dan lothian in washington with the latest. dan. >> it was speaker boehner who first opened the door to tax increases of those upper income americans, those over $1 million so once he made that movement, we saw this dramatic development overnight from president obama, who as you pointed out on the campaign trail and in recent days, had said that it was a nonstarter. taxes had to go up on those over $250,000. those households making more than $250,000. hes has raised that to $450,000. many are encouraged by the movement. in addition to that, the preside president proposing 1.2 trillion in revenue, down from 1.4 trillion and 1.2 trillion in spending cuts. house republicans say this is a step in the right direction, but they don't think the president's math adds up and leans too heavily toward tax increases. we expect pushback from seniors and others who depend on essential security. as part of the president's plan, he's also proposing to lower the cost of living increases for social security beneficiaries. certainly there, will b

cnn's dan lothian live in the washington bureau. dan. >> that's right. a new development. the white house later this morning, the president will be making an announcement that vice president biden will be heading up new interagency effort to come up with policies to address the issue of gun violence, the president will be making this announcement in the white house briefing room. joined by vice president biden, white house aides saying the president will be talking more about process rather than any specific policies, but nonetheless, zoraida, another effort by the president, by the white house to show action in the wake of the shooting. >> dan, emotions are running high. what is reaction right now from gun rights supporters? >> you hear it on both sides. those pushing for tougher gun laws, but also those gun owner who's say they want to make sure that their rights are protected. take a listen. >> in the very places that have been sought out by monsters such the murder of these adults and children, we're saying, no, we don't want yo

i want to bring back dan lothian live at the white house.hat is exactly what i was expecting to hear right off the top. look, when you talk about spending cuts, we depend on a lot of federal money in order to operate out here in these states. that's got to be a huge concern for these governors, dan. >> reporter: that's right. and the timing of that was perfect because that's where i was headed. you know, you look at a state like virginia where they have a lot of defense contractors, and according to that pew study they would be impacted, could see their economic activity fall by $10 billion, as many as 120,000 jobs lost, even a small state like south dakota, for example, which gets 10% of its revenue from federal grants. they would be impacted as well. you could see education impacted, for example, in south dakota. so these governors are very concerned about what these numbers could mean for them if lawmakers here in washington do not get a deal done. it's very real. you could see everything from defense to education impacted if a deal isn't

dan lothian is at the white house.hat the statements were identical from both the president and speaker boehner? >> it shows that both sides agree on something and that is that they're not going to continue to have this debate play out in front of the cameras, harsh rhetoric going back and forth. but instead, will do it in private and i think that's very telling. certainly, we don't know what happened in that meeting because neither side getting any details. perhaps they did have a breakthrough and they're just sort of filling in some of the little dots and so forth, to you know, formally present it. we don't know that. we don't know about the tone of the meeting and they're not telling us. in fact, one official telling me don't expect to hear that information come out. and so,s that's the strategy and that is seen as positive because as we know about a week ago, they were not communicating face to face. and in fact, staff members behind the scenes weren't even communicating either by phone or e-mail, so some view this

cnn's dan lothian is there. >> reporter: hello. this could be a difficult meeting for speaker john boehner as he tries to sell this proposal to house republicans. this is a dramatic turn of events because president obama as you pointed out had been digging in his heels saying there could not be a deal unless taxes went up for house holds making more than $250,000 and now the president raising that to 400,000 so certainly some indication at least according to house republican this is is moving in the right direction. in addition the president calling for $1.2 trillion in new revenue, also $1.2 trillion in spending cuts and this meets the demand that speaker boehner had, that there had to be an equal amount of spending, and also revenue, but they still don't believe that the math really adds up here. spokesman for speaker boehner's office, brendan buck saying a proposal that includes $1.3 trillion in revenue for only $930 billion in spending cuts cannot be considered balanced. so while this is a major development here, still some dis

here's dan lothian with his story. >> reporter: it takes a lot of people to make a president.h volunteers, one of the youngest might well be 16-year-old alex birdie. >> i think politics is going to be my route. >> he's not your typical teenager. politics is in ms. blootd and passion is in his heart. >> one day we were driving along listen to go to political radio. we have to go in now. >> in 11th grade went all in, juggling high school classes and part-time courses at a local community college canvassing for president obama. >> we're a middle class family. when we talk to them, it's he relatable. she has a son in high school. >> training campaign volunteers old enough to be his parents. >> the first time i can see a lot of faces. i had to start screaming training over here. from a kid, no? that wouldn't be useful, would it. >> one campaign official urged him to brag about his experience so adults would trust him. 2012 was the first rodeo. he came pained for obama in 2008, working the phones as an 11-year-old. >> how would are you? you're not right. this is a prank call. >> he

>> dan lothian for us this morning. thank you, dan.ue a little more. roland martin, and will cain join us. where the k. comes from. >> named off a frieof my parent. not a good story. i'll make one up. >> let's go back to this fiscal cliff. since taxes, will contaain, no matter what. if you do nothing, we fall off the cliff. taxes go up. you heard a proposal right there which is work on the middle class, avoid the fiscal cliff and renegotiate the taxes thing past 2013. why is that not a viable proposal? wouldn't that bring an end to the fiscal cliff? we could wrap it up now and everybody could go on vacation? >> yes, but you're asking the wrong guy. i'm not in congress. >> but you're on set, will. come on, suck it up! >> i'm going to answer. i'm always happy to talk if you're going to put the camera on me. i can see reality in front of me and see that republicans have very little leverage to decide or impose their will on this outcome. that being said, what they're looking at is how can we kind of salvage a political victory out of this

the next few hours will be critical. >> dan lothian at the white house. thank you, sir. i want to go to dana bash who is standing by at capitol hill. so the speaker, obviously, has the same problems that i would assume the president has. they each have those in their party who are at the opposite end of the spectrum. some who have dug in and others who would like to get a deal perhaps. is the speaker facing that two-front war and is he figuring out ways to perhaps not face two fronts in his own party? >> reporter: the speaker always faces a two-front war. it's part of the fascinating dynamic and difficult dynamic for any leader but particularly this particular speaker in this particular conference which was elected to be a fiscally conservative and try to reduce the deficit. however, myself and members of our team were standing outside and talked to dozens of members and it does seem as though internally he didn't get an earful. they are very upset that the counteroffer includes $800 billion in new tack revenue but behind the scenes he's been able to hold the conference

i want to take you now to my colleague, dan lothian, who's covering for me down there.ing, dan? >> reporter: well, we have learned from a white house official that president obama is meeting here at the white house with house speaker boehner to discuss the fiscal cliff negotiations. as you know, there have been phone calls, and there's been a lot of optimism in recent days because of some willingness, apparently, to compromise on the part of republicans. and so this meeting taking place within the hour here at the white house. it's unclear whether what we're seeing here is the last few minutes before a formal agreement is reached or still some tough issues to work out. but what i can confirm is that speaker boehner and the president meeting here at the white house to discuss those ongoing negotiations to avoid the fiscal cliff. >> reporter: all right, dan lothian for us. thank you. i want to go over to capitol hill now where our senior congressional correspondent, dana bash, is also following the developments. what can you add? >> reporter: we can add some interesting n

dan lothian. >> reporter: you are looking at one of the rarest, most endangered animals on the planetndall lineback cow. they are more endangered than polar bears, mountain gorillas, pandas, or tigers. it's estimated there are fewer than 500 of these cows left on the planet. not many some far-flung corner of the world, but most right here on a farm in northern virginia. joe henderson, a real estate executive and part-time farmer, is on a mission to save this historic breed of cattle from going extinct. >> i mean, you cannot look at these cows and tell me they're not beautiful. they really are. those little teeny babies -- >> they're cute. >> they are more than cute. i mean, they are -- >> what did you call them? >> they're the pandas of the cow world. >> it's very expensive raising these bovine pandas. >> this animal to survive must find a job. i think we've found a job, and the job is -- >> it is kind of counter intuitive that to rescue this breed, you have to consume it. kahol armstrong is a top chef in washington d.c. his restaurant, eve, has been serving the randall lineback for f

let's check in with dan lothian. any word?we are still waiting for official response but sources close in the negotiation believe that this broader agreement is the way to go. i should point out that while speaker boehner is pushing this second option or this plan b he still wants to move forward with negotiations for the broader agreement. so this is by no means meaning they have cut off any further talks with the white house. they still expect that to happen. but this is sort of the backup plan because that deadline is quickly approaching. as for the balance between spending cuts and revenue, this is something that the white house believes that they have met. speaker boehner had been pushing now for quite some time saying that is a must and the white house in that new proposal that the president put forward yesterday offering $1.2 trillion in spending cuts and $1.2 trillion in new revenue. they believe that they have the numbers on this end. speaker boehner's office -- >> dan, i'm going to interrupt you because house speaker

dan lothian, keep working the sources. thanks for getting that to us. i want to bring in john avlon and rahaim salan to talk this over. i don't know if we can call this momentum, serious momentum, especially since we are getting rhetoric, too. >> a little sad we get this excited to find out people are actually talking to each other in washington. but it's a reality check, sign of the times. it's always better when the two top men who got to make the decision ultimately are getting in a room without scameras and moving proposals back and forth. it's a sign of progress. is it progress in the next 48 to 72 hours? that's probably optimistic. but progress is being made because conversation is occurring. >> i hate to say this, i was really thrilled we weren't getting a whole lot the last two days which signaled to me at least maybe these guys have decided it's not good to work this out in the court of public opinion, yet now we're starting to hear a little more. good news, bad news? >> i think it's encouraging. among republicans there's an emerging view that

let's head now to the white house and dan lothian. the white house will not offer a counter proposal, right? what's going on here? >> reporter: well, you know, i think the white house is digging in. the president said early on in this process that he would only sit down and really move forward, negotiate on this in any meaningful way if the tax hikes for the wealthy expired. and republicans have been pushing back on that -- tax breaks rather for the wealthy expired and republicans have been pushing back on that, say they go believe that will be harmful for the economic recovery because wealthy americans are the ones who are creating the jobs and helping to turn this economy around. that remains the big sticking point. those bush era tax cuts, white house saying it should be extended for middle class americans but not for those upper income americans, carol. >> how seriously should we take these negotiations? both sides are negotiating in public, not the greatest way to negotiate in the world, right? >> reporter: right. you sort of hav

. >> cnn's dan lothian is at the white house this morning. dan, the president vowed action, but he offered no specifics. what kind of reforms could he push for? >> reporter: well, i think, as some people have pointed out, maybe during that service wasn't the time for the president to be laying out any specifics, but a couple of things we could see the president do, first of all, there's the assault weapons ban which expired in 2004. that had been in place for ten years. the president during the 2008 campaign said he supported it, but there was no real movement in that area. in fact, the brady center to prevent gun violence said after the president's first year in office was a, quote, abject failure when it comes to this issue. we could see the president put more pressure on lawmakers to reinstate that assault weapons ban. perhaps the president could also focus on strengthening mental health laws that would prevent those with difficult mental health issues from getting these dangerous weapons and then carrying out these mass shootings. those a

. >> white house correspondent dan lothian joins us live from washington this morning. very nice to see you, dan. >> good to see you. >> here's the deal. we have republicans pitted against democrats. now we understand there are issues amongst republicans as well. >> that's right. they're in a tough spot here. they don't want to be in left in a position of being blamed for the fiscal cliff. you're seeing a division between house members and senate members. the reason for this is mainly over the 800 billion in new tax revenue. this was part of john boehner and plan. those tea party-backed conservatives say this is something that would help job growth. clearly what we're seeing here is republicans are not speaking with one voice. >> republicans should not be conceding that the federal government needs more money, negotiating with ourselves and treating the president's proposal like it's serious. >> we do agree that 8% of the american people are getting about 80% of this tax cut shouldn't have their taxes raised. my suggestion was let's take the one area we agree and take i

dan lothian, thank you.to think it would be such a bad idea to actually go over the fiscal cliff. just one day after the treasury secretary said the white house is absolutely prepared to do just that under certain circumstances a leading economist is echoing those sentiments. >> i would not come up with a deal unless it's a really good deal before the end of the year. i would take it into next year if that means you're going to get a better deal. >> let's bring in our senior congressional correspondent dana bash. dana, democrats are saying this is either raise tax rates for the wealthy or they are prepared to go over the cliff. there must be a lot of fear up there about all of this. what are you hearing in the halls of congress? >> reporter: there's a lot of fear. there's no question on both sides of the aisle. even top republicans disagree with that. even republicans who don't want to give on that big issue dan talked about, tax rates for the wealthy. john kyle, number two republican in the senate i spoke w

here's cnn's sdan lothian. >> reporter: it takes a lot of people to take a president.nd a very big rolodex bulging with volunteers. >> i do think politics is going to be my route. >> he's not your typical teenager. politics is in his blood. passion is in his heart. >> one day we were driving along, listening to the political radio. i was like all right, we have to go in now. >> so this 11th grader from warren, michigan, went all in. juggling high school classes and part-time courses a at local community college while canv canvassing for president obama. >> we are just a middle class family. when we go out talking to other middle class families, we're really trainable. >> and volunteers old enough to be his parents. >> training over here. from a kid? that wouldn't be useful, would it? >> reporter: one urged him to brag about his experience so the adults would trust him. birdie campaigned for obama in 2008, working the phones as an 11-year-old. hardly the voice of authority on the other end of the line. >> how old are you? you're not 11. this is a prank call. >> but he s

. >> i'm dan lothian at the white house.n monday, president obama hits the road again, this time going to redford, michigan, where he will continue his campaign to put pressure on lawmakers in order to prevent taxes from going up on the middle class. also we will be standing by to see if the white house makes any cabinet nominations especially who will replace secretary of state hillary clinton when she steps down. >> i am alison kosik at the new york stock exchange. facebook will get a new home this week, moving to the nasdaq 100. it's an elite index made up of the 100 biggest nonfinancial companies on the market. we'll also get november retail sales. expectations are high because of a record-breaking black friday weekend. meantime, the federal reserve meets on interest rates and will have a new outlook on the economy. and fedex preparing for its busiest day in history and the company expect to move 19 million packages monday as people rush to make online purchases in time for christmas. follow that and more on cnnmoney.com

dan lothian, our white house correspondent, is at the white house right now.with you and the bottom line. i mean, political posturing aside, if we go off the fiscal cliff, everybody's taxes are going to be raised an average of what, between $3,000 and $4,000 and if the stock market continues to tank, no one will be able to retire until they're 92 years old. >> merry cliff-mas, to all a good night. i don't see a path forward here. that's what's so interesting about what you have here. we're right where we started. it's like ground hog day only the movie was funny. this isn't funny. this is two sides who can't get together, and you've got one side talking about spending cuts, the other side talking about taxes, and we're just right where -- we are literally right where we started, carol, and you've got payroll processors who say it's already too late. the irs saying 30 million people could pay higher amt and 100 million people are going to have tax refund delays. the fiscal cliff is already here and the politics are just maddeningly playing out in washington. >>

i think it's a piece of natural beauty that needs to be kept going. >> dan lothian, cnn, chapel hillurder, but using disguises and friends, he's been able to stay one step ahead of police until now. the sudden capture of one of america's most wanted fugitives, next. try running four.ning a restaurant is hard, fortunately we've got ink. it gives us 5x the rewards on our internet, phone charges and cable, plus at office supply stores. rewards we put right back into our business. this is the only thing we've ever wanted to do and ink helps us do it. make your mark with ink from chase. welcome to chevy's year-end event. so, the 5.3-liter v8 silverado can tow up to 9,600 pounds? 315 horsepower. what's that in reindeer-power? [ laughs ] [ pencil scratches ] [ male announcer ] chevy's giving more. get the best offer of the year -- 0% apr financing for 60 months plus $1,000 holiday bonus cash. plus trade up for an additional $1,000 trade-in allowance. hurry. bonus cash ends january 2nd. he opened up jake's very private world. at first, jake's family thought they saved ziggy, but his connecti

dan lothian is at the white house. dan, what does that mean?mmunication remain open, that sounds like something. >> reporter: it was about a week ago when aides up on the hill were telling us that nothing was happening behind the scenes, that no one was talking. you could say this was some progress because the lines of communication are open. i've been communicating this morning with a senior administration official here to get a sense of whether or not that will continue, whether they will either meet face to face again or whether they will have some kind of discussion over the phone, and i was told by this official that they would not be previewing anything. i also tried to get more information about this meeting and asked whether we would hear more later in the day and was told highly unlikely that will happen. nonetheless, one of the things that we have noticed is both the president and speaker boehner are on the same page when it comes to the press releases that they put out. we have never really seen this, where the white house and speake

dan lothian at the white house this morning. let's start with the white house before we get to what the nra is saying. what's the latest there? >> good morning, the latest development is later this morning, the president will announce he's tapping vice president biden to head up an interagency effort to try and come up with policies in order to address gun violence. the president will be making announcement in the white house briefing room. he will be joined by vice president biden. we are told by white house aides that this will be more about the process, rather than laying out any policies, but nonetheless this comes one day after the white house started getting a bit more specific about what the president would support. such as senator feinstein's effort to reinstate that ban on assault weapons. also measures that would address the issue of mental health. all of this coming as the white house has been getting a lot more pressure to come up with some action points in the wake of the massive shooting. >> it seems to me that the

dan lothian is over at the white house. he has the latest information.s the white house doing? are they standing by her? >> reporter: well, they are, wolf. i spoke with a senior white house official who says that the criticisms are deeply unfair, suggested that opposition researchers out there are pushing the information, information that is fueling the fire that hasn't died down. at the state department, the clock is ticking. hillary clinton is going to retire at the end of next month and susan rice is at the top of the short list to replace her. >> what is the hold up? >> there is no hold up. president has made no decision and i have nothing to announce today. >> reporter: but with that comes the loudest voice, none other than john mccain, who jumped in the fray again on piers morgan tonight. >> there are now additional concerns about her role as far as africa is concerned. >> reporter: senator mccain, who is seeking a seat on the foreign relations committee touched on concerns voiced by human rights advocates about her close tie to some african leader

. >> want to bring in our white house correspondent dan lothian. know that the president says, look, campaigned on those earning more than $250,000 would not see a tax increase. now it's been raises to about i believe $400,000. where are we in the negotiations here? >> reporter: that's where it stands. i think it was the dramatic development overnight when the president did shift from something he had been pushing out on the campaign trail and the last few weeks saying essentially no deal could get done if taxes did notten crease on those households making more than $250,000. now the president raising that to $400,000. i think there was a level of optimism here in washington that this deal could get done soon. now, you have speaker incumbentincumben incumbentincumbenboehner with plan b, to avoid some of the effects of the so-called fiscal cliff. secretary -- press secretary here jay carney putting out a statement a short time ago saying, quote, the parameters of a deal are clear and the president's willing to work to reach a bipartisan solution tha

first to the white house and cnn's dan lothian. >> reporter: white house aides say this will be a chance the president to talk more about the process of setting up this effort which, as you pointed out, will be led by vice president biden. i'm hearing also as part of that effort will involve homeland security, the education department, health and human services and also the justice department will be looking at ways that they can come up with policies to address this issue of gun violence. again, this is the president reacting to some pressure as to what he would do. you know, right after this violent event took place, the president came out and said that he would take action. that his administration in the coming weeks and months would be looking at ways to prevent something like this from happening again. so this is the first visible action that this administration has taken to -- is taking, rather, to meet that demand. >> all right. the president will speak, we expect, in just about 2 1/2 hours. when the president speaks, of course, cnn will take it live. thank you, dan. >>> the natio

dan lothian is at the white house.ers, but there is no phone conversation that is taking place, no conversations at all taking place with boehner now. what position is the white house in? how does the president feel this is going? >> you're right about that. the white house continues to insist conversations are ongoing, but i'm hearing from gop aides that, in fact, what we're seeing in the public is exactly what's happening in the private, and that is that it's essentially a standoff. there are no phone conversations, no e-mails, no texting going back and forth, and identify been talking about this. it's very difficult to see how this process moves fashd if -- we see them bringing in business leaders to the white house, ceos, middle class americans, and they're reaching tout these ceos of the business roundtable saying his policies will help businesses. his policies will make it easier to create jobs and that he is rooting for them. at the time he is trying to get behind his position for fixing this fiscal crisis, and

dan lothian has that story. >> reporter: you are looking at one of the rarest, most endangered animals randall lineback cow. they are more endangered than polar bears, mountain gorillas, pa pandas, or tigers. it's estimated there are fewer than 500 of these cows left on the planet. not in some far-flung corner of the world, but most right here on a bucolic farm in northernvi. >> this is essentially the past now in the present. this strain is 400 years old and it's the only remaining american colonial strain, especially in the north. >> reporter: joe henrson, a real estate executive and part-time farmer is on a mission to save this historic breed of cattle from going extinct. >> they're american. it's not only the rarest of all the cows, but it's an american cow. and it's something that has an enormous history connected with it. >> reporter: the cow known for its strength and beauty, played a key role in the revolutionary war. helping george washington haul cannons for miles across rugged terrain, from the capture of ft. tucond arogua to the battle for boston. but the hardy utility cow

dan lothian, thank you. >>> president obama's top campaign strategist is here in a few minutes.xelrod did something today he hasn't done in decades. look at that, before and after. he's ready to challenge a member of cnn's political team to do the same thing. stand by. >>> and take a look at this. we're going to tell you why the driver says she didn't stop outside the store. anncr: some politicians seem to think medicare 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. at the chevy year-end event because chevy's giving more. more efficiency with sonic and cruze... more function in equinox and traverse... more dependability with the legendary silverado... and more style in the