president. 16 united states senators will retire this year. there's always a pretty big turnover in this body of 100, but that's a lot of senators at once. we're losing an enormous amount of talent and of course we're gaining a lot of talent in the new senators who are coming in. i wanted to take a few minutes just to show my respect for those who have served, which i'll do in a very summary fashion because we're talking about 16 individuals with very complex and distinguished background. one might ask what are the characteristics of a united states senator? there are a lot of different answers to that depending on your background and attitude toward politics and government, i suppose. i've always thought that one characteristic of almost every member of the united states senate is that he or she probably was a first grader sitting on the front row with his or her hand in the air waiting to be recognized. this is an eager bunch or you wouldn't have gotten here. second, it's a group of risk takers. most people who end up in the united states sen

dreaming of a time i might come back to washington as a united states senator or as vice president of the united states. that dream took longer to chief than i could have imagined that day. but in a towering testament to -- to the american dream, that day came. and after decades of experience in the executive branch of the illinois government, i was sworn in as the united states senator for illinois and this became my first introduction to serving as a legislator. it was the learning curve and with the warm assistance of my senate colleagues, the steady support of my loving family and the dedication of my tireless staff. i would not be more proud of what we have been able to accomplish together. so my family and my friends and my staff, i owe the deepest thanks. my wife has always been by my side and i always be grateful beyond words for her constant support. my son, roland ii and his wife, marty and my daughter rolanda the pride and joys of my life and, of course, they were just here yesterday, my two grandchildren, roland theodore and ian alexander. to whom i dedicate my service and

reid: i welcome back my friends and welcome our new colleagues who will be sworn in as united states senators. senators manchin and couldn't are joining our family today. the senate will look a little different today starting today. it will soon look much different with 16 new senators fake office soon. some desks will switch aisles but the majority has not

and it's going to be a huge improvement to the united states senate from our point of view. >> that was the top republican in the senate, mitch mcconnell, welcoming to town the newest republican senators who will officially take their seats when the new congress is sworn in january. republicans will still be in the minority in the senate in january, but there are more of them than there were before the elections. and top senate republican mitch mcconnell is therefore about to take on a much more highly visible and politically important role in washington, d.c. that's really important. here's why. as the lame duck congress gets to work, there's lots of reporting and speculating and negotiating about the tax cuts, right? about whether or not rich people are going to get a giant new tax cut. that has been america's front-page political issue -- actually for a few months now. it started getting debated even before the elections. but honestly, nothing's really expected to happen on the tax cuts issue legislatively until the week after thanksgiving at the earliest. what is about to happen a l

i'm tired of trying to explain to people the rules of the united states senate. why we can do things in the house and the senate it just goes over there and dies. >> lehrer: is this likely to change as a result? i mean is the senate going to be affected by what the house has done tonight? >> well, they'll be... they'll be catching a lot of bills that will be thrown over there. there are new members. that will be an interesting case. there are real stars coming in. i think some of them, you know, marco rubio big star, a big future. a lot of the people coming in don't for get if mark kirk pulls it out illinois he'll join people like rob portman and dan coats. these are not strangers to washington. these are pretty practical men in this case. so there may be, who knows? there may be more of a centrist block. there is the case we'll probably pick up a few moderate republicans and lose a few moderate democrats. in the senate that could create a culture of the gangs. we used to have the gang of 14. you could see some of these new members joining a gang here and there an

became a member of the united states senate. as a young man in connecticut -- me -- growing up, thinking about a political career, when i heard that senator tom dodd was somewhere within range of where i lived or went to school, i went to listen to him speak. he was a classic orator, an extraordinarily principled man who had a great career here in the senate. and as we know from the years we've served with chris, the characteristics i've described in his father were taken and put to extraordinary good use here in the senate. chris' words were very important. and as senator mcconnell said should be studied by all of us and anybody thinking about coming to the senate. we all talk about this being an age of hyperpartisanship, but i think that misses the point. because as chris said, he's a partisan in the best sense of the word. he's a principled partisan. he's passionate about what he believes in. but he knows that wedom a point when -- we come to a point when partisanship ends and you've got to get something done for the public th

what the united states senator told the princess of poughkeepsie.hat story and a check on weather when "way too early" comes right back. ♪ everybody has somebody to go heart healthy for. who's your somebody? eating campbell's healthy request can help. 25 delicious soups with low cholesterol, zero grams trans fat, and a healthy level of sodium. because heart healthy is good for your life... and the people in it. healthy request from campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do. plus the choice of every etf, 5-star service, and unmatched trading tools. there's price. there's value. don't confuse the two. e-trade. investing unleashed. ♪ >>> it's just ugly outside. up and down the east coast, there's washington, looks that way in new york too. let's get a check on weather from nbc meteorologist bill karins. good morning. >> i'm okay with it. we're in a pattern where the bad weather is during the middle of the week and the weekends are shaping up all right. >> well said. >> so a little tease looking ahead this upcoming weekend doesn't look that bad for ever

and we've actually had votes in the united states senate on this not that long ago. well, it was 1997. i will leat you judge whether that was long ago or not. actually at the time 66 senators voted in favor of a balanced budget amendment, one shoul shye two-thirds necessary, including 11 colleagues on the other side of the aisle demonstrating support for a balanced budget amendment. but, mr. president, it is important to note at that time when 66 senators voted 0en a bipartisan basis for a balanced budget amendment the deficit was only 1.4% of gross domestic product. today it is 8 boy .9%. i think if a balanced budget amendment was a good idea, at least in the minds of 66 senators in 1997, it is an even better idea today. so i hope colleagues on both sides of the aisle will join with me, and i with them, to offer ideas on drafting of this joint resolution. of course, as you know, under article 5 of the constitution of the united states, a constitutional amendment can emanate from congress itself with two-thirds vote or it can be the result after constitutional conven

certainly on the senate agenda, the supreme court of the united states decides all of the cutting edget to be transparency. when the case of bush v. gore was argued, then-senator biden and i wrote to the chief justice urging that the proceedings be televised. we got a response back in the negative, but on that day there was a simultaneously audio released. i noticed two weeks ago that now on c-span, there was a supreme court argument which was a couple of weeks old with an audio. when you had a picture of the justice, he was speaking and a picture of the lawyer arguing the case, sort of like movies before they were talkies, sort of like silence. there was an audio, but it's high time that the public's business be open. newspaper reporters can walk into the supreme court, make notes upheld by the supreme court of the united states. visitors are limited to some three minutes. the chambers can only hold about 250 people. it is time that the court was televised, and i hope the senate will act on that. i have discussed the issue with the leadership in the house, and there are positive respo

businesses are started every day in a spare bedroom, and a place where somebody like meat can be a united states senate. . i know about the unique conceptualism about our country. i have seen it to my own eyes. i was raised in a community of exiles of people who lost their country, people who had to come to a foreign shore to find opportunity. for some, answers or here in america, but some found a new dream. that is what we must do as a nation, to fulfil our sacred obligation to leave the next generation of americans a better america at than the one we inherited, and that is what this election is about. for the past two years, republicans have listened to the american people. the past two years provided a frightening glimpse of what can become of our nation if we continue down a growing debt, and the government reaching further into our lives. it is nothing short of a path of ruin, that threatens to diminish us as a nation and people come one that makes america more like the rest of the world. as republicans, here is what our commitments should be proud of our focus should not be just winning elections

. >> to what extent do you feel that your role as a member of the united states senate is diminished earmarks go away? >> there are plenty of other ways i can support what my state needs. one of the ways in which i can support my state is to get on the front end when the president presents his budget and advocate for all the funding needs in the state. anticipate and redouble the efforts we can make on the part of those who want grants that are generated across the board. and that would include some of the projects senator brown has mentioned that are very worthwhile and need to be supported. >> let me show you a clip of the final debate from hofstra. it's senator obama at the time, senator mccain on this very subject. let's listen. >> senator mccain talks a lot about earmarks. that's one of the centerpieces of his campaign. earmarks account for one-half of 1% of the total federal budget. there's no doubt that the system needs reform and there are a lot of screwy things that we spend money on and they need to be eliminated, but it's not going to solve the problem.{ >> senator udall,

i still have great relationships in the united states senate. so the president asked me to coordinate the efforts of state department, of the defense department, the intelligence community in making the best case possible to the united states senate. something i spent a lot of years trying to do. >> larry: are you going to get it? >> i think we are going to get it. >> larry: let's go to other things. was the term "shellacking" correct as to what happened to you guys and ladies? >> look. we lost the house as big as we had won it, bigger than we had won it. we hung onto the senate. but as i was saying briefly coming in, if you take a look at where the unemployment rates were highest you just tack on an r as opposed to a d in most of the districts. it's awful hard to win elections when there is 9.5, 9.6, 9.7% unemployment. so it was a real loss. but there was a real message sent. the message was they didn't have a lot of faith in the republican party. don't have lot of faith in the democratic party. so it's like, okay, we want you guys to work toget

and this is going to be a huge improvement for the united states senate, from our point of view. and i believe the american people sure have chosen outstanding members to join the united states senate. thank you very much. >> senator, first of all, -- do you share that sentiment? >> on your marks, sir, do you support your marks? i'm not. [inaudible] >> senator mcconnell welcoming the newest republican lawmakers. the senate is about to gavel in. general speech is expected today. leadership elections scheduled for tomorrow, and later this week senators will vote on whether to proceed with a food safety bill. live coverage of the senate here on c-span2. the presiding officer: the senate will come to order. the chaplain, dr. barry black, will lead the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. gracious lord, whose glory has been revealed through the generations, in this time of change renew within our senators a true understanding of your providential purposes. create in them a fervent desire to do your will and to trust you to produce the results so desperately needed to heal our n

i'll never get her to be out front. >> a very unusual development in the race for the united states state senatecalifornia. you are listening to barbara boxer as she speaks to her supporters claiming victory in this race. however, moments ago, carly fiorina, the republican in the race, decided she was not conceding with saying that the race is still too close to call and those who have called it are not as smart. that was not a smart thing to do. so she is encouraging her people to stand fast that in fact, this race is still on. we're going to take a break. we're waiting to hear from meg whitman and more right after this break. ♪ ♪ from the styles you want... ...to the foods you crave. even your favorite toothpaste. now, the things you love at target... are even better. save 5% off today and everyday... when you shop with your target credit or debit redcards. are you redcard ready? only at target. ["knock on wood" playing] every five minutes, chase pays for someone's eligible credit or debit card purchase. [beep] chase picks up the tab. it could be you. chase picks up the tab. it's another great

now, i obviously took the far, more difficult path to return to the united states senate, but here inhe state of alaska, i think alaskans were looking at the options that they had before them, and decided that they wanted to send back to the united states senate someone that was a consensus builder, would work across party line, somebody that would represent all alaskans, not just those in one segment of the party. >> we're out of time, senator. quickly, if you can give a yes or no. i'm curious to know where you stand. will you vote to end the don't ask, don't tell policy for the u.s. military? >> i don't know how that's going to be presented in this upcoming lame duck. in terms of that defense authorization bill and whether or not we will get to that. it's indermott at this point in time. >> will you voes to repeal the obama let care law? >> i've already voted to repeal the obama health care law. i think we will probably have other opportunities in this upcoming congress to do just that. >> you are going to fight for continuation of earmarks for alaska? >> i'm going to do what i need

are glad we will have another republican senator hopefully here soon to give us 47 in the united states senateutting us in a position to exercise more leverage over what happens than prior to the election. >>neil: are you sure she will be in your fold? she won as an independent and she could be bitter the way the republican party treated her? i don't know how this goes. and she might not be such a predictable republican. >>guest: she is indicated clearly that she is going to caucus with the republicans. she is a republican. and she attended our policy luncheon today so my expectation is that she will be a part of our republican caucus and as i said that gives us 47 republicans which we believe is going to give us a lot more influence over what happens in the united states senate. >>neil: without beating the dead horse i raise the point because former alaska governor sarah palin who backed joe miller said she wondered if murkowski would vote in the end with republicans. you have no doubt? >>guest: i don't. of course, we will welcome her back when the time comes and i think we will have probably

he already served earlier in the united states senate from indiana. and here now are... we will keep these going, these overview totals going as they come in. both in the senate races, the house races and the governor's races as we come up. here now are mark shields and david brooks. mark, is there a philosophy difference on the table here tonight? i mean, are people voting because they are... they want... or is it about a specific thing they want changed? are they being driven by a philosophy or being driven mostly by facts on their ground? >> well, i think there's always a philosophical element to every election, jim. people have a predisposition for one party and what that party's priorities are. but i think this is a reality- based election. i think this is an election that people voted for the democrats in 2008 that promised first of all a change. the way washington worksçózv tt hasn't happened. but more importantly to people their own lives are not better. the economy is not better. >> lehrer: that affects liberals as well as conservatives. >> and independents. >>

my brother would say, it's in my wheel house, and i still have great relationships in the united states senate. so the president asked me to coordinate the effort, the state department, the defense department, the intelligence community, in making the best case possible to the united states senate. >> larry: so you're going to get it? >> i think we're going to get it. >> larry:lets go to other things. was the term shelacking correct? >> we lost the house bigger than we'd won it and we hung on to the senate, but as i was saying briefly coming in, if you take a look at where the unemployment rates were in the districts, you just tack on an "r" as opposed to a "d" in most of those districts. it's awful hard to win elections when there's 9.5%, unemployment, 9.6%, 9.7% unemployment, so it was a real loss. but there was a real message sent. the message was they didn't have a lot of faith in the republican party, don't have a lot of faith in the democratic party, so they're saying, okay, we want you guys to work together. >> larry: but shouldn't, frankly, you have focused on jobs before the health bi

does it bother you in no black senators in the united states. >> yeah, i'd love to see it. >> just theprinciple. >> we just elected two new african-american republicans to congress. >> to the house, yeah, yeah. does it bother you, steve, that no black senators? >> yes, it does. and listen, i think that michael steele would be glad to know that you're a supporter and i think that he probably wishes that you were an rnc member right now because he needs your vote. >> now that you've stepped on my shoulders to make a brilliant point, go for it. >> well, listen, poor michael steele, i meantime first african-american chairman of the republican parent is now being run out by the usual crowd that doesn't think that he did a sufficiently good job, whatever it was he was supposed to do. i don't know if michael steele was supposed to win 80 seats or 90 seats or a hundred seats. what it would have taken to make them happy but obviously they're unhappy with michael steele. they've got all kinds of candidates. >> i'm sorry you were good to that but go to the republican. why knock a guy who has a wi

what year was the first woman elected to the united states senate? was it 1929? 1932? or 1943?the answer still ahead on the wgn midday news. >>> we want to update you on the breaking news. fbi confirm thrz has been a shootout at a bank in homewood. you are looking live at the scene from sky cam 9. happened at a u.s. bank at 138 and kedzie around 11:30 this morning. officials say two armed suspects tried to rob the bank but a witness saw it happen and called 911. local police responded and got into a shootout with the robbers. two suspects are now in custody. one is hospitalized with a gunshot wound. the getaway driver is still on the loose. no bank customers or employees were hurt. >>> the chicago alderman is dropping out of the mayoral race after being diagnosed with throat cancer. second word alderman was reportedly diagnosed after an emergency tonsectomy. he is expected to start a two month treatment plan. however he does say he will run for alderman again. >>> in medical watch today, some commonly used diabetes drugs may help protect lung cancer patients. a new study review

it's a speech that i want to give in talking about leaving the united states senate. i was jt elected to be governor of kansas, which i'm very excited about that post. i have served here a period of 14 years, which has been a wonderful chance to be able to serve the people of kansas, the people of the united states, and i love this body and i love this country. a lot of folks talk about when they leave about the partisanship and the bickering. i like to think about the beauty of the country and the ability to come together because it does happen. the predecessor of the person sitting in the seat, i worked one of the flagship pieces of legislation on human rights protection, it was on human trafficking. the initial bill was with paul wellstone that i worked with from minnesota. a delightful individual. it was a great chancer for us -- a great chance for us to work together on something we couldn't hav been further apart. i think he was ranked the second most liberal member of the united states senate. he aspired to be number one, but he was second. he was a delightful

with their stewardship, this treaty is ready to be voted on by the united states senate. they have held a dozen hearings, other committees have held an additional half dozen. they crafted a resolution of ratification incorporating input from senators on both sides of the aisle. and they were ultimately able to usher the treaty through the senate foreign relations committee on a strong bipartisan vote of 14-4. recently some have suggested we should hit the paws button. it's too difficult to do this treaty in a lame duck session. i strongly disagree. this is exactly what the american people expect us to do. to come together and do what is necessary to protect our country. we can and we must go forward now on a new start treaty during the lame duck session. we have an opportunity to ratify this treaty and to lock in consensus on modernization funding. and perhaps most importantly and i want to stress this because i'm not sure that everybody really understands that when the prior treaty expires, we lost the ability to have inspectors on the ground. we need to get our inspector

. >> this is going to be a huge improvement in the united states senate from our point of view. and i believe the american people sure have chosen outstanding members to join the united states senate. >> reporter: in a nod to tea party power, mcconnell today also endorsed a moratorium on earmarks or spending directed by individual members. two new democratic senators joe manchin of west virginia and chris coons of delaware were sworn in early. manchin will finish the late robert byrd's term. coons fills what had been vice president biden's seat for the next four years. on the house side, 84 of the 93 newcomers attending orientation today were republicans. they'll take their seats in january. for now, the lame duck session confronts a range of issues including an extension of the bush era tax cuts that expire at the end of the year. a one-time payment of $250 to social security beneficiaries who received no cost of living adjustment this year. another extension of unemployment benefits for the long-term jobless. and repeal of don't ask don't tell, the policy that bars gays from se

>> here he is, the united states senator from massachusetts, scott brown. ( cheers and applause ) >>people do not want the trillion dollar health care plan that is being forced... ( cheers ) >> in one election was a composite of all that ill feeling from the grassroots of america, and if it can be expressed in liberal massachusetts, they know it's a lot worse in montana and wyoming. >> if they replace the so-called kennedy seat with a republican, then, my gosh, you'd better wake up. >> narrator: the president's super-majority was gone. the republicans now had their 41st vote. the worst blizzards in history buried washington in february. >> getting a health care billq passed now looks more difficult than ever. >> all of the options for health care get very ugly. >> narrator: it closed the government. >> i don't see any way you go forward from here with health care. i'm not saying... >> they're shell-shocked. they're going to need a whole new strategy on health care reform. >> narrator: barack obama was coming to terms with what looked like his first significant failure as president. >

who will win the united states senate race in alaska? with a pile of write-in votes being counted, determining the winner could get ugly and last a very long time. northbound's kristen welker reports tonight from anchorage. >> reporter: lisa murkowski and joe miller, caught in a cliffhanger. murkowski, the most visible write-in candidate, celebrated tuesday when returns showed the write-in ballots topped republican joe miller by 13,000 votes. if she wins, she would be the second write-in candidate in u.s. history to claim a senate seat. >> we recognize that we are not yet complete with making history, but we are poised. and it feels pretty good. >> reporter: how realistic do you think it is for you to win this race? >> you're missing the 31,000 absentee ballots that have not been counted yet. that's a significant component. >> reporter: in a campaign full of controversies, now another one. which write-in ballots should officials count as legitimate? the miller camp has argued that if murkowski's name is misspelled it should not be counte

heading at according to the association of press that she's being reelected to a member of the united states senategain. we kept saying this was the blue stated it's likely to stay a blue state but they thought it would be long night for barbara boxer. >> it's all the makings of a nail biter and slowly she edged ahead but it can't have it happen as quickly. two possibilities wind is that in a lot of ways the undecided voted for boxers the one they've know. the other possibility there's a negative note from meg whitman. people look at the top of the ticket and your not looking equipment as we are discussed and that might of stalled over to the candidate carly to in some ways looks a lot like meg whitman she's a businesswoman from silicon valley, a conservative republican those characteristics might be for those who are paying close attention to the race. i'd like her so i don't like her. >> some were saying they thought this would be a referendum on barbara boxer tenure and the united states senate but she apparently according to the associated press is holding on for another term and mark i don't k

. >> reporter: but while mike johan is a frequent flyer, he is also a united states senator from nebraska who just happens to sit on the very committee that oversees the tsa. >> does that worry you where maybe we're at a point here that this is not a vocal minority that, people just think you've overstepped? >> reporter: the senator says the problem is since tsa rolled out its new body scanners that see through clothes, it's told passengers that either get scanned or patted down -- they'd either get scanned or patted down. he got both. >> it was not explained why myself as a senator or why any citizen would have to go through both and interestingly enough, i got some phone calls yesterday from people saying i had to do both. >> reporter: in the meantime passenger protests have now sprung up calling the searches too intrusive. it's a situation of tsa's own making says the of the agency's lack of explanation. >> it's not going to be sufficient for them to say this is the way we're doing it now. i think they have to explain this. this is intrusive. >> reporter: it's a debate over privacy ver

. >> you better goat for kendrick meeks for united states senate. >> we need you to get fired up. >> reporter: first lady michelle obama rallied democrats last night, while president obama focused on radio interviews from the white house. >> i want to make sure that all of your listeners understand the importance of this election. >> here we come, ohio. look out. >> reporter: house minority leader, john boehner, hopes control of his chamber changes. in nevada, senate majority leader, harry reid, is trailing in the polls. >> you know, i'm not finished fighting. >> i am not a career politician. and i think that that's what america wants and needs. >> reporter: reid's opponent, sharron angle, comes with the tea party backing that's shaken up so many races this election cycle. >> when they can't attack you on substance, they try to call you names. >> reporter: a group that tracks campaign ads, says this election cycle and its 700 political ads are the most negative on record, with both parties, roughry, equally negative. candidates are fond of saying that the only poll that matters is th

he had to massage that and it's not sure that will be very convincing to republicans in the united states senate when it comes to ratifying his treaty. north cabrera tells us you don't have control of this overseas agenda it's not what you want to do often. it's what comes up as a crisis for you to deal with. who wants to be refighting the korean war 60 years later. not barack obama and not most americans. >> the president is refighting another old battle when he comes back and meets with these republican leaders on tax cuts. if nothing happens, everybody gets a tax increase because the bush tax cuts are going to expire. if you don't cut taxes for everybody, we're going to let them expire. the president said i want a permanent one for the middle class and he is open for a temporary one with the wealthy. they're at loggerheads but the president says they're going to work together. how is this resolved? >> there is a deadline. they're not leaving with a tax increase for all americans. i suppose a lot of unfathomable have happened, but it's hard to imagine. we're talking about what are the terms of

atmosphere and changed the situation here in the united states congress with the republican party gaining much more seats both in the chamber in the united states senate. chamber of representatives it means that all of them all of the new elected congressman today has been criticized criticizing obama for. policy and that is why what president obama and his administration can do is to persuade congress to regard this issue and through defy the treaty during this so-called lame duck session of congress which starts the morrow on the fifteenth sold in november on the other hand this would be a precedent because such a major treaties which include issues of the. nuclear weapons never had been decided during the lame duck duck sessions of the american congress so yes there are obstacles but president obama pledged promised to push congress to make a decision just during the recent session so there are obstacles but there seems to be a genuine positive attitude when it comes to the hopeful actions of person but we're there and president obama you are going to wrap it up right there. from the franklin roosevelt foundation at moscow state university yuri tha

economy all incumbents will be up in two thousand and twelve one thing to watch for is in the united states senate because a lot of democratic senators that are incumbents will be up in two thousand and twelve watching how they push what i call economically rational issues through congress will really be the telltale sign of what we're going to do moving forward you know bob if i can go to you a lot of people and again i'll. the panel and my audience i lived in communist east europe for many many years in the one nine hundred eighty s. and visited the soviet union and when i hear a republican or anyone in the united states say well obama is a socialist i just have to wonder if they anyone knows what socialism really is so i'm really i feel you know the discourse the united states is really insane sometimes but you know. is this election going to make obama more moderates because i can't understand what that is extreme situations demand extreme action and so yours we have extreme situations and you have to have a moderate reaction if that's the logical i mean how does he move forward or is it just

ninety percent of them and what a completely opposite irresponsible decision it would be if the united states senate just got bogged down in politics and walked away from this moment unwilling to make that kind of decision that offers the kind of leadership that the world and i think certainly the american people expect us to make. well kerry's message echoes that of the u.s. president during that nato summit in lisbon early this month rocca bamma said about the stumping the deal the cia was crucial for national security and the woman of relations with russia the treaty would see the nuclear arsenals of russia and the us almost a third to come into force it has to be ratified by the us senate republicans are trying to stall the process saying no more pressing problems to deal with but that's a good journalist when madsen says some republicans are in favor of sign a treaty and that president obama still faces a daunting task to persuade the rest of them to do so. unfortunately if we don't pass the start treaty and this congress it's going to be thrown into a senate where the republicans are going to