i'm amy goodman. amy goodman: we spend today's hour looking at the bloody struggle to obtain-and protect- voting rights in this country. since 2010, at least 10 states have passed laws that require people to show a government- issued photo id when they go to the polls. while supporters say the laws protect against voter fraud, others argue they're more likely to suppress voter turnout among people of color, the poor and proper id and find it harder to obtain one. in total, 16 states have passed restrictive voting laws that could shape the 2012 election, including the vital swing states of florida and pennsylvania. well, on monday, naacp president and ceo ben jealous made voting rights the center of his address to the group's annual convention in houston. >> we have a choice to make. we can allow this election to be stolen in advance, as politicians from pennsylvania and recently bragged about money thought no one was listening. talking about his state's voter id law. we can double down on democracy. a

amy goodman: do you agree with him? rep. john lewis: i agree with him. amy goodman: that the u.s. is the greatest purveyor of violence. rep. john lewis: we have more- we spend hundreds and thousand, millions and billions of dollars on weaponry. we're supplying the world. we sell arms to everybody. dr. king was saying that we have to put an end to this madness. he was influenced by gandhi, and gandhi said it's nonviolence or nonexistence. dr. king went on to say, "we must learn to live together as brothers and sisters, or we will perish as fools." he was saying, in effect, that we have enough bombs and missiles and guns to destroy the planet. he said it then, and it's still true today. amy goodman: at the time, time magazine called the speech "demagogic slander that sounded like a script for radio hanoi." that's the dr. king 1967 speech against the war in vietnam. the washington post declared king had, quote, "diminished his usefulness to his cause, his country, his people." rep. john lewis: i think it's so unfortunate that publications like time magazine, washington post - if they

i'm amy goodman. president obama and members of the senate are back in washington today after a short break with just days before the onset of the so-called fiscal cliff. obama and republican leaders remain at a crossroads on reaching a budget deal before the combination of spending cuts and tax hikes kicks in with the new year. on wednesday, treasury secretary timothy geithner told congress the u.s. will reach its federal borrowing limit on new year's eve, threatening the same default that was narrowly avoided last year. in a letter to lawmakers, geithner vowed to take extraordinary measures to avoid a new default but said any remedies would only be short- term. the u.s. has acknowledged for the first time a carried out a september drone strike that killed 11 people in yemen. the victims were packed into ain truck on a desert road in a town of radda when they're struck by a missile. the washington post reports the yemeni government tried to hide u.s. responsibility for the attack by taking credit for

i'm amy goodman.six more victims of the newtown massacre were laid to rest on wednesday, four children, a teacher and principal of their school. the teacher, 27-year-old victoria soto was credited with saving half of her classroom by hiding the children in a closet and then telling shooter, adam lanza, there were in a different area of the school. the principal, 47-year-old dawn hochsprung, was reportedly shot dead after lunging at lanza in an effort to stop the shooting. six more funerals are being held today. at the white house, president obama formally announced the appointment of joe biden to form a new white house-led effort to reform the gun control policies. >> i have asked the vice president to lead an effort that includes members of my cabinet and outside organizations to come up with a set of car proposals no later than january , up with a congress that proposals delivered in january. this is not something where folks will be stepping the issue for six months and publishing a report that get

i'm amy goodman. president obama is set to meet with congressional leaders at the white house just three days before a year in deadline to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff. some $600 billion in automatic spending cuts and tax increases will take effect if no agreement is reached. obama and the rest of republicans remain of the impasse over the republican refusal to allow tax hikes even for the wealthiest americans. senate majority leader on thursday accused house speaker john boehner of holding up a deal. >> the american people i don't think understand the house representative is operating without the house of representatives. it is being operated with a dictatorship of the speaker, not allowing the vast majority of the house representatives to get what they want. >> adding to the urgency surrounding the talks, treasury secretary timothy geithner warned this week the u.s. will not be able to pay its creditors after monday unless the debt ceiling is raised. we will have more on the fiscal cliff talks,

i'm amy goodman. the death toll from a massive typhoon in the southern philippines has doubled to more than 270 people. typhoon bopha is the most southerly typhoon ever recorded in the western pacific and the strongest to hit the philippines this year. 80,000 people have been forced to flee their homes. we will have more from doha after headlines. new clashes have erupted in egypt in the ongoing uproar over a proposed referendum on a new constitution. on tuesday, thousands took to the streets to protest egyptian president mohamed mursi's effort to hold a referendum vote later this month after asserting wide- ranging powers, protecting him from judicial oversight. egyptian forces fired tear gas at protesters, some of whom broke through lines to approach the president. the rally coincided with a one- day strike from newspapers. the united nations is warning food shortages are growing in syria as a result of rising prices and mounting attacks on un vehicles delivering supplies. the u.n. world food progra

i'm amy goodman. we are broadcasting from doha, qatar. egyptian forces have deployed outside a cairo after violent clashes between pro and anti- government demonstrators left six people dead and more than 400 injured. the violence marked a major escalation in the dispute over mohamed mursi's effort to hold a referendum on a new constitution later this month shortly after he asserted wide-ranging powers. fighting continues today with supporters and opponents clashing in the streets of cairo. on wednesday, opposition leader mohamad held there by blamed the morsi government for the violence p.m. we hold president morsi and his government but irresponsible for the violence that is happening in egypt today. what is happening at the presidential palace at the moment, without the protection of the country, is an announcement from the country and the president that they do not hold their responsibility to protect the country. >> in a bid to calm the unrest, the vice president mahmoud mekky has considered addi

i'm amy goodman. people across the united states are expected to join a moment of silence at 9:30 this morning to mark one week since the massacre at sandy hook elementary school in newtown, connecticut. last friday morning, adam lanza opened fire at the school, killing 20 children and six adults. a series of back-to-back wakes and funerals are continuing for the victims. those mourned on thursday include catherine hubbard, benjamin wheeler, jesse lewis, and allison wyatt, all aged six, and grace mcdonnell, age 7. the service was held in new york for teacher anne marie murphy, who is believed to have used her body to shield students from a hill of bullets. 30-year old teacher lauren rousseau was also mourned thursday in connecticut. her partner of the year, tony lusardi, spoke to cnn. >> i want the world to know she was a great person who touched the lives of everyone she ever met, even if he only met her once you like her. she was a great person and did not deserve this. no one deserved this. >> a pr

i'm amy goodman. president obama has vowed to take action against gun violence in the united states following the shooting rampage that left 27 people dead, including 20 young children, in newtown, connecticut. all of the children are aged 6 and 7. the gunman, 20-year-old adam lanza, shot his mother dead at their home before driving to the sandy hook elementary school and forcing his way inside. armed with high-powered rifle, two handguns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, lanza shot up to first grade classrooms before taking his own life as police arrived at the scene. lanza still had hundreds of additional rounds of ammo and another weapon in his car, suggesting he would carry out more shootings had the police not closed again. 12 of the victims were girls, eight were boys. all six of the adult victims were women. the school victims all appeared to have suffered multiple gunshot wounds. connecticut's chief medical examiner, dr. wayne carver, called the crime scene the worst he had ever witnessed.

i'm amy goodman. president obama is expected to announce today vice-president joe biden will head an interagency task force on confronting gun violence in the aftermath of last week's newtown massacre. the news comes one day after white house spokesperson jay carney said obama would support senator dianne feinstein's bid to reinstate the ban on assault weapons. >> he is actively supportive, for example, senator feinstein's stated intent to revive a piece of legislation that would reinstate the assault weapons ban. he supports and would support legislation that addresses the problem of the so-called gun show loophole. and there are other elements of a gun legislation that he could support. >> the original assault weapons ban expired in 2004 in the national rifle association has succeeded to date in blocking the renewal. on tuesday, two more students killed in the newtown attack were laid to rest. jessica rekos and james mehdi ali, 06 years old. another six funerals are being held today. classes have re

i'm amy goodman. today, we look back at 2012, and the most expensive election in u.s. history. president obama defeated mitt romney forcing the republicans to reconsider their policies among others returning women and immigrants. while the major party presidential candidate did not take on fossil fuel, climate change in any of their debates, it was a year of extreme weather from melting of the arctic to superstorm sandy to the massive typhoon in the philippines. 2012 will also be remembered for a series of mass shootings from aurora, arata, to the sikh temple, to be shooting in newtown, conn.. the case around trayvon martin sparked national protest after officials refused to arrest george zimmerman. president obama continues his secret drone wars. we spend the hour looking back at the moment and movements that shaped 2012. >> democratic congresswoman gabrielle giffords has announced she will step down this week. she was shot in the head last year in a shooting spree that left six people dead in tucson

i'm amy goodman. residents of newtown, connecticut, have begun holding the first of many kernels for the 27 victims killed in friday's shooting rampage at sandy hook elementary school. on monday, noah pozner and jack pinto, 06 years old, were laid to rest in small caskets. more funerals are slated today including two more 6-year-old victim's, james mattioli and jessica rekos. at the white house, president obama convened a meeting with top officials to discuss ways to respond to the newtown massacre, including potential proposals for gun control. pressed for details, white house press secretary jay carney reduced offer any specifics on how obama plans to address the nation's gun violence. >> is a complex problem that will require a complex solution. no single piece of legislation, no single action will fully address the problem. >> in the aftermath of the newtown massacre, a number of pro-and lawmakers are signaling a new willingness to soften opposition to restrictions on weapons. senator joe manchin

i'm amy goodman. today, a democracy now!special with the canadian physician and bestselling author gabor matÉ. from disease to addiction, parenting to attention deficit disorder, dr. matÉ's work focuses on the centrality of early childhood experiences to the development of the brain, and how those experiences can impact everything from behavioral patterns to physical and mental illness. while the relationship between emotional stress and disease, and mental and physical health more broadly, is often considered controversial within medical orthodoxy, dr. matÉ argues too many doctors seem to have forgotten what was once a commonplace assumption, that emotions are deeply implicated in both the development of illness, addictions and disorders, and in their healing. dr. matÉ is the bestselling author of four books: when the body says no: understanding the stress-disease connection; scattered: how attention deficit disorder originates and what you can do about it; and, with dr. gordon neufeld, hold on to your kids: why parents nee

amy goodman has ideas.it yourself waterless snow globes great to be with kids. you open up the lid and secure styrofoam with glue. you put in decorations, and na makes your backdrop. in the forefront you can use ornaments and do it with vintage ornament to preserve them. to make the snow you actually use glue. you can put in glitter like from martha stewart crafts glitter is great because it's so fine or this faux snow and that sticks around the sides. you put them together, and an instant snow globe. >> the kids enjoy that. these are great wine candleabra with the wreath here. >> you take the wine bottles out and seek them in hot water to get the labels off and use macking time for your stripe. you use spray paint and spray it away. place nem this beautiful wreaths and top them with candles. you had a modern candle ab ra made from wean bottine bottles. >> a lot of us have problems. >> don't put nem in a stack because no one sees them. splash them up on your wall in the form of a christmas tree. i like flat

. >> here on a fresh take on what to serve, set and wish for in 2013 is amy e. goodmany? >> yes, you can do it last-minute. i planned this party in a day. using things around the house and creative ideas including our metallic sparkler. i love to make a grand entrance when the guests arrive. i made it out of scrapbooking paper and gold thread from michael's. it didn't really take me that long. as i hung it up, my husband said are we having a party? that's the feeling you want to give your guests? >> is he happy about it? >> my husband wouldn't be too thrilled? >> when is it? >> new year's eve, i love games. byob or bring your own bubbly. have each guest bring a different bottle of champagne. do a taste today and beautiful gift tags from the container store. put it on your favorite bottle and the one with the most tags wins. fresh ways to serve your champagne. i love this mirror tile is something you hang on a wall, but i use it as a tray and alternating your champagne flutes from the tall one from crate and barrel and short ones from cv2. have lots of ice containers on

amy goodman of democracy now.re going to talk with congresswoman carolyn mccarthy whose husband was killed by the long island gunman right after this. .. [ shirt ] merry christmas, everybody! not so much. ho ho ho! this isn't that kind of deal. [ male announcer ] break from the holiday stress. save on ground shipping at fedex office. [ male announcer ] by earning a degree from capella more iuniversity, you'll have the knowledge to make an impact in your company and take your career to an even greater place. let's get started at capella.edu. i have obligations. cute tobligations, but obligations.g. i need to rethink the core of my portfolio. what i really need is sleep. introducing the ishares core, building blocks for the heart of your portfolio. find out why 9 out of 10 large professional investors choose ishares for their etfs. ishares by blackrock. call 1-800-ishares for a prospectus which includes investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. read and consider it carefully before investing. risk includes

i'm amy goodman. we will be back in a moment. ♪ [music break] >> this is "democracy now! democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman with nermeen shaikh. >> we turn now to a new campaign for indigenous rights and environmental justice that's spreading across canada. the idle ne more movement began as a series of protests against a controversial government budget bill, but has since expanded into a nationwide movement for political transformation. aboriginal and environmental activists are teaming up to resist what they say is the conservative canadian government's attempts to appropriate resource-rich lands, and to assimilate aboriginal nations they're calling on prime minister stephen harper to honor treaters with aborigines, opened dialogues with environmentalist, and reject tar sands pipelines that would infiltrate first nation territories. the website calls on people to "joined in a revolution which honors and fulfills indigenous sovereignty" and "protect the land and water." spreading their message on social media outlets, activists with idle no more