army medical center to what's now known as the walter reed national medical center at bethesda. pretty challenging the cultures that exist there, you have cultures that exist here, you are speaking about cultural differences between the military and its hierarchy of command and control and the civilian command and control and figuring out the two greatest things you need in the chaos of disaster. no. 1, communications. no. 2, who's in charge. i dealt with a lot of cultural issues when i was combining the army and the navy medical forces between walter reed and bethesda. america's army is an amazingly heroic army. they have occupied valley forge , tokyo, berlin, danang and now it occupies bethesda, maryland, but we're working through that. how do we break those cultural barriers, how do we figure out supporting supporters, how do we do that before the next capacity goes on? so what have we done, what capabilities do we bring, where do we use them and how will they be playing a role here in the event of the most likely nightmare scenarios for this area? i grew up in the bay area,

and the way we treated our walter reed hospital and the way we treated our wounded warriors to armored vehicles to intelligence surveillance and recon sanls vehicles and drones, medivac and so on, it was it was a struggle. >> rose: as close as i have seen you tear up is when you talk about the responsibility of those men and women in harm's way. and you have said your legacy you hope is that they. >> rose:. > had their back to try and get them home safely and to care for them if you could. >> well, that is absolutely right and nothing means more to me -- i gave a speech at a little university in jackson, tennessee a few weeks ago, a couple of months ago, and it was an evening event and is my won't i had lunch in a down scale barbecue place and sitting there munching down on my ribs and a working man came up to me, his clothe, he was clearly involved in physical labor and so on, and he said, weren't you the secretary of defense? i said yes. and he said, well my on is a marine and than thank you for hg his back. and as i told the people with me, that kind of thing means more to m

of bringing bethesda/walter reed together. this was ap amazing effort -- an amazing effort, not easy to do, but i commend all of you for your willingnesses to work together as a team and to make this a success. want to thank you for your leadership, because what you have here is a world class center for healing, for compassion and for empowerment. i am, i am particularly honored today because, you know, in the holiday season first and foremost i would like to wish all of you and your families and the entire walter reed community a safe and happy and healthy holiday season. this is a season of renewal, it's a season of joy, of peace and of looking, looking to the future and being thankful for the past. and all of that, all of that is encompassed in these great medical centers, because that's what it's all about, is giving people that second chance at life. that's what you do. this is a time of year to reflect on all of the blessings that have been bestowed on all of us as citizens of this great country. and in particular the bl

the center died yesterday at walter reed medical center. -- the center of died yesterday. -- the senator died yesterday. >> skies are clearing, temperatures are falling. >> this is abc 7 news at 6:00 on your side. >> the young man who gets a lot of credit for turning things around for the redskins is also helping the bottom line for local stores. >> rg3's jersey is setting record sales. that could make it hard to get items for local residents. >> if santa claus is still looking for rg3 jerseys, he'd better get busy. the rookie quarterback is hot on and off the field. his no. 10 jersey is now the most popular illegal, selleck -- is now m. >> i am not really surprised. he is very, very popular. >> this morning they got a new shipment of the jerseys in. nike is manufacturing the nfl apparel. >> we have not been able to keep the smaller sizes in stock. >> move over, peyton manning tony romo, and brett favre. >> he is the not -- beating out peyton manning and all the other quarterbacks who are playing right now. >> i am asking for one, but i know my brother is getting one. >> still ahead, an

today at walter reed national military medical center. senate majority leader called inouye one of the grates of the chamber. mitch mcconnell said he had every reason to bring attention to himself but quote never did. we will have more on the life of the senator later in the show. the sandy hook elementary school massacre that left 20 children and 6 adults dead began burying the littlest victims as funerals were held for two 6-year-old boys including one whose twin sister survived that rampage. connecticut stit police lieutenant sadie tails were quote too difficult to discuss fktd they could hold the school and the home of adam lanza accountable. they pledge to seek change as he slowly recited the firs names of the victims. today white house press secretary jay carney warned that no single action or piece of legislation will prevent shootings like friday's attack. >> crowds lined up for the first of 26 funerals starting with 6-year-old noah pozner. they fell fwhook the ritual of never knowing again. >> they won't be able to drive go on th

they all today on c-span, a secretary of defense leon panetta visits the walter reed medical center followed by david coombs, bradley manning's of turning. the hearing on the republic of mali. >> the supreme court will look at what was passed in 2008 by a majority of 6-3. they're going to say that this president. >> they decided it was constitutional for them to establish i.d.s they did not say all of those states. >> correct. let me finish. you are misrepresenting what i am saying. >> when i hear these accusations that black people, voter i.d. laws a disproportionately affect us. if white people can go through all the laws, what are you telling back people? they are less than? that is what bothers me about rhetoric. we always have to make special --there has to be a specialist when we deal with minorities. it there too feeble mind it appeared we need to make concessions. they cannot follow the rules. we treat people like victims, i do not think they want to aspire. >> defense secretary leon panetta visited the walter reed medical center tuesday to celebrate the hospital's first anniversary.

jelly fish jelly fish barbara starr, cnn, walter reed national military medical center.led ups? you did, bob. i just asked a question. it takes a long time to pack a bowling ball. the last guy pitched more ball packers. but you... you consulted ups. you found a better way. that's logistics. that's margin. find out what else ups knows. i'll do that. you're on a roll. that's funny. i wasn't being funny, bob. i know. but since i've been on alli, am i on this one? nope. am i on this one? no, no, no, no, no. i am on this one. [ male announcer ] for every 2 pounds you lose through diet and exercise alli can help you lose one more by blocking some of the fat you eat. simple. effective. belt-friendly. let's fight fat with alli. have a healthier holiday at letsfightholidayfat.com. it's lots of things. all waking up. connecting to the global phenomenon we call the internet of everything. ♪ it's going to be amazing. and exciting. and maybe, most remarkably, not that far away. we're going to wake the world up. and watch, with eyes wide, as it gets to work. cisco. tomorrow starts her

the way, to go back to rl life for a second, i g to the army medical center, we used to be called walter reed and now down in bethesda and quite often seeing amazing heroes with their limbs blown off and making aife with themselves and their families and plenty of heroes, and teachers and so forth, and you're right out of washington we've allow our government to create a lead weight of debt that brings us down, down, down, instead of great things and turned over the rush shins and chinese and surrendered our enormous lead in the space program because of other indebtedness. it's heart breaking that this whole enormous adventure of outer space has now passed the united stat to other countries. it's just a heartache. >> do you think, charles payne, that we could have done what we did in the states and even initiated a race, if we had the debt, if we do now back then? >> 16 trillion? i, you know, it uld have been a lotougher to push it through. i do want to get back to what adam was saying. there's a big differenc between being a public servant to your constituents to america, and being this serv

. >> he died today of respiratory complications at walter reed. he was 88. he will be succeeded by vermont patrick leahy. >>> good news on the health front for the elder george bush, former president. for the past three weeks he's been in the hospital undergoing agreement for a really bad cough. doctors now say he seems well enough to go home for the holidays. mr. bush is 88. >>> south carolina congressman tim scott is poised to become the first black senator from a southern state since 1981. today the governor of south carolina chose scott to take over the senate seat of jim demeant who is leaving next month. both men are republicans. >>> with two weeks to go to the deadline, there are signs we could be on track to avert the fiscal cliff tonight. president obama and house speaker john boehner met 45 minutes today. their talks included a deficit reduction package that would increase taxes on people making more than $400,000 a year and cuts in health care spending programs. a new poll by usa today finds 66% of americans think both men should compromise to get

. >> senator inouye died at walter reed national military medical center. this was yesterday. he was 88. >>> still to come when the news continue this morning, theater bus. the next segment is for you. he "les miserables" is playing at the national theater. coming up in a bit, we'll talk to one of the stars of the hit musical and hear her sing as well. you don't want to miss that. >> first, a bulletproof backpack. see what some parents are doing to make sure their child has a fighting chance should a disaster strike in the classroom. >>> last friday's shooting in newtown, connecticut has many parents across the country searching for more ways to keep their children safe. is a backpack shield the answer though? we take a look. >> reporter: here it is. the backpack shield is manufactured right here in austin, texas. the bullet resistant insert weighs about a pound. the crater says it works best if the child puts on the backpack, gets low and covers their hearts and head with the shield. some professionals say this product may do more harm than good. backpack shield president ker

he died of respiratory problems this afternoon at walter reed medical center. his wife and side were at his side. he served in the senate since 1962. at the time of his death, he chaired the powerful senate appropriations committee. >>> take a look at this car accident. a mercedes flipped upside down. this is what tied up traffic for hours on wisconsin avenue and northwest today. the driver had to be pulled from the wreckage. he survived serious injuries, though. no word on why he crashed, but here's the good news. all lanes of wisconsin avenue now open again. >>> marymount university had to deal with its own school violence. a man was stabbed. francis maguire cut the victim after the victim allegedly punched him, breaking his nose. francis maguire has been charged with malicious wounding. the injury is not life- threatening. >>> if you haven't shipped your holiday presents, get a move on. today is the busiest postal day of the year. the u.s. postal service expects more than 655 million pieces of mail to be processed because of the holiday season. december 17th

. >>> another big story tonight, long time hawaii senator daniel inouye died at walter reed hospital today. he'd been fighting a respiratory illness. inouye was a world war ii veteran and medal of honor recipient. he was the third in line for the presidency as senate president pro tem. he was first elected to the senate in 1962. senate majority leader harry reid broke the news today on the senate floor. >> i rise with a real heavy heart. our friend dan inouye just died. i've never known anyone like dan inouye. no one else has. >> reid went on to say if there were ever a patriot, dan inouye was that patriot. dan inouye was 88 years old. >>> now a news alert from virginia, prince william county police are tracking down the man who sexually assaulted a teenager inside her home this afternoon on echo court in woodbridge. this is a composite sketch of the man. the victim says this man knocked on her door, claimed to work for a cable company and threatened her if she didn't let him in. once inside he pulled out what appeared to be a knife and sexually assaulted the teenager. call police if

walter reed and nih. wssc says the crew will be there at least a couple of hours from now into the morning rush hour. a complete look at the traffic coming up in just a few minutes. back to you jessica. >>> thank you beverly. the time right now is 4:41 and i'm watching your money. fingers crossed. maybe we can turn things around today. wall street has been down for four trading sessions in a row. yesterday, stocks did actually get into positive territory briefly after lawmakers in the house announced they planned to meet sunday to discuss the fiscal cliff. congress and the white house now have less than a week to resolve that impasse. but here's where we ended up. checking the numbers for you -- >>> individual investors pulled $150 billion out of the stock market for the third year in a row. but institutional investors, the hedge funds, the pension funds, they're actually adding to their stock positions. they're poured more than $80 billion into stocks so far this year. >>> it may be time to refinance you

if combat veterans at walter reed bethesda hospital -- we have combat veterans at walter reed bethesdaospital. i get calls from the veterans talk about how this is brought about serious memory flashbacks. they have seen children in afghanistan and iraq that had been killed. i want to speak out to veterans. if you have this kind of feelings, get some help. there are programs to help homeless veterans. we need to have our reach to them. it is a matter of being effective in the community. the best thing is to get somebody off of drugs. if they feel isolated, living in a basement and playing video games and drinking alcohol, that is not the answer. we have to be doing more outreach. if you know people like that, please encourage them to get help. it is a sad story we cannot let happen. host: we have a special line for mental health professionals, 202-585-3883. this is cynthia from florida. thank you for joining us. caller: you are welcome. thank you for taking my call. one reason that is being missed is the reason that people did not bring children to schools for health is because they get

at walter reed, bethesda, or um, down at bamc as far as brook and how are they doing, are they having, have they had opportunities to reintegrate with their families, have they had the right amount of dwell-time? and now they are back taking care of the same service members or guardsmen and reservists that they took care of in theater and they are still having all of the stresses as far as with their job and not necessarily had time to come down as far as being in theater. and that's who our families are going to. i mean, we're more likely, research has shown, in the civilian sector in this research that just came out with the, um, what'd you call it, medical surveillance monthly report showing basically that provider, i mean, you have gone in to see a provider, a healthcare provider, you know, within the first 30 or 60 days before you've either attempted or, or um, actually completed suicide. so, as we are looking at that particular piece, we need to make sure that our providers are healthy, so that when we do come in to see them that they are assessing us for how we are doing for ou

since the accident, he and his family vp been living at walter reed.hills wife, ann marie says that the boxing less sons have been great. >> it's great to get them out away from the hospital to do something. and my children have adhd and it's good to help them focus on something. >> the deployment is tough, they are financially stretched, cannot afford to pay for things like sport and things like that extra curricular activity is crucial. that's where military kids comes? >> we could not do it without our military kids. >> reporter: that's why the money is given to military kids. now, this gives the entire family a joy. ron and danny have something to look forward to each week. >> that's when you get to shadow box, when you, like, fight invisible people. >> reporter: in the spirit of the holiday season, we honor and give thanks to the thousands of service members who, like alejandro put their lives on the line each day fighting for our freedom and we support organizations like our military kids. with their efforts, little champions like john and denny

daniel inouye died, being hospitalized at walter reed for the last week. he was a world war ii veteran who earned the medal of honor when he lost his right away in 1945. he was first elected to the senate in 1962. senator daniel i oway was 88 years old. >>> the question and grieving continues. another different day as family and friends attended funerals for the first of two young victims today. >> authorities say sandy hook elementary school could remain closed down for months, but school officials have found another building for the students to attend class. as investigators comb the gunman's home, they discovered a badly damaged computer and hard drive inside. we get the latest tonight from nbc's jay gray. >> reporter: good evening, jim and doreen. every day seems to bring a more difficult task. today this grieving community gathered for what may be the toughest, the first two of 26 emotional good-byes. four days ago is when the unthinkable happened here. now this heartbroken community begins a seemingly unbearable task. today the first two of 20 young

we understand that he destroy dyed at the walter reed medical center after fighting emphysema and respiratory complications and first elected in no one 62. again, the hawaiian lawmaker, daniel inouyue has died at the age of 88. we'll have more on fox 5 news at 10. >>> coming up on the news edge six, a new and promising proposal on the fiscal cliff. another private meeting at the white house and new word a compromise is in the works.  . >>> gift givers are lining up to get presents shipped out and there are some things you need to know. >> reporter: known thanksgiving and christmas, u.p.s. will deliver over 5 million packages. a half billion and most will be going out this week and today being the busiest shipping day of the year and we're checking in with michael phillips who is the franchisee here. how crazy is it going to be? >> ten times. >> and what are your best packing tips? >> start with a good -- . >> uh-huh. >> and make sure the box is tight and take care of the empty space and balled up newspaper and use bubble wrapper on the island. and the idea, we will put an extra copy on th

since then, they have been living at walter reed.ng boy's boxing lessons are a welcome change for the family. >> it's great to gemstone they had out of the hospital to do something. and my son has adhd and it's helping him to learn to focus on something. >> reporter: deployment can be a stressful time for families, often are financially stretched, cannot afford to pay for things like extra curricular activities, and sports, crucial for their children's well-being. that's where our military kids comes in. >> i could not have done without the grant, period. grant money is given to military families in need. >> now, a few hours in the boxing ring is a sport that the entire family enjoys. braun and danny have something to look forward to each week. >> this is when you get to shadow box, like fight invisible people. >> reporter: in the spirit of the holiday season, we honor and give thanks to the f servic who, like alejandro put their lives on the line each day fighting for our freedom. and we support organizations like our military kids.

. >> reporter: now, eric holt is on a medical fellowship at walter reed and studying ways to deal with train. he's investigating how to prevent brain trauma and post traumatic stress syndrome by anesthetizing the warrior on the battlefield blocking two nerves rather than using morph open, the battlefield drug of choice since the civil war. for losa peck, the medical advances gave her back her only son. >> and kip the reminding myself that i have him and he's got me. >> reporter: she sat by his bedside for 2 1/2 months at waiter reid with her hand on his chest so that he could feel her presence until he woke up. >> i would take my ipod in there and put one ear bud in on his ear and mine. every day for 2 1/2 months, i would go and sit in his room and i would lay my hand on his shoulder or chest. like he would hear me. hang in there. >> reporter: hang in there he did and like man warriors on the mend, he's getting his life back on track. >> yeah, i don't have arms or legs, but like stuff can be worse. i mean i could have no mobility whatsoever. stuff can always be worse. there is somethin

his wife and son were by his side at the walter reed national military medical center. he was a public servant for merely 08 years running for the senate in 1962 and serving for nine consecutive terms, eight deakdz. >>> tim scott is being appointed to fill the seat of retiring senator jim demint. -- eight decades. demint announced earlier this month he would be stepping down to become the presses of the conservative think tank, the heritage foundation. >>> just in time for the holidays for some lucky servers, ever heard a tip bomb? >> i've never heard of that. a huge surprise when waiters and waitresses or servers see the size of their tip. we'll explain when we come back. next, we'll show you some season's greetings from the troops. stay with us. we'll be right back. ight back. >> second lieutenant baneck from springfield, virginia. i just want to say happy holidays to my parents back home. i love you, miss you and i'll see you again next year. ó >>> welcome back, everybody. a server at a northern virginia restaurant working on her college degree got quite a surp

. >> sergeant daven dumar who lost his leg in an ied explosion continues treatment at the walter reedarmy medical center where he married his wife dana last year. they are planning to return to michigan to take their first steps as husband and wife. >> we both definitely want to move back here. so it will be nice and close to family. >> little do they know what wallwrath and kid rock have in store for their family. >> first of all, welcome home. >> thank you. >> thank you for your service. you have a brand new home coming right across the street. fully furnished top to bottom. >> thank you for your service. god bless.

inouye's wife and son were by his side at the walter reed military center. he was a public servant for nearly eight decades running for the senate in 1962 serving nine terms. >>> south carolina governor nikki haley is appointing congressman tim scott to fill the seat of jim demint to become the first black state senator. demint is stepping down to become president of the conservative think tank the heritage foundation. >>> d.c. congresswoman eleanor holmes norton despiting for what she calls the district's respect pushing for a provision in the 2013 defense authorization bill. it would require the armed forces to display d.c.'s flags and the flags of the five territories whenever the flags of the 50 states are displayed. the congresswoman says she never wants anyone in the military to feel singled out after serving their country. >> there are some differences between us and the states, but we have this in common with the states, serving, fighting and dying in our nation's wars. >> the congresswoman says as american citizens we should expect no less since we

. >> this season, the nationals also organized team visits to walter reed national military medical centern-game salutes and patriotic programs. >>> many organizations ask for your help this time of the year. tonight, we're asking you, too. we're gearing up for the stuff a truck food drive. they team up to help fill trucks full of food for d.c. area families in need. fox 5s wisdom martin has the story. >> reporter: they are the volunteers on the front lines of the fight against hunger. the bags have to be packed and shelves have to be stocked with all kinds of food. tim is one of 13 volunteers from sherman williams. >> our people at the plant who were fortunate that. >> aion every day, we need to -- a job every day. we need to support and be a part of the community. >> reporter: ted's group is one of the agencies working with the capitol area food bank to help feed hungry families in the d.c. region. daniel heinz is here with five volunteers from premier dental care error. >> a lot of needs in the community and everywhere. and so for those of us who were fortunate enough to have time or en

of -- he served in the senate from 1963 until he died yesterday of respiratory complications at walter reed. t stay with us. we'll be right back. k.  oh, you have a keurig vue brewer? oh, it's great! now i can brew my coffee just the way i love it. how do you do that? well, inside the brewer, there's this train that's powerful enough to carry more coffee and fresh water to make coffee that's stronger and bigger... and even hotter! actually, i just press this button. brew the coffee you love -- stronger, bigger, or hotter -- with the keurig vue. >>> as the community of newtown, connecticut begins the healing process, help is pouring in from across the country. even man's best friend is lending support. eight golden retrievers from illinois are now on the job a church charity group brought them in specifically to comfort the children who witnessed the massacre on fry and can't find the words to express their grief. >> it is something the dog bring in terms of what this is about that feels very reassuring. so unexpected but so sad and we just need to know how to help others. >> the dog

i'm show you the backups southbound 355 to get to water main repairs ongoing in front of nih and walter reedt cedar lane. only one lane is able to get by. we were just looking at becomeups. -- backups, the traffic management center. there we go the lineups just inside the beltway on southbound 355 trying the squeeze through there. maryland beltway has been uneventful thankfully. the 29 crash north of randolph road and perhaps northbound 29 now. the southbound lanes have reopened and 301 at smallwood drive: they were cleaning up from an ice related crash each way it was the left side of the roadway that was blocked in waldorf. virginia 395 northbound across the occoquan. that's now moved to the shoulder but the delays to the prince william parkway and beyond that only brief delays into springfield and on to 395. the lanes have been open on 66 only brief slowdowns into centreville. everything open into the beltway into falls church. a caution about the potential for some ice patches. places that didn't have the opportunity to dry out including eastbound 7 bypass near sickland road and slowsbur

he had been hospitalized at walter reed since earlier this morning. he was the most senior u.s.ator. he served as hawaii's first congressman. he ran for the senate in 1962 where he served for nearly nine consecutive terms. >>> a painful farewell has begun for the young victims in the connecticut school shooting. christmas decorations have given way to roadside memorials. >> reporter: the first funerals were held today for victims of friday's shooting at sandy hook elementary. two 6-year-olds, jack pinto and know would pozner were -- and noah pozner were laid to rest. >> we're going to do everything it takes to ensure we uncover every bit of evidence, that we examine every facet of it, that we conduct as many interviews that w

the hospital was created out of the merger of walter reed army medical center in bethesda naval center. this is about 40 minutes. [inaudible] your words touched many of us that day because he pointed out it's the people that make the biggest difference in the startup of new medical centers. so many of those papers earlier today and the really looking forward to your words. sir, i'd be happy to report to you 30 years later we stand before you as one team and were very proud of that commissary. as you know, it's a tradition for a new commander when we stand up a new command. but mr. the command we had been appointed. and that you present when to you, sir. [applause] >> well, thank you are a much, admiral. i appreciate that very much and i really appreciate the opportunity to be able to be here at this one year anniversary of bringing bethesda walter reid together. this was then anything after, not easy to do, but i commend all of you for your willingness to work together as a team meant to make this a success. i want to thank you for your leadership because what you have here is a world-

of course dole was just optized at walter reed army medical center last week. his public appearances are very, very rare these days. he'll be honored late they are morning and then he'll be sitting there watching as some senators potentially walk by him to make that decision to vote against a treaty that he has been campaigning very hard for. the tough time this treaty is having is the latest sign of the growing isolationist party. yesterday the president used a speech celebrating the 20-year effort by retiring senator richard lugar and former democratic senator sam nun. to secure nuclear stockpile, to issue a strong warning to president assad against using chemical weapons. >> i want to make it absolutely clear to assad and those under his command the world is watching. the use of chemical weapons is and would be totally unacceptable. and if you make the tragic mistake of using these weapons, there will be consequences and you will be held accountable. >> u.s. officials tell nbc news that syria's government has ordered the chemical sites to be, quote, prepared

he died from respiratory problems at walter reed army medical center. a great american. >> indeed. 5:07 is our time. how redskins quarterback robert griffin iii is doing. we'll get an update on his knee injury. >>> you may need your umbrella today. weather and traffic on the 1s after this. . >>> two of nasas spacecraft have been destroyed. they crashed into the moon yesterday on purpose. the two orbiters named ebb and flow hit the moon surface at 4,000 miles an hour. they were nearly out of fuel. scientists wanted to make sure they didn't hit the places where the apollo astronauts landed. ebb and flow finished their mission, though. they circled the moon and mapped gravity differences to help scientists better understand how rocky planets are made. >> so long, ebb and flow. thanks for your work. we hardly knew you. it is now 5:11. time for weather and traffic on the 1s. storm team 4 meteorologist tom kierein here with your forecast. tom, good morning. >> good morning. right now we've got the fog dissipating. we had thick fog last evening but it's gone.

the 88-yard senator died a -- 88-year-old senator died at walter reed medical center from respiratory complications. his fellow hawaiian in the senate described inouye's unparalleled legacy. >> it can be seen in every mile of every road in hawaii, in every nature preserve, in every facility that makes hawaii a safer place. >> daniel inouye was 88 years old. >>> it's 5:09. much less fog than yesterday morning. the breezes will be itself ig -- will be the bigger issue. here's a look at your day planner. still some clouds out there now a. touch of fog north and west. 57 by noon. about the high for the day. winds will be to the west, northwest 15, 25 miles an hour with a 6:00 p.m. temperature of 50. let's check in with monika samtani for the latest in timesaver traffic. >>> if you're planning to head over in college park, here's what it looks like from up above at the beltway. no issues to report heading around to the 95 interchange. as you can see the fog has lifted. you're good to go through this area. i'll be back back with more traffic in a few -- i'll be back with more traffic in a f

daniel inouye died on monday at walter reed military medical center. he was 88 years old. and i want you to watch these pictures. >>> i have some news just into cnn about the attorney general eric holder. we are finding out now the attorney general is set to head to newtown, connecticut, today after meeting with vice president joe biden at 1:00. but don't expect to see him. this is not a public event. the attorney general has scheduled to apparently meet with some of the law enforcement officials in that town and then also with some of the first responders who were the first people to enter the sandy hook elementary school and discover the carnage there that ended up being the loss of 20 children and six adults in that school and then, of course, the mother of the killer who was shot in her bed and the killer himself. the attorney general apparently is not traveling with any other senior justice officials to newtown. he will also not be attending any of the funerals or the memorials. and again, you will not be seeing the pictures of him. there's no plan for this to be anyt

. >> and john mccain today made a plea for bob dole who is in walter reed he wants to see this great moment, a worldwide standard, it would be good for business, but as you pointed out on the daily rundown today, the chamber of commerce supports this, selling wheelchairs -- >> around the world. >> and here, it's stalemate. it needs two-thirds, more than 60. this is a treaty. because it has u.n. attached to it -- >> going to say it's brand, it's about brand. >> at that moment with mccain and john kerry because of foreign relations issue and this is the way mccain sort of gigged john kerry and kerry teased him back. >> thank you very much, mr. secretary. >> thank you very much, mr. president. >> and there was a lot of joking after that. a lot of laughing. >> we should have showed. >> two of them have been close. people forget that the vietnam caucus, as strained as things have gotten in washington. >> they worked hard on that. >> what remains of it. >> with kerry and jack reed and the guys that are left, they're all -- they all look out for each other. >> where do you think it stands?

and while the president was visiting wounded troops at walter reed hospital this afternoon, speaker boehneras trotting out his same old tired talking points about slow walking toward the cliff. >> president obama and senate democrats haven't done much of anything. their plan b is to slow walk us over the fiscal cliff. i did my part. they've done nothing. >> you can't see it there, but just behind the podium, those are the gyrations harry reid is talking about. let's bring in nbc's mike viqueira who is live for us on capitol hill. mike, what on earth is going on? in simple terms, what is going on? >> reporter: well, you know, martin, a lot of people are asking the same question you're asking, and that is is the squeeze worth the juice here and what the republican leadership is doing in the house of representatives. clearly, martin, at this point you have to say that the odds that the nation is going to go over the cliff have increased quite significantly over the past few days. you know, when they stopped arguing about the principle of raising taxes last weekend and started getting into the

despite an emotional appearance from bob dole just out of walter reed, 89 years old, a passionate advocate for equal rights for the disabled since his first speech on the senate floor in 1969. joining me for our daily fix, kra, managing editor of post politics.com and capitol hill correspondents, nbc's kelly o'donnell and luke russert. kelly, to you, because this vote in the senate, john kerry led the way, it was bipartisan, in support. they needed 6 votes. it's a treaty, two-thirds of the senate and it failed. talk to me about all the ramifications here. >> it's not that often andrea, you know this, when votes on the senate floor can draw such powerful emotions and even tears from members of the gallery who attend in the public seats that are not in camera view. but we had that today. there was strong, passionate feelings about this for those in support of the treaty, which essentially as they describe it would encourage the world to live up to the same standard that the u.s. has had these past 20 years and would not allow discrimination against persons with disabilities around the world.

[laughter] when i was hospitalized for a long time at walter reed, he was with me and supported me, but he did for me but i guess he would never done for a lot of you, did you never know the good deeds that a man like danny has done except to speak to impressively. what danny did to me, he gave me confidence. before him, nobody believed in maine. if he believed in me, i must be worth something. i know that sounds odd, but maybe you have had a similar experience, someone you look at who you knew was a better man or woman then you. you knew it, and they had confidence in you. i think the highest compliment a parent can give another man or woman is to look at their daughters or their sons and say, "i hope you grow up to be like that man or that woman." there are a lot of great men or women i have had the pleasure meeting, but all of them had some aspect of their personality like i have and everybody else does that is not particularly admirable. there was not one single character of danny's that i did not want my sons to possess, not one. there is never been another man but my father knew i