we have talked about things like this in terms of quid pro quos, in terms of unilateral -- not unilateral but bilateral steps. we would take some steps, they would take some steps. that's how you negotiate with a foreign country. you do some things, you ask them in good faith to do others. we ask the cuban government to do absolutely nothing. they freed i think it's 53 cubans today that were in prison. they will re-arrest them next week if they want to. they have complete control over the island. the cuban people are no freer today, no closer to freedom. the united states is not closer to having a reliable neighbor in cuba than we were before all of this was done. it's i think a very sad day for u.s. foreign policy because again, it shows a very weak foreign policy. it is like withdrawing the missile defense from eastern europe without consultation with our allies. you know, it's just not a good thing to do to show weakness in the light of a regime that continues to be on the list of terrorist states with some very unsavory characters as you pointed out in the opening of your show. >> sen

lou: your reaction to the unilateralism on the part of the president? >> so wrong on so many levels. it was done and done. i would not agree with a prisoner swap because that is what happened in the case of alan grossi was wrongly imprisoned day of secretary kerry said there was no equivalent between what the cuban spies have.ihtz done for which they were serving convictions and what alan gross had done. but to do that you could address the of that but to go ahead and change dramatically u.s. foreign policy after half a century and getting nothing in return? the leverage of the embargo was trade sanctions treating with goods so the of leverage of the remaining portions the sanctions had was lost completely by a unilateral cave of complete given to the government getting nothing in return and not a dancing to live in freedom for the future that just makes me so sad because i still have people in cuba that want to live in freedom. why shouldn't they? and today was made more difficult by the actions of the president. lou: is there a equivalency of some sor

i'm personally more disturbed by his unilateralism and gaining momentum, unilateralism as seemingly an autocrat in the highest office of our land. are you disturbed by that unilateralism? >> lou, i think the president's looking at his legacy. he's got two years to go. he figures that an immigration reform deal doesn't look very good. talk about continued shutdown in government. hopefully there's a trade deal, a fair trade and free trade deal with asia and possibly europe. so i think in the foreign policy arena he's looking at ways that through executive action where he has more freedom. he's taking these steps. look, i personally would like to see more contact with the congress, but the reality is on this cuba issue, the president's not going to be able to do much on the trade embargo because the congress basically controls the decisions on the trade embargo by a decision made years ago, the helms burton act which basically said after the downing of those planes by fidel castro, that the executive branch could not make those unilateral decisions and president clinton signed the law. so

giving this president -- giving any president -- a greenlight to wage unilateral war for five or six months without meaningful debate or authorization would be deeply destructive of the legitimacy of the labor of our government, it would be deeply disrespectful of our citizens, and it would be especially disrespectful of the troops who are risking their lives every day while we do nothing. madam president, i yield the floor. a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from maine. mr. king: madam president, senator kaine handgun spoken eloquently about events daff. i'd like to speak for a few moments about events of 200 plus years ago. on tuesday, august 17, 1787, at the constitutional convention in philadelphia, the delegates debated the question of war. they debated it passionately and with a sense of history and human nature. and they understood the propensity of the executive -- any executive throughout history, a prince, a king, a potentate, a sultan -- to lead their country into war for good reasons for no good reasons. they understood that this was a basic qu

>> many of the changes that he ordered were ordered by him unilaterally.d not get appropriations or approval. the libya war was funded entirely out of discretionary fund. so that's what makes this so dangerous. we're dealing with what is becoming a different type of system and what the framers believed this would accomplish was to protect liberty, not the branchs, but liberty from the concentration of power. >> thank you for being with us. when we come back, the question of the day has to do with norms alling re a mouthbreather. well, put on a breathe right strip and instantly open your nose up to 38% more than cold medicines alone. so you can breathe and sleep. shut your mouth and sleep right. breathe right so you can breathe and sleep. come from all walks of life. if you have high blood sugar, ask your doctor about farxiga. it's a different kind of medicine that works by removing some sugar from your body. along with diet and exercise, farxiga helps lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. with one pill a day, farxiga helps lower your a1c. and,

unilateral deal with iran, i wouldn't be surprised if he unilaterally closes down guantanamo and pushes climate deal in 2016 as well. he's going to keep pushing boundaries of this. >> we're going to see the most unbound executive that we've had possibly since a war time president. you might have to go back to franklin roosevelt to look for precedent. he knows he's not going to be impeached, run out the clock, no support in congress. frankly, it's very, very difficult to stop the sitting president by any other means other than either supreme court decisions or by impeachment, he has a tremendous opportunity politically from his point of view. >> try to use the power of the purse to the extent he can get unified approach in the house and senate but that has limits here as well. much more to come as we look back at the biggest stories of 2014. we're turn our attention to events around the world right after this break. i have a cold with terrible chest congestion. i better take something. theraflu severe cold doesn't treat chest congestion. really? new alka-seltzer plus day powder rushes re

>> many of the changes that he ordered were ordered by him unilaterally.s or approval. the libya war was funded entirely out of discretionary fund. so that's what makes this so dangerous. we're dealing with what is becoming a different type of system and what the framers believed this would accomplish was to protect liberty, not the branchs, but liberty from the concentration of power. >> thank you for being with us. when we come back, the sheila! you see this ball control? you see this right? it's 80% confidence and 64% knee brace. that's more... shh... i know that's more than 100%. but that's what winners give. now bicycle kick your old 401(k) into an ira. i know, i know. listen, just get td ameritrade's rollover consultants on the horn. they'll guide you through the whole process. it's simple. even she could do it. whatever, janet. for all the confidence you need. td ameritrade. you got this. how can i ease this pain? (man) when i can't go, it's like rocks piling up. i wish i could find some relief. (announcer) ask your doctor about linzess-- a once-dai

. >> all year long i've warned the president by taking unilateral action on matters such as the healthcare law or by threatening action repeatedly on immigrati immigration, he was making it impossible to build a trust necessary to work together. i'm not giving up. i will an never give up. >> when has the president acted on his own in the past? when has it stuck? and when have the branches pushed back? is executive action really a product of the 20th century of chief executives at the helm of a superpower more than the 19th century when the president of the united states often seemed like a mere mortal. joining me for that conversation, assistant professor of government at american university . professor of american politics at the university of chicago. and research fellow at the kay toe institute studies institution. let's look at the near end case of the president's announcement that he would stop sending home people who met certain specific requirements and profile? was he just making up powers that he didn't have? >> i don't think so. i think its debatable. but he made a case that he m

we cannot accept unilateral action by any of the countries involved in these disputes as it it further degrades security in the region. here is a clear example of congress supporting the united states role in the rebalance to the asia-pacific region. in particular, we cannot allow

neil: i can see that he's gotten favorable press for action he has taken on his own unilaterally. the cuba thing. whether people disagree or agree, who is taking all the oxygen in the room and the ink in the headlines, it's the president. 535 in the senate and house. he has that advantage. and he is commanding the national debate right now. can you do this for two years? >> well, that's a good point. it also comes at a time when people like senator elizabeth warren perhaps one of the most liberal senators in congress right now has really elevated her position within the democratic party and they're trying to pull the president to left. and so it looks like this president despite the midterm elections with the republicans getting back control of congress is sending a signal to the far left that he's still on their team. and it looks like that's a direction he's headed in. neil: that's a good point. good seeing you again. happy new year. >> happy new year too. neil: if that defense is a good offense. is the president on good offense or just being offensive? let's get to what the rep

this president believes he can unilaterally alter laws he disagrees with. there is a form of governance where one man or one woman can make the laws, can change the laws, can enforce the laws. it is called the monarchy. there are countries on earth right now that have monarchies, the legislative and executive power in one person. i would notice americans historically, we are not unfamiliar with marquee. we fought a bloody revolution to free ourselves from a tyrannical monarchy and the constitution, when our framers to serve chains, to bind the mischief of government. the danger we are facing here right now is profound in so far as it concerns amnesty, and as it concerns checks and balances, a president who can set aside the law and pick and choose which law to follow and which law to ignore is no longer a president. that should concern all 100 senators here. president obama can decide i don't agree with the immigration law so i will not enforce them or unilaterally change them. there is going to come and other president with a different policy views, it may

president, unilateralism is not the way forward on immigration. if the president is serious about enacting meaningful negligence reform, he can choose to take the first essential step. even in the current partisan climate, there is a widespread consensus and real opportunity for bipartisan, bicameral reform for the outdated visa system for economically essential high-skilled immigrants. the concrete legislative victory where there is already considerable consensus would help build trust and goodwill among those who disagree sharply over other areas of immigration policy. and would mark a critical first step along the path to broader reform. mr. president, for the life of me, i can't understand why the president doesn't accept this hand that we're extending to him, knowing that we educate these people, we get them their college degrees, their master's degrees, their doctoral degrees, their ph.d.'s, and then we push them out of the country when they want to stay here and help us. in a continually evolving and impressive high-tech world. it's mind-bo

cuando se conociÓ la noticia. >> se dice las fars en se comunicado. >> el anuncio de una tregua unilateralnales las fars advierten como parte de las negociaciones de paz que se adelantan en la habana declaran el cese al fuego y las hostilidades por tiempo indefilido. se comenzarÁ el 20 de diciembre. es por tiempo indefinido y ademÁs del comunicado ser en homenaje a todas las victimas del conflicto en colombia. se habla de una condiciÓn. >> para el logro de su Éxito contamos con el... >> el anuncio puede considerarse como un gesto de paz como lo pidiÓ el gobierno. >> en un martes fundamental con este anuncio que puede sumar a esos avances. el comienzo de la disminuciÓn efectiva de los hostilidades y el fuego en conflicto que tiene tantas dÉcadas en el paÍs. >> en el comunicado hacen un anÁlisis de los aÑos de las conversaciÓn se busca salidas a los temas difÍciles de mÁs de 50 aÑos de conflictos en el paÍs. >> aunque en general el paÍs tomÓ con beneficio de inventario el anuncio de larfas se aplaude el gesto. se espera la comunicaciÓn oficial por parte del ministerio de defensa y las fuerza

the fark --farc rebels have declared a unilateral cease-fire.he announcement comes soon after peace talks with the colombian government got back on track to try to end 50 years of conflict. greek lawmakers failed to elect a new president in a new round of voting wednesday. under the country's constitution, and majority of at least 200 votes in the 300 seat assembly is required. clinching 160 votes was not enough for the the government candidate, stavros. >> just 40 votes short of a win, the greek prime minister lost a vote in parliament that would have installed his candidate for president. he remained optimistic despite wednesday's failure to avert mass elections. >> we have two more rounds ahead of us. we are hopeful a president will be elected. conditions are difficult for the country, and i'm certain greek lawmakers are aware that the country cannot afford any adventures. >> the opposition hailed the government's defeat. failure to elect a president triggers early elections, and recent polls have signaled a victory for siretsa. >> recent day

on the contrary, unilateral solutions could jeopardize a situation that is always -- already fragile. provided the resolution is consensual agreed-upon by the parties, and supported by all major stakeholders. rwanda believes the proposal, which has not gained consensus in the region and within this council could not help parties achieving this goal. it is regrettable the members were not given an opportunity to discuss the draft amended outside the council. for all those reasons, lack of consensus, negative impact on the peace process, and lack of process in new york explain the position of or wanda -- rwanda. we asked the stakeholders to work together to a more consensual draft resolution, which should give new impetus to the peace process. we firmly believe given the current and irreversible momentum for peace, status quo will no longer be an option. there is a unique window for the international community to act decisively if we wish to realize our common vision of two viable states, living side-by-side in peace, security, and recognition of each others'rights. the government of or

lou: he is a unilateral strong form policy as well.l and it's the only way that he wants to function to be relevant in the debate. lou: we thank you both for being relevant in being here. >> would you like to come over to dinner? [laughter] lou: i would love that. merry christmas. now the wrapup, the presidents wheezing for ending more than a half-century of embargo on cuba, mr. obama said it's the right thing to do. >> today we are making these changes because it is the right thing to do. today america chooses to cut loose the shackles of the past. lou: he got passing health care reform was the right thing to do. >> it's the right thing to do for the country. >> it is the right thing to do a. >> is. >> it's the right thing to do for the economy. >> we do that because it's the right thing to do. lou: he said it is the right thing to do and use this on every topic and issue from the economy to education to taxes and so-called green energy and a lot more. in 2010 he used the line 18 times in one speech. but how could so much have gone so

tsipras has declared that he will not act in a unilateral way. i think this is very important because he did not have the details but if you in a negotiation from the beginning you certify that you are not going to move in a unilateral way, this means adaptation to reality. >> are you suggesting then that syriza this left wirng party that has this very public platform of going to have to toe the line? >> in every country in the world every political party that claims government is trying to unify to federate discontent. this is one thing. another thing when you come to power is to adapt to realities. this is not greek exclusivity. this is a role of politics. >> nevertheless, yergos, there is going to be a considerable amount of uncertainty surrounding the events of the couple of weeks the financial markets won't like this. do you see the possibility of talk again of gross leaving the euro zone, greksit as it became known? >> i don't think now because the landscape is very very different from the last general election. 22 of january everybody's wa

anuncio de presidencia sea fuego por parte las farc. >> valoramos el gesto de un cese el fuego unilateralanoso por la guerrilla. el gesto bueno, gobierno de actuar con prudencia pero sobre todo con miras a la crÍtica interna de la oposiciÓn. >> las fuerzas de ultraderecha y todo lo que pasa en la habana es malo. >> alfredo rangel, no confÍa en las iglesias de la guerrilla. >> este es un regalo envenenado de las farc y no consell anunciÓ un gesto de paz. >> gesto de paz que aceptaran concentrar un solo sitio el paÍs toda su tropa y dos armas >> es el costo polÍtico del proceso tras la bÚsqueda de un mejor escenario. >> hay muchos enemigos a la paz. el gobierno sabe que cualquier saboteo se puede dar. >> el anuncio, que para muchos es un paso previo, para otras sido motivo mÁs que una ilusiÓn, definitivas o se puede votar o rechazar de forma democrÁtica. en las Últimas horas, las farc volaron con explosivos una torre sinergia elÉctrica... >> protecciÓn estarÁ creado entre la poblaciÓn de perÚ la determinaciÓn gubernamental sereno cÓdigo juvenil trabajo. >> quienes estÁn en desacuerdo con la

judges make those decisions unilaterally if you will. president should be familiar with a unilateral process, don't you think? [ laughter ]. >> i get your point. [ laughter ] >> so as we look at what is happening here. a president that is -- he effectively is fomenting division, rather than using the tools of communication, persuasion, seeking consensus. he continues to do it and takes absolutely no responsibility for the tone that he has set, not only in recent days and as recently as today, but over the course of six years of his administration, divisive? alienating, and by the way as poll after poll shows us, a nation believe thats that race relations have worsened and worsened dramatically in this country as a result of the tone that he has set? >> no, i think the polling i saw indicated they think race relations are worse since he's become president. lou: that's what i just said. >> no, you said they tied it to him. and again i don't know that's specifically the cause. i think for example, the demographics of the country have shifte

i will not aid and abet a president dead set on unilaterally defying our nation's immigration laws. mr. president, i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: mr. president, i ask the chair report the saldana nomination calendar number 1084. the presiding officer: is there an objection? without objection. the clerk will report the nomination. the clerk: department of homeland security, sarah r. saldana of texas ton an assistant secretary. mr. durbin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: mr. president, my colleague has just stepped off the floor from texas. he has spoken at some length about his position on this nomination, and i would like to address the same issue. first, with the utmost respect, for my colleague from texas, we disagree on many political issues but we are truly friends. we work together on the senate judiciary committee. i respect him very much, although we may disagree, as we do on this issue, and i want to say -- put in context what i am about to say in expressing my respect for the se

>> i don't think so, that's unilateral disarmament that would institutionalize a double standard, thatould make it easier for democrats to confirm republicans. >> he's an opposition majority leader. mitch mcconnell is a real institutionalist, and the speech he gave after he was elected. he said that the senate is going to function again, we're going to have amendments, and i think think he really wants to do that. >> the other thing that's really big and very divisive are these tax extenders, many of them are ending now or at the end oftsz year. these are about 60 tax breaks for corporations and individuals. what happens? >> harry reid negotiated a deal to extending some of these tax breaks, but in the koicourse of negotiating this bill, he left out some of the middle income tax breaks, some of those child tax credits that the who is wanted. and the left wing of the democratic party and the white house said sorry, we're going to veto this. >> so they issued a veto threat? >> well, at least a verbal one, i don't know if they issued a formal one, but they said they would vie feto it and

i encourage it not be done unilaterally. usually, the ones who take the i'm out in two years -- some of them are very good members and maybe more conservative free enterprise built and some go to congress to redistribute your wealth and they can bit stay there for a long time -- and they can stay there for a long time. if it is constitutional, it will apply to everybody. >> do you have a response? >> the emphasis of my talk was not -- the emphasis of my talk was on congressional delegation as a prose to -- as opposed to presidential usurpation. over the years, presidents have been more or less aggressive about doing things where they did not have statutory power. franklin roosevelt -- i do not know if it was right before or after pull harbor -- pearl harbor, he wanted to have industrial controls. war related price wage controls. he gave one of his talks and he said, i want congress to pass authority for national production wage and price controls. if they do not, i'm going to do it by myself and i'm going to do it out of my

those are things that the president can do unilaterally with relations to cuba.m of expression freedom of union, freedom to organize. the president can do a lot more. that's why it's so important that we hear what the president has to say today at noon 9:00 pacific. we'll, of course, be bringing you his comments live from the white house. i want to bring in msnbc. this is a rapidly developing story not only affects one family or the release of three cuban spies. it also may have major political implications as well. >> right. and another thing i would add to your great long list of what the president can effect and what his administration can do as you said is revisit the terror designation. i think it's surprising to many americans that cuba like iran like sudan, like syria is a designated state sponsor of terror. and i think that designation, as kristen said secretary kerry will be revisiting that. the president will ask him to do so. i think it can go a long way to change the relationship and also affect what congress may decide to do as a result of that. so t

but the president's unilateral actions threaten our democracy. our immigration system is broken, and need to fix it. we should work hard to keep it a beacon of hope, but regardless of where you standing on this issue, there's a right way to do this, and there's a wrong way, and unfortunately the president has taken the wrong way. in addition the president has risked breaking something much more foreign minist-- fundaments our democratic process. we are a nation of laws, yet this power grab undermines the principle that the people, not just one man should be the ultimate decision makers, and our country's most important political matters. this action also has poisoned the well. here in washington at a time when americans desperately want their government to work together. we are facing crucial challenges that require congress and the white house to cooperate from combatting overseas threats to driving economic growth, but making an end around congress, the president has deliberately and willfully broken the trust that is needed between our branche

i also don't like what feels like a very unilateral change of policy. even though i'll tell you something, carol, there's only so much that the president can do through executive order. i'm sure there's much more he can do, but the u.s. embargo is codified 2in law. that means it needs to be decodified in law. it's not something he can do away with so easily with the stroke of a pen. there's regulations that he's going to be able to change but the core of the embargo, you cannot change it because it's codified in law. i think he's going to face a challenge from legislators, from congress on this when congress comes back because there are cuban americans in the appropriations committee. there are cuban americans on the senate foreign relations committee. there are cuban americans in leadership roles in the house foreign affairs committee and i don't think that they're going to roll over and play dead with the president taking these unilateral actions without weighing in with congress. >> i know that you've reached out to lawmakers and talked with them abo

starts what it calls a unilateral and inquit ceasefire >>> tributes are pouring in for two police officers killed in the line of duty yesterday. police officials giving a warning that police tactics may be leading to retribution. n.y.p.d. officers rafael ramos and wenjian liu yesterday were shot dead, execution style as they sat in their patrol card. their killer, ismaaiyl brinsley, linked the killing to nationwide unrest over the police-involved deaths in michael brown of eric garner in staten island and michael brown in ferguson, missouri. families of the two men condemned the killing. activists joined the condemnation. it has brought little consequences to police officers who have endured criticism from officials. john has more. >> new york's police commissioner says that the murder happened on saturday afternoon, so quickly that the officers involved probably never knew what was happening to them. >> we are used to flowers and candles at christmas time, but not like this. >> they are not all bad. no one is bad. they are human being, they have families, children. >> it's wrong all aroun

the presidentrse, has acted unilaterally as he did in immigration but i wonder how he be able to, on his own, achieve some of his central desires for this administration? closing guantanamo is one thing i'm thinking of. other is climate change, cap and trade. will he be able to do that alone? >> there are limits to what he can do. gwen: the white house trumpeted has week that the president signed 80 executive actions, right? >> yes. there is a lot he can do but limits to what he can did, whether it's on immigration, certainly climate change. guantanamo, he's wrestled with that six years and can't quite figure out the formula. sense of have a better that than i would, frankly. >> i think they have -- i think monthba announcement this took a lot of people -- you knew something was percolating but the extent of the back story to what they were doing, there has things like that they're doing, i think. change, too.ate >> i think guantanamo, i think they'll try to figure out a way. they have been this week accelerating the transfer of some of the detainees to third countries. the question

the president has acted unilaterally on this. no one knew this was coming. so what do you do? he wants to normalize this one, lift embargo, eventually get all that, put it in the past. what do you >> i've been encouraged to see bipartisan condemnation of this bad deal. i was encouraged in particular to see my colleagues in the senate both hurt? rubio and senator menendez a republican and democrat they like i of cuban descent all in unison condemn this as a bad, bad deal. i got to say, neil, the pattern of bad deals is what we expect from this administration. you know, when president obama first entered the white house one of the first things he did was cancelled the antiballistic batteries scheduled to go into poland and the czech republic to appease putin. that didn't work as putin's soldiers marched into ukraine and invade a sovereign nation. >> what he is up to. with all these moves whether it's on illegal immigration or even the things that he's advancing right now on keystone, going on his own and never opened the thing, what have you that he's taken a hard turn to act un

he came into office - - and skeptical ama, he was of the use of unilateral executive power. but he has now had six years of experience working with against - - for years a republican congress, and we're going into the next congress - - entirely republican. so he has become more comfortable with these forms of presidential power. can - - he's ttrying to work, he says, within the existing framework. and executive orders give him al memoranda the discussion to figure out something. he is going within that framework to work on issues on issues ration, like cuba, on issues like gun safety. all these are areas where he has used his executive authority to accomplish something without having to go to congress. host: our guest: follows all these topics and more, and is here to talk to you about that. if you have questions for him, about the story from "usa today". 202-748-8001 for republicans. 202-748-8000 for democrats. 202-748-8002 for independents. and ask our to call guest, gregory korte. he talked about immigration, you talked about these big issues. go through a mally memoranda

not through your unilateral action. >> so will there be another government shutdown? >> that is the big question on everybody -- gwen: not to put too fine of point on it. >> that is the question. you never know. you never know with the house. gwen: and where things stand in that debate. why would there be i guess? >> there would be a government shutdown because congress has to pass a must pass spending bill by next thursday or the government shuts down. and republicans, because they're so frustrated with all of this executive overreach, but most specifically on immigration, are threatening -- they want to send a strong message to the president by maybe not funding some portions of his government that oversees immigration like the department of homeland security. and so it's a question if boehner will be -- the house speaker will be able to sort of corral his kind of raucous caucus into stepping in line and fighting for this bill. gwen: so when you say republicans -- it's -- obviously not all republicans who want to shut down the government. house speaker boehner doesn