i'm ashleigh banfield in for erin burnett tonight who is on assignment in afghanistan. we've got breaking news right off the top. cnn just learning that the united states does not believe that north korea is in full control of that satellite that it sent into space with the long-range rocket launch. this is according to a u.s. official to our barbara starr at the pentagon. up until now, by most accounts, this launch has been seen as a success, or certainly it raised the bar on how we view their capabilities. erin burnett spoke with defense secretary leon panetta, exclusively in kabul about this very issue. take a look. >> mr. secretary, thank you so much for taking the time. >> good to be with you, erin. >> i wanted to start by asking you about north korea. i know, obviously, they've had failures with rocket launches and eight months ago they failed. now they've had a success. and i'm wondering if you know how they fixed it or whether they might have had help from another country? >> we have no idea. as a matter of fact, we're still assessing just exactly what happened

erin burnett spoke with defense secretary leon panetta, exclusively in kabul about this very issue. take a look. >> mr. secretary, thank you so much for taking the time. >> good to be with you, erin. >> i wanted to start by asking you about north korea. i know, obviously, they've had failures with rocket launches and eight months ago they failed. now they've had a success. and i'm wondering if you know how they fixed it or whether they might have had help from another country? >> we have no idea. as a matter of fact, we're still assessing just exactly what happened here to look at each of the stages and determine whether or not it really was a success or not. but, you know, the fact that they've launched this missile is a clear provocation. we've warned them not toot it. we've been very concerned about their firing this missile. in violation of every international standard and rule. and, you know, it's clear that have one of the reasons we're rebalancing in the pacific is to deal with the threat from north korea. and we will. we're prepared to do that. we will respond if we have to.

you see erin burnett and we will get her report coming up. you have seen the bickering and the public sniping. what you haven't heard is behind the scenes here of the fiscal cliff, that is until now. that's next. but you're progressive, and they're them. yes. but they're here. yes. are you...? there? yes. no. are you them? i'm me. but those rates are for... them. so them are here. yes! you want to run through it again? no, i'm good. you got it? yes. rates for us and them -- now that's progressive. call or click today. spending the day with my niece. i don't use super poligrip for hold because my dentures fit well. before those little pieces would get in between my dentures and my gum and it was uncomfortable. even well-fitting dentures let in food particles. super poligrip is zinc free. with just a few dabs, it's clinically proven to seal out more food particles so you're more comfortable and confident while you eat. so it's not about keeping my dentures in, it's about keeping the food particles out. [ charlie ] try zinc free super poligrip.

hear more on erin burnett "outfront" starting at 7:00.edicare and... social security are just numbers in a budget. well, we worked hard for those benefits. we earned them. and if washington tries to cram decisions about the future... of these programs into a last minute budget deal... we'll all pay the price. aarp is fighting to protect seniors with responsible... solutions that strengthen medicare and... social security for generations to come. we can do better than a last minute deal... that would hurt all of us. >>> finally good news about the health of our economy and i have two words for you. retail therapy. alison kosik looking at our first major reading since the start of the holiday shopping season. i've been doing a lot of it. >> me, too. love retail therapy. but that's good. so you're counted in these stats. this is you. we are getting this first glimpse into the all-important holiday shopping season. when the stores opened early on thanksgiving evening, receipts s let's see if it worked. in november, retail sales rose 0.3%. doe

erin burnett "outfront" starts erin burnett "outfront" starts right now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> "outfront" next, president obama visited a toy factory today. and while everyone in washington is acting rather childish about the fiscal cliff, this is not child's play. u days left and susan rice facing new skrcrutiny today fro democrats. this time about her personal investments and the number of drones has surged. the newest versions though, pretty incredible. they look like a cheetah and a fish. let's go "outfront." >>> good evening, everyone. i'm erin burnett. "outfront" tonight, a washington stop playing battleship. yes. battleship. we went out and bought it because we wanted to remind you, the kids game where the goal is, i'll read it, can you sink your opponent's fleet before your opponent sinks yours? pretty perfect. this fiscal cliff though is not child's play. it's just 33 days away and today, president obama's visit to a toy factory in pennsylvania had everyone acting a bit childish. >> i've been keeping my own naughty and nice lists. >> we're not interesting in playin

. >> erin burnett "outfront" >> erin burnett "outfront" starts right now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> "outfront" next, just 25 days until the fiscal cliff and a new idea is born. it comes from an unexpected source. howard dean, does the former vermont's governor's plan add up? plus, a sailor charged with espionage and the war on drugs. we lost it. sir richard branson is "outfront." let's go "outfront." good evening, everyone. i'm erin burnett. "outfront" tonight, a bright idea. brought to us by the liberal former governor of vermont, howard dean. a man who brought us the scream heard around the world when reran for president. dean says let's face it, america, tacks need to go up for everyone. now, this might not be what you expect from someone like howard dean. it's certainly not the president's position or the position of most americans. another new poll out today shows that most people like the president's idea of only raising taxes on other people. specifically, the top 2%. the problem is according to the congressional research service, the math doesn't add up. that tax hike wo

erin burnett "outfront" starts erin burnett "outfront" starts right now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> "outfront" next, just six days until we all fall over the fiscal cliff and tonight, there's no action on capitol hill. will that change by the end of the year? tonight, two congressmen come out front to talk. plus, arizona's attorney general backs a plan reminiscent of the nra. and -- big from the worst of our politics. >>> i'm in for erin burnett. "outfront" tonight, christmas is over. washington back to work. the countydown is on. you've got six days to prevent this country from going over the fiscal cliff and today at least, we didn't see any action. nothing. now, i'm not trying to be a g n grinch here. i hope everyone's had a merry, merry christmas. >> drink some eggnog, have some christmas cookies, sing some christmas carols. >> but today's the 26th. you've drunk, you eaten and you've sung. now is the time for action. the latest news out of washington tonight, treasury secretary tim geithner told congress that the country will hit the debt ceiling on december 31st, some two m

erin burnett "outfront" starts erin burnett "outfront" starts right now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> "outfront" next, investigators today did a new sweep of the house where adam lanza and his mother lived. we asked the police chief what he found and what was his mental state at the time of the shooting? we look at autism and killer's brains as we focus on mental health and tonight, no deal in washington. let's go aufz. good evening, everyone. "outfront" tonight, desperate for answers. investigators spent the day at the home of 20-year-old adam lan lanza, sweeping the house for evidence of a motive. there are also new details tonight about nancy lanza's where abouts in the days before the shooting. deborah fayerick is live outside the home tonight. what has happened there tonight and today? >> it's rather remarkable because the major crime squad has been here all day and as we push into the house, lights are on in the top and bottom floor. now, they brought back the emotional crime lab and they're processing this crime scene. investigators have not retrieved any information from t

i'm erin burnett. "outfront" tonight, a bright idea. brought to us by the liberal former governor of vermont, howard dean. a man who brought us the scream heard around the world when reran for president. dean says let's face it, america, tacks need to go up for everyone. now, this might not be what you expect from someone like howard dean. it's certainly not the president's position or the position of most americans. another new poll out today shows that most people like the president's idea of only raising taxes on other people. specifically, the top 2%. the problem is according to the congressional research service, the math doesn't add up. that tax hike would only give $678 billion in additional revenue over ten years, now, remember, we're $16 trillion in the debt. now, if we go with howard dean's idea, that gets us $2.8 trillion or about 17% of our debt. adam davidson is the cofounder of planet money and he did the math. he wrote in "the new york times" a while ago, a set of numbers that has stuck with me ever since that increasing

let's go "outfront." >>> i'm john avalon in for erin burnett.ront" tonight, a stark warning from capitol hill. senate majority leader harry reid says we're all headed for fiscal disaster. >> if we go over the cliff, and it looks like that's where we're headed, mr. president, the house of representatives, as we speak, with four days left before the first of the year, aren't here. >> we're now told the house will finally return to work on sunday. now, that's december 30th. in other words, less than 48 hours before we go over the fiscal cliff. meanwhile, president obama cut his hawaii vacation short to return to washington today. but has he been working on a deal? "outfront" tonight, reports from both ends of pennsylvania avenue. chief white house correspondent, jessica yellin, and senior congressional correspondent, dana bash. jessica, first, to you, the president's back in washington, wheels down. he left his christmas vacation early. but was this just a bit of showmanship, or has he been working on something specific? >> reporter: hey, john. wel

i want the children to be the basis for our solution. >> that's gene rosen speaking with our erin burnettchildren will be going back to school but they will be going to a new school and will not be seeing their teacher again. victoria soto is set to be buried tomorrow. there are a number of funerals this week. hers is among them. we are back after this. song: "yeah yeah" label: universal] ♪ everybody well don't you know it's me now? ♪ ♪ yeah who's it, who's it huh? ♪ ♪ willy's back with a brand new beat now, ♪ ♪ yeah doin' it doin' it up! ♪ heyyy yeah, tryin' to bite my style! ♪ ♪ heyyy yeah, how you like me now? ♪ ♪ na na na na na na na na ♪ and everybody go uh! [ sniffs ] i took dayquil but my nose is still runny. [ male announcer ] truth is, dayquil doesn't treat that. really? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms, plus it relieves your runny nose. [ breathes deeply ] awesome. [ male announcer ] yes, it is. that's the cold truth! >>> one of the bright spots that we've been able to fine sense we've been here in newtown, connecticut a group that's come from

erin burnett "outfront" starts now. >>> breaking news, massacre in newtown, connecticut. i'm ashleigh banfield in for erin burnett. this just in. listen. >> 6-7 muc. sandy hook school. caller thinks someone is shooting in the building. front glass is broken, unsure why. all units, the individual that i have on the phone is continuing to hear what he believes to be gunfire. units responding sandy hook school at this time, the shooting appears to have stopped. the school is in lockdown. >> that broken glass is the result of the gunman reportedly shooting his way into the school. the unthinkable tragedy has left this very small new england town shattered tonight. 28 people dead. that's including the shooter himself. most of those killed were students at the school. very, very young students. there were 20 children killed. between the ages of 5 and 10 years old. there were also 6 adults shot dead after a heavily armed gunman dressed in black fatigues and a military vest opened fire in the school. >> we just told a little boy about his sister now and just to see him, he said w

i'm ashleigh banfield in for erin burnett. a deadly shooting in a crowded shopping mall in a suburb of oregon. three people including the gunman are confirmed dead. one other is in critical condition. the authorities say the gunman died of a self inflicted gunshot and that no shots were fired by law enforcement. we have new video taken from inside of the mall. look at the scene as police were clearing this mall and evacuating some of the frightened shoppers to safety. many of them holding their hands above their heads and holding their children at the same time. witnesses are describing a scene of complete chaos as the shots rang out near the food court in the mall 3.30 p.m. local time. there are reports that the shooter was wearing a flak jacket and hockey mask as he moved throughout the mall firing an assault rifle. outside of macy's, gunshots echoed where a man was portraying santa clause in the santa village and taking photos with kids an he heard two gunshots and 15 to 16 more and immediately he said he hit the floor amid

erin burnett "outfront" starts erin burnett "outfront" starts right now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> "outfront" next, 27 days away from the fiscal cliff. things are getting silly. octogenarians doing gangnam style. plus, what the united states is planning to do if assad uses chemical weapons against his own people. and 24-year-old amy copeland contracted a deadly flesh eating disease in may. doctors gave her a 1% chance of survival and tonight, she's "outfront" to talk about it. let's go "outfront." tonight, gangnam style. yep, this is how one man sees the fiscal cliff and it's a pretty important man. this is alan simpson. ♪ yep. that maybe the most action the fiscal cliff saw today. here's the scene on capitol hill at noon. yep, people leaving. members of congress leaving washington, heading home on wednesday afternoon. one man left standing was the house speaker and he says i'm not going anywhere. >> i'll be here and i'll be available at any moment to sit down with the president to get serious about solving this problem. >> but of course, it takes two to tango, so where does pr

i'm erin burnett. "outfront" tonight, cliff, slope, grand canyon. i don't know, martian cave, jupiter like storm. is the fiscal cliff really a fiscal slope. a downward spiral to something much worse. the possibility of going off the cliff is just 22 days away, and it sounds pretty ominous, but it could be a walk in the part compared with what could happen if lawmakers don't take a closer look at our bigger debt picture and soon. because what they're talking about is peanuts. president obama was in michigan today pushing his fiscal cliff plan. he made the solution sound so simple. >> when you put it all together, what you need is a package that keeps taxes where they are for middle class familiefamilies, w some tough spending cuts on things we don't need, and then we ask the wealthiest americans to pay a slightly higher tax rate. >> but not so fast, mr. president. we need a little more than you're talking about. president obama says his plan reduces the deficit by $4 trillion over ten years. forget the fact it counts war savings which shouldn't count

erin burnett "outfront" starts erin burnett "outfront" starts right now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> "outfront" tonight, breaking news. new evidence that syrian president assad's regime has started mixing deadly gas. how that changes president obama's stance on a possible intervention. john boehner offered up his own plan to avoid the fiscal cliff today. does it add up? and the u.s. ambassador to the united nations comes under fire again. this time, it's over ra wwanda. let's go "outfront." evening, welcome, everybody. i'm soledad o'brien. breaking news. president obama puts the syrian president bashar al assad on notice. the president is reacting to new notice that the regime is mixing with chemicals to make deadly gas. and today, i want to make it absolutely clear to assad and those under his command, the world is watching. the use of chemical weapons is an would be totally unacceptable. and if you make the tragic mistake of using these weapons, there will be consequences and you will be held accountable. >> assad is on the edge of president obama's so-called red line against s

i'm erin burnett. out front, gangnam style. this is how one man sees the fiscal cliff. this is allen simpson, as in the simpson in simpson/bowles. ♪ >> yep, that may be the most actions the fiscal cliff saw today. here's the scene on capitol hill here at noon. yep, people leaving, members of congress leaving washington, heading home on a wednesday afternoon. one man standing was the house speaker and he says, i'm not going anywhere. >> i'll be here and i'll be available at any moment to sit down with the president to get serious about solving this problem. >> but, of course, it takes two to tango. where does president obama stand? >> we can probably solve this in about a week. it's not that tough. >> he's absolutely right about that. but we heard earlier this evening the president and speaker boehner did speak late today on the phone. that's good news. but in this case, we think we need facetime. they need to sit down face to face, pound it out, face to face breeds trust. even the democrats think the president needs to do a little more in-person work on this. >> the pre

i'm erin burnett in newtown, connecticut. "outfront" searching for answers.hat's what we've all been doing, trying to understand how this happened and why it happened. investigators in connecticut returned to the home of the gunman. the suspected gunman, 20-year-old adam lanza, searching for evidence. so far, authorities have been unable to retrieve any information from his computer, which was found smashed to pieces in the house he lived in with his mother, nancy. now, investigators have been trying to piece together an explanation for the crucial why, why did he do this, why did he shoot and kill his mother, why did he go to school -- a school that he had no link to and shoot 20 innocent children and six adults. the community is just starting to try to begin to heal. most students began going back to school, trying to go back into a routine today. they went back to school. police were standing guard outside the schools here. but the district superintendent said today that students and teachers from sandy hook elementary will not actually be going back to sc

you can't go wrong loving it. >>> i'm john avlon in for erin burnett.e second half of our show with other stories we're following tonight. russian president vladimir putin has signed a bill into law that bans u.s. families from adopting russian children. the u.s. state department calls the move politically motivated. the law is seen largely as retaliation for an act signed by president obama that restricts human rights abusers from traveling into the u.s. >>> two military officials tell cnn the syrian government is now using more accurate iranian-made missiles. this week the sources say the regime fired at least two of those short-range ballistic missiles in an attempt to hit syrian targets more accurately. the use of these weapons has prompted nato to send patriot missile systems to protect turkey. they're expected to be in place by the end of january. >>> a 24-year-old woman has been arrested in connection with the gunman who ambushed and killed two firefighters when called to a house fire in upstate new york. police announced today she purchased the

i'm soledad eye brine in for erin burnett. "outfront," lowering expectations ten days before we fall off the fiscal cliff, and there is still no deal in sight. tonight, president obama urged congress to broker a scaled-down deal. >> i just spoke to speaker boehner and i also met with senator reid. in the next few days i've asked leaders of congress to work toward a package that prevents a tax hike on middle-class americans, protects unemployment insurance for 2 million americans, and lays the groundwork for further work on both growth and deficit reduction. that's an achievable goal. that can get done in ten days. >> yesterday the house speaker john boehner failed to garner enough support from his own party to even hold a vote on his plan to raise taxes for those with an income over $1 million. >> while we may have not been able to get the votes last night to avert 99.81% of the tax increases, i don't think -- they weren't taking that out on me. they were dealing with the perception somebody might accuse them of raising taxes.

." >>> i'm ashleigh banfield in tonight for erin burnett. "outfront" tonight, our top developing story, we are just learning now that president obama and the white house or rather, president obama and the house speaker have spoken tonight. good news. this after they each fired another shot in the ongoing fight over how to resolve this fiscal cliff mess. cnn is now getting details about two new offers that were made and previously undisclosed, too. they kept a pretty tight lid on them. one of them by president obama, that was yesterday, then a counteroffer by the speaker. that was today. all of this as the president tells abc news tonight that he is confident that republicans will not hold middle class tax cuts hostage. so there's a lot of news that's all of a sudden coming out. after some relative quiet. our white house correspondent dan lothian is on the case and joins me now by telephone, because you've been working your sources. take me into the conversation. all of this breaking late today and it sounds good. it sounds at least like ther

let's go "outfront." >>> i'm tom foreman in for erin burnett. "outfront" tonight, the magic number after a whole week of harsh words here in washington and threats too, did house speaker john boehner hint ever so slightly at a compromise today that could finally edge us away from the dreaded fiscal cliff? it comes down to tax rates. this is a huge sticking point in the stalled negotiations between the president and mr. boehner. obama says the top rate on household income above $250,000 should rise from 35% to 39.6%. boehner wants the rate to stay at 35% or even lower. but what about meeting in the middle? around 37%? listen carefully to the speaker when he was asked today whether that rate could be the answer to this impasse. >> there are a lot of things that are possible. to put the revenue the president seeks on the table. but none of it's going to be possible if the president insists on his position. insists on my way or the highway. >> you hear what he said? a lot of things are possible. that may not sound like much where you're from, but he

let's go "outfront." >>> good evening, everyone, i'm erin burnett. "outfront" tonight, let there be light. finally, some bulbs turned on in washington this evening. well, on the congressional christmas tree, that is. pretty beautiful. lights, love, camaraderie, song. but while our lawmakers took some time to celebrate together, they still weren't showing any spark when it came to negotiating a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff, which is the christmas present the country needs. today we heard president obama's response to the proposal that house speaker john boehner put on the table yesterday. >> the speaker's proposal right now is still out of balance. >> of out of balance. kind of similar to what republicans said last week when the president sent over his terms. so now what? will they sit down and talk it through? well, not according to at least one senior republican aide who told cnn today, no conversations today, no e-mails, tweets, carrier pigeons. as for boehner and obama, they actually did see each other in person at the white house holiday party

"erin burnett outfront" starts right now. >>> "outfront" next, violence in afghanistan.ay, a horrible act of violence. an american soldier was killed here after a suicide attack. it happened at a base in kandahar, just a couple of hours after i visited the base with the u.s. defense secretary, leon panetta, and it's a sad reminder of how safe this country remains after 11 years of war. i'll ask the defense secretary about what's next here, as american troops prepare to leave afghanistan and about the fight for al qaeda. let's go "outfront." >>> good evening. i'm erin burnett live in kabul, afghanistan, tonight for a special edition of "outfront," as we focus on the future of afghanistan. i want to welcome our viewers in the united states tonight, as well as around the world. thanks for joining us. tonight, violence rocks afghanistan. a sobering reminder of how america's longest war is still not won. we still do not have a secure afghanistan. today, just hours after i wrapped up an interview with the secretary of defense, leon panetta, in kandahar at an american base, the

. >>> we are on "erin burnett outfront" starts right now. >>> breaking news. the president holds a last-minute press conference and calls on the senate to act on the fiscal cliff. but with four days to go, will his push make a difference? >>> plus, politicians promised that the newtown shooting would change our national debate on guns. are those just empty promises? >>> we count down the top five political rivalries. who won, who lost, what it means for 2013. let's go "outfront." >>> breaking news. the president makes an 11th hour announcement tonight putting the pressure squarely on the senate so broker a deal on the fiscal cliff. >> senators reid and mcconnell are working on such an agreement as we speak. but if an agreement isn't reached in time between senator reid and senator mcconnell, then i will urge senator reid to bring to the floor a basic package for an up or down vote, one that protects the middle class from an income tax hike, extends the vital life line of unemployment insurance to 2 million americans looking for a job, and lays the groundwork f

i'm ashleigh banfield in for erin burnett tonight. in newtown, connecticut, it is the scene of one of the worst school shootings in the history of the united states and we can report for you that police have now identified a school shooter as adam lanza. a shooter who killed 26 people today at the sandy hook elementary school here in this small connecticut town. 20 children were killed. 18 of them were pronounced dead right at the scene of the school. two of them were rushed to the hospital, hoping that they could save them. those children died at the hospital. six adults at the school were also shot dead. and they died at the scene as well. nancy lanza, a teacher at the school and a mother of the suspected shooter, was also killed. but she was found dead in her son's home in newtown. adam lanza, the 24-year-old brother ryan lanza, was taken into police custody. ryan lanza taken into police custody for questioning in hoboken, new jersey, earlier today. officials had not labeled him a suspect. but he was taken away in handcuffs. his br

erin burnett joins us, next. sen. but i'm still "stubbed" up. [ male announcer ] truth is, nyquil doesn't unstuff your nose. what? [ male announcer ] it doesn't have a decongestant. no way. [ male announcer ] sorry. alka-seltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms plus has a fast acting decongestant to relieve your stuffy nose. [ sighs ] thanks! [ male announcer ] you're welcome. that's the cold truth! [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus. ♪ oh what a relief it is! ♪ [ male announcer ] to learn more about the cold truth and save $1 visit alka-seltzer on facebook. he opened up jake's very private world. at first, jake's family thought they saved ziggy, but his connection with jake has been a lifesaver. for a love this strong, his family only feeds him iams. compared to other leading brands, it has 50% more animal protein... ...to help keep ziggy's body as strong as a love that reaches further than anyone's words. iams. keep love strong.

host erin burnett recently interviewed the man behind wiki leaks to talk about his new book cypherpunks but it didn't exactly go as planned i want to start by asking you something in the very beginning of your book that really shocked me you said the internet is a threat to human civilization and i thought saw that and i thought but the internet is the tool by which to julian assange to become one of the world's most controversial people where you've published all this information why is the internet bad. oh here's a book here is world it's all aback as well that quote looks like that interview got off to the wrong foot and it only escalated from there. period a situation where the i don't agree to talk about the surveillance really in the situ for the fun story maybe burnette should be talking more about the surveillance state her network is after all c.n.n. is beginning to resemble our tina many respects with all of its coverage of bradley manning domestic drones and cyber security now r.t. america had a chance to collaborate with our sister station r.t. international to pose a few qu

erin burnett, thank you so much for your great work. rom afghanistan and her exclusive interview with leon panetta on "erin burnett outfront," that is at 7:00 p.m. eastern, right here on cnn. >> she really is outfront tonight. looking forward to her interview. >>> you may want to keep a close eye on your bank account. we're looking at a big attack potentially in the works. your money could be at risk. >>> and a top republican tells me that it's for the best that susan rice has taken her name out of the running to become secretary of state. standby for the house intelligence committee chairman, mike rogers. ♪ (announcer) when subaru owners look in the mirror, they see more than themselves. so we celebrate our year-end with the "share the love" event. get a great deal on a new subaru and 250 dollars goes to your choice of five charities. by the end of this, our fifth year, our total can reach almost 25 million dollars. it's a nice reflection on us all. now through january 2nd. you'll also care about our new offer. you get access to nurses

"erin burnett outfront." tom foreman is filling in for erin. >> there is a lot coming up.to join in on the shaving party. >> one thing we think we're sniffing out this evening is there's the makings of a deal. i know you guys were working on it. we've been working out it, too. all this talk about the fiscal cliff and all the tough words there's this code coming through in the language this evening, which could make quite a difference if it leads to a deal. it's really worth looking at very, very closely, and we will. we're also going to talk about the president's pot problem. he doesn't really have a pot problem, but he's got a pot problem. he's out west and it could make a big difference to him. and a lot of his constituents who helped push him back into office. it's really going to be a difficult issue for the white house to grapple with, i suspect. it's all coming up on "erin burnett outfront." >> the interesting thing about the pot problem, as you say, well, it's clearly been a big topic ever since the election. there is a real federal states rights issue going on ther

. >> in an interview with erin burnett, defense secretary leon panetta wasn't about to say this three-stage rocket launch was a success for jim jong-un. >> we still have to assess what happened here. most importantly, the final stage to determine really whether or not that did work effectively or whether it tumbled into space. >> but north korea did succeed in putting what u.s. officials describe as a rudimentary satellite into space. the u.s. is trying to determine if north korea is able to control the satellite. and while it's all the same technology that could one day result in a north korea missile being able to hit the u.s., experts say, don't panic yet. >> it has to demonstrate that it cannot just get something up to space but bring it back down. that requires a reentry vehicle. >> the u.s. believes iran may be one country that helps fix its technical problems. north korea calls it, quote, baseless. the u.s. maintains a small number of its own defensive missiles in both alaska and california that would be capable theoretically of shooting down the north korea missile if it came to tha

thanks for watching, erin burnett out front starts now. giving them misinformation. >> at this point, what kind of military action might the united states be considering right now? >> when the president of the united states goes out there and makes a strong statement like he did today. >> that's commitment. >> you have to follow up it and do something. >> they're going to watch there carefully. when they see this move, they have to determine rapidly, what are assad's intentions. they're not sure about that right now. get other countries in the region, involved. don't forget, israel lies right over the border. the israelis may not be so patient and wait to see if the chemical weapons are going to be used. >> it's going to make everyone nervous. how deadly is sarin gas? >> 500 times more lethal than cyanide. without an anti-dote and there would be none available to syrian people. it could kill you within minutes. nasty business. >> barbara starr, thanks. appreciate that. troubling developments out of syria come as hillary clinton made repeat

long spoke last night to cnn's erin burnett. >> sometimes for no apparent reason he will just turn intolute raging -- i don't know how to describe it. you'd have to see it to believe it. i stopped and said to myself, you know, this isn't normal. i have to face up to the fact that i have a sick son and we need help. >> lies da telling cnn she loves her son but he, quote, terrifies me. for one connecticut man, it is hard for him to believe what has happened at sandy hook elementary school. steven barton has been through a mass shooting before. he was seriously wounded in the shooting at the movie theater in aurora, colorado, back in july as you recall. like so many, his heart breaks for all of the victims. but unlike others he knows the violence and fear firsthand. >> our country is long overdue for a serious discussion about guns, about mental health. you'll make it a lot harder for criminals to get illegal guns. >> barton works for an organization devoted to preventing gun violence. >>> the postal service has established a post office box for anyone anywhere who wants to reach out to th

erin burnett "outfront" starts in just a moment.erful musical tribute to the victims, tribute that aired on the nbc show "the voice." ♪ i've heard there was a secret code that david played and it pleased the lord but you don't really care for music do you ♪ ♪ it goes like this hallelujah ♪ ♪ hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah ♪ ♪ i did my best it wasn't much i couldn't feel so i tried to touch i told the truth i didn't try to fool you ♪ ♪ and even though it all went wrong i stand before the lord

erin burnett "outfront" starts in just a moment.erful musical tribute to the victims, tribute that aired on the nbc show "the voice." ♪ i've heard there was a secret code that david played and it pleased the lord but you don't really care for music do you ♪ ♪ it goes like this hallelujah ♪ ♪ hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah ♪

erin burnett "outfront" starts now. >>> breaking news, massacre in here is what we know. the 20-year-old shooter had an many say this tragedy demands tougher legislation and inside the white house, a viz approximately shaken president obama offered these words about the mass killing. >>> these were beautiful little children between 5 and 10 years old. they had their entire lives ahead of them. birthdays, graduations, weddings. kids of their own. men and women who had devoted their lives to helping our children fulfill their dreams. >> an emotional president obama reflecting how most of the nation had been feeling and tonight, this is his brother, ryan lanza being taken into requesting today. i must think there are new details on the shooting. susan, a desperate day. the sofl and the testimony list with four children what do we know about the pepper that's tore of the he'dous crime. >> it is so heard breaking, pierce. gunman dressed in black fatigues and a military vest opened fire in the school. the police have questioned his father and his brother. from his apartment in

i'm erin burnett with wolf blitzer. >> coming to you from newtown, connecticut. the pain is really, really great are the country, not only this up to but the country, indeed much of the world, mourns what has happened in this community. >> we were just hearing, wolf, lieutenant vance say this will probably be the last time we hear from him tonight but some of the latest things that he said, wolf that they still don't know the motive. they say that is going to come later. it is going to take them more time before they are able to talk about that and it is impossible to say how many shots were fired, wolf, but multiple high-cap pays the rounds, each magazine had about 30 shots and said hundreds of bullets at least. >> this connecticut state police lieutenant is doing an excellent job briefing us. he is being very precise on all of the details, he doesn't want to get ahead of the information that they have and so far, i have been very impressed. >> yes, ma'am to that point, they asked about nancy lanza, he says i don't know which gun she was shot with but does know