give us what we want or we will tank the united states economy. that is reckless and irresponsible and we will not do it. >> guest: that is not addressing the problem. >> john: the president said if it is tide to the debt ceiling it is not a discussion to center. speaker boehner said it is it a discussion and we talk about raising the debt ceil we want a equal or greater off set in taxes and other cuts. is equal or greater off set in spending and other cuts. mitch mcconnell said this is it a argument you will have. >> now he has the tax rates he wants, his calls for balance means he needs to join us in the effort to achieve meaningful spending reform. the president may not want to have the debate, but it is one that he's going to have because the country needs it. >> john: does the country need that debate two years ago we had 14 trillion debt ceil now 16 tho to 18 trillion and that takes us to twint14 and then we will be at 20 trillion . people are rightly asking, when does this stop? >> guest: when does the madness stop? we need to solve the pro

this is the danger. >> the united states' economy and the european union are extremely closely tied togetherey are the two biggest economies in the world. they're almost roughly equivalent in size, about $15 trillion in output for each of them. and together, they make up about half of the whole world economy. >> one of the questions that i asked each of them was, "what could we do in the united states that would help with this crisis?" and every person on the panel said the most important thing we can do in the united states is to get our own fiscal house in order. >> the united states certainly has some accounting to do with respect to a regulatory system that was inadequate. >> the united states has made it clear, as has china and many other countries, that we are not writing checks. there's nobody that supports a marshall plan for europe. there's nobody that supports the americans leading a bailout. what we're doing is providing the europeans with a lot of advice. >> what the united states can do is make very clear that we have supported the cause of european integration for decades and t

give us what we want is what republicans say or we will tank the united states economy. that is reckless and irresponsible and we won't do it. >> what it reckless is not addressing the problem and that is what we want to do. >> let's look at the way this may unfold. the president say if this is tied to the debt ceiling it is not a discussion i'm going to have. speaker boehner said we talked about raising the debt ceiling and we want an equal or greater offset in taxes or other cuts. equal or greater offset rather in spending cuts. mitch mcconnell. let's listen to what he said. >> now, that he has the tax rates he wants his calls for balance means he needs to join us in the effort to achieve meaningful spending reform. the president may not want to have this debate but it is the one he is going have because the country needs it. >> does the country need this debate? two years ago we went from 14 to $16 trillion debt ceiling and everybody said how horrible that was. now, we are talking about going from 16 to 18 trillion and that only takes us through 2014 at which point we

ceiling right now, guys, do you have any idea what the repercussions are going to be for the united states economy? we went through a drama with the fiscal cliff and going forward the last thing we want and finally we had some positive news out there. >> brenda: we had a lot of drama and this happened before in 2011. but, toby, markets still went up. look at us, we're at five year highs now and wall street doesn't seem to worry. >> we had 400 point down days and it caused a whole stress that was self-inflicted one of the points that people try to make here. gary, listen, in gary b land, that all things are perfect and the kids are wonderful and all of that stuff. but in the real world, and that this is an arbitrary number not related to anything. we could have the conversation every day and we have the spending, you know, it's going to happen. and we need to vote the people out. vote those jokers out and that's how democracy works. >> and i'm moving to sweden because they have their act together. >> brenda: that's not why you're moving to sweden, gary b. >> doe't congress give them the power, i wo

your other guest is doing however in terms of the industrial complex and all this i mean the united states' economy is tied up into this industrial complex and you're not going to do away with it and in short order but. i think that with the proper. pressure and with the proper publicity you can embarrass the politicians into. causing the cia take be directed. by virtue of the laws of the nation and you have to set up a permanent oversight permanent oversight that's publicly carried out ok not carried out you know you mention the word you you mention the word versus you all do you want to comment you had two points you said a couple of points first of all i have what what we have seem to have heard is. a very recognizable near marxist critique of american politics and the economy i k i get that we've heard that but how do you get america to adopt the policies that you would like to paraphrase brecht use sounds like you have to dissolve the u.s. electorate and create a new one because what else are you going to do these facts that you're mentioning are no no there's no inhibitions about talking abou

on if the eurozone is able to stay together, and if that is going to have an effect on the united states economyere are just a lot of open questions there. certainly it adds a lot of things for investors to keep in mind. > jeremy glaser from morningstar. thanks so much. > > you're welcome. coming up, we have a preview of what hollywood has in store for moviegoers in the year ahead. that's next. and there's a big advantage parents can give their kids -- making sure they get active at least 60 minutes each day. studies show that physical activity not only helps kids stay healthy, it can enhance important skills, like concentration and problem solving, which can improve academic performance. this means physical activity can help your kids in the most important game of all -- life. 2012 was a box office smash with a record number of ticket sales at $10.8 billion compared to the record set in 2009 at $10.5 billion. our movie guy, erik childress, is here for movies and money. good to have you on the show. and will 2013 be as strong, erik? > > hollywood obviously is certainly hoping. they have already

i think anybody who brings up greece, comparing it to the united states economy, has no business talkingmy. they don't know what they are talking about. comparing greece's economy to the united states, their army to ours. there is no comparison. we're a sovereign, currency nation. we can control so many things that the greek government can't. so we just ought to forget that kind of talk. and we're the strongest economy in the world and we have many more options than other nations in the country. >> glad to hear you say it. we look forward to hearing you from again. >>> nancy pelosi is defending the use of photo shop magic on all of the women in the house democratic caucus. four congresswomen didn't show up. the picture was taken without them like so. but on pelosi's facebook and flicker pages, you see this photo of the same event which includes the four absent women, there at the top. ms. pelosi says it's an accurate historical record and the group couldn't wait for the others, because it was so cold and they didn't have time to wait for them. >>> in this week's office politics, we talk

if the united states does that, it will tank our credit rating and economy and make any discussion oft would happen going over the fiscal cliff look like child's play. that's why the president said, look, he is not going to allow the american economy to be held hostage in that way. he is absolutely prepared to continue to negotiate ways to reduce our budget deficit and that's exactly what we should be doing but we shouldn't be doing it under the threat, the republican threat, of tanking the economy by undermining the full faith and credit of the united states government. we have never done that in the history of this republic and we shouldn't start doing it now. >> all right. congressman van hollen, always a pleasure to speak with you. thank you, sir. >> likewise. >>> the house will vote on the massive hurricane sandy bill and things are heated on the house floor today. >> we are asking, we are pleading and we shouldn't have to beg for money for the northeast to be able to survive. >> but some republicans say they will vote against the bill despite calls from members in their own part

one of the things we have to look at, how do we get capital flowing back in the united states economy so we do have growth. we have expansion of small businesses. we look at keorpt business tax rate which is the highest in the world we need to turn that around so we can create opportunities and get people hired and start producing again. another thing we have to be concerned about with this anemic almost retrograde g.d.p. number, you have a federal government that spending 25% of our degrees domestic product and that is going to increase from 30-31% over the next eight to ten years. once again, we have to look at the spending that is being done up in washington, d.c. here in january you see with the payroll tax cut that was taken from 4.2%, went back to 6.2%. you have a lot of people seeing that missing revenue in their state checks. you have eight new taxes from the affordable care act. >> greta: if i were a member of congress, i would hope the president or the white house press secretary, i would hope that if i woke up and saw a shrinking economy, i would think to myself, what am i

one of the things we have to look at, how do we get capital flowing in the united states economy so we have growth and expansion of our small businesses. we look at our corporate business tax rate, which is the highest in the world. we need to turn that around so we create opportunities and get people hired and start producing again. but another thing we have to be concerned about with this anemic, almost retrograde gdp number, you have a federal government, spending 24 to 25% of our gross domestic product and that's going to increase from 30 to 31%, over the next 8 to 10 years. so once again, we have to look at spending in washington, d.c. but here in january, you see with the payroll tax cut that was taken from 4.2%, went back to 6.2%. you have a lot of people seeing that missing rev new and their paychecks as limp have you 8 new taxes from the affordable care act -- that will be hitting all americans. >> i guess if i were a member of congress or -- i would hope or the president or the white house press secretary or whatever, i would hope that if i woke up and saw a shrinking economy

economy is likely to improve. at least through the middle of this year. that includes a recovery in exports. >> translator: led by the united states, overseas economies are picking up strength. demand from outside japan is increasing steadily. the japanese economy is likely to follow a recovery path, supported in part by needs created by restoration projects in the disaster-hit region. additional monetary policy easing will also help the economy to grow. >> meanwhile, a chief analyst is a little more cautious. he says he's not sure if the decline will continue. he warns that the yen could start strengthening again if the u.s. economy recovery loses steam or if japan's efforts to pull itself out of deflation fail. >>> asia plays an increasing my important role in the global economy but some question whether the region can sustain its growth. starting today we'll be bringing you a series of interviews with business and financial leaders. the head of the asian development bank gave us an interview. >> reporter: while the global economic outlook remains uncertain, asian region remains a bright spot. >> to some extent compared with the u.s. and europe and als

economy is likely to improve. at least through the middle of this year. that includes a recovery in exports. >> translator: led by the united states, overseas economies are picking up strength. demand from outside japan is increasing steadily. the japanese economy is likely to follow a recovery path, supported in part by needs created by restoration projects in the disaster-hit region. additional monetary policy easing will also help the economy to grow. >> meanwhile, a chief analyst is a little more cautious. he says he's not sure if the decline will continue. he warns that the yen could start strengthening again if the u.s. economy recovery loses steam or if japan's efforts to pull itself out of deflation fail. >>> asia plays an increasing my important role in the global economy but some question whether the region can sustain its growth. starting today we'll be bringing you a series of interviews with business and financial leaders. the head of the asian development bank gave us an interview. >> reporter: while the global economic outlook remains uncertain, asian region remains a bright spot. >> to some extent compared with the u.s. and europe and als

. >>> will the united states economy avoid a belly flop at the bottom of the fiscal cliff? the men and women working inside the u.s. capitol right now will answer that question in just the next few hours. we are hearing and very good evening to you. i'm richard lui. the fiscal cliff showdown in washington. the house gop leadership considered an amended version of the senate's fiscal cliff bill, which would include around $330 billion in spending cuts. nbc news is reporting there are not enough votes for the amended bill to pass. now, without those needed votes, speaker john boehner is prepared to bring the senate deal to the house floor for an up-and-down vote possibly tonight. the senate bill is expected to get around 170 democratic votes in the house, meaning it will need roughly 50 republican votes to pass. now these developments come after house republicans were on the verge of rejecting the senate bill earlier today. house gop leader eric cantor telling the caucus he could not support the bill without spending cuts. all right. let's turn to nbc's mike viqueira who has

economy is likely to improve, at least through middle of this year. that includes a recovery in exports. >> translator: led by the united states, overseas economies are picking up strength, demand from outside japan is increasing steadily. the japanese economy is likely to follow a recovery path support in part by needs created by restoration projects in the disaster hit region. additional monetary policy easing will also help the economy to grow. >> meanwhile tokyo mitsubishi chief analyst is a little bit more cautious. he is saying he's not sure if the yen's decline will continue. he warns the yen could start strengthening again if the u.s. economic recovery loses steam, or if japan's efforts to pull itself out of deflation fail. >>> u.s. car dealers celebrated a positive end to 2012. they saw auto sales go up for a third straight year. u.s. research firm auto data released the annual figures. new vehicle sales increased more than 13% from the previous year. that works out to more than 14 million units. analysts say consumers were encouraged by lower interest rates and also a general pickup in the economy. general motors now the top seller spots wi

instead, the victim would be the united states economy and the potentially disastrous impact of failing to raise the debt ceiling brsh according to speaker boehner, the ends justify the means. in a statement yesterday, boehner asserted the consequences of failing to increase the debt ceiling are real, but so, too, are the consequences of allowing our spending problem to go unresolved. it was a response to this stern warning from the president on monday. >> they will not collect a ransom in exchange for not crashing the american economy. the financial well being of the american people is not leveraged to be used. >> if the tenor of the president's last press conference of his first term is any indication about what he expects in his second term, prepare for a bond-style showdown as the government barrels towards its borrowing limit. that said, there might exist a solution that would allow congress to do what it does best, which is to say nothing at all, and still save the economy. this do nothing approach was floated by senate minority leader mitch mcconnell in 2011, and president obama

now that is looking at brazil and saying, "when i left, brazil was a struggling economy, and now i'm in the united states, the united states is a struggling economy, maybe i should go back to brazil"? >> the immigrants, the brazilians that live here, have a much better chance if they go back to brazil now. why? because, although there are still problems, there are opportunities. for instance, brazilians that left brazil for economic reasons, that came to the united states, and some of them were very successful, they studied, they improved, will have, if they go back, and their children, if they go back with more of an ambition, et cetera, will probably find better opportunities now than existed when they left. >> hinojosa: so the reality on the streets, though, you know, the street children. that movie pixote, you know, all of those images, it still exists. >> oh, sure, it still exists. >> hinojosa: and so how can lula's term, or ending of his term, be seen as a success when you still have that kind of poverty? >> no, president lula will enter history a successful president, the most popular president of

. >>> policymakers in the united states feel their economy still need their help.hat can you tell us? >> i've been reading through the stam and they feel there's been a pause in the u.s. economy and they're not yet confidence about the job situation. they want to see a lower unemployment rate. they will continue their current ease to support the economy. the u.s. federal reserve made the decision at a two-day meeting of it federal open market committee that ended wednesday. the policymakers said in a statement that growth and economic activity had paused in recent months. this was despite improvements in the housing market, personal spending and business the deraserve attributed the slow down to a high jobless rate and the effects of hurricane sandy which hit the u.s. east coast last year. the fed said it will continue buying mortgage backed securities and treasury bonds worth $85 billion a month. the key interest rate will be kept at virtually zero as long as the unemployment rate stays above 6.5%. the u.s. jobless rate stood at 7.8% in december. the u.s. economy

it is an important part of the united states economy. nearly 15% of our gdp. research and development in the united states is associated with manufacturing. i'm very pleased to serve it. >> it really feels great. clearly one of the things i have focused on is further developing the entire team, of ford worldwide and i'm so pleased with asking mark to be the chief operating officer also joe hendricks has come back from asia pacifics to take over americas. we have dave shock who is a fantastic operator in asia pacific now. maybe the biggest one is jim farley who really knows luxury is not only leading sales market and service worldwide but also lincoln. jeff: are you paying him more now that you make him do double work? >> i think he feels fully appreciated. we appreciate him. this idea of not only developing the team members individually but also as a team is going to serve ford very well. jeff: the dividend you just doubled it. a lot of the ford family like that. so do all stockholders. >> it's a good point about the ford plan. we also shared with everybody tha

i think the united states economy has very strong fundamentals. geithner is a friend and i want to thank him for tightening the economic sanctions on iran. we have to look forward to see what else can be done in order really to make it even more effective. it is already quite effective as it is today and also to discuss the future economic cooperation between our two countries. >> does israel face a fiscal cliff of its own? >> we are facing the global crisis as everybody else. so far we did relatively -- we are in relatively good shape, economic hope in israel is quite significant and the level of investment in the economy was going up by almost 40%. nearly 40% in the last three years which enable us to reduce unemployment and create even more jobs than before. so this is, on the one hand. on the other hand, of course, we are still facing the europe, part of our export is to europe. our export to europe is slowing down and we have to handle the situation. still even if you get some success by handling this global crisis it is still a very great si

> > they're the number one exporter of oil to the united states, so their economy is very much based on energy. so their currency has kind of been suffering lately as the energy sector has been down. but we are seeing a resurgence here, and we just made two-month highs in crude-oil here recently above $91.50, so i think that could add some support, and you've got a very solid base at $99, which is the halfway of the highs and lows for 2012 in the canadian currency. > here is the chart and a look at the canadian dollar. what do you see in the charts that you like? > > i am looking at a june option, a limited-risk play. a june option has five months. you can buy an option here for a relatively inexpensive $1,500, because there is such a low volatility - this market hasn't moved much. and it has five months to develop here. the near-term target is $106. what is interesting is there is usually a high correlation between the canadian dollar and the australian dollar, which has made new yearly highs, but we've seen this canadian lag behind. look for that to play a little bit of catch-up an

it impacts the view of the world of the united states' economy and this isn't something we should beooling with and again he has been very tough in negotiating and making clear to the american people this is what the stakes are, this is what's happening and right now he still has them behind him and that's a powerful thing. >> you say he's been tough. there are people on the left who say he has not been tough. quote from adam green, particularly angry with the president, from the progressive change campaign committee, he said "the president remains clueless about how to use leverage in a negotiation. republicans publicly admitted that they lost the tax debate and would be forced to cave, yet the president just kept giving stuff away." your response? >> well, unfortunately for adam green, laws are not made by simply waving a wand, and making it so. it involves compromise, it involves negotiation and that's what happened here. there's a lot that progressive democrats, including adam green, should be excited about in this package, the extension of unemployment insurance, college tax cre

bear in mind we have the united states, the largest economy. private capitalism as their economic paradigm. you have china with the second- biggest economy with no democracy. these countries have the same income and equality right now. only marginally worse. we can talk about trajectory. policymakers have to make a decision which model do we packe ick. we loved democracy. think the jury is still allowed. >> thank you. i think we have time for one more question. six rows back. there is an uproar. we'll have two more questions. >> my original question was to professor easterly. there is a basis for generalizing of the declaration of independence to the world. it does include so-called positive breaks as well. i would like to hear your comments. >> i want to get two other questions and have you both answer them. the lady here four rose back. ws back. >> i was in west africa a couple of years ago. there was a strong sentiment to stop the aid. my question is around integration. there are people doing important things like clinton and goldman sachs.

united states. there are a lot of challenges for the united states economy.uarter after quarter the auto sector is a bright stop -- spot where we see will growth. there have been some quarters for the auto sector was almost all of the economic growth in the country. the auto sector is doing its part to move the country forward. host: what is your groups stand when it comes to gas mileage regulation? guest: we are happy about a number of things that have occurred from the new standards the obama administration put forward. it is won a national standard. -- it is one national standard. the obama administration did a good job of working with california and other stakeholders to have one national standard. we also like certainty and investments that are necessary to meet the new standards. hundreds of billions of dollars to meet teh 2025 objectors. they are challenging numbers. the fuel economy standards are not set by what the car by what produce a lobut the american people buy. there is an opportunity to review where the american consumer is at in terms of the

so this is really amazing to me because the primary problem that the united states sees with china is that its economy is too strong and that it's building up its military so these are two things that the united states prides itself on i.g.n. military and a big economy right what that weather what a big economy in china reflects is number one a lot of hundreds of thousands of people being lifted out of poverty in inch inside china but also means help for the united states because trade is obviously mutually beneficial and so trade in international borders being a little more open to trade this is a good thing for the united states and washington wants to paint it as a bad thing they're playing a very sort of great game geo politicking in asia and because china is having success they're moving to try and contain china so that means backing a lot of unscrupulous people in asia pacific surging military forces there naval forces there this is all very bad it's an interesting way of the united states turning something positive into something very terrible and it makes it easy for people to go china is our

. >> and it happened at a time when the united states economy % was doing reasonably well. >> stephanieilously weak economy. this ain't no disco. >> are we done? because we were in the heebie jeebies for a while. no there is a recklessness in the year and some of the republican leaders that would like there to be a republican party in ten years are looking around saying maybe this is something we shouldn't monkey with this time. but who knows. >> stephanie: right. >> i mean you would have to be a fool to presume you know who is driving the train there right now. >> stephanie: exactly. you pointed out the same thing we did as you call it disco dave's dance party on meet the press. he has reached the perfect balance of sucking up to people and book -- >> i don't know if it's a jack welch thing. >> stephanie: yeah. >> the fellowship of, you know nasty not entirely competent former ceos. she has nothing to contribute to anything. she was a failure at a ceo, except getting herself rich, and then she completely failed as a politician. >> stephanie: yeah, you say you have to be a win, win, and