republican kelly ayotte and democrat richard blumenthal. welcome to fox news sunday. pick up briefly on the conversation we had in the last segment about guns. senator you have an a-rating from the nra and senator blumenthal, an f-rating from the nra. when you look at the ideas that vice president biden is talking about and will submit to the president on tuesday, i want to ask you both what you can support. senator ayotte, can you support the idea of universal background checks. >> chris, let me say i think, i think it would be important that we have the thoughtful discussion about this. we have -- i didn't hear a lot of discussion this morning with your prior guests about also our mental healthsystem. my background before serving in the senate, i was a homicide prosecutor and i come at it from a perspective, taking away the rights of law abiding citizens will not stop a deranged individual or a criminal. that said, should we look at improving our background check system? i'm willing to listen to what proposals come forward on that. but, again, i don't know that that

join us now is senator richard blumenthal of connecticut, who has introduced the ammunition background check of 2013. senator blumenthal, it's really nice to have you here. thank you for being here. >> thank you, rachel. >> at today's hearing was there a moment when you felt like the politics were moving, that we're actually making progress on the issue? >> certainly gabby giffords' appearance was absolutely riveting, a high point, dramatic and powerful moment for the entire committee, republicans and democrats, the strength and courage that it took for her to do this first public appearance. "be bold, be courageous, americans are counting on you." that moment i think will stay with many of us for a long time and inspire us. but i think also some of those weird moments, like the one you cited and an equally weird one, if i may say, when wayne lapierre tried to explain why he was against background checks, which is that the criminals won't comply with them. well, of course the criminals won't comply with them, because they won't go to the dealers or to private sales to buy weapons if th

. >>> among our guests this morning, connecticut senator richard blumenthal will be joining us, new york congressman joseph crowley, dr. sanjay gupta is with us, the dog whisperer, cesar milan and comedian jay thomas joins us as well. it's thursday, january 10th. "starting point" begins right now. >>> good morning, welcome, everybody. our starting point this morning, the majority of the united states now dealing with a severe and deadly bout of the flu. the cdc reporting that influenza cases are widespread across 41 states. more than 2200 people reported hospitalized. here are the hardest-hit states. pennsylvania, south carolina. each reporting 22 flu-related deaths. massachusetts declaring a medical emergency. 700 confirmed cases in boston since october. rates ten times higher than what they saw last year. our chief medical correspondent, dr. sanjay gupta, joins us this morning. he's at cnn center in atlanta. sanjay, good morning to you. put this in perspective for me. how do we compare it to last year? >> as you pointing out, you take a place like boston, for example, and it's about te

republican kelly ayotte the and democrat richard blumenthal. and we will ask our sunday panel if mr. obama has the clout to win the fights he is taking on. and our power player of the week. wife of a washington insider makes her own mark. all right now on "fox news sunday." hello again from fox news in washington. in the wake of a newtown school shootings, washington is getting ready for a battle over how to prevent more acts of mass violence. joining me now are two people of the center of what is likely to be one of the first big political issues this year. larry pratt executive director for gun other thans of america and neera, president of the center for american progress. welcome to both of you to "fox news sunday." >> thank you. >> thanks. >> chris: i want to put up remarkable numbers i saw. the nra contributed 20 million today's federal campaigns last year, $20 million and gun control groups gave $4,000. and 50% of the members of the new congress, in fact, more than half have an a rating from the nra. given all of that, how do you and oth

they just aren't the force that they once were. >> senator chris murphy, senator richard blumenthal, the senate delegation from the state of connecticut. the whole country is looking to connecticut for leadership, and i think also for moral resonance on this issue. and everybody's counting on you. seeing you guys here together tonight is a real treat for us to have you both here. thank you. >> thank you. >> thanks. >> i appreciate it. all right. after years of gridlock congress finally had a chance to fix an enormous problem today. had a chance. fix the filibuster day was today. you want to know what happened? stick around. this year. 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. so why should our anniversary matter to you? because for 200 years, we've been helping ideas move from ambition to achievement. and the next great idea could be yours. ♪ email marketing from constant contact reaches people in a place they're checking every day -- their inbox. and it gives you

and connecticut senators richard blumenthal and chris murphy who have been so diligent and comfortingto the families of the victims of newtown, connecticut. senator blumenthal is also a member of the judiciary committee. gentlemen, if you would come forward. thank you. >> thank you, senator feinstein. i want to thank you for your steadfast commitment to this issue over the years. i would like to thank my colleague and friend, senator schumer, for the same. and also carolyn mccarthy, your words touched our hearts in so many ways. so many victims stand and fight for change. she did more than speak out, she ran for office to make sure that her voice was heard in the halls of congress. i also want to thank those who are here today, particularly law enforcement. we cannot do this without you. we need to have your validation of what we are setting out to do. and also so many others. families and victims who are stepping up now. because this is not just an issue of constitution but an issue of conscience. we have one basic question that is being asked which i hope we can answer. what does it

they just aren't the force that they once were. >> senator chris murphy, senator richard blumenthal, the senate delegation from the state of connecticut. the whole country is looking to connecticut for leadership, and i think also for moral resonance on this issue. and everybody's counting on you. seeing you guys here together tonight is a real treat for us to have you both here. thank you. >> thank you. >> thanks. >> i appreciate it. all right. after years of gridlock congress finally had a chance to fix an enormous problem today. had a chance. fix the filibuster day was today. you want to know what happened? stick around. ♪ [ male announcer ] how could switchgrass in argentina, change engineering in dubai, aluminum production in south africa, and the aerospace industry in the u.s.? at t. rowe price, we understand the connections of a complex, global economy. it's just one reason over 75% of our mutual funds beat their 10-year lipper average. t. rowe price. invest with confidence. request a prospectus or summary prospectus with investment information, risks, fees and expenses to rea

. >> reporter: connecticut senators richard blumenthal and chris murphy are cosponsoring the bill. they say the shooting at sandy hook elementary school in newtown, connecticut proves there is a need to ban assault weapons. >> newtown fundamentally changed things. >> reporter: but the nra says law-abiding citizens need the same technology the criminals have. >> that means we believe in our right to defend ourselves and our families with semi- automatic firearms technology. >> reporter: the nra has a lot of support here on capitol hill especially in the house where many say an assault weapons ban has little chance of being passed. >> this is going to be a tough go. >> reporter: and it may be tough to win over some of the public, as well. on wednesday, sheriffs in missouri, california and texas announced they would not enforce new gun control laws such as an assault weapons ban. >> if there are laws passed that i feel and can prove that are unconstitutional, we will not enforce those rules and i think i have the powers to do that. >> reporter: president obama is sending vice presiden

. >> reporter: connecticut senators richard blumenthal and chris murphy are cosponsoring the bill. they say the shooting at sandy hook elementary school in newtown, connecticut proves there's a need to bran assault weapons. >> newton -- to ban assault weapons. >> newton changed things. >> reporter: but the nra says law abiding citizens need the same technology criminals have. >> we have the right to defend ourselves and our families with semiautomatic firearms technology. >> reporter: the nra has a lot of support here on capitol hill, especially in the house where many say an assault weapons ban has little chance of being passed. >> this is going to be a tough go. >> reporter: it may be tough to win over some of the public as well. on wednesday, sheriffs in missouri, california, and texas announced they would not enforce new gun control laws such as an assault weapons ban. that i feel and can prove that are unconstitutional, we will not enforce those. >> reporter: president obama is sending vice president biden on the road to gather public support. >> we're growing to take it to th

delegation from the state of connecticut, senator murphy joined tonight by his colleague senator richard blumenthal, who you saw speak just before him. gentlemen, i really appreciate you both being here tonight. thank you so much for your time. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> senator blumenthal, let me start with you. you said today that this is going to be a hard fight, that nobody should think this is going to be easy. given how hard you think this is going to be, what do you think is the best way to fight for it? >> the best way to fight for it is to recall those images that senator murphy and i recounted today. the images of parents emerging from that firehouse, the community grappling with that grief, the slaughter that is wracked upon america by these assault weapons and the high-capacity magazines, and the need for banning them. and mobilizing and galvanizing support to overcome the nra and other entrenched interests, which no doubt, no question will fight them, make no mistake, there will be a fight. but as you said, the centerpiece really is a comprehensive program that has to include the b

a sponsor of the proposed assault weapons ban, connecticut senator richard blumenthal next hour. what are the final battle lines? one has been eliminated. women are no longer banned from combat units. leon panetta issued the order in the last 30 minutes. >> therefore today general dempsey and i are pleased to announce that we are eliminating the direct ground combat exclusion rule for women. we are moving forward with a plan to eliminate all unnecessary gender-based barriers to serve. >> eliminating the ban will take time and the assessment phase. each branch will examine all the jobs and units not accepting women and then produce a timeline for integration. every three months, service leaders will have to check on their progress and if it's found they are not suited for a unit, an exemption may be sought. one part of the air force, they have been side by side, fighting on the ground for more than a decade. >> this is tech sergeant andrea jefferson's worst nightmare. patrolling a remote area of afghanistan, taking on enemy fire and a comrade goes down. >> i want you to hold press

. >> joining me now from washington is connecticut senator richard blumenthal who said as a member of the judiciary committee, senator, thank you for your time. how would you describe what played out today? is it progress or maybe a clear picture of how strongly both sides feel and maybe there is no room here to budge. >> both really. progress because it's a first step towards marking up that which the chairman said what happened this spring. probably next month. second, it illustrated the gaps in views and also the common ground in so far as enforcement of existing laws as well as new laws to make sure there is enforcement. particularly by background checks. i am hopeful there will be common ground to fill the so-called gun show loophole and the private sales that constitute 40% of all purchases of hand guns and all firearms across the country. they now have no background checks. also ammunition background checks that can fill a very urgent need. the black hole, if you will, of prevention. other measures like trafficking and purchases and so forth. >> from the testimony from wayne la

senator richard blumenthal of connecticut. senator, great to talk to you. it's been a while and i'm glad to see you. you're proposing a bill on ammunition background checks and i want to talk about that in a moment, but first, i want to talk about this issue. there are a lot of gun laws in america. brookings has put the number at 300. some have said it's as high as 20,000, but a department of justice study found that 80% of inmates obtained their guns illegally. so 80% of inmates for gun laws obtained their guns illegally. isn't the first thing to do to enforce the laws we have? >> absolutely right. terrific point and it's a point that i make constantly because my background is in law enforcement. i was attorney general of the state of connecticut for 20 years and a federal prosecutor as united states attorney for four and a half years. the best laws on the books are dead letter unless enforced, so we need more resources. absolutely right. both at the state and federal level to enforce existing laws and if that executive action or order involves more resour

senators richard blumenthal and chris murphy, distinguished senators from connecticut who know firsthand about assault weapons. you will also hear from congresswoman carolyn mccarthy from new york who knows firsthand the devastation of gun violence as well as congressman ed pearlmutter of colorado who represents aurora and congresswoman elizabeth esty who represents newtown. you will also here from mayor michael nutter, the distinguished mayor of philadelphia who leads the united states conference of lay y mayors. you will hear from commissioner ramsey, the police chiefs association who will speak about the display of weapons you see to my left. finally, we will hear from victims of recent mass shootings. i would also like to recognize other supporters who are here today. on the risers behind me, we have police officers from several department and i so thank you for joining us today. i would also like to recognize a million moms for gun control represented by mr. sandberg here today, doctors for america, the american academy of pediatrics and the american federation of teachers. now i'd

senator richard blumenthal was on the senate committee holding that hearing.enator from kek connecticut. it's very interesting to watch gabby giffords yesterday. her read just is inherently very emotional as she tries to really say every single word. here's a little bit of what she said to those at this hearing. >> you must act. be bold. be courageous. americans are counting on you. >> just to hear her struggle to get the words out really i think just speaks volumes, if you will, about all that she's been through and all about this debate. and yet this hearing did not then go forward with everybody piling on and trying to work together. it became very divisive, kind of contentious. do you think gabrielle giffords can help affect policy in this manner? >> very, very desfinitely and profoundly. her statement was one of the shortest but most powerful public statements before any congressional hearing i've ever heard. it was really so direct. yes, she did struggle with those words, but there was no mistaking the passion and the depth of her commitment. and when sh

joining me is democratic senator richard blumenthal. it is good to see you.nks for being here. >> thank you, kraig. >> you just heard what senator feinstein said. what reforms do you think we can see enacted? >> an assault weapon ban and a prohibition on high clip capacities is doable. >> you think it is doable? >> i think it is. more likely background checks for all firearms purchases. right now 40% of them involve no background checks. convicted felon, fugitive, drug addict can walk into a store and buy a shopping cart full of ammunition and pay for it no questions asked. and improved background checks so that states report mental illnesses and commitments. >> i am glad you brought that last part up. politico earlier this week writing about the current system of background checks as, quote, ineffective. few states are submitting the required records to the federal database. why are these states not submitting these records? is it a question of inadequate resources or a lack of political will? >> my view is that it is a lack of political will more than finan

joining me now is the democratic senator from connecticut, richard blumenthal, who will soon take action on a bill. tell us first of all about the bill you intend to introduce. >> the bill i intend to introduce really has to be seen as part of a comprehensive set of measures that i'm going to be supporting and introducing over the next weeks and months, including a ban on assault weapons, and high capacity magazines. extended background checks, so that we cover the 40% of sales that are now without any background checks. mental health initiatives, and also i want to emphasize, i will support stronger executive action for enforcement. which the nra has long said ought to be done. they have said there is no need for more laws, what we need is better enforcement of existing laws. so i would think that they would welcome the vice president remarks, that executive action, aggressive pro-active enforcement of those laws will be forthcoming, and it is needed for the atf, and for the federal enforcers. but also at the state level there needs to be reinforcements. and maybe there will be common g

. >> democratic senator richard blumenthal with that statement there. as you were writing you said as chuck schumer goes so goes hagel. >> that's right. chuck schumer is probably the most important voice in this debate on the democratic side right now. really the only way that chuck hagel doesn't get confirmed right now is if democratic senators come out in opposition to him. there is going to be a balk of republican senators who will vote against hagel for the reasons you mention. >> do you think schumer will go against this nomination? >> i think it is unlikely at this point. chuck hagel will have to really assure both schumer, blumenthal, other jewish democrats that he would be a staunch advocate for israel. i'm sure he will do that. if he slips up in any way in the hearings or if a lot of the groups off of the hill that are very influential try to derail after the hearings it will be very hard for some democrats to vote for him. absent that i think his confirmation is affirmed. >> let's change subjects to afghanistan that came up throughout this wee

, we heard this morning, that two democratic senators, dianne feinstein from california and richard blumenthal from connecticut plan to introduce that soon and freshman senator chris murphy, a democrat from connecticut who attended several funerals for sandy hook elementary students before he was sworn in said he will support that legislation and told us more about it. >> it's a tighter ban than the previous ban. and it will address high capacity magazines, but the fact is that as soon as we pass that ban, back in the 1990's, the gun manufacturers found a way around it and other states, like new jersey and california, have passed much stricter bans and that's what the congress needs to do. >> the task force, led by vice-president joe biden is not expect today release their recommendations for he reducing gun violence until tuesday, and biden said this week, president obama could use an executive order to implement some safety measures, but this morning, republican senator lindsey graham said that an executive order like that would run into bipartisan opposition in the congress. >> harris? >> y

>> joining me now is richard blumenthal of connecticut. he wants to target ammunition sales and require background checks on anyone who buys bullets. your reaction as to president obama's very bold and ambitious plans today for new gun legislation. >> it is a sweeping set of proposals. and what is so encouraging about it is it relies on executive action. that is what the president can do on his own, as well as congressional action. the president's proposing, for example, preference for hiring new police with cops grants to work in schools. also strengthening that national database that is so important to criminal background checks. and i'm hopeful that congress will act to extend those background checks, not only to the firearms sales that now fit within the gun show loophole. about 40% of all firearm sales every year, but also to ammunition sales, which are really the black hole of gun violence prevention. there is a historic opportunity here for the congress to act on the president's proposals. and i'm very hopeful that we can act cooper

senator richard blumenthal, thank you. we were both taking notes.hat are you going to be looking for over the next several hours is this. >> i think that what we heard was someone who is a strong pragmatist and that's exactly what we expected to hear. i think his policies and the ideas he outlined were right on track with the obama administration. we will use whatever means necessary to prevent a nuclear weapon but we will use american power wisely. we are going to be strategic about it. we heard about the pivot to asia which has been an important part of obama policy. that hasn't happened yet because of the strife in the middle east. that is something very important. if you look at a heat map where conflict is expected to be short, mid, and long term, it moves to asia. we also heard about technology and tech development, and i think something we haven't talked about yet is drones. that's going to be a big thing on the agenda for the defense department going forward. >> and on the cover of "time" magazine. >> read our great piece. >> e.j., what will

we'll talk this morning with connecticut senator richard blumenthal and also joseph crowley. >>> andn as the dog whisperer. cesar milan is here to talk about his new show and his new book which talks about simple tips on how to train your dog but also his own personal strug el elsz as well. >>> and you've been talking about it all morning. who will walk away with the nomination? will it be hugh jackman? oscar nominations will be announced at 8:30 a.m. eastern time. a.j. hammer will join me as we look at all the nominees in a live special that begins at 8:15 a.m. on "starting point." >> it's a big, big moment here. nominations live as they're happening. >> let's bet. >> i bet it's "lincoln." >> i'm going with "django." >> i love that but i think it's a long shot. >> we have a pool going. >>> 40 minutes after the hour right now. we have a sad and yet absolutely striking image to show you from the frozen edges of canada. 11 killer whales are trapped, surrounded by ice on all sides and they're running out of time. the orcas are taking turns jumping up through that small hole in the ice t