>>> i'm jerry and i'm evelyn. see how msnbc got our playground back in business. >>> hi there, everyone. i'm j.j. ramberg. welcome to "your business" where we give you tips to help your business grow. when evelyn wrote to us a few months back. she had no idea her business would spark our next make over. what do you do when you sell a once in a lifetime product. we found an interesting business in need of serious help. we decided to assemble a rescue team to give them a much needed push in the right direction. when evelyn anderson and her husband bought just for fun playgrounds in asheville, north carolina, business was booming. >> the first three years that we were in business we worked summer and winter just straight through the year. we had four guys in the shop. we had two sales people. then we had a winter where we went four months without a phone call. >> the company was known for their high end custom designed playgrounds. by 2009, the recession eroded two-thirds of their business forcing them to let all the

evelyn coke didn't live to see this day, but the truth is americans like evelyn and pauline and the rest of the workers who are here today, they are one of the reasons i ran for president. they work hard. they play by the rules. and in exchange they want to see that their hard work and their responsibility is rewarded. it's that simple. americans all deserve a fair shake and a fair shot. and as long as i have the honor of serving as president, i'm going to do everything in my power to make sure that those very modest expectations are fulfilled. i'm going to make sure they are treated right and make sure that every american is treated fairly. thanks very much. everybody. thank you. >> that was president obama speaking about a proposed rule to extend minimum wage and overtime protections for home care workers. very interesting moment as we look down the shoot, the tunnel to the payroll tax cut fight that we're having actually and the deadline for the government running out of money on friday. on a certain level it was obama speaking about fairness, equality, jobs something he's been hammer

you very much for some of the commendation that came about four ben mann of the staff, along with evelyn cart and their service for helping to produce the high level of quality and service to the public. they had been commended by that panel. last, and most importantly, i wish staff, commissioners a wonderful holiday -- let's close out the year in a wonderful way and be blessed by all that has been brought to us, on the rising tide of economics, all the things that the commission has done and takes responsibility for. >> is there any public comment on the president's announcements? seeing none. item four -- i'm sorry, item three. public comment. this is the general public comment. if anyone would like to discuss items not listed on today's agenda. there is no general public comment. item 4. discussion and possible action to approve and swear in members of the board of examiners. reappointments/appointments recommended by the nominations sub-committee are: michael cashion, high-rise sprinkler- building owner. seat to expire september 15, 2013. mr. cash john is present. commissioner lee: a

evelyn koch didn't live to see this day but the truth is, americans like evelyn and pauline and the rest, they're one of the reasons that i ran for president. they work hard. they play by the rules. in exchange they just want to see that their hard work and their responsibility is rewarded. it's that simple. americans all deserve a fair shake and a fair shot. as long as i have the honor of serving as president, i'm going to do everything in my power to make sure that those very modest expectations are fulfilled. i'm going to make sure that they are treated right. i'm going to make sure that every american is treated fairly. thanks very much, everybody. >> want to bring in gloria borger out of washington. first of all to talk about what the president is trying to achieve here through executive order. it seems to me as if it is kind of working on the edges here, that he can get some things accomplished without congress to help low and middle class folks. does this seem like this is a convincing strategy to voters, that this is a president who's paying attention to those who are struggling

major funding provided by: the evelyn and walter haas, jr. fund; the park foundation, in support of a clean and healthy environment; the arthur vining davis foundations-- dedicated to strengthening america's future through education; the national park foundation the official charity of america's national parks; the peter jay sharp foundation; the pew charitable trusts; the corporation for public broadcasting; and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you.

evelyn has terminal lung cancer and afraid she'll die before he's released. >> i get up in the morningirst thing on my mind is allen. >> when i got to bed, it's allen. i can't live without him any longer. it's not fair for him or his family or me. >> reporter: gross is serving a 15 year sentence in prison accused of smuggling communication equipment into the country. this week cuba allowed the general secretary of national council of churches of christ to meet with gross. he says his health is worsening. he's lost more than 100 pounds his photo shows his changed appearance. >> we have concerns for his health but he's in good spirits and we had a good conversation. >> members of maryland's congressional delegation are urging lawmakers to do more to free gross. they're meeting with members to see what else the u.s. government can do. marry's -- marry, wjz eyewitness news. >> in a statement the senator says if cuba wants to improve their relations with the united states they need to release allen gross now. >> public outcry takes it out of coke's new campaign, consumers complained about i

. >> [speaking in spanish] >> good evening, my name is evelyn. >> [speaking in spanish] >> i come here because i have had a lot of meetings with the principal, a lot from last year. >> [speaking in spanish] >> mistreatment has happened a long time, many times and the wrongdoing was that she rehired the same person that was doing the mistreatment, that was mistreating children last year. >> [speaking in spanish] >> so i was at a meeting where this person just came and said, ask for forgiveness to me and my children. >> [speaking in spanish] >> the screaming and the yelling and the mistreatment doesn't stop. the teaching in the spanish immersion classes is not happening. kids are not learning spanish. >> [speaking in spanish] >> homework is in english. work is in english. almost all her staff around her speaks english only. >> [speaking in spanish] >> so some of the staff that do speak spanish do not pay attention. i can mention names as i did. president mendoza: you get two minutes for translation. >> [speaking in spanish] >> i had a problem four months ago. and in this school, they do

this was brooklyn, new york where evelyn showed up with all of the kids and got all of these photos.e woman to tears. dignity was the word one of the brooklyn organizers used. >> for these families it is a moment of dignity, a moment they can celebrate themselves. it's hard to believe people don't have camera, people can't seek out the kind of resource these need to take a family portrait. >> reporter: sometimes it is the homeless who show up. people who don't have a wall of their own to hang a picture on. isn't that what a seated portrait is in a way. a place where, in the moment it is snapped, it is your place. your picture. and you belong in it. john donvan, abc news, washington. >>> that's "world news" for this saturday. we're always online at abcnews.com. don't forget "good morning america" first thing in the morning. we leave you tonight with one more christmas image from sacramento, california. thanks to our affiliate kxtv in sacramento. for all of us at abc new, thanks for watching, merry christmas, happy hanukkah and good night. christmas, happy hanukkah and good night. >> i

evelyn coke didn't live to see this day, but the truth is americans like evelyn and pauline and the rest of the workers who are here today, they're one of the reasons i ran for president. they work hard. they play by the rules. in exchange they just want to sew -- see that their hard work is rewarded and it's just that simple. americans all deserve a fair shake and a fair shot. as long as i have the honor of serving as president, i'm going to do everything in my power to make sure that those very modest expectations are fulfilled. i am going to make sure they are treated right and going to make sure that every american is treated fairly. n.s.a. very much, everybody. >> mr. president, how are you going to pay for the payroll tax cut? are you going to drop the millionaire surcharge? [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] >> are you worried about a government shutdown, mr. president? >> president obama in his -- in comments calling on congress to finish work on 2012 spending and extending the payroll tax cuts saying,

evelyn did not live to see this day, but the truth is americans like evelyn and pauline and the rest of the workers who are here today are one of the reasons i ran for president. they work hard, play by the rules, and in exchange they just want to see their hard work and responsibility is rewarded. it is taxable. americans all deserve a fair shake and a fair shot, and as long as i have the honor of being president, i will do everything in my power to make sure that those very modest expectations are fulfilled. i'm going to make sure they are treated right and make sure every american is treated fairly. thanks very much, everybody. thank you. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] >> the president from about midday today, an hour and half after the president spoke. after the president spoke. his spokesman talked about resolving federal spending for fiscal year 2012 and about passing the payroll tax cut extension. this is about 50 minutes. >> good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. thanks for being here. i will go

it happened to evelyn from van nice, $720, gone. >> i couldn't believe it. i was in shock. because i knew it wasn't me who had taken money out. >> turns out her ebt card was skimmed. thieves captured information through an add on device in a store or atmz withdrew money. to make matters worst california department of social services doesn't recognize the theft like banks do. and in her card had been physically taken or had it been paper check she'd get money back in days. reimbursement in this case took two year autos northbound was taking responsibility. to who was going to put money back in. >> two nonprofit agencies filed a lawsuit against the state mandating it update practices since disability and unemployment are delivered electrically. >> many benefit programs have those protections. they need to pay more attention to this to move into the 21 century. >> the state says it had yet to be served documents and at this time would be premature to discuss issues in this action. many families don't have luxury of waiting for reimbursement. if it happens at all. >> this shoul

hi, evelyn. i know it's been a difficult time since your mom passed away. yeah. miss her a lot but i'm okay. wow. that was fast. this is the check i've been waiting for. mom had a guaranteed acceptance life insurance policy through the colonial penn program, and this will really help with the cost of her final expenses. they have been so helpful and supportive during this time. maybe i should give them a call. i really could use some more life insurance. is it affordable? it costs less t that's pretty affordable, huh? less than 35 cents a day? that's less than the cost of a postage stamp. so, you said it was guaranteed acceptance? yes. it's permanent coverage with guaranteed acceptance for people ages 50 to 85. there's no medical exam or health questions. you can't be turned down because of your health. it fit right into mom's budget and gave her added peace of mind. you should give them a call or look them up online at cpdirect.com. i definitely could use more coverage. i think i will give them a call. man: are you between the ages of 50 and 85? or know someone

it happened to evelyn, $720 gone. >> i was in shock. because i knew it wasn't me who took the money out. >> reporter: turns out her bt card was skimmed. they got her information with an add-on device. to make matters worse, california department doesn't recognize electronic theft. if her card had been taken she would get her money back in days. reimbursement in this case took two years. >> nobody was taking responsibility to who was going to put the money back into the ebt. >> reporter: two people have filed lawsuits mandating that updates its practices especially since employment benefits are also delivered electronically. >> they really need to pay more attention to this and move into the 21st century. >> the state says it has yet to be served the legal documents. that the time it would be premature to discuss any issues surrounding the action. >> it shouldn't happen to families. we depend on this money. i depended on it. >> because it doesn't recognize electronic theft, the state doesn't know how bad the problem is but lawyers suspec

sincerely, evelyn. >> wonderful.ife." 65 years ago this week, the holiday classic premiered in new york city. the movie is about redemption and is perfect for this time of the year. >> merry christmas! >> merry christmas! >> merry christmas, george! >> merry christmas! >> that, of course, is one of the most memorable scenes from the movie. carolyn grimes who played jimmy stewart's youngest daughter zuzu joins us from los angeles and we are joined by jimmy hawkins who was tommy bailey and is the author of "it's a wonderful life a color book to kids. >>." karolyn, you recited that great line. every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings. a line that still gets me today today and every time i hear it. when you were 6 years old and doing that part about you or anybody there have any idea that would become one of the iconic lines in movie history? >> no, not at all. the movie was not a great success when it came out, so it was really a surprise when several years later, it started getting shown on tv and people sdorch

los grandes patrocinadores de esta serie son: el fondo evelyn y walter haas, jr.; la fundación park,poyando un medio ambiente limpio y saludable; las fundaciones arthur vining davis -- dedicadas a fortalece el futuro de estados unidos través de la eduón; la fundación de los parques nacionales la organización befica oficial de los rques nacionales estadounidenses; la fundación peter jay sharp la fundación benéfica pew; la corporación de televisión pública; y por las contribuciones a su estación pbs de televidentes como usted. gracias. la textura y la emoción de la historia estadounidense. general motors orgullosamente apoy a este gran artista, su sobresaliente trabajo en pbs, y la gran historia que es estados unidos. nuestros parques nacionales les pertenecen a todos nosotros. de disfrutar de nuestros más bellos tesoros naturales a través de los asombrosos esfuerzos de nuestro servicio de parques naturales. estamos orgullosos de apoyar a ken burns y compartir su creencia de que al preservar el pasado de estados unidos podemos construir un futuro más fuerte. s rnn ptadla belleza ♪ ♪ ♪

evelyn gross has terminal lung cancer and is afraid she will die before he is released. >> i get up in the morning. first thing i see in the morning is allen. when i go to bed, it's allen. i can't be without him any longer. it's not fair for him or his family or me. >> reporter: gross is serving a 15-year sentence, accused of smuggling illegal equipment into the country. gross claims he was only trying to help havana's jewish community. this week, they asked the churches of christ to meet with gross. gross has already lost more than 100 pounds. the photos show his changed appearance. we have concern for his health. but he's in good spirits. and we had a good conversation. >> and tonight, members of maryland's congressional delegation are urging lawmakers to do more to free allen gross. they're meeting with members of president obama's staff to see what else the u.s. government can do. >> december begins with a day of beautiful weather. outside right now, it's clear and calm. you're looking live at mount vernon, where crews are preparing to light up baltimore's washington monument. let'

tell me about evelyn gross, your mother-in-law. >> she's a strong, strong woman.uess the acorn doesn't fall far from the tree. alan is also strong. but she is suffering lung cancer. she has cancer in both lungs. >> how old is she? >> 89 she has side effects from the drugs. she can't say alan's name without crying. she is very fearful she won't see him again. if you have a pressage, tle watch us in havana. we have very good relations in long standing journalistic relations, what would you say to raul castronev. >> i would say, is this what you would want for your own family? and i would say alan has nothing against the cuban people and unfortunately he is just a pawn in the two governments. >> and you believe that a 15-year sentence for bringing in some lap tops -- >> is ridiculous. cell phones, 15 years. that's quite a -- he was not overting the government. he wasn't a spy. he doesn't even speak spanish. just cell phones. he has no intention of doing anything to the government or overturning any government. >> do you think this is in their mind connected to the pr

hi, evelyn. i know it's been a difficult time since your mom passed away. yeah. wow. that was fast. this is the check i've been waiting for. mom had a guaranteed acceptance life insurance policy through the colonial penn program, and this will really help with the cost of her final expenses. they have been so helpful and supportive during this time. maybe i should give them a call. i really could use some more life insurance. is it affordable? it costs less t that's pretty affordable, huh? less than 35 cents a day? that's less than the cost of a postage stamp. so, you said it was guaranteed acceptance? yes. it's permanent coverage with guaranteed acceptance for people ages 50 to 85. there's no medical exam or health questions. you can't be turned down because of your health. it fit right into mom's budget and gave her added peace of mind. you should give them a call or look them up online at cpdirect.com. i definitely could use more coverage. i think i will give them a call. man: are you between the ages of 50 and 85? or know someone who is? do you think that qua

they'd all come to see the room of the famous author evelyn waugh-- just here.nd he wasn't the only well-known alumnus. there's been a bit of a rash of news readers here-- natasha kaplinsky, christian guru murphy-- i've been known to do a bit of that myself. must be something in the water. and yes, here i am, looking proud as punch with fellow students at the end of my first term. okay, bad hair. but it was the '80s. all in all, this has the promise of a nostalgic day as we welcome visitors to the quad at my old college, hertford. with the help of the people of oxford, it should bring back a few memories. a dear aunt always had it on her sideboard, and in all my years of growing up, we called it "auntie's beetle vase." she came by it in about 1937. she took in lodgers from oxford university, and some of them, i believe, were quite well-to-do, titled gentlemen, and as a means of thanking her when they left and went home from the university, they gave her gifts, and i'm thinking that perhaps that was one such gift. that certainly fits in, because this has never, e

: happy holidays, evelyn. >> caller: just a comment.m from south chicago, went through desegregation, blah, blah, blah and then we were inundated with the spanish. we had to open up the five churches to them when the recession came. the houses were boarded up, and now just sunday, when i went to church, it is stunning. and all of the churches now how many have left and gone, who knows? they are very great at buying homes over in mexico and going back and forth. did they help us here? not in this community. the education went down and it has been a lot of hard work. they are good people, but i really disapprove of all of this is illegal stuff going on. and i thank you for listening and i will say goodbye. >> host: okay. duguid's -- has the pew hispanic center done in the numbers of the cost of illegal immigration on schools and we also hear it on medical costs. >> guest: we haven't done any studies that try to measure that exactly. but the general, the general sense you get from all of the studies that have been done is that those are th

host: speaking of new york, we have evelyn on our line for democrats. caller: hello, mr.a costa. do you think germany should go in the way of institutional changes? as far as greece and italy? guest: i think they are pushing for them that is where the detachment is. germany is trying to extract as many concessions as possible so the basis for the fiscal union is a sound one, and one can relate with that sentiment. right now, we are in the middle of a panic. i heard a brief economist say the middle of a financial panic is no time to build sound institutions. so, his argument, and the argument of the economists but i speak with his you have to put a floor under the situation, -- that i speak with as you have to put a floor under the situation, under the borrowing costs, because they could sustain debts if they could pay them at rates that are not sky high. once the market makes that commitment, put a floor under the system, and that is when you get into the institution building. host: in "the washington post" earlier this week -- host: tell us more about this. the u.s. is t

washington say this is my position, i signed on the dotted line, you have my word, and months later evelynt to change the rules on the sequestered or change in terms of the agreement on spending cuts, which i would point out discretionary spending cuts that a already been agreed to in congress would bring us to the lowest percentage in terms of not discretionary defense spending as a percentage of gdp since dwight eisenhower was president. these are quite dramatic cuts, quite serious cuts, and the inclusion of the measure you talked about was a small part of the republican pay-for. >> it meets the requirement, but not enough? >> it does not pay for, so it is not enough to pay for it. i do not want to negotiate the particulars of an end game or get ahead of senator reid or senator casey in terms of the proposed compromise or a new measure to extend the payroll tax cut. while that measured does asked in some way wealthier americans to pay their fair share for a little bit more, it is not in and of itself, any where closer to paying for this tax cut. >> the speaker is expected to put up his p