they don't say jarden. they use old names. you never see jarden's names anywhere. combining their structures could be difficult. this is a major reason to believe in the upside of the deal. why? if newell rubbermaid can succeed the cost savings could be enormous. at the end of the day the argument between the bulls and bears comes down to whether or not you believe newell rubbermaid can pull this off given the management team in place and the cost cutting and re organizatiorganization trackl me a believer. this company coming together two into one. when shareholders vote to approve the merger on friday that's the last hurdle before the companies combine to form the consumer power house that will be newel brands. if like me you think newell will be able to execute this could be a fabulous stock to own especially since there is the paucity of publically traded company that is make goods that improve the value of your home while making your life more fun. let's go to ron in pennsylvania. ron. >> caller: hi, jim. i have a large position in dow chemical. with the pendin

we've delivered 6.2% growth on newell rubbermaid, 5-5 on the jarden last year. among consumer goods companies the combination both companies entered the combination with great momentum and strength. those are pretty strong leading numbers particularly given the u.s. footprint of the combined company 70% the revenue is u.s. based. so despite modest gdp growth, both businesses are performing well. we don't see any indications of a slowdown in sellout, which is going to be the best measure of consumer involvement. >> all right. we'll leave it there on that optimistic note. >> great. >> mike polk, good to see you. the ceo of now newell brands. let's send it to sue herera with an update. >> good morning, here's what's happening at this hour. ecuador's president says 350 people have been killed so far as a result of the devastating earthquake that hit that country over the weekend. another 2,500 have been injured. much of the damage has been reported in port -- defense secretary ash carter arriving in baghdad to talk with iraqi leaders about beefing up iraqi forces wo