zoraida? >> emily, i understand you also have new polls to share with us this morning. >> we have three different polls that are really showing a potential spike in public opinion change on this. i want to start with one from cbs news that was taken just over the weekend saying do you think gun control rules should be more strict or less strict? there has been a significant change in this. since more strict, 57% say that now compared to 39% back in april. the amount of people who think the gun control should be less strict has dropped. similar findings from an abc news/"washington post" poll, do you support or oppose stricter gun control laws? take a look at how that number has gone up since august. one more interesting thing, the pugh research center asked people do you think the shootings reflect a larger societal problem in their polls say 47% of americans that were polled think it does. contrast that to what happened after the aurora shootings earlier this year. at that time, the number ju

i'm john berman. >> i'm zoraida sambolin. "starting point" starts right now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

i'm zoraida sambolin. >> and i'm john berman. it's just raining here, but in a lot of parts around the country, it's just awful. the fury of the first holiday storm is making travel dangerous if not completely impossible in the upper midwest. today new england is expected to get slammed by the same storm. at least seven traffic-related deaths in four states are blamed on this storm. more than a foot of wet, heavy snow fell in parts of iowa and wisconsin. hundreds of flights canceled at the height of the travel season. this is some amazing picture. power lines sparking and snapping. you can hear it. wow. at the storm's worst, 400,000 power customers in the region had no electricity. that number is down to 133,000 by yesterday afternoon. still bad. meteorologist rob marciano is tracking it all for us from atlanta. >> good morning. bad times as far as the holiday travel. this is a big, big storm. you mentioned the heavy, wet snow piling up. over a foot and a half in some spots. middleton, wisconsin, seeing 16 inches. over a foot in

thank you, zoraida. we appreciate that. >>> still ahead this morning on "starting point," we're going to go back to deepak chopra and talk about what it takes to get through a tragedy like this and find any inner peace. whether it's for an individual or a community. he'll be with us in just a bit. >>> is it time finally to tighten our gun laws? we're going to talk to the director of mayors against illegal guns. questions? anyone have occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating? yeah. one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these digestive issues with three strains of good bacteria. approved! [ female announcer ] live the regular life. phillips'. >>> welcome back, everybody. we're back this morning with deepak chopra. we're live in newtown, connecticut. i know that many of the things we've discussed over the past years has been about finding an inner peace, and i wonder how people here will ever be able to do that. >> in the time like this, in the midst of crisis, we wi

good morning to you, karen. >> good morning, zoraida. we saw the back-to-back-to-back storms, four of them that ushered in that moisture. first of all, it produced that layer of cold air that dropped the snowfall across the cascades. then we say that tropical moisture, the pineapple express, but it looks like we start to change more from the weather coming out of the northwest. so the snow levels are really going to be dropping across the cascades and the olympics, especially in washington state. i was speaking with one of the national weather service members out in portland, oregon. he said with the latest round, they did see a number of power outages, but that flood threat is lowering a bit, but those rivers are still running just about moderate levels. the rain is going to continue for the afternoon in places like san francisco and also for portland, but those rainfall amounts are going to be much less. a different side of the story and that is we've got this cold air that's going to be plunging from canada and moves down across the m

zoraida? >> all right, rob marciano live in atlanta for us. >>> iran has made a bold claim this morning that it has captured an unmanned u.s. drone. iranian state television broadcast what it claims is the drone, and says the aircraft was collecting data in iranian air space. but, a u.s. defense official tells cnn that the navy has accounted for all of its drones, and that whatever iran claims to have, it is not an actively operating american drone. >>> the head of the cdc warns that all the signs are pointing to a bad flu season this year. cdc director dr. thomas friedan is advising all americans over the age of 6 months to get vac continuated. he says the flu arrived early this year but the vaccine is an excellent tool to fight it. soledad, i did not, and i never do. but i may this year. >> really? >> i don't. >> why not? >> because i get sick every year. so i don't bother. >> think about that for a moment. it's so easy. >> i got it one year and i got sick and so i thought, well -- >> it's v

i'm here with zoraida. taking a look at the top cnn trend on the web this morning. >> kobe, the youngest nba play to ever reach the 30,000 club. he scored the 30,000th point of his career. that was in a laker win last night over the hornets. only four other players have reached the 30,000 point mark. kareem abdul-jabbar, karl malone, michael jordan and wilt chamberlain. >> a small club, 30,000. >>> riding a horse right off the fiscal cliff. 81-year-old former senator, alan simpson, half of the simps simpson-bowles debt commission, dancing gangnam style next to a guy dressed as a can. >> stop instagraming your breakfast and tweeting your first world problems and getting on youtube so you can see "gangnam style." ♪ gangnam style >> he did do it. wow. >> he's very serious about congress getting its act together. >> good job. >> it's a good thing for conan o'brien and jimmy fallon that mike tyson hung up his boxing gloves. fallen took a dig at our very own anderson cooper. >> mike tyson is revealing interesti

i'm john berman. >> i'm zoraida sambolin. the state department getting the bulk of the blame for the september 11th terrorist attack at the u.s. consulate in benghazi. a blistering report that includes systemic failures that led to the attack that killed chris stevens and three other americans, the panel also finding security in benghazi was grossly inadequate and that repeated requests to beef up personnel at the consulate were ignored by leaders in washington as well and there was a lack of transparency, responsiveness and leadership at the senior levels. this in the aftermath of the tragedy. foreign affairs reporter elise lab b labott live from washington. what did we learn from the report be didn't already know? a lot of this we were talking about as they were investigating. >> that's right. the main thing i took from the report, the state department really missed the warning signs of what was right in front of them, deter yoreating security situation, what was going on in benghazi. five attacks leading up to the 9/11 att

zoraida? >> the response time was so fast as well. the 15-year-old girl, she's still in stable condition? >> she is in stable condition. her family has put up a facebook page. they have been updating people. she seems like she's going to survive. she's somebody who has escaped death twice. there was an incident apparently last year where her family was struck by a drunken driver, and she was injured but survived that attack or survived that incident. it's pretty crazy, but she seems to be doing well in the hospital. >> seems like a tough little lady. dan simon, thank you. >>> the other big story today, getting a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff is looking more and more like it might take a christmas miracle. president obama and congressional republicans seem to be digging in on the issue of taxes right now. but a new "wall street journal"/nbc poll shows an overwhelming majority of americans are siding with the president. of the republicans polled, we're seeing a big shift a majority favoring compromise. white house correspondent brianna

. >> i'm zoraida sambolin. today is december 3rd. it is 5:00 a.m. in the east. the rain keeps coming in northern california. the third pacific storm unleashing floodwaters, knocking out power to thousands in san francisc francisco, sacramento and thousands of others. >> this thing just went up fast. real fast. we had previously had it gotten up high, but it hasn't gotten this bad. >> you live right here in the park? >> right there. >> right there. >> right there. i got my mom out. i took her down to a friend's house down the street. you never know with water like this what it will do. >> people are evacuating out of the park. people are trying to totally get out. i had to park up the hill and walk down the side hill to get in here. it's really, really, it's very bad in here. >> what a mess. rob marciano has been tracking the storms that have been soaking northern california. is there more rain on the way? >> there is. not today, today we get a break, but in some areas rivers and small streams are on the rise and another pulse of energy pointing its way right at

i'm christine romans in for tom berman. >> i'm zoraida sambolin. it is tuesday, december 4th. >> we begin this morning with developing news from the middle east. iran telling the world that it has captured a u.s. drone. take a look at this video from state tv in tehran. it shows two revolutionary guard commanders examining what appears to be an intact american scan eagle drone. but a u.s. defense official is telling cnn this morning the u.s. navy has fully accounted for all unmanned air vehicles operating in the middle east region. reza sayah is following these developments for us. if the iranians do have something it's not an actively operating u.s. novi drone. so what could this be? what could this mean? >> well, at this point, really tough to verify exactly what happened. because we're getting all sorts of different accounts coming from washington and tehran. washington not confirming that iran has captured a drone. they say all their drones were accounted for in the persian gulf region and if iran has a drone it wasn't one that was operating in

zoraida. >> i do, soledad. actually, i'm at treadwell park, where most of the press conferences take place. i want to point something out behind me, is a soccer field. you have to wonder how many kids and families enjoyed time here. we want to learn a little more about these kids. we find out more about the sandy hook elementary school shootings and victims. and we're learning of acts of heroism victims, including sandy hook principal dawn hochsprung. their family spoke exclusively with cnn's gary tuchman. they are devastated, but proud. >> dawn put herself in jeopardy and i have been angry about that. angry, until just now today, when i met the two women that she told to go run to shelter, while she actually confronted the gunman and she could not -- she could have avoided that and she didn't. i knew they wouldn't. >> i don't think i want to ask you this. what would you say to your mom right now? >> come back. just come back. >> just breaks your heart. dawn's daughter says her mother was her rock, and now thei

next time. >> i'm john berman. >> and i'm zoraida sambolin. "starting point" with soledad o'brien starts right now. >>>od

zoraida. >> do we know how the s.e.a.l. died? >> well, all that military officials are saying so far is he died of small arms fire. we don't know, but it does suggest there was a fire fight, and very close, very nasty fire fight possibly. the military teams are specially trained in hostage rescue, and they go into some of the most dangerous situations. of course, it's also a good moment to remember all of those who have served and fallen. 305 americans so far this year in afghanistan, zoraida. >> what do we know about the condition of the doctor who was rescued? >> it was said that he was transferred to an american military hospital in afghanistan and most likely will be on his way home at some point to reunite with his family. >> barbara starr, thank you. >>> 13 minutes past the hour. up to speed on the top stories. christine romans is here. >>> a potential break in the fiscal cliff deal. john boehner and president obama meeting face to face at the white house yesterday. first time they've had direct talks in more than three wee

. >>> let's turn right to zoraida sambolin. she's got a look at the rest of the day's top stories. >> good morning to you. breaking the ice, president obama and john byron finally discussing the fiscal cliff. they talked by telephone yesterday. with just 26 days remaining to get a deal done, there are signs of compromise on the republican side. oklahoma's republican senator tom coburn a leading conservative saying he is okay with raising taxes on the wealthiest 2% of americans. in a few moments, soledad o'brien will talk with oregon senator is jeff merkley. he sits on the budget committee. >>> naeem davis now charged with murder for allegedly pushing a man off a new york city subway platform. davis was arraigned last night on a second-degree murder charge. police say he pushed 50-year-old ki-suk han on to the tracks and into the path of an oncoming subway train. >>> internet security pioneer john mcafee could be deported to belize as early as today. guatemalan officials detained mcafee yesterday. they accuse him of entering the

zoraida has that for us. >> good morning to you. the death toll in the philippines is rising this morning. typhoon bopha moving toward beach resorts in the northern part of the country and right now it is packing winds over 90 miles an hour. that storm has already caused massive flooding and landslides in the southern philippines. dozens of buildings have been destroyed and the death toll stands at 133 with hundreds more still missing. >>> meantime in rain soaked seattle there are concerns about more mudslides. meteorologist karen maginnis joins us live from atlanta with the latest. they cannot get a break. >> they really can't, and for some folks, this is not coming as good news because it looks like that pineapple express, that moisture coming from deep within the pacific, that's going to be shut off, but we've still got the moisture coming in from the gulf of alaska and that's going to lower the snow levels across the cascades and the olympics down to around 2,000 feet or so. it has been hovering around 3,000 or 4,000 feet. we've

i'm zoraida sambolin. >> i'm christine romans. it's 30 minutes past the hour. >>> updating you on breaking news, a massive earthquake rocking japan, it hit off the coast about 300 miles northeast of tokyo. rattling buidlin rattling buildings and raising the risk of a tsunami. there is no -- there is no widespread threat of a tsunami in the pacific. >>> it is 31 minutes past the hour. we are anticipating a new swell of rage after friday pairs in egypt. opponents of president mohammed morsi are expected back on the streets. last night in cairo they called on morsi to resign saying his government lost legitimacy. opponents are angry at his degree two weeks ago where he granted himself sweeping new powers, and they don't trust a new draft constitution backed by him. in a televised speech last night, morsi defended his actions. ian lee is live in cairo this morning. what is happening now? >> right now we're watching protesters slowly filing in to tahrir square. we expect massive demonstration today as all political forces that are oppo

john and zoraida have the day off. it's 30 minutes paragraph the hour. whether you're driving or flying chances are your holiday travel plans are in turmoil today. the culprit, a devastating winter storm that's smothering the northeast. look at all of that white. more than 1,700 flights had to be canceled just yesterday. hundreds more are already off the boards this morning and that number will almost certainly climb. bet it will. storm has already battered the south and midwest. folks in six states from pennsylvania to maine could see up to 2 feet of snow today. meteorologist bonnie schneider is tracking the extreme weather from the cnn center in atlanta. first we go live to ines ferre in a snowy syracuse, new york. ines, good morning. >> >> reporter: good morning, alena. yes, it's still snowing here in syracuse. visibility, ice, are some of the concerns. you can see that plows have been coming in and out of these roads here in downtown syracuse, but you can still see that the snow is still accumulating. we saw the la

thanks, zoraida. >>> in a few minutes we'll find out about the new jobs numbers. are we in recovery mode? and how does superstorm sandy figure into all of this? >>> plus, come on, santa, this is what this man wants for christmas. can you believe this billboard? all i want for christmas is latina girlfriend. smart latinas will see this and run like the wind to get way from this man. we'll talk about that, straight ahead. with a tablet in sydney... a desktop in zurich... and a telepresence room in brazil. the secure cloud helped us get some numbers from my assistant's pc in new york. and before i reached the top, the board meeting became a congrats we sold the company party. wait til my wife's phone hears about this. [ cellphone vibrating ] [ female announcer ] with cisco at the center, working together has never worked so well. starts with ground beef, unions, and peppers baked in a ketchup glaze with savory gravy and mashed russet potatoes. what makes stouffer's meatloaf best of all? that moment you enjoy it at home. stouffer's. let's fix dinner. plays a key role

. >> reporter: good morning, zoraida. five more funerals here today in newtown. three children and two teachers. 6-year-old allison wyatt, 6-year-old benjamin wheeler, 6-year-old catherine hubbard, lauren rousseau and lauren murphy will all be laid to rest here. last night we saw lines wrapped around churches in the freezing cold. people waiting in line to say their final goodbyes and that, unfortunately, has become the daily ritual here in newtown, zoraida. a lot of people still wondering why, searching for answers. we know from the connecticut state police, they say that the full and complete state police report won't be completed for months because they have to go through the pain staking task of interviewing all the victims. that means the survivors and the children that witnessed the shooting as well. that's certainly going to take some time. it's a very delicate situation, according to law enforcement officials heres are and so they want to make sure they go through the thorough task of interviewing everybody. so that will take several months to come, zorai

john and zoraida are off. lawmaker has a long time to avoid the fiscal cliff. now only four days left and no deal in sight. that could change today, when president obama holds a meeting with all four congressional leader at the white house. we're not saying you should bet on it. let's bring in ron brownstein for "the national journal." >> good morning. >> good morning. we're talking about this whole idea of a fiscal cliff was absolutely not supposed to happen. >> this was a machine that the two sides built to give guy them more will power to do what they didn't want to do to begin with. which is compromise. they could not reach a deal to destabilize the federal government's long-term finances so they built this to put more pressure on themselves to reach a deal now. and even this does not seem to be enough to do it, to force them to make the difficult concessions that are required for the two sides to come together this is indignant of a broader problem we face of a red coalition and blue coalition that reflect very different visions of american and show less a

zoraida is off this morning. >> i'm john berman. 6:00 a.m. in the east. >>> we do have breaking news. a major step by the united states concerning the fight against syria. we learned overnight that leon panetta signed an order sending two patriot missile batteries to turk turkey to assist. this was expected as the civil war in syria continues. 400 u.s. troops will be deployed to operate these missile batteries. just over the border from syria. nick payton walsh joins us from beirut. what is the latest? >> precisely where the batteries are going to be. hundreds of u.s. troops there to assist in the operation. two from the united states, germany expected shortly to approve two battery of its own with hundreds of germans to assist their operation and also holland contributing to. let's give you the back story. in the past few months, exchanges of fire, accused of shelling into turkey, causing destruction and death. turkey firing back. leading to turkey asking nato, which it's a member to send this kind of assistance. patriot missiles good at tak

john and zoraida are off. up first, tornadoes and blizzards battering the deep south and the midwest. it's a holiday nature meyer for millions and mother nature isn't done yet. >> oh, my god. we need to go. it's right there. >> just look at that video. mobile, alabama. taking a beating. take a look at a tower cam video from our cnn affiliate. wala, a twister leaving 25,000 customers without power, and we're now getting reports of extensive damage to homes, a high school, even a church. >> it came in behind the church right there. and then all green fluorescent lighting and popping transformers left and right. i hear the crash, and then the power went out. >> i prayed to god as loud as i could, and i was just praying for my safety, and i knew the church was shaking. i just prayed that the church stayed put. >> and here is the other half of the one-two conditiblanketing , and heading out east next. george, a lot of tornadoes sightings in the south overnight. 30 at last count. get us up to date. what's the latest

john and zoraida are off. >> a developing story in afghanistan. an adviser to the afghan police has been shot and killed by a woman wearing an afghan police uniform. the latest in the series of green on blue insider attacks and our pentagon correspondent barbara starr joins us live with details on that. good morning. how unusual is this? >> well, alana, sadly this is a story we've report sod often during the year, haven't we? the details on this attack are different in one respect. as far as we know this is a case where a woman, an afghan woman in a police uniform conducted this shooting and killing. a contractor in cab uhl police headquarters. the nato alliance has already announced the incident but not said the nationality officially of the contractor involved. this typically does not happen where the perpetrator is a woman. they are going to have to determine, of course, if she really was an afghan police officer or perhaps the uniform was stolen or she somehow came into possession of it. a continuing issue in afghanistan the past several month

john and zoraida are both off. >>> millions of americans will countdown to a fiscal cliff. a development that could send the nation back to recession. yesterday, the two parties turned to their respective closers, vice president joe biden and senate minority leader mitch mcconnell to get a back door deal done. the republican is not giving up. >> i'm interested in getting a result here. willing to work with whoever can help. there is no single issue that remains an impossible sticking point. >> all right according to the president, there has always been and still is one big sticking point. raising taxes on the middle class. he is planning his next move if the two sides can't carve out a compromise. >> pressure on congress to produce if they don't, what i've said is that in the senate we should go ahead and swrus legislation that makes sure middle class taxes stay where they are and an support or down vote. everybody should have the right to vote on that. if republicans don't like it, they can vote no. >> and everybody on the record to what they have to do. the senate won't c

. >> and i'm zoraida sambolin." starting point" with soledad o'brien starts right now. >> good morning. welcome, everybody. the starting point this morning, behind closed doors, president owe became gentleman and house speaker boehner meet in a surprise closed door session trying to hammer out a fiscal cliff deal. >>> what makes a person black? my new documentary sparks conversation about the color of your skin and how it defines who you are. who is black in america? >>> you may start feeling less pain at the pump. gas prices are crashing and how long will it last? just ahead. >>> a mexican american singer, a superstar, dies in a plane crash. now her fans in mourning. we'll have details, straight ahead. >>> a packed two hours for you. new york mayor cory booker will join us. and poet journalist, angela davis will join us as well. gold medal olympic gymnast gabby douglas has written a new book. and judy chu is with us, and the macks join us, and singer adam lambert. monday, december 10th. and "starting point" begins