j.c. penney and groupon's ceo on herb greenberg's list of worst ceo. he'll be along to tell us why he's being so mean to these ceos. and coming up, home depot founder ken langone will join me coming up and will join me for the entire hour next hour on the "closing bell." [ male announcer ] citi turns 200 this year. so why exactly should that be of any interest to you? well, in that time there've been some good days. and some difficult ones. but, through it all, we've persevered, supporting some of the biggest ideas in modern history. like the transatlantic cable that connected continents. and the panama canal that made our world a smaller place. we supported the marshall plan that helped europe regain its strength. and pioneered the atm, so you can get cash when you want it. it's been our privilege to back ideas like these, and the leaders behind them. so why should our anniversary matter to you? because for 200 years, we've been helping people and their ideas move from ambition to achieve

why j.c. penney was forced to bring back the sales. >> and caught on camera. what happens when a man decides to tackle a would-be robber. ,,,, every time someone chooses finish over cascade, it sparks a movement. because people can't keep it to themselves. look ! no ugly spots ! awesome! incredible shine. i'm switching for good. love, love, love finish! over a million people have switched to finish. visit us on facebook. >>> welcome back. the freeze is here. temperatures falling below freezing in parts of the north bay and the east bay. how much will we warm up by this afternoon? that plus a look at your seven- day forecast coming up. >>> and our bay area bridges looking pretty good this morning. no delays to report on the golden gate bridge, san mateo bridge or the bay bridge. details on our trouble spots for highway 9. that's coming up in a few minutes. >>> and check out this surveillance video of a masked armed robber demanding money from a convenience store clerk in spokane, washington the robber starts to make a break for it. a man at the store tackles th

j.c. penney is part of that rally for the year. j.c. penney stocks down 40%, that is ugly.nother abercrombie and fitch executive to transform j.c. penney more. so far they have achieved supply officer and chief technology officer coming from member probably. there will be a nice experience. liz: my baby sitter said i'm going to j.c. penney and i thought she said i am over teach amax and going to j.c. penney. target is too cool. how is this for christmas present? bank of america's merrill lynch brokerage unit looking to save money by cutting broker compensation? you heard that before but not if brian moynihan has his way. charlie gasparino on the c e o who is saving bonuses. charlie: it is unusual to cut broker compensation. there's a lot of competition from brokers. recently inside merrill lynch's brokerage department run by john field disease to be the biggest brokerage department in the world. morgan stanley has surpassed it given the smith barney acquisition but merrill lynch is still considered the premier brokerage department on wall street. recently in an effort to sa

>>> hello and thank you for joining us, i'm j.c. hayward. well, we are just hours away from going over the so call fiscal cliff. and the two sides are not close on a deal. if republicans and democrats cannot come to an agreement, before the midnight deadline, taxes will go up on all americans beginning tomorrow. and economists believe that we will plunge into another recession. danielle nottingham has more from the white house. >> reporter: members of congress arrived at the capital to work on new year's eve to try to avoid massive tax increases and spending cuts from taking effect in just hours. >> there are a number of issues on which the two sides are still apart. but negotiations are continuing as i speak. >> reporter: sources say both sides are starting to pro mize on which families will keep bush era tax cuts. the president wand families making more than $250,000 to start paying more. democrats are reportedly negotiating to raise that limit. >> let's get this thing done. tonight when the ball drops, let's make sure we haven't also drop

it's not clear to me if picking j.c. watts matters if they ignore his advice, getting more young and hispanic and black votes and listen, it's not just the party chairman. the party chairman is a weak office in and of itself. the party has to make more strides in a lot of ways on policy, on candidates, on tone, no chairman the candidate like mitt romney giving gifts to people that's a big problem the chairman can't solve. >> you can lead an elephant to water but can't make it drink. we're back more right after this. ♪ i'd like to thank eating right, whole grain, multigrain cheerios! mom, are those my jeans? [ female announcer ] people who choose more whole grain tend to weigh less than those who don't. multigrain cheerios yofor giving the perfect gift?le just have a knack tend to weigh less than those who don't. they put real thought into it. and find just... the right...thing. how do they do that? more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. pick up a ridgid jobmax multi-tool starter kit and get a free h

what an experiment b j.c. penney can teach us about the mind of the shopper. ,,,,,,,,,,,, fiscal cliff deal might be getting close. today house speaker john boehner proposed a backup pn prevent a tax hik >>> after weeks of deadlock there are signs that a "fiscal cliff" deal might be getting close might be. today, house speaker john boehner proposed a backup plan to prevent a tax hike in case that he and the president don't reach an agreement. the white house rejected boehner as plan but quickly came back with a counterproposal. >> our plan b would protect american taxpayers who make a million dollars or less. >> fall back plan b achieves nothing. you would lose hundreds of billions of dollars of revenue. >> the president's original cutoff for tax cut extensions was $250,000. but his counterproposal to boehner raises that to $400,000. >>> stocks rallied to their best level in two months today. they like that news. that dow was up 115, nasdaq up 44. >>> instagram you know that popular app that makes your photos

in particular, apple and jb penpejb-- j.c. penney. we have shibani joshi and adam shapiro as well and first to nicole, j.c. penney, a lot of people worried about retail sales, think it's going to hit companies like j.c. penney hard? guess what? the stock is up 4%, why? >> that's a huge move on a day when the major market average, look the at j.c. penney, it's posted comments from oppenheimer this morning, talking about the fact that promotions are working well and bringing traffic into john kerry opiniony, you know that we spoke about ron johnson and came up from apple and his whole theory, was no promotion and great prices all the time and that really was working. the and so, they're back to the promotions this holiday season and it's working. traffic is pretty busy there. >> it's working very well, at least today for the stock. thank you, nicole. well, president obama has always promised not to raise taxes on the middle class, but if he can't reach a deal with republicans in the next seven days, that's exactly what will happen and a

some members of the gop are pushing former congressman j.c. watts to run for chairman. but a lot of people in the party don't seem too hot on the idea. a leader tells our peter hamby he had no prayer. roland martin warns that responses like that could backfire. he writes even if they choose not to vote for watts, if he decides to even seek the job, it is his skin color and perspective. that is strl to the central to the gop having any sort of presidential future. "out front" tonight, c.j. watts. let me ask you point blank, what do you think about what roland martin had to say, what the party has to respond to you even considering running, thinking about race? >> well, erin, i don't necessarily believe that the answer is to take a black face and put him in the chairmanship at the rnc or female or hispanic or asian ornatetive americ nati. i think it's bigger than that. i think we have to surround

the second thing- > > j.c. penney- > > j.c. penney?! they're going to zero. > > exactly!so that is not going to help their game. > > they have a bad business model. that is why they're going out of the game. > > i believe it is going to help one stock: hewlett-packard. it's a stock that- > > hewlett-packard?! > > -long been forgotten about- > > put it in the basket with dell, j.c. penney- > > put it in the basket with rim and yahoo, which have had big, big jumps. it has value, it's a name, it just needs to reinvent itself- > > what's their product they sell? > round 3) the fiscal fiasco - is this fiscal cliff a real issue for the market jan 1st? > > no. the answer is no. the market doesn't care. this is the most widely talked-about- > > why is the vix over 20 then? > > -financial event in the history of the world- > > why is the vix 20? > > 20? it was 28 in may. we are nowhere near these relative highs- > > it is the highest it has been in months. > > it is down 70% on the year. nobody cares. the market will move on. the market right now is still up 13% on the year. so sm

thank you, j.c. watts.hank you, judith. >>> up next, jon stewart explains how republicans hate the u.n. more than they hate the disabled. this is "hardball," the place for politics. >>> welcome back to "hardball." now time for the "sideshow." first, 38 republicans voted this week to defeat a u.n. treaty that promotes rights for disabled citizens worldwide. last night jon stewart took them on. >> i guess it's time for a new segment "please tell me this is rock bottom." it's official, republicans hate the united nations more than they like helping people in wheelchairs. you voted no because your fear is if we sign onto a treaty that is only recommendations for improved disability standards, standards we ourselves made the law of the land in this country 20 years ago, what's to stop the men if blue helmets from storming into your living room -- - i'm sorry, school -- and force you to build a wheelchair accessible ramp to the cafeteria -- i'm sorry, your kitchen. >> and from the tea party right to the liberal l

on a technical side, we have i think our bull j.c.ara and on the fundamental side is our bear for the day, abigail dolittle. thank you both for joining us today. j.c., you would buy this cliff dip as it were. is that the case? >> absolutely. i think the 2% down day was an early gift to investors. the first is, if you look at a chart on the slide, you notice the 50-day moving average, we're trading around these levels here. over the past year, we've tested the 50 day moving average from above multiple times and the majority of the outcome we've been positive. close to 2.5% over the next few days. so i think we're going to get a bounce higher here. and the next reason i'll be buying right at these levels is 142 is a major level on the spy for support. if you look at from volume at price, we see a majority of the buyers and sellers are congregating right at these levels. >> you know, these are great points that you're making, j.c., and maybe we could see a bounce here of 3% to 5%, but the key word in that sentence is topped out. there's

thank you, j.c. watts.ou, judith. >>> up next, jon stewart explains how republicans hate the u.n. more than they hate the disabled. this is "hardball," the place for politics. [ male announcer ] this december, remember -- ♪ you can stay in and like something... ♪ [ car alarm deactivates ] ♪ ...or you can get out there with your family and actually like something. ♪ the lexus december to remember sales event is on, offering some of our best values of the year. this is the pursuit of perfection. offering some of our best values of the year. when you take a closer look... ...at the best schools in the world... ...you see they all have something very interesting in common. they have teachers... ...with a deeper knowledge of their subjects. as a result, their students achieve at a higher level. let's develop more stars in education. let's invest in our teachers... ...so they can inspire our students. let's solve this. >>> welcome back to "hardball." now time for the "sideshow." first, 38 republicans voted this w

now j.c. penney is another one, they are literally selling snake- print thongs. i mean, i wouldn't want to bring my family there. > a little much. now you are an actual consultant, or you have been in another life. you did turn-arounds. so what would you tell these companies? what do they need to know? > > i think in terms of the advertising and how they relate to their consumer, know your consumer. don't follow other people. if you look at sears and you look at kohl's, they had a really good customer base. kohl's in particular could really be making a lot of money right now given j.c. penney and sears' kind of retraction. the problem is, they are looking at what is working for other retailers and trying to make it work for theand trying to be edgy. sometimes you have to look at who your customer is, and not who you want them to be. > good to have you on the show. that is margaret bogenreef. let's clean it up this christmas. > > definitely. thanks. still ahead, a former mc-market winner. a look at what happened next in traders unplugged. before taking off for the

over the past year, shares of j.c. penney have struggled. they are down 43% this year. today they rose more than 1% to just under $20 a share. a few buyers of the stock today family, closing under just $12 a share. over the past year, shares down 50%. now shares of online shares of online travel company trip advisor got a boost on the back of some positive comments. analysts at needham say they are optimistic about the company's long-term growth prospects. they expect trip advisor to exceed profit forecasts for the first half of 2013. shares of trip advisor were up more than half a percent to $42. herbalife also got a pop today. the vitamin maker says it expects to buy back more shares than it had previously announced. the shares had been down for the last eight sessions, but today it rose 4.5%. and if you're driving this holiday season, get ready to pay more at the pump. but prices are set to go up after falling more than ten cents over the past two weeks. according to the lundberg survey, gasoline prices on average around the country were $3.25 a gallon. that's the lo

the major anchor stores here at the mall will be opening at 7 this morning and macy's j.c. penney's and nordstrom's opening at 8 and the rest of the mall opening at 8. the parking garage is opened now and it will be filling up because around 17 million people plan to hit the stores, the malls to shop to get last- minute christmas shopping done. if you waited to get your shopping done you will share the parking lots and stores with other procrastinators. it was a busy weekend that malls in stores everywhere. parking was hard to come by. long lines d you know that the busiest -- did you know the busiest shopping day of the year is the saturday before christmas not black friday. and if you waited this long, 17 million people actually say they plan to shop today on christmas eve. a good bulk of the shoppers have not started their shopping yet. yikes. the most popular present is still clothing and then gift cards and megan your favorite is some people say they would hand out ious for a present i don't get that but i guess they are brave. so again here at the mall incolumbia, maj

>> we are here at j.c. plumbing. you are going to show was plumbing fixtures. >> yes, we are. very excited to have you. >> let's look at fixtures and faucets and accessories. it is going to be very exciting here. please join us for "bluilding sf." joining janessa and i today is andre. thanks for coming. we have had some great times in the past with some of these shows. you have been kitchen and bath in the past. >> i'm an architect. i do a lot of construction work. or >> do people look for when they do a bathroom remodels? >> that is a good question. kitchens are the ultimate and social room, while bathrooms are kind of the opposite. bathrooms, like kitchens, are part of homes and houses, so they are part of architecture, and they are opportunities for people to express themselves, to express their style. they are just an important element in the house is in san francisco. >> i think we can talk about how bathrooms had changed in san francisco. the old-style we're used to have a separate compartment for the bathtub, and now, we have a whole different concept. >> traditionally

former congressman j.c. >> i'm doing will. >> your sooners got a bowl game in memphis this year. congratulations. >> well, it's actually the tulsa hurricane. the sooners are going to be in dallas, versus johnny football -- >> sorry, i messed it up. >> that's okay. i forgive you. >> notre dame is going to beat alabama -- we have that in the "hannity" household. >> your wife's probably going to win that argument. we are wasting time. are you running for chair of the rnc. >> i heard an rnc member say, you know, last weekend, said, you know, unfortunately, he said, we have had one black guy in the chairmanship. we have been there, done that. we don't need to go there. this is never -- i have never said that you needed a black person there. i never said you needed a white, red, yellow or brown -- or even a female. you said, you need someone sitting in that chair that understands the val of growing deeper relationships with -- with voters, especially non-traditional voters. you mentioned in your earlier segment wi

thank you, j.c. watts.nk you. >> you dish. >>> up next, jon stewart explains how republicans hate the u.n. more than they hate the disabled. this is "hardball," the place for politics. [ male announcer ] imagine facing the day with less chronic osteoarthritis pain. imagine living your life with less chronic low back pain. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. one non-narcotic pill a day, every day, can help reduce this pain. tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens, you have unusual changes in mood or behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain and yellowing s

. >> that is one of the reasons i like j.c. plumbing. they have a great selection, and i can make my point. let's compare these two six. this is a bowl shape, and this is a ceramic that comes straight down. the disadvantage of this -- and it is very beautiful and makes quite a statement -- and i alluded to this before. it is about cleaning this, and coming year. getting down here, that is difficult to do, so that is going to be more difficult to clean. this is a good one. again, clean lines that come straight down. there is no difficulty cleaning that. >> would someone call that -- caulk that? >> absolutely. make it watertight. >> are there any other disadvantages? these all have an external mounts. >> it is a little more complicated, so you have to have a tall faucet to come down. wall-mounted faucets. but again, these are very popular. i'm always wondering how popular they are going to be in five or six years. think about that. >> i have heard that there are already shift in style happening, but those happen all the time. what is the r

winners and losers, j.c. penney there as the mover and names under pressure.first solar looking decent. thank you very much. has a divine intervention forced citigroup's hand? october 16th, vikram pandit ousted as city ceo. in november the benedictine sisters, city shareholders who own stock filed a proposal asking citigroup to break up so as to unlock shareholder value and last week citigroup announced 11,000 job cuts and a bunch of branch closings. no real massive break up but they are shedding some businesses. joining us in a fox business exclusive is the treasurer of the benedictine sisters, sister rose marie stoverbanner and trillium asset management ceo who is representing the benedictine sisters. thank you so very much for joining us. we have spoken when you first put out that ladder and i said i wanted to talk to the sisters about this. highly unusual, horrible press for a city to have a group like you saying unlock some shareholder value here but let me first explain why. you bought this more than ten years ago and you have lost more than 90% of the v

despite a dreadful january and february that saw more than 50,000 layoffs at american airlines, pepsico, j.c. penney, metlife and procter and gamble. "those are very specific company-based layoffs. they're not even sector-based." hostess brands is controlled by hedge funds that have lined up more than a hundred potential buyers for hostess brands' three dozen factories that produced lunchbox staples: twinkies, ho-hos, and ding- dongs. "it's highly problematic when hedge funds own a buisness, because the primary goal is to appease shareholders and investors." asset management firm perella weinberg partners is advising hostess brands says the bidders include five national retailers such as supermarkets. reportedly, six of the bidders have hired investment banks to help. "it would not be a surprise to see a 'white knight' come in and buy the whole thing because of its market presence." but while 19 corporate officers receive nearly $1.8 million in incentive pay to stay on through the wind-down process, what happens to the employees now on unemployment who say their pensions have not received co

before we go, j.c. watts are you in or out? if j.c. in. >> party line. >> so party. >> he's so party. that is all. that is all unfortunately for "now." i will see you back at noon eastern, 9:00 a.m. pacific joined by frank brownry in, joy reid, jonathan altar and americans for tax reform president grover norquist. until then find us at facebook.com/now with alex. "andrea mitchell reports" is next. good afternoon, andrea. >> good afternoon, alex. thank you very much. coming up here on "andrea mitchell reports," the road to nowhere. when will the real negotiations begin? we'll have the latest from chuck todd and chris cizilla. plus, the top democrat on the house weighs and means committee, sandra levin. what is hillary clinton's new read line in syria? former congresswoman jane harman joins us. and in the line of fire, we'll hear from one of the women challenging the pentagon's ban of women in combat. plus, musician, composure, teacher winston mar sal less on a quarter century of jazz lincoln center all that next on "andrea mitchell repo

>>> hello, thank you for joining us, i'm j.c. hayward and we have breaking news from southeast washington. police gave chase to a stolen car that collided with a metrobus at wheeler road and southern avenue. that's near the prince george's county border. our kristin fisher is standing by and she has the latest information. kristin? >> reporter: well, what happened was three people were in a stolen car and they were driving down wheeler road when they were spotted by police. now, they just tried to speed off after police tried to pull them over but the police did not pursue them. still, they kept driving down this road i mean they were zigging and zagging out of traffic. a very dangerous situation. then they started going so fast that they sped out of control and when they tried to turn here on to southern avue they crashed into a metrobus. you see that one passing right there. and it was a head-on crash. so just take a look at what it looked like. i mean, this stolen nissan maxima was completely crushed in the front. the bus fare

trying to keep consumers coming through the doors, retailers including banana republic, j.c.enney and neiman marcus are offering additional promotions. shopping momentum traditionally slows between black friday and the final days before christmas. restaurant owners are taking a financial hit by threatening to cut jobs and working hours as a way to deal with the new healthcare law. darden restaurant group, owner of the olive garden and red lobster, just cut its profit forecast for the year, specifically citing failed promotions and the pr problem it encountered after admitting to limiting employee hours. under the affordable care act, companies with more than 50-full time employees are required to offer basic health coverage for workers or face a fine. other restaurant chains have also generated backlash after publicly complaining about obamacare. "i think the point is that the restaurant industry shouldn't expect to be able to have this advantageous position relative to many other industries that employ a lot of people and do pay healthcare benefits. and, quite frankly, it is

macy's, j.c. penney's nordstrom will open at the 8 and so will the rest of the mall. they will stay open until 6 tonight. they won't be opening -- they won't be staying opening too late. anchor stores closing at 6 and the mall will close at 7. we have learned target is extending their hours. they are staying open until 10 tonight. you would be surprised to know that so many people wait until the last-minute to get their shopping done. we have been -- heard it's around 17 million who wait until christmas eve to get their shopping done. many of the people haven't started yet. so if you plan to head out, to the malls, to the stores, just be patient and the parking lots are going to be full. i can tell you i was here on saturday, got stuck in parking -- in the parking garage because of so many cars people trying to get in and out you are waiting and stuck you need your patience. now back to you. >> apparently that's the busiest shopping day of the year. so you are brave. thanks so much. we will check in in a bit. >>> four minutes after five. sad news on this christmas eve

be called in j.c. . so you can see they're actually signing some trade agreements there which is it is very much trade oriented as russia and turkey seek to further develop close trade ties especially with energy but of course syria is bound to have been on the agenda as well and we will go back to this this news conference in just a couple of minutes i believe. for the mean time france and britain have summoned the israeli ambassadors in their countries to get don't ever why most settlements have been authorized in disputed lands in east jerusalem the u.n. and the e.u. have also said that israel's construction plans pose a threat to future peace negotiations and more from our middle east correspondent not clear. what's happening in an area known as one and what it effectively means is that the west bank will be cutoff. and this announcement is widely perceived as punishment against the palestinians for number one going to the u.n. with the number two winning it essentially winning that sees the palestin

understand the universe that makes us something very special he obviously never met a central banker j.c. herbert exactly if you're supposed to understand the universe which you inhabit as stablish in yourself as above monkeys clearly the central bankers do not know what they're doing and i have a little video here max called the monkeys before him can a ball jumps into a pool.

that includes macy's and j.c. penney's nordstrom opens at 8. so for all of you who waited to get your holiday shopping done. share the parking lots in stores with plenty others procrastinators. you can tell by what happened this weekend it was a bessy weekend at malls and -- busy weaning at malls and stores. there are long -- weekend, at malls and stores. there were long lines. the busiest shopping day of the year happens to be the saturday before christmas. not black friday. so that was this -- just two days ago. that's when stores tend to be packed with those last-minute shoppers. 17 million people say they planned to shop today on christmas eve. and get this, a good bulk of the shoppers have not starteded the shopping yet. and while -- started the shopping yet. while they are grabbing the gifts the average shopper will spent $107 on themselves. most popular present is clothing and then gift card and some say they would and out iou and i know you like that. but anchor stores will close at 6 tonight and they won't be opened until late in the n

they are opening the doors at 7 this morning actually macy's and j.c. penney will be opening at 7. nordstrom will open up at 8. workers are coming early to get ready for the last day before christmas. the rest of the mall will be opening at 8 this morning and you know macy's did something interesting this year. something they have they have never done before. they stayed open around the clock nonstop all weekend long. and they shut down at midnight last night. but, again, opening their doors at 7 this morning for all of you who waited to get your shopping done, get ready to share the parking lots in stores with plenty of procrastinators. it was a big beesy weekend at -- businessies week -- busy weekend in stores. did you know the busiest shopping day of the year happens to be the saturday before christmas not black friday? and for those who didn't get -- make it to the malls this weekend, 17 million people say they plan to shop on christmas eve. a good bulk of the shoppers have not started the shopping yet. so, what are the most popular gifts? still clothing. that's why the mall is

can understand the universe that makes something very special he obviously never met a social banker j.c. herbert exactly if you're supposed to understand the universe in which you inhabit is stablish in yourself as above monkeys clearly the central bankers do not know what they're doing and i have a little video here max called monkeys perform cannonball jumps into a pool this is what i think the central bankers look like is they're jumping into the dark pools in the shadow banking system and don't know what the heck they're doing but this you're having fun they're having fun i mean i'm still gobsmacked that h.s.b.c. admitted to being a financial terrorist this past week something we've talked about for a while they finally came out and said yeah we laundered money for terrorism and drug monitoring jugged drug laundering cartels in mexico and i think it's some of the moment that they copped to being terrorism so let's look at some scene voices looking at these western central banks. running a deranged policy monkeys that don't understand the universe in which we inhabit the central bank

for j.c. penney shoulders -- shareholders. stocks every 15 minutes, team coverage.rading pits of the cme. first to nicole petallides on the floor of the stock exchange watching general electric. nicole: good news and bad news in general electric, depending on how you view this. general electric's dow components raising its dividend, ultimately sounds good at first glance, raising the dividend by 12% quarterly payouts. starting in january versus december which is not good news, doesn't avoid the fiscal cliff and the likely higher taxes you will pay in the new year, the other thing we should note is if we release the dividend, different tax brackets. it is not a piece of good news. they authorize the company buyback of ten million shares. and raise additional casts -- cash. phil: just when you thought you could follow the car in the gas tank, futures are on fire today, a binnacle gallon. a lot of refinery issues, bp is one and another one in the midwest. both down, one is suing some contractors because of some faulty fireproofing equipment, bp refinery, because of tha

nicole: i want to look at j.c. penney and macy's, both have down arrows. j.c. penney is down 4.4%.king about what shoppers the doing as far as their shopping and they are lowering the forecast for holiday sales this season, citing discounts they are seeing, hurricanes and the stepping in and they expect foot traffic to increase, they are seeing fewer sales for lower sales. people are pinching volatile little bit. stuart: not as good as we were expecting. thanks very much. joining us by phone is shopper track founder bill martin. you are projecting a gain of 2.5% for holiday sales. is that just in brick and mortar stores? >> yes, happy holidays to you. that is taken into consideration, consumer behavior at the brick and mortar stores and we consider all manner of retail whether it is a mall, strip center, high-speed ball. stuart: that is interesting because online sales are way up. i am reliably informed. your number does not include that. >> it does not. we keep a close eye on it because it is an important part of the retail complexity. we see that growing double digits but it only

apple in particular losing three points at four year low on the index, j.c.and satisfaction and walmart dropped by point but confusion about the identity of the overall user experience on the web is what they're talking about. dennis: walmart is the second largest online retailer in the world after amazon. that they could come close to getting it right is great news. they have done better. the president back in washington -pto deal with the cliff crisis but what are we hearing from senator harry reid? it suggests we are nowhere near a solution. shibani: washington's in actions during traders and stocks down big today, tracy byrnes and lori rothman are up with up to the minute details on what is happening.

roberts bolted down a flight of stairs, got his rifle working again and killed himself near j.c. penney's. >> this was a heartbreaking tragedy. >> but everyone agreed was a miracle only two people were killed. >> experts say in a situation like this, the most important thing is to make yourself less of a target, run away or find cover, preferably behind something hard. >> freestanding atm or mailbox. get behind that, those are very hard surfaces. >> the mall santa dove to the floor. >> everyone else ran but to me running is is a target. >> a big red target? >> i'm a real good target. >> the mall had an emergency lockdown procedure designed for situations like this. >> from people who survive in cases like this, you will find they reacted quickly. >> quick reactions that clearly saved lives. >> let's move on. facebook has helped the f.b.i. crack a massive global hacking ring. they used malware that stole credit card numbers and bank details to one of the largest cyber crimes in history. they identified criminals, and employed tools to remove these threats. 11 million computers wer

once again we're j.c. so dry that most of us will stay on the dry side.e best chance of seeing rain, snow, sleet, whatever it is, any kind of precipitation, will be to the south. and i'm talking about you folks in southern maryland. over towards fredericksburg, you have the best chance overnight and in through the day tomorrow. the cool weather we have today will stay on the cool side. you can see the best chance for shower activity. north and west will be dry. no problems there action maybe a sprinkle, maybe a flurry, but it's not going to cause any problems. on wednesday, the second day of the new year breezy and cold, maybe the coldest day, as highs will stay in the 30s all day. it's going to be cold. this is what you can expect, temperatures around midnight coming in around that 34 degree mark to cloudy and looking good. cold on thursday, friday, saturday sunday, looking good as we head toward the next redskins game. >>> still ahead, jessica simpson shows off her baby bump, the bikini photo that's turns heads. plus -- >>> the first same-sex weddings w

j.c., tweeting at 4:30 a.m. when do you sleep? i have strange sleeping habits, i admit to that. i usually get four hours of sleep on a given night. i would like to get more sleep. many of you ask me @jimcramer, the answer is why can't i sleep? that's why i'm up. stick with jim cramer. >>> i like to say there is always a bull market somewhere,

i'm still astounded j.c. penney is up 4%. volume day but apparently off this one oppenheimer report. >> it backed off the highs of the session and now is 3%. it is interesting to hear the whole thing was based on two store visits. we respect nagle but at the same time that is fewer sources than we'd use when we go to air a story. >> given his thesis is the turn-around they had, they may be winning but not for reasons they originally envisioned. have a great holiday. >> you too. see you on wednesday. >> see you later in the week. if you just missed this morning's action here is what you missed. >> welcome to hour three of "squawk on the street." here's what's happening so far. >> i truly believe the good news is this is setting ourselves up for true entitlement and tax reform in 2013. >> people had a lot on their minds this season. this weekend was a key weekend. i think it helped. i didn't see promotions being extra promotional but it's a push till the end. >> today will be light volume, right? >> yes. >> shortened session bu

. >> all right, well, j.c., good to see you. thank you.nt" next, american meets with syria's neighbors and the united states has a plan on chemical weapons and really, are they going to use those chemical weapons? new details tonight and we followed amy copeland's recovery >>> breaking news out of the pentagon. sources tell cnn the u.s. is huddling with allies on what a chemical attack by assad would actually look like. we have a picture from former cia operative and contributor bob bayer to show you what the impact of a single shell of gas would be in launched on homs in syria. the large swath of the city that would be affected. it's estimated about 18,000 people would be killed in a day. let's get straight to barbara starr. and barbara, what have you learned tonight? >> well, you know, as tragic and serious as this is for the people of syria, this now has regional implications throughout the middle east. intelligence services from israel, turkey, jordan, lebanon, all the countries surrounding syria are talking with the united states arou