john avalon, back in new york. john, what are the candidate's stances on guns? >> it's fascinating.ok what's being proposed. in the case of president obama, he does support strengthening gun control legislation. however his administration has no specific proposals they're putting forward. in some cases they've actually lose loosened gun control laws. and on governor romney's side, as governor he signed legislation that enforced gun control, but as presidential candidate he's changed that tune. he's paid a lot of attention to the nra and he's pledging no new gun control actions at all if he were to be present. >> i have to say, it was very interesting today listening to both the president and mitt romney calling it a truce today, both campaigns took down their ads in colorado, and both candidates changed their plans today. so i'm wondering, what exactly are -- let's listen to them and then we'll talk about it. >> there are going to be other days for politics. this, i think, is a day for prayer and reflection. >> this is a time for each of us to look into our hearts and remember how m

john avalon joining us now. john, what do you make of this talk?l money or is this about politics? >> well, this is about political contrasts in a presidential election year. this isn't about the deficit and debt right now. it's the reason the president keeps using the word "fairness." it's about values. but the question is, who does the middle class feel is looking out for them? they've been squeezed for so long, forgotten for so long. and the real question that -- that our political strike team was asked, what's the right threshold? because there are regional realities that are fundamentally different. the reason that senator charles schumer across the river from senator menendez is strongly in favor of the $1 million, in the tristate area, for example, you can have a two-earner household, each person making $125,000. this is far from the jet set. >> yeah, very different than if they lived outside tulsa, for example. but let me ask about this whole thing, though. when we talk about this amount of money and this fight going on here, one thing i th

joining me now is john avalon. you've been taking congress to task on this over and over again. i appreciate the congressman coming on and talking. but in the end, these are, as i said, dog and pony shows. both sides do it all the time. what ought congress to be doing right now? what could they be doing to help the people in california and idaho and alabama and pennsylvania? >> let's lay out three things that congress could be doing instead of this dog and pony kabuki. 33 votes in a row. one, there is a small jobs tax bill. one study estimates it could lead to as much as 1 million new jobs. >> and both parties are saying, we want to help small business. >> both parties will pray at that altar because it makes good sense. small business has been squeezed. but in this case, this bill should be a no-brainer, it's getting caught up in the bush tax cut debate. it seems to be held hostage, again, to partisan politics where congress could take action and pass something that could help people get jobs this year. >> give me two more. >> second, u.s. post office, people know it's losing b

john avalon joining us now. john, what do you make of this talk? is this about real money or is this about politics? >> well, this is about political contrasts in a presidential election year. this isn't about the deficit and debt right now. it's the reason the president keeps using the word "fairness." it's about values. but the question is, who does the middle class feel is looking out for them? they've been squeezed for so long, forgotten for so long. and the real question that -- that our political strike team was asked, what's the right threshold? because there are regional realities that are fundamentally different. the reason that senator charles schumer across the river from senator menendez is strongly in favor of the $1 million, in the tristate area, for example, you can have a two-earner household, each person making $125,000. this is far from the jet set. >> yeah, very different than if they lived outside tulsa, for example. but let me ask about this whole thing, though. when we talk about this amount of money and this fight going on he

along with john avalon from the daily beast. hn avlon, why is it we haven't heard the current president of the united states come out with such clarity and precision in laying out the difference between himself and his competitor? >> look, i think in many respects, bill clinton is the great communicator. he's got this ability to make an economic argument that really resonates with main-street middle class voters. and that's something that president obama has struggled with. really distilling economic ideas in the way that resonates beyond the democratic base to the key constituencies. that's what bill clinton is the master of. even off the cuff. >> michael waldman, then when he went on to say, look, what i want is more prosperity, distributed more fairly, so we hear that from president barack obama a lot. then president bill clinton says that americans like millionaires and they like billionaires and they don't have any problem with them. they just want to be able to become them. how come we don't have that sort of rhetoric from

john avalon, thanks very much. so he's the fresh face of the old guard. take a good look.nner of mexico's presidential race. so what does he think about the war on drugs? because america thinks a lot about it. we're going to talk in a moment. i'm feeling a very strong male spirit present. it's the priceline negotiator. >>what? >>sorry. he wants you to know about priceline's new express deals. it's a faster way to get a great hotel deal without bidding. pick one with a pool, a gym, a great guest rating. >>and save big. >>thanks negotiator. wherever you are. ya, no. he's over here. >>in the refrigerator? ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 let's talk about the cookie-cutter retirement advice ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 you get at some places. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 they say you have to do this, have that, invest here ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 you know what? ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 you can't create a retirement plan based on ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 a predetermined script. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 to understand you and your goals... ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 ...so together we can find real-life answ

john avalon, good to see you, as always.[ male announcer ] research suggests the health of our cells plays a key role throughout our entire lives. ♪ one a day men's 50+ is a complete multi-vitamin designed for men's health concerns as we age. ♪ it has more of seven antioxidants to support cell health. that's one a day men's 50+ healthy advantage. >>> let's take a look at some live pictures here of some breaking news. this is out of windsor, ontario, rather. police say that the detroit windsor tunnel is currently closed to traffic after what they are saying is a non-specific anonymous bomb threat that was received. you might recall the detroit windsor tunnel connects detroit windsor canada. it is closed to traffic because of a bomb threat that is taking place right now. take a look at the google map, and locate where it is. approximately 27,000 to 29,000 vehicles actually pass through this tunnel on a daily basis. so this is a big deal here. handles almost 9 million cars throughout the year. we are talking about mostly overwh

. >> john avalon, thanks for being here. i don't mean to denigrate when i say we just go to the government. my point is, not going back in your pocket. >>> speaking of which, is that a cell phone in your pocket, or is it a spy? a new congressional report shows companies such as at&t and verizon and others responded to a whopping 1.3 million requests from law enforcement for information about their customers. if you're on that list, that includes information on who you called, who called you, your text messages, your location, according to your phone's gps, the list goes on and on. and wait, it gets better. some cell phone carriers are starting to charge for turning the records over. at&t alone took in $8.3 million in 2011 from police agencies. that's according to congressman ed markey, whose office is looking into this matter. at&t wouldn't talk about it, but verizon and sprint said they just cover the cost of doing what the police ask. so for the 411, we tracked down our own cnn legal contributor, paul cal "outfront" with u

. >> john avalon worked on the campaign, michael walden on president clinton's 1992 campaign.d to see both of you. i have to say, michael, he's doing his job. already diverting. he's going to repeal it. move on, people. >> i miss eric fehrnstrom, who they have probably locked into a sound proof room, because he kept accidentally speaking the truth into the camera. and when does that happen? the problem for mitt romney is not shifting spokes people. it's that he's pinned between the demands of the right wing in the republican party, which is extremely powerful, and extremely vocal, and a message he might want to talk to the country about and policies he might want to talk to the country about. so he's got to explain why his signature program of individual mandate-based universal health care in massachusetts is somehow different from what president obama did, and is somehow good and bad at the same time. and that's not about spokes people. that's about philosophy and policy. >> and is so john does he need to do that explaining or does he just need to say forget the nuance? we ne

. >> john avalon, jonathan prince join me.tegist and veteran of the obama and clinton white houses, both of which, of course, it's only fair to say, do have a long and storied tradition of tax return disclosure. so do many republicans, wry han, who have run. it's interesting romney is making this about democrats who have been critical. so have many republicans and strategistists. today they said mitt romney give it up. >> indeed. >> i like how ryan is like, indeed. that is true. >> a lot of folks -- haley barbour, a large number of leading republicans saying it's time to release tax returns. the theory that i find interesting was advanced by josh green of bloomberg business week. of his theory is, in 2009, a large number of high net worth individuals experienced big post crisis losses, and as a result of that, many of them paid unusually low shares of their income in taxes. so one possibility -- >> my theory. there is going to be one year where the rate is -- >> one possibility is in that year the rate is bizarrely low and tha

. >> you know what, that's a very fair point, john avalon. >> look -- >> eric, that was the impassionedou were supposed to provide. >> well -- >> but he can't have that patterned shirt. >> i'm looking forward to going to the beach for the 4th of july. >> but this -- this brings me, though, to something, hollan ro which is interesting. a new poll shows mitt romney and barack obama tied on a crucial issue for mitt romney, who would better handle the economy. 48% for mitt romney, 47% for barack obama. i don't need to tell everybody, this is within the margin of error. more willing -- more likely to get the economy moving? barack obama, 44%, mitt romney, 42%. >> yeah. >> that's pretty damning. >> see that date, june 28th, july 1st? that's the most important thing. these mean nothing right now. okay? we could spend a lot of time poring over numbers -- >> why, because people are in ray good mood because of the holiday? >> no, because so many things can happen literally over the next four months that can totally change this election. remember in 2008, what took place when senator john mccain s

. >> john avalon is a cnn contributor and senior political columnist for "newsweek" and "the daily beast." welcome, john. >> hey, carol. >> do you think we'll really reflect months from now on ways we can stem the violence in this country? >> i think if we don't do it now and in the coming weeks, hoping for collective action in the coming months is a bridge too far. here is the ironic thing. both romney and president obama have backed for example assault weapons bans in the past. but because we have a divide over gun legislation in this country that isn't left versus right as much as urban versus rural. in fact, we use our guns differently in urban and rural areas. principles get put aside, and even practical problem solving gets put aside, in pursuit of swing voters in swing states. and it really holds a rational discussion about this issue back. >> we can't even have a discussion about it, because if you even begin to discuss it you're either anti or you're for. there's no middle ground. >> that's right. it's politically incorrect to even have a policy discussion about this. but over 8