke to her parents. she's an adult woman who spoke to her parents. anyway, just apologize. you don't they'd to talk to your mommy and daddy. that and a check on weather when "way too early" comes right back. >>> the stunning collapse of enron. the giant energy trading company that went quickly from being a darling of wall street and a major player in american politics to the subject of a federal criminal investigation. ♪ you don't need to think about the energy that makes ou

samoa is also one of the first and hawaii is one of the last. >>> this was the scene in sydney, australia just about an hour ago. it's always beautiful there. traditional new year's eve fireworks display at sydney harbor bridge was spectacular. we hear crowds are still out there celebrating down under. >>> we got a ways to go yet. cab drivers and ridesharing drivers are getting ready for a busy night tonight. new year's eve. and the competition between the two kinds of services is expected to mean lower prices for their passengers. some people tell us that they will go for the ridesharing option because cabs don't always show up. >> wave them down and they will ask you where you're going and they will just take off if the fare isn't what they want. >> cabbies are fighting back though against the new competitors with the new flywheel app. it's offering $10 flat rate for cab rights on new year's eve when they are called through that flywheel app. >>> the valley transportation authority in santa clara county is one of the agencies offering extended service tonight and tomorrow morning. by th

relate to section 1266 straddle options by dealers and exclude from american samoa. about such. >> and worse before it gets better because the new immigration action, executive action of the president, is going to entitle a lot of people who used to be illegal here to child tax credits. >> right. and takes us back to earlier in the show talking about the real risk of big government. it's because everybody wants something and the government beginning to incentivize, disincentivize through the tax code. nine has taken one step into any government agency knows there are plenty of areas where we can cut. this is -- it's not rocket science, i say, just a little common sense. >> rick, there are billions, this tax credit, division, if you will, of the irs. it's not like child tax credits, also the earned income tax credit, poorly functions. huge error rates. doesn't it show that the tax system is too xblex complex? we have to simplify the whole thing. >> you wouldn't find neighbor would disagree with your statement. >> including you. >> including me. i'm an american who doe

it's almost new year's in samoa. >> oh, in samoa, is that right? >> coconut drop at 5:00 a.m. i would have brought a coconut drink in. >>> we're going to get started with some serious news. we're following the latest from overseas. our top story, the investigation into the crash of the airasia jet. the search area is now narrowing after more bodies and debris recovered. but the rough weather is slowing those efforts. >> experts say there are already signs of a mid-air breakup. abc's joohee cho begins our coverage from indonesia. >> reporter: so far at least seven bodies have been retrieved. one female body was still in flight attendant uniform. 17 helicopters, dozens of divers at the site hoping for better weather conditions. our own "uss sampson" from the 7th fleet has also joined the operation since yesterday. the vessel equipped with sonar detecting system and search and rescue helicopters. meanwhile, airasia is collecting dna samples from the families here in surabaya in order to match the bodies as they come in later in the day. some were found without clothes which leads

the decision was made at a meeting of the western and central pacific fisheries commission in samoa. government delegates from japan say the agreement cuts the catch by 50% from the average amount that's taken between 2002 and 2004. the cuts will start next year and apply to bluefin tuna weighing less than 30 kilograms. last month the international union for conservation of nature listed the pacific bluefin tuna as being at a high risk of extinction. >>> okay. that's going to do it for biz tonight. let's get a recap of the markets. >>> every morning investors turn their attention to asia, the tokyo market leads the way, and markets around the world follow. >> from the decisions that could change the course of an economy. >> to the companies at the forefront of change. >> up to the minute market reports. >> and analysis by specialists from around the world. >> get all the latest business news and insight every day here on "newsline." >>> most of the u.s.-led multinational forces in afghanistan are scheduled to withdraw by the end of the year, but representatives from more than 60 coun

the island nation of samoa is among the first places to step into the new year.is one of the last. >>> beijing used new year's eve to recycle some of its olympic theatrics at the birds nest. the city is bidding to host the winter olympics in 2022. in japan, tokyo's landmark and broadcasting tower was lit up. and the massive bell tolled 33 times to bringing well-being to south korean citizens. >> and if you are going out tonight, bundle up. it's going to be chilly. >> you need to bundle up to make it through the night. we have temperatures that are going to be quite dangerous in the neighborhood locations, 20s. it's the coldest night of the year on the last day of the year. good afternoon, everybody. our wind advisory has allowed to expire but boy look what it's left in its wake. wind-swept blue skies. as we tacoma a bird's-eye view towards the bay bridge and also, boy, do you see oakland in the berkeley hills in the distance there? in fact, you can see everywhere today. the visibility is unlimited. we could see all the way to the farralons. san francisco currentl

. >>> well, you will soon be able to buy your samoas in cyber space. the girl scouts of america is launching a new program called digital cookie and allows scouteds to e-mail an in -- soughts scouts to e-mail an invitation to customers. and it will launch december 12 and the traditional cookie selling season begins in jan ry. >>> here is today's tony tantillo for today's fresh grocer tip. >> today's tip of the day is tomatoes, pretty close to wint are time now. and obviously a lot of the backyard tomatoes are general but these cloistered tv ered tomatoes are grown in hot houses and are fantastic. and select and storage very important. let's talk about selection. when you buy them, nice and red. all the way around. make sure the stem is nice and green. and the tomatoes are pulling nutrients from the stem and getting ripened on the counter and not the refrigerator. and they give out a wonderful aroma. when you bring them home, store them, like i said earlier, on the counter. and if you put them in the refrigerator, you deplete the nutritional value, and

samoas are people, thin mints are people. >> you've given up sugar, but would you still buy girl scoutes? >> i like to buy girl scout cookies all the time. i think they're great. >> i asked a lot of questions, they were very articulate? so while that's great, they'll probably sell more. >> i believe in that whole competitive nature, understanding marketing, price, value, all that stuff. >> and also rejection. what rejection, who says no? who says no? come on. >> i mean, think about the ability to understand no, will you buy this, no? they don't two that anymore. now everyone gets the trophy. >> what if you get an e-mail response that says no on yo. that would be devastating. >> this tastes like people. this is the big scandal. >> we want to thank the girl scouts from sending over all these cookies. >> they told us to be nice. that's why i said it. they were really worried we were going to bad mouth the girl scouts, but we weren't. >> making cookies out of human beings is not bad. >> they demanded that we be nice. >> they didn't demand, they asked. they wanted to protect the girl scouts

. >> yes, it's rolling out digital cookers, selling thin mints and samoas and any other cookie by appr website. you can pay by credit card and have the goodies delivered to your door. the program begins in some areas this month and then elsewhere. >> they can knock on doors and you can also do it online. >> yes, 24/7. >> see you later. generic drugs are supposed to be cheap. but, in fact, the costs for these medicines have skyrocketed, and in some cases they've gone up 1,000%. it's not just customers feeling the pinch. we have reports. >> the doctor has owned this pharmacy at columbia heights for over a decade, and he has never experienced anything like this before. >> we don't know how to explain it to the customers, but it is a big, drastic change. >> he serves almost 100 people a day, predominantly black and hispanic from low-income households in this d.c. area. the big drastic change he's talking about is the dramatic rise in the cost of generic drugs. sometimes as much as 100%. even 1,000 peppers spike. generic drugs account for 85% of all medicines dispensed here in the u.s. it'

. >> samoa was one of the first places in the world to ring in the new year 11 hours ago.ce then it's been a mix of the usual fireworks and more unusual traditions. >> one of the first countries to celebrate 2015 was new zealand. in australia an estimated 1.5 million people gathered around sydney harbor. in japan thousands of people celebrated in the capitol. some took turns ringing a huge bell in a buddhist temple. struck 108 times on new year's to cleanse people of what buddhism teaches are 108 sins and desires. at the same time to the west north korea's state run tv showed residents cheering fireworks. the country had it's first big new year's eve celebration in pyongyang three years ago after kim jong-un came to power. the gulf in dubai tried to break the record for the world's largest fireworks display. it set that record last new year's eve with 500 shells fired in six minutes. in the western hemisphere hundreds of brazilians gathered in rio de janeiro to offer gifts to the african brazilian queen of the sea. they hope she'll grant their new year wishes. >>> in boliv

you'll soon be able to buy your samoas in cyber space.irl scouts of america launching a new program called digital cookie. it allows scouts to e-mail an invitation to customers who can then order online. the girl scouts will still sell cookies in person. the new online program will launch december 12th. the traditional cookie selling season begins in january. >>> anybody want to buy a pirate ship? arrr. a guy in the bay area is selling one. wait till you see what's inside. >> we have rain. we've had rainfall. some of you are saying more. need some more. more is right there and it's heading in our direction. we'll talk about how much more and break it down region by region. sending their ride-sharing competitors a strong messag ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, opening pop-up stores around downto >>> city of san jose is supporting small businesses this holiday season by opening popup stores around the downtown. the effort is meant to provide a big boost for local mom and pop shops by filling vacant retail spaces. six of the nine popups are in the ham

. >> angela samoa says her weekend of fun is over. >> i'm traveling for work. we have an annual user conference that's always the week after thanksgiving. >> fortunately for her, traveling today is a major improvement over yesterday. on sunday nasty weather forced widespread delays of up to four hours and the cancellation of dozens of flights. >> today we're expecting about 125,000. >> reporter: successfully getting passengers in and out of sfo on time is the goal. the rain has stopped departure and ap rival boards are clear. travelers are finding the tsa lines manageable. just like those moving there sfo, he and his team are beholding to san francisco's fluctuating weather that will change on a dime. >> conditions are clearing. we may see delays locally, 30 to 45 minutes. >>. >> reporter: after a tearful good-bye with mom and dad, jasmine anticipated the possibility of weekend travel delays, she booked months in advance. >> i checked in last night. now i'm currently planning on coming back for christmas. so that's another -- my next homework. >> reporter: acco

samoa and christmas island will be the first to celebrate the new year. >> our other breaking news thisr, the fuselage apparently has been identified by sonar at the bottom of the java sea and we know that many of the family members of those onboard have been gathered for the past few days. they have been meeting with officials, a very somber meeting where they have, in fact, been told that the wreckage has now been found right there at the bottom of the sea. >> and of course, the mounds of another air crash that still remain unsolved, felt very much throughout the region. a lot of people are watching with great interest and angst. you've spoken to to some of those family members and they're offering some support for the families of the latest victims. >> thr, robin. some 400 family members of the 154 chinese who were on mh-370 who are still missing, this has been a very difficult week for them. for a lot of reasons. when it first came out in the news that another plane was missing, another plane in asia, it hit a lot of them as if it was the day that flight 370 disappe disappeared. it

those thin mints and samoas delivered directly to your home. >>> slow plaque friday sales, the total spending for the kickoff to the holiday season was down about 11% from last year. so how did we do today on cyber monday? in fact, do these days even mean anything anymore? our business and tech reporter scott budman joins from us paypal headquarters in san jose. scott, the way we shop continues to evolve. >> yeah, you're right. you know what, we did well today. a lot of people shopped on this cyber monday. but the data show that we actually started shopping online in big numbers back in late september. that's when the sales started. merchants have gotten hip to the fact that thanks to mobile devices, we can shop for what we want whenever we want. you're looking at 750 pounds' worth of merchandise gliding across the floor. it's cyber monday shopping in action as amazon.com robots push your presents faster than ever from click to delivery. >> i don't have to leave my home, i don't have to deal with crowds. >> reporter: and while the hot gifts haven't changed much -- >> mostly electroni

thin mints and samoas, they're finally going digital. the first time in history, the girl scouts of america will allow its young scouts to sell cookies using a mobile app or a personalized website. but only if their local councils and parents say it's okay. the digital program begins nationally in january for our winter weight. orders will be shipped right to your door. >>> a billion-dollar class action suit against apple is set to begin tomorrow and a key witness will be the late founder himself, steve jobs. apple is being sued by attorneys for consumers and retailers. because of software that forced song buyers to use ipods rather than the less expensive players that were made by rivals. apple denies the allegation. lawyers say jobs' testimony that was given before he died will prove that. >>> the star of tlc's "cake boss" says he never should have gotten behind the wheel after drinking. heled guilty to driving impaired in new york city today. police pulled him in over in manhattan last month swerving through traffic. he told police he

thin mibnts and samoas are finally going digital.or the first time in history, the girl scouts of america will allow scouts to sell cookies using a mobile app or personalized website, but only if their local councils and parents say it's okay. the digital program begins nationally in january. orders will be shipped right to your door. they're making it easier for us, unfortunately. >> i'll take 12 boxes. >> yeah. well, the 12 days of christmas will cost a bit more than last year. >> to buy everything on the list from the 12 drummer will set you back $27,000. that is an increase of 1% or about $280 more than last year, according to the annual pnc wealth management survey. and if you were to buy all items online, it would also cost you more. nearly $43,000. that's about 8% more than a year ago. >> all right. scammers ready to strike. >> what you're buying may not be what you think you're buying. what you need to know about that. >>> and are you ready to feel the chill? a big chill. storm team 4 meteorologists tracking our -- another bi

. >>> well, the girl scouts have a new way for you to order your samoas or thin mints. officials will now allow the scouts to use a mobile app or personalized website to sell the snacks. the organization says online sales will be a valuable tool for the young entrepreneurs. the scouts will be able to send the cookies directly to your doorstep. >>> in scottsdale, arizona, a boy who got stuck in a chimney will be okay. he's 13 years old. he tried to get into his house after getting locked out. a broadcast report said he managed to call 911 after getting stuck near the bottom of the chimney. it took about 90 minutes for rescue crews to free the boy. >> i used to live in arizona. we didn't use the fireplace that much, so maybe he didn't have that much soot on him. >>> let's go to new york now for a look at what's ahead on the "today" show this morning. >> for that, we say hi to matt lauer and savannah guthrie. good to see you both. >> good morning. >> you, too. by the way, savannah just signed up for paypal, simply because those girl scout cookies are available online. >> e

. >>> girl scout cookies, when thin mints or samoa person, you'll have an easier way to get your hands. and with parental approval, each scout will have her own web page. of course, there is also an app for it. don't worry, the organization says it will not ditch the old fashioned sales techniques like little girls going door-to-door saying buy my cookies. >> favorite cookie? >> i like the samoa. >> thin mints. >> dosey does. >> i like those. >>> a few days ago, and this morning the new "star wars" trailer has 40 million hits, being called the 88 seconds of geeky goodness. just a series of clips from episode 7, "the force awakened: strong together." enough to excite fans and now a youtube user named snooper -- i thought that was you -- created a shot-for-shot remake of the trailer, using nothing but legos. apparently he did this in nine hours. >> that's pretty good. wow. >> we were in the movie theater seeing another movie, and the trailer comes up. people gave a standing ovation and were hooting and hollering. everybody is so excited about this. >> i saw people on the bus yesterday wa

like the samoas. those are my favorites. financial noise financial noise financial noise >>> cookie sales are about to go on line. they approve what is being called the digital cookie. not that kind of cookie. it's a platform for scouts to sell and ship boxes of the treats. boxes have been going for $4. sales have been hitting around will $00 million a year. and we had the ceo on a couple times. i got some problems, weight problems after thanksgiving. they say pumpkin, key lime or apple? you said all. >> i said yes. >> you're fat. >> i am fat. i am fat. i broke through some resistance. by next week, by the time we're going to the christmas parties that we had to go through, i'll be back to -- back in shape. >> we should tell you retailers are talleying results of black friday. courtney reagan has more from ohio. >> that's right. we are live from ohio. we're at fanatics. it's the largest retailer for the sports merchandise. black friday sales were up 25%. that may end up being an outliar. retail sales and traffic both falling

the girl scouts have approved the digital cookie platform to .ell samoa's, thin mints scarlet, only thin mints. >> love them. >> it is a shame because now girl scouts do not have to monitor volume flows. >> the girl scouts can now get into big data. a merit badge? can you get a big data merit badge? the wayirls leading with microeconomic analysis at an early age. this goes live in january. let's get to an important data check. no cookies here. futures were much worse earlier. negative nine gets your attention. 10 year yield and two-year come in. 65 .19. crude -- with some real drama about 3:00 a.m. this morning. on to the next screen -- if you , 13.33. the vix 1171 now. crater, way off the last couple of days. the russian ruble off in a world of its own. you were looking at nigerian currency as well? >> it has shot up since november 1 and is slowly growing. it has changed completely. >> this goes back to steve hankey at johns hopkins. exporter but does not have refining capacity, so it is in the world stood -- it is in the worst of all worlds. >> a chart was shown a number of times. this

i would like to recognize the gentleman from from american samoa, representative faleomavaega and i was proud to have joined him as the lead co-sponsor. i would like to thank mr. faleomavaega of his nearly four decades of service to the united states congress and our foreign affairs committee and we will all miss him dearly. throughout his career, he has fought for human rights and for the rule of law, especially in the asia-pacific region and the idea that all peoples should have the opportunity to prosper without fear for their families' safety or livelihoods. and this resolution that he presents before us is a representation of the ideas and goal that he has worked so hard in support of his many years in congress. this resolution encourages a peaceful reconciliation of the maritime and jurisdictional dispute into the south and east china seas and the kind of peace that is too often lacking in our world today. this is an important statement in support of the universal recognized principle of freedom of navigation. mr. speaker, peace in asia has held for over a generation and we have s

i also think it can only be what is this -- samoa is the best cookie.rything that people like. >> subject to allergies, it is what you like in addition to a samoa. can't even have them in the house. john king, politics aside, what's your cookie, my man? >> i'm a peanut butter guy, tag-a-long. >> i love it. >> we're going to order some cookies, okay? >> something everyone can agree on. >> three letters, g-y-m. after all of those cookies. let's go, we got a lot it talk about "inside politics." let's go there after they eat cookies to share reporting and insights. let's talk about our brand new cnn/orc poll which has a bit of a surprise, when you look at 2016 and the republican contenders, first, if mitt romney runs he would be the overwhelming front-runner. 20%, look at the guy at number two, dr. ben carson, a nonpolitician. and then bush, christie, huckabee. here's what happens if romney does not run. jeb buescher, 14%, ben carson hangs in there at 11%. and huckabee, christie, ryan, there is no front-runner. the republican party, you normally know who th

licking tide is expected today here samoa and what the content can be fun up parking lots and the settlementoding problem for low-lying areas warm the house. and there is a coastal flood advisory now up to 3:00 this afternoon and water from locations and along the bay but he can tie caused by earth what the sun and moon and expected to create some of the most extreme swells of the year so as to any for more on that and what we expected >> : within will be dealing with the skin tech is not just today but also small. we do up the coastal flood advisory in effect and are going to expect higher than normal ties to america for the morning and afternoon hours. today and to three tomorrow expect ocean waves over 20 ft. and as story just mentioned. we can see some flooding. in see potential low-lying areas it tomorrow and the other weather story for today as the fog. boy is a dense out there in some spots including the golden gate bridge right now and that's what coming to sing in this shot were seeing foggy conditions across the bay area to nevada of visibility down to zero. s.f. followed a tense o

we even have american samoa and guam as members of the association. up next from reno, nevada to talk to scott pattison of nasbo. mark is an independent caller. good morning caller: good morning, gentlemen. i wanted to ask scott about the upfunded liability situation that states face specifically regarding pensions if you could address whether we're making any progress toward decreasing that debt load or not. guest: that is a really good question because it's a huge issue for the states. i kind of liken it to in a household you have some significant loans you have to pay off over a long period of time you have some fairly large liability in your household. same for states. they have some fairly large liabilities in terms of future pension costs that they have to deal with. the good part is that pensions are over a long, long period of time so it's not an immediate crisis but it's something states have to deal with and they have to continue to set aside money to ensure that future pensions are covered. so there's no fear right now that any pension in a

we even have america and some away and guam members -- american samoa and guam members.: we have an independent caller. good morning. caller: good morning. i want to ask about the unfunded liability situation that states face, specifically regarding pensions. if you could address that, if we are making any progress or decreasing that load or not? guest: a really good question. that is a huge issue to the states. in households, you have some significant loans you have to pay off over a long amount of time, and you have lability in your household. even for states, they have fairly large liabilities in terms of future pension costs have to deal with. the good part is that pensions are over a long period of time. it is not immediate, that it is something states have to deal with. they have to continue to set aside money to ensure that future pensions are covered. so there's no fear right now that any pension in any state would not be covered to but over time, states will have to be more aggressive to make sure they can cover it. the good part is the recovery period after the

>> it's within three or four hours of making landfall right around samoa, right around here.have mandatory evacuations across this region. and a few years ago, more than 6,000 people died in the strongest storm ever. we move on towards the united states, we've got a cold, rainy, miserable day across the northeast. and in new england, where rain, snow and ice is going to be a big problem. especially from interior pennsylvania, all the way up to maine. be careful, it's going to be extremely treacherous. temperatures running above normal across the southeast at 60s and 70s. if you're headed to the pacific north west, watch out, we've got a very strong storm expected to move in and it's going to produce quite a bit of rainfall. look for a couple inches of rain from boston, to new york to washington, d.c. and the temperatures are ping-ponging back and forth with temperatures in the 50s. but just wait by monday, you'll barely make it to temperatures in the 40s. we'll see a slight improvement in conditions across the great lakes and midwest. so it looks like we can expect the winter

rise today to recognize and honor my colleague and friend, congressman eni faleomavaega of american samoa. eni has served on capitol hill for nearly four decades, starting as a congressional staff member and eventually being elected to congress for 13 straight terms. throughout his distinguished career, eni has broken many barriers. he's the first asian pacific american ever to chair the foreign affairs subcommittee on asia and the pacific. and he is the longest serving showan member of congress. he's also a vietnam war veteran and author, a musician and a devoted husband, father and grandfather. over the years, i've had the privilege to work with eni through the asian pacific american caucus and i witnessed firsthand his unwavering commitment to his constituents and the broader asian pacific community. so thank you, eni, for your lifetime of service. i wish you the best. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from arkansas seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i rise today