President Obama Going After Guns
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Donald Trump unleashing his first television ad of the campaign. I believe we just got it in seconds ago. Here it is.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But Donald Trump calls it radical Islamic terrorism. That's why he's calling for a temporary shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until we can figure out what's going on. He'll quickly cut the head off ISIS and take their oil. And he'll stop illegal immigration by building a wall in our southern border that Mexico will pay for.</s>BERMAN: All right. Donald Trump's new ad right there. He says he will spend millions. $2 million a week in Iowa and New Hampshire. Airing this ad. Very interesting. He talks about his proposed ban on Muslims entering the United States. He talks about the wall. He wants to build with Mexico and he attacks Hillary Clinton directly. Trump also told the "Washington Post" he has several other ads in the works. So that was the very first airing of the new Donald Trump ad. The rest of the Republican field also launching their final push. Ted Cruz, Chris Christie, they have multiple events scheduled today. Ted Cruz is in Iowa, Christie will be in New Hampshire. Marco Rubio, he will appear in both states today. Jeb Bush, he needs something, he needs a comeback, and after pulling his commercials from Iowa and South Carolina, he will rely on retail handshaking politics. He is also keeping up his new sharper attacks on Donald Trump.</s>JEB BUSH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And Donald Trump, I don't believe, is going to be the party's nominee. If he is, he's going to get crushed by Hillary Clinton. And I wanted to point that out. He said some things that are just outrageous. His views on policy have shifted with the winds. He is a strong supporter, until recently, of Hillary Clinton. And now he's the front running candidate for the Republican nomination. Someone has to call him out.</s>BERMAN: Ben Carson has a new campaign leadership this morning after his campaign manager and commutations director up and quit. Carson told ABC News the campaign needs people with, quote, "the ability to execute and not just have good ideas." John Kasich, he's got a new ad out today as well in New Hampshire. He's been polling in the top five there or so in recent weeks. He needs to do better than that. He's pinning his hopes on that state.</s>ROMANS: Happening this morning, Bill Clinton set to make his first solo appearance on behalf of his wife in New Hampshire. The campaign is striking a delicate balance between Bill Clinton's huge popularity among -- Democrats, rather, and the risk of putting him on the trail. With his past sexual indiscretions already on the table now as an issue, campaign allies are concerned that having him upfront could do more harm than good. On Sunday, Hillary Clinton, she shut down a heckler who turned out to be a New Hampshire Republican lawmaker.</s>HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Just -- just -- well, I'm going to call on people. I'm -- wait a minute, I -- I'm not going to take your question because other people have been -- yes, go right there. This man right there in -- here we go. Right there. You are very rude and I'm not going to ever call on you. Thank you.</s>ROMANS: Clinton rival Bernie Sanders, he was very clear on "STATE OF THE UNION" that he just doesn't care about the issue.</s>SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think we got more important things to worry about in this country than Bill Clinton's sex life.</s>BERMAN: In just hours, President Obama meets in the Oval Office with Attorney General Loretta Lynch. They are set to discuss options for tougher gun restrictions. Over the next couple of days, sources familiar with the issue tells CNN the president will announce executive actions on guns. Potential changes already drawing heated criticism from Republican presidential contenders who say these moves circumvent the will of Congress. For the very latest, let's bring in CNN's Chris Frates in Washington -- Chris.</s>CHRIS FRATES, CNN INVESTIGATIONS UNIT CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, John and Christine. On his first full day back in Washington after the holidays, President Obama today plans to meet with the attorney general and other top law enforcement officials to discuss tougher gun restrictions.</s>BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: A few months ago I directed my team at the White House to look into any new actions I can take to help reduce gun violence. And on Monday, I'll meet with our attorney general, Loretta Lynch, to discuss our options because I get too many letters from parents and teachers and kids to sit around and do nothing.</s>FRATES: Sources say President Obama is expected to announce new executive actions soon. Expanding background checks on gun sales, aimed at closing the so-called gun show loophole which allows some gun sellers to avoid conducting background checks. Gun control advocates have also pushed the White House to tighten regulations on the reporting of lost and stolen guns and they want the president to prevent more alleged domestic abusers and passengers on the no-fly list from buying guns. But before the president has even announced the details of his actions, Republicans running to replace him were seemingly competing on who would undo them faster.</s>TRUMP: So he's going to sign another executive order having to do with the Second Amendment. Having to do with guns. I will veto that. I will un-sign that so fast. So fast.</s>GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This president is a petulant child. The fact is, if he wants to make changes to these laws, go to Congress and convince the Congress that they're necessary. But this is going to be another illegal executive action which I'm sure will be rejected by the courts. And when I become president will be stricken from executive action.</s>SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: All these executive orders are going to come out tomorrow. They're going to undermine our Second Amendment rights. On my first day in office, they're gone.</s>FRATES: Democrats have applauded Obama's efforts. On Sunday, Bernie Sanders, whose Democratic rivals have called him weak on gun control, endorsed increased background checks -- John, Christine.</s>BERMAN: All right, Chris Frates for us in Washington. And a special programming note. This Thursday at 8:00 p.m., President Obama will join Anderson Cooper for an exclusive live town hall event about "Guns in America." Among other things, the president will discuss the executive action on guns he will announce early this week and will take questions from a live studio audience. A town hall on "Guns in America," with President Obama, moderated by Anderson this Thursday night, 8:00 p.m. only on</s>CNN. ROMANS: The Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino is set to reopen this morning. That's of course the facility where 14 people were killed in a terror attack last month. The conference center where the shooting took place will remain closed. And there is a new security fence around the facility. A full day of events is planned to make the employees feel safe. Many of them have been working from home for the past several weeks.</s>BERMAN: A devastating earthquake hit northeast India overnight. At least six people were killed in the 6.8 magnitude quake with dozens more injured. Those numbers, they are expected to rise. Rescue efforts are being hampered by communications and power outages. The quake was centered near the border with Myanmar. There are reports of severe damage to residential and government buildings in the state of Manipur.</s>ROMANS: The potential for deadly flooding threatening millions from Illinois to Louisiana. The Mississippi River beginning to recede up north but still over its banks in several states as this bulge of water moves down river. Authorities in St. Francis County, Arkansas, are searching right now for a man who was swept away by floodwaters while riding his four-wheeler. There is a huge cleanup effort underway in the St. Louis area this morning. A devastating floods triggered by 10 inches of rain over three days leaving behind enough silt and enough debris to keep workers busy for weeks if not months. A closer look at the forecast coming up in just a few minutes.</s>BERMAN: Camille Cosby is scheduled to be deposed Wednesday in a lawsuit brought by seven women who claimed they were sexually assaulted and defamed by her husband. The wife of comedian Bill Cosby tried to have a subpoena requiring her to testify thrown out, but a judge ruled her attorney's failed to prove the value of her testimony would outweigh the undue burden it might cause her.</s>ROMANS: We are getting our first look at the wreckage of the cargo ship El Faro. The vessel sank October 1st. Caught in a category 4 hurricane while traveling from Florida to Puerto Rico. All 33 crew members on board died. Federal investigators are considering a search of the wreckage, it's 15,000 feet down. They want to potentially locate that ship's black box. Thirty-eight minutes past the hour. Let's get an EARLY START on your money. Stock futures lower. There is a global selloff. Happy New Year, everyone. China's stock market plunged. Officials there halted trading for the rest of the session. The spark, it was weak manufacturing data. We're also keeping a close eye on oil prices this morning. Crude initially moved up after Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic tie was Tehran but it's now stabilizing. Of course renewed unrest in the Middle East would be something that would drive oil prices higher. Oil plunged 35 percent last year. It's bad news for oil producing nations, but really great news for drivers. A new forecast says low prices at the pump will stay well into 2016. AAA predicts the national average for a gallon of regular will stay below $3 a gallon over the next 12 months. Right now the national average $1.99. 22 cents below a year ago. Drivers, John Berman, saved about $540 because of lower gas prices.</s>BERMAN: You drove in this morning? $1.77?</s>ROMANS: $1.77, I saw. $1.77.</s>BERMAN: I guess I'll move into that gas station.</s>ROMANS: I know.</s>BERMAN: Just keep buying gas.</s>ROMANS: I know. But you have to pay like $15 to go through the tunnel after that so --</s>BERMAN: But, but, over the last 24 hours, some signs that perhaps oil prices could go up because of what's going on in the Middle East.</s>ROMANS: Watch. Let's watch.</s>BERMAN: Just one of the effects of the dramatic and dangerous tension there. Saudi Arabia and Iran. The Saudis kicking out Iranian diplomats. This standoff getting hotter by the minute. We have new developments overnight, next.