Expanding Background Checks on Gun Sales
SAMBOLIN: Welcome back to EARLY START. It is 14 minutes past the hour. There's word that a bipartisan deal may be near in the Senate that would expand federal background checks on gun sales. Democratic Senator Joe Manchin and Republican Senator Pat Toomey has scheduled a news conference for 11:00 a.m. today. And a new CNN poll shows there is overwhelming support for it. Nearly 9 out of 10 Americans are in favor. And all day today on CNN, we're taking an in depth look at the legislation, the debate, and what's at stake in our coverage "Guns Under Fire: A CNN Special Report on Background Checks." Here's Brianna Keilar.</s>BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Family members of some of the 26 students and teachers killed in the Newtown shooting visited Capitol Hill, lobbying lawmakers to take up gun legislation. Jillian Soto, whose sister Vicki died at Sandy Hook Elementary School, met with Democrats and Republicans.</s>JILLIAN SOTO, SISTER OF SLAIN SANDY HOOK TEACHER: It's hard to even wrap your arms around that this even happened. But we're, you know, just taking it day by day, and, you know, going to Washington and demanding something happen.</s>SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D), CONNECTICUT: Thank you. Thank you for being here.</s>KEILAR: The high profile visits come as the Senate's top Democrat Harry Reid announced he will force a vote this week on whether to start debate on tougher gun laws, and they coincide with a weeklong White House offensive.</s>BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Safer for our children. So let's do the right thing.</s>KEILAR: Monday President Obama pressed the Senate from Connecticut with a campaign style event. Tuesday at a White House event with law enforcement officials, Vice President Joe Biden and Attorney General Eric Holder applied more pressure as a growing group of Republicans say they plan to block the Senate from even debating the Democratic authored bill.</s>JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT: Won't even proceed. Now, maybe, between now and the time it gets to the floor, they will -- as my mother says, they will have seen the light. Maybe that will change. What an embarrassing thing to say.</s>KEILAR: Democrats are hoping for support from at least a handful of Republicans like Georgia's Johnny Isakson. He met with the Newtown families Tuesday and told CBS News that despite his opposition to the bill he won't filibuster it.</s>SEN. JOHNNY ISAKSON (R), GEORGIA: But I think it deserves a vote, up or down.</s>KEILAR: Brianna Keilar, CNN, Washington.</s>BERMAN: Our thanks to Brianna. It is 17 minutes after the hour right now. Let's bring you up to date. The Florida couple accused of abducting their two sons and sailing off to Cuba are back in Florida this morning, where they have been placed under arrest. Cuba turned the Hakken family over to the U.S. after they were spotted Tuesday on a 25-foot sailboat at a marina in Havana. Florida authorities sent a plane to fly them back to Tampa. The two boys will be returned to their maternal grandparents now.</s>SAMBOLIN: A U.S. officials tells CNN North Korea is likely to test fire a ballistic mobile missile at any time, and it could come without advanced warning. Intelligence reports indicate the North has already completed launch preparations. Pyongyang now telling foreigners in South Korea to take steps to protect themselves.</s>BERMAN: Could former Congressman Anthony Weiner be planning a run as mayor of New York City? Weiner stepped down in 2011 after he was caught sending out explicit messages and photos on Twitter but now there are reports that Weiner is polling New York City residents to see if they would consider him as a candidate for mayor. He confirmed as much to the "New York Times." Weiner still has more than $4 million in his campaign fund and he still maintains a campaign office.</s>SAMBOLIN: The FBI has confirmed they are looking into the secret tapes that recorded a strategy session in Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's office. The tapes revealed the Kentucky Republican was considering attacking then prospective candidate Ashley Judd over her religious views and battles with depression. McConnell was furious.</s>SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), MINORITY LEADER: As I indicated, last week they were attacking my wife's ethnicity and apparently also bugging my headquarters, much like Nixon and Watergate. That's what the political left does these days.</s>SAMBOLIN: Actress Ashley Judd released a statement responding to what was said in the tape saying, in part, quote, "We expected nothing less from Mitch McConnell and his camp than to take a personal struggle such as depression, which many Americans cope with on a daily basis, and turn it into a laughing matter."</s>BERMAN: A lot of politics at play here. A lot of people saying that McConnell's response to this yesterday was sort of textbook rapid response, instead of talking about the accusation, of course, that McConnell was having meetings talking about Ashley Judd and depression. He turned around immediately and said, I was bugged. I was bugged. This is dirty tricks.</s>SAMBOLIN: Yes.</s>BERMAN: I'm the majority leader.</s>SAMBOLIN: Would have been much nicer. All right. Ninety minutes past the hour. What does waste in Washington have to do with catfish? The answer coming up.