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Lieberman Says Farewell to Senate; Former First Daughter is Pregnant; Susan Rice responds to North Korea Rocket Launch; Police Identify Suspect in Mall Shooting; Most Support Obama on Fiscal Cliff in Polls; Student Protest Wins Lunch Changes.

Aired December 12, 2012 - 13:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Senator Joe Lieberman on the Senate floor saying good-bye after 24 years. Let's listen in.

(BEGIN LIVE FEED)

SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN, (I), CONNECTICUT: -- this extraordinary land of opportunity, which has given someone like me so many opportunities.

Gratitude to the people of Connecticut, who have entrusted me with the privilege of public service for 40 years, the last 24 in the United States Senate.

Gratitude to my Senate colleagues whom I've come to know as friends and with whom it has been such an honor to serve.

Gratitude to all the people, without whose help, hard work and support, I never would have made it to the Senate or stayed here. The gifted and hard-working staff in Connecticut and Washington who supported and informed and enriched my service here, and the volunteers in my campaigns who gave so much and asked for nothing in return except that I do what I believed was right.

Gratitude to all those who labor out of view in the corridors of this capitol building, from the maintenance crews to the capitol police and everybody else anywhere in this building. Thank you for keeping our capitol running and keeping us safe.

And gratitude most of all, of course, to my family for the love, support, and inspiration they've given me every day of my life, my parents, grandparents, and siblings, my children and grandchildren, and Hadosa, my wife of almost 30 years now, the love of my life, who has been my constant companion, supporter, and partner through this amazing adventure.

And so I want to begin this farewell speech by simply saying, thank you all. I have a lot to be grateful for.

But, Mr. President, being a Senator, and since this is my farewell speech, I do have a few more things I'd like to say.

(LAUGHTER) I am leaving the Senate at a moment in our history when America faces daunting challenges both domestic and foreign, and when too often our problems seem greater than our government's ability to solve them, but I can tell you that I remain deeply optimistic about America's future and constantly inspired by the special destiny that I'm convinced is ours as Americans.

My optimism is based not in theory or hope but in American history and in personal experience. I think particularly about my time in public life and especially the changes that I've witnessed since I took the oath of office as a Senator on January 3, 1989. The fact is that over the past quarter century, America and the world have become freer and more prosperous. The Iron Curtain was peacefully torn down, and the Soviet empire defeated. The eternal values of freedom and opportunity on which America was founded and for which we still stand have made global gains that were once unimaginable. We've seen the spread of democracy from central Europe to Southeast Asia and from Latin America to the Middle East. Hundreds of millions of people have been lifted out of poverty in places like China, India, and just about every other corner of the globe.

And technological advances have transformed almost every aspect of our lives. When I started here in the Senate, a blackberry was a fruit.

(LAUGHTER)

(END LIVE FEED)

MALVEAUX: I want to bring in Dana Bash.

That was kind of funny.

(LAUGHTER)

He said when he started in the Senate, a blackberry was a fruit. That goes to shows how long it has been, Dana.

I know you covering the Hill, the White House for many years. You can't do that without really having a lot of conversation and time with Joe Lieberman. I remember covering the Al Gore/Lieberman race when he lost in 2000 or so.

What do you think he's going to be known for? What is going to stand out, his mark on his 24 years?

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think there's no question his mark will be how unconventional he has been and particularly the way he has straddled both parties. He's now officially Independent, as you mentioned. He was a Democrat, a life- long Democrat, so much so that he was chosen by al gore to be the Democratic Party's vice presidential candidate, running mate. And then just six years later, back in 2006, he was tossed out by Democratic voters in the state of Connecticut in the primary there because of his unwavering support for the Iraq war. Then he became an Independent. And then two years after that, in 2008, I was on the campaign trail with the Republican presidential candidate, John McCain, and Joe Lieberman was there almost every day at his side. And, of course, then spoke at the Republican national convention. So he definitely, I think, unconventional is the word to describe him.

Also, you know, somebody who is kind of unabashedly moderate in his approach to working with Republicans, working with Democrats. I feel like every time somebody who is kind of in the center here decides that they're going to leave, we mourn that only in the fact that it is making this place even more polarized than it already is. And I think Joe Lieberman is the perfect example of that -- Suzanne?

MALVEAUX: What's his next move now? Do we know what he plans to do?

BASH: You know, he has children. He has grandchildren. He has a wife, who he was just mentioning, who he absolutely adores. I would expect him to, even though it's cliche, spend time with his family. He's been a public servant for most of his life. He can probably make a lot more money than he did here in the United States Senate.

(LAUGHTER)

The other thing about Lieberman that probably is important to talk about is that he is, as far as I know, the only orthodox Jew, certainly the only orthodox Jew in the Senate. That has made him an even more unconventional Senator, because there have been times where he has to work on the Sabbath. And he lives in Georgetown. We're on Capitol Hill. That is miles and miles away. I don't know exactly how many. It's a very long walk. And he, even in the snow or the rain, he had been known to walk to work because orthodox Jews don't ride in cars on the Sabbath. Walked to work on a Saturday morning just to be here. And you know, wouldn't ride because that would break the Sabbath. That's what he had to do or have to do because of his faith that he refused to break. And it certainly made him stand out among the Senators because of his Jewish faith.

MALVEAUX: And, Dana, there are so many things -- he really pushed a lot of legislation through in his time, the 9/11 Commission, the creation of the Homeland Security Department, the Clean Air Act, just to name a few. What do you think is the accomplishment that he's most proud of?

BASH: Well, he himself did an interview with Candy Crowley a couple of weeks ago. He said he's probably most proud of creating the Homeland Security Department. He was one of the leaders of doing that. Of course, he is, as you know, now the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee. After 9/11, being from Connecticut, being sort of a Yankee, and even somewhat of a New Yorker at heart, that was important for him to do.

On that note, I missed something, and I think it's also kind of important in the history of Joe Lieberman, and the tension, the genuine tension he'd had with the Democratic Party. It has been very intense, particularly in recent years, since I supported John McCain over Obama, but he did stick with the Democrats to caucus with the Democrats even though they threw him out in 2006.

MALVEAUX: OK. BASH: And that was very important because he made sure the Democrats had the majority back in 2006. If he didn't do that, Democrats would never have even taken the majority in the Senate then.

MALVEAUX: Senator Joe Lieberman making his mark there after 24 years in the Senate.

Thank you, Dana. Appreciate it.

We'll have more. We'll take a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Former first daughter now getting ready for her own little one. Jenna Bush Hager is expecting, and she and her husband, Henry, broke the news this morning on NBC. Mom and pop, known as former President George W. Bush and former first lady, Laura Bush, weighed in. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURA BUSH, FORMER FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: We're thrilled. We're just absolutely thrilled.

JENNA BUSH HAGER, DAUGHTER OF GEORGE W. BUSH: Hi, mom. Hi, dad.

LAURA BUSH: Hi, Jenna. Hi, Henry.

(LAUGHTER)

HENRY HAGER, HUSBAND OF JENNA BUSH HAGER: Hello.

(LAUGHTER)

JENNA BUSH HAGER: Hi, Popsicle.

(CROSSTALK)

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: -- to meet.

Yes, nice to see you.

(LAUGHTER)

MATT LAUER, CO-HOST, TODAY: Popsicle?

BUSH: Never mind.

(LAUGHTER)

GUTHRIE: You know, we are breaking news this morning.

Mr. President, you obviously are going to be a first-time grandfather. How excited are you about this happening?

GEORGE BUSH: Yes, I'm fired up and looking forward to it. I'm excited for Jenna and Henry. And you know, it's a -- I can barely contain the news when I found out.

(LAUGHTER)

So now I can tell all my buddies.

(LAUGHTER)

JENNA HAGER BUSH: You told a couple people. But that was OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(LAUGHTER)

MALVEAUX: The former president joked he's not going to change diapers and he'd like to be called "sir." The baby is due in the spring. Congratulations to them both.

Your taxes going to up in 2013 if Republicans and Democrats don't come up with a plan. We'll hear from the people up next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Everybody needs to compromise. Everyone needs to meet in the middle. We need an agreement. Let's get it done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Just minutes ago, U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Susan Rice, talked to reporters outside the Security Council in New York. She's responding to North Korea's launch of a long-range rocket that happened earlier today. Here's what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUSAN RICE, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: The international community and our colleagues in the council have condemned this launch clearly and swiftly as a clear violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions 1718 and 1874. This launch comes only eight months after this council unanimously adopted a presidential statement making clear that any launch using ballistic missile technology, no matter how North Korea chooses to characterize it, is, in fact, a serious violation of two Security Council resolutions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: We're also following that shooting that occurred yesterday in an Oregon mall. This is the latest information that we have from officers. They have identified the shooter as Jacob Tyler Roberts, born March 16, 1990. That makes him approximately 22 years old. Now, according to officials, police say he shot himself as police converged on him in the mall. But first, he actually came to the mall and went to the Macy's and the food court, shot the victims now being identified as Steve Forsythe, 45 years old, and Cindy Ann Yule (ph), 54 years old. The sheriff, Craig Roberts, saying that the shooter here, identified as Jacob Tyler Roberts, armed himself with an A.R.-15 semi-automatic rifle. That he had several fully loaded magazines, that he was also wearing what seemed to appear a hockey-style face mask and ammo vest. The sheriff says the rifle actually jammed during the shooting spree, which could have saved some lives. He also said that there were a large number of police that quickly came to the scene. And 10,000 people were able to get out of the mall peacefully and quietly while all of this was going on.

Now, the sheriff also says they do not have a motive and they do not believe that the suspect there, Jacob Tyler Roberts, knew his victims. We'll follow this story with more details, but that is the very latest.

Well, Republicans and Democrats continue to battle over how to avoid this fiscal cliff. Many of us, and many of you, standing behind the president. When asked who was handling the crisis better, 49 percent support President Obama and the Democrats, while only 25 percent support House Speaker John Boehner and the Republicans.

So if there's no deal and the tax hikes and spending cuts take effect, we will all feel the impact.

Our Christine Romans sat down with this panel for a report on your bottom line. Here's part of the conversation she had with a working mom, small business owner and a woman who is looking for work.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALECIA WARTHEN, UNEMPLOYED WORKER: I have a household to run. Still have rent and bills to pay, and I need help. I need help.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Three kids?

WARTHEN: Yes.

ROMANS: How old are your kids?

WARTHEN: 23, 18, and 11.

ROMANS: What do you tell them when they see the economy in front of them and hear all this fighting in Washington about the fiscal cliff? You've been looking for a job for more than six months now. Are you more optimistic or less than things will turn around next year?

WARTHEN: I believe it's going to turn around. It will probably take a little time, but I believe it will.

ROMANS: You need the government to help now until that happens?

WARTHEN: Yes, I definitely do.

ROMANS: You just had a baby. Congratulations.

UNIDENTIFIED PANEL MEMBER: Thank you. ROMANS: Are you concerned about your kid's future e in all of this?

UNIDENTIFIED PANEL MEMBER: I am. I mean, my biggest concern is that I leave my son with more burdens. I want him to have as many opportunities as he can to be successful in the future, and my concern is that, you know, he's going to be burdened by the entitlements that we're leaving him due to the older generations. I want to make sure he has a clean slate and he's a successful citizen and can do as much as he can. I'm worried. I think America needs to address this entitlement issue.

For my son, I would be willing to postpone when I receive my entitlements.

ROMANS: So your sacrifice would be you would work longer --

UNIDENTIFIED PANEL MEMBER: I would work longer.

ROMANS: -- to make sure that the children being born today are going to be able to have some sort of insurance and security?

UNIDENTIFIED PANEL MEMBER: Exactly, yes.

ROMANS: You know, it's interesting because the voice at the table when we talk about all these things now is not the 5-month-old --

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED PANEL MEMBER: Right.

ROMANS: -- who will have no voice when you're talk about $16 trillion in debt.

Jeff, so what does it take to get someone like Alecia hired?

JEFF SCHEININGER, PANEL MEMBER: I think that the economic underpinnings underpinnings require some security and some long-term stability. It is not enough for Congress to come along and say, OK, we have decided on this deal for 2013.

I think the political class is loving this attention. We're all sitting here on pins and needles and bated breath waiting for "they on high" to decide our futures. It would be really nice if we could get back to the point where we say, here is the rates, here is the depreciation, here is the withholding, here's what FICA and Social Security is going to be, and let the rest of us go do what we're supposed to do, which is help Alecia get a job.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Students protest for healthy school lunches. They actually get what they asked for. Elizabeth Cohen explains how, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) (SINGING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: All right, so after these students made this YouTube video complaining about school lunches, the USDA reversed itself. Schools can offer grilled chicken sandwiches, celery sticks with peanut butter.

I want to bring in our senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, to explain it.

First, remind our viewers what this was about. They were hungry. They were falling over.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right.

MALVEAUX: They were complaining about --

COHEN: I laugh every time I see that video. I've seen it 100 times and it has gotten more than a million views on YouTube. Lots of people are watching it.

I talked to the kids in the video. And they said, look, our favorite foods have been taken off the plate. These foods that we loved and ate every day.

Let me give you an example.

MALVEAUX: OK.

COHEN: Under the new rules that went into effect at the beginning of the school year, you could not have this, because the chicken on the grilled chicken sandwich, plus the peanut butter, meant for dipping the celery sticks in, made for too much protein. So they had to take the peanut butter off. Kids were mad.

MALVEAUX: OK. All right. And hungry.

COHEN: And hungry, right. You couldn't have this either because the garlic bread and the pasta made for too many grains, too many servings of grains, so they took the garlic bread off the plate. And then kids are mad. One kid was almost in tears. A high school boy was almost in tears. He was like, I want my garlic bread.

(LAUGHTER)

So now the Obama administration has reversed it, and you can serve these foods. You still have to have strict calorie counts, but you can serve these combinations.

MALVEAUX: Is this a good thing or bad thing? Have they improved now that they have more food on the plate? It is not bad food, right?

COHEN: Even the nutritionists who were so gung ho, they're, like, this is fine. This is fine because, again, still really strict calorie limits on the food. They can't go over a certain number. They have to have more whole grains and more fruits and vegetables. This was a tweak that the USDA did to make everyone happy. And they are happy.

MALVEAUX: Score one for both sides.

COHEN: There you go.

MALVEAUX: Thank you, Elizabeth. Appreciate it.

An asteroid buzzes past earth, no one even notices. Why there wasn't a warning, next hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Sign of the times. The pope entered the Twitter-sphere. Pope Benedict XVI posted his first message today at the Vatican. He tweeted, "Dear friends, I'm pleased to get in touch with you through Twitter. Thank you for your generous response. I bless all of you from my heart." Within an hour, the pontiff had around 700,000 English-speaking followers. Pretty cool.

Also embracing modern technology, the queen. There are several reports that Her Royal Highness, Queen Elizabeth, will deliver her annual Christmas message in 3-D. Her speech, it was reported last Friday at Buckingham Palace, will air Christmas day on three U.K. networks. And we'll see it in 3-D.

CNN NEWSROOM continues with Brooke Baldwin.

Hey, Brooke.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Suzanne. Thank you.

Good to see all of you. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

I want to let you know, moments ago, police identifying the gunman and the victims in that horrific shooting inside a mall in the Portland area in Oregon. The shooter, 22 years old. Here is his picture. No motive yet. We're told the two people he killed did not know him. We have their images for you here. We'll have much more on their lives in just a moment.

Also, a teenage girl in serious condition right now --