in myanmar's largest city, yangon. it has a variety of newspapers and magazines. many publications include cartoons. some devote an entire page to these popular sketches. following the democratization struggle. he has drawn cartoons for more than 20 years. >> translator: i have drawn the voices of people, what they want and how they feel. without democracy we are suppressed and oppressed. so i draw for democracy. >> reporter: he drew this cartoon during the military regime. it shows inmates talking about how they ended up in jail. >> i was jailed because i was caught gambling. >> well, look at him. his crime was the most serious. he fooled a blind woman in a card game. >> reporter: han likened the citizens of myanmar to a blind wom woman. it indirectly criticizes the previous government as a criminal that cheated the public. >> we love our president! >> reporter: but things are changing since president thein sein was sworn in last year. prepublication censorship was abolished in august. now cartoonists can express thei

would continue to support myanmar. and he gave a lecture at yangon university, a former stronghold of pro-democracy activists. he used the occasion to pressure the government to continue on the path of reform. >> and we recognize no two nations achieve these rights in exactly the same way, but there is no question that your count will be stronger if it draws on the strength of all of its people. that's what allows nations to succeed. >> why democracy and why we need reconciliation? this is the main important thing. >> i think this is very impressive, and i think his visit would lead a positive change. >> reporter: some observers criticized the visit. they said it was too soon to reward myanmar's leaders with a visit from the president of the united states. >> i don't think this is the right time for the president of the united states to visit burma. i don't think the president does enough to accept the highest level from the united states government. >> reporter: the u.s. administration decided to proceed with the trip

because myanmar's own facilities are run down. this man is one of them. he lost his leg below the knee in a shooting incident, so the clinic made him an artificial leg. >> reporter: the clinic sees about 150,000 patients a year, but managers have an unexpected problem. the clinic needs an extra $290,000 to cover its costs for this year. but financially has been falling. organizations are channelling funds into myanmar instead to support its democratization. >> over the years, the caseload has grown a lot. they weren't giving as much money either, perhaps because of all the good news inside burma. so they might have thought the maoe pz to clinic was no longer necessary. >> reporter: the clinic still has an important role to play. she has reduced the workforce by 10% to cut costs. >> translator: if the health care system in myanmar improves, fewer patients will come to us. eventually nobody will need our services, but we have to keep providing them for now. >> reporter: it will likely be some time before the government and ethnic groups in myanmar reach a l

it provides medical subsidies to refugees and immigrants from myanmar. the first visit costs just a dollar. they get to see a doctor and receive free medication. >> translator: i don't have much money. so i can't afford other hospitals. >> she was forced to flee myanmar for protesting against the persecution of ethnic minorities. she established the clinic 33 years ago to assist other refugees. the clinic employs some 600 medical workers including nurses, physicians, and gynecologists. they also take care of a rising number of patients who come across the border looking for better medical care. because myanmar's own facilities are rundown. this man is one of them. he lost his leg below the knee in a shooting incident, so the clinic made him an artificial leg. the clinic sees about 150,000 patients a year. managers are struggling with recent unexpected problems. the clinic needs an extra $290,000 to cover its costs for this year. financial as from foreign ngos has been falling. organizations are channeling funds into myanmar instead to support its did he

president arriving in myanmar, air force 1. the doors will open and the president will get off the airplane and walk down the tarmac to meet with leaders there. president barack obama in myanmar as part of his three-day trip to asia. again, these pictures are just coming in. first time a sitting u.s. president visited the pacific rim. long ruled by a repressive military regime. and you can better believe there's a bit of controversy with this one. cnn's dan loathian traveling with the president. joining us now. so dan, how is the president responding to criticism over this visit? >> reporter: well, you know, obviously the president pushing back on this criticism saying that, you know, if you were to wait around for this country to have a perfect democracy, you might end up waiting a long time. so to that end, the president will be arriving here and as you pointed out and will be meeting with two important figures in this country on this long road to democracy. first of all, the newly elected president and the nobel prize winnin

president to visit myanmar. to open the door of joining myanmar community. he presented challenges for myanmar. he used stories of the american story and evolution of american democracy as evolution. >> the road ahead is marked by huge challenges. there will be those who resist the forces of change, but i stand here with confidence that something is happening in country. r >> reporter: the president brought $170 million over the next two years. not a big chunk of foreign aid compared to what the united states gives other countries. a down payment. more money is likely to come. traveling with the president in myanmar, this is chuck todd, nbc news. >>> thank you, chuck. millionaire on the run. john mcafee taking time out to blog into belize. scott mcgrew is here right now to bring us up to date. >> this morning, we told you how mcafee announced $25,000 belizian reward for the real killer. that is $25,000 u.s. mcafee moved to belize years ago. here you see his blog. one of the women in his blog hiding out with him. in a blog post a few hours ago, mcafee gives u

after an historic stop in myanmar earlier today. so, did the president accomplish what he set out to do there? our dan lothian is traveling with the president. we will check in with him live next. it's swanson flavor boost. concentrated broth to add delicious flavor to your skillet dish in just one stir. mmm! [ female announcer ] cook, meet compliments. get recipes at flavorboost.com. who have used androgel 1%, there's big news. presenting androgel 1.62%. both are used to treat men with low testosterone. androgel 1.62% is from the makers of the number one prescribed testosterone replacement therapy. it raises your testosterone levels, and... is concentrated, so you could use less gel. and with androgel 1.62%, you can save on your monthly prescription. [ male announcer ] dosing and application sites between these products differ. women and children should avoid contact with application sites. discontinue androgel and call your doctor if you see unexpected signs of early puberty in a child, or, signs in a woman which may include chang

now, myanmar is the destination that's making some observers unhappy. human rights groups say it's just too soon and the country's small steps towards democracy don't yet deserve a visit from the president of the united states. obama's national security adviser, tom donilon, defended the trip. he says it will advance the cause of reform in myanmar. >> the president's visit this time reflects his conviction that engagement is the best way to encourage burmese authorities to further action. >> human rights groups oppose the visit. they say the former pariah state has not achieved true democratic reform and ethnic minorities continue to face persecution. obama will meet his counterpart thein sein. donilon stressed obama will raise the issue of violence with against muslim rohina with myanmar's leaders. a week of violence last month claimed about 90 lives according to the official account. more than 100,000 people have been displaced. the white house says the improving u.s. relationship with myanmar is an example hostile nations could follow. >> that is a p

more will come if they have more democratic reforms. >> chuck todd in myanmar. chuck, thank you so much. >>> and now but turn to the middle east with talks scheduled in egypt on a possible cease fire. but hamas militants in gaza are still firing rockets into israel, and the palestinian death toll from israeli attacks increases. nbc's stephanie gosk is live this morning in tel aviv for us. stephanie, what can you tell us? >> good morning, veronica. the violence has been intense over the last 24 hours. no sign of it letting up, even as those talks are on going in cairo. so far today, 40 rockets have been launched out of gaza into israel. 33 have fallen. there are no injuries even though two of the rockets, one hit a school and one hit a house, damaging it significantly. the same can't be said on the gaza side. you know, this effort began with the israeli defense forces hitting things like storage facilities and rocket launchers. they've expanded that operation to include the homes of hamas leaders. that has led to a number of civilian casualties, both today and th

myanmar is the destination that's making some observers unhappen pip. human rights say it's just too soon and the country's small steps towards democracy don't yet deserve a visit from the president of the united states. obama's national security adviser tom donilon defended the trip. he says it will advance the cause of reform in myanmar. >> the president's visit this time reflects his conviction that engagement is the best way to encourage burmese authorities to further action. >> human rights groups oppose the visit. they say the former pariah state has not achieved true democratic reform and ethnic minorities continue to face persecution. obama will meet his counterpart thein sein. donilon stressed obama will raise the issue of violence with myanmar's leaders. a week of violence last month claimed about 90 lives according to the official account. more than 100,000 people have been displaced. the white house says the improving u.s. relationship with myanmar is an example hostile nations could follow. >> that is a path that if the north koreans would

myanmar's per capita gdp is aamong the lowest in asean. the country may be exploring ways to develop its economy quickly by maintaining close relations with both superpowers. jooup kobayashi, nhk world, yangon. >>> from one controversial mineral protect to another, and this time in malaysia, a plant for refining rare earth metals has begun operations one year behind schedule, but protests continue by local residents concerned about the impact on health and the environment. australian mining company lynas began refining rare earths on friday at the plant in malaysia's central state. the facility is the largest of its kind outside china. lynas plans to use it to produce about 22,000 tons a year of rare earths including neodymium. the sux is a key component of electric motor vehicles. china dominates the rare earth market, and companies looking to diversify their supplies are keeping a cleese eye on developments at the plant in malaysia, and japan hopes to secure one-third of its annual supply from the facility when it reaches full capacity.

. >>> well, president obama is on a historic visit to the southeast nation asian of myanmar. while he is there, mr. obama will be meeting with myanmar's prime minister and the nobel peace prize winning democracy advocate aung san suu kyi. the president will also deliver an address in which he will praise myanmar's progress toward democracy and urge it to make further reforms. myanmar is also known as burma. >>> well, vice president joe biden was much closer to home, getting a firsthand look at the new jersey coastline that, of course, was devastated by superstorm sandy. the vice president toured hard-hit seaside heights and later surveyed damage in hoboken, new jersey. he met with about 50 first responders and receiving a briefing pledging federal support. biden said rebuilding is a, quote, national respondent. >>> we have new developments this morning in the cia sex scandal. a person close to david petraeus' biographer paula broad well says she is devastated by the fallout of her affair with the former cia chief. broadwell is back in the south with her husband and her sons a

india has lagged behind china when it comes to forging ties with myanmar, but. afghanistan produces more than 80% of opium circulated around the world but trade in the truck threatens to destabilize the entire region. politicians from several nations have been meeting in the pakistani capital in islamabad. >> cabinet nebs in 11 nearby countries attended the conference that ended on tuesday. opium used in afghanistan is smuggled into pakistan and several asian nations. the united nations office on drugs and crime says 5,800 tons of opium was made from poppies in afghanistan last year. that's an increase of 60% from the year before. opium is a major source of funding for taliban militants. it held a ceremonial burning of confiscated drugs to highlight its campaign against the public trade. but opium is a -- crime organizations in pakistan and other countries. pakistani interior minister called on western nations to share responsibility for the drug trade, although most opium consumed in asia is produced in the west. >> i demanded the west to -- the blame is on pak

president obama is the first president to ever visit myanmar. i can tell you it's been a whirlwind day here for the president. the president got here, greeted by throngs of people of this country at times getting very close actually to the motorcade. the first thing he did after he met with the president is he went to nobel peace prize winner aung san suu kyi, who of course is the big democracy activist here in myanmar. the president was here and made the case why myanmar needs to continue its democratic reform and also told the story of the evolution of american democracy hoping it would serve as a model. here's a little bit of that speech. >> i stand before you today, the president of the most powerful nation on earth, but recognizing that once the color of my skin would have denied me the right to vote. and so that should give you some sense that if our country can transcend its differences, then yours can, too. every human being within these border dids -- >> reporter: he department just come here to give a speech. he came with aid. >>> nbc'

barack obama praises myanmar's trip to democracy. and oil futures hit a two week high as international pressure mounts for a cease-fire in gaza. welcome back. just to keep you abreast with what's taking place at the moment in the uk, you have the uk prime minister david cameron speaking live at cbe conference. confederation of british industry. so he was just talking about how the government needs to be tough, radical and fast and he's continuing to lay out his thoughts there at this conference. we'll keep you up-to-date. tomorrow's euro group meeting is likely to be a tense affair. the imf looks to stick to its guns. christine lagarde told reuters that any financing program needs to be rooted in reality and not in wishful thinking. julia chatter sly is in athens. the chances of officials not green lighting further aid to greece, is it fair to say at the this stage that's very small? >> i think at the moment we have a situation where you have the imf really pushing for debt write down and on the other people wanting an enter rum solu

japanese transport minister and his myanmar counterpart will be signing a memorandum next monday. japan is expected to provide myanmar with technical support to help improve its airports and seaports and the two countries plan to hold regular vice ministerial meetings to discuss technical assistance. japan is also expected to send civil engineers to myanmar to help with infrastructure projects. >>> the british public broadcaster bbc has agreed to pay a settlement to a former senior politician who it incorrectly implicated in a child abuse scandal. the scandal is one of several that have recently put an unwelcomed spotlight on the british media. >>> earlier this month the bbc documenting program news night broadcast a report on child abuse in children's homes in wales in the 1970s and 1980s. one of the victims claimed in the program that the assailant had been a powerful politician at the time of the incident. the name of the alleged assailant was not broadcast in the program but lord allister mcalpine was later wrongly identified on the internet. the bbc has agreed to pay mcalpine

after wrapping up the first trip to myanmar by a sitting u.s. president, chuck joins us now with the latest on the president's trip. >> well, good morning. i'm here in myanmar, a country that just a few years ago was virtually isolated from the world's community and now a united states president has visited the country, barack obama. he made a whirlwind 12 hours count when he landed and touched down he was greeted by a sea of folks here, some of them locals looked spontaneous. some of them uniformed schoolchildren, looked like it was very organized. but throngs of people hoping to catch glimpses of the motorcade. the president played a little bit of tourist, by the way. he stopped by a famous 2,000-year-old temple with a big buddha there. the president participating in a ceremony. >> i was dousing the flames. >> and then the president went to aung san sun kyi's house where the activist was under house arrest for years. the two of them after meeting behind closed doors with secretary of state hillary clinton in tow, by the way, they came out and

we have many ethnic groups in myanmar. they are also hoping that obama will help them progress. >> suarez: also known as burma, the country was under military rule for half a century and was largely closed off from the rest of the world. yet in the past two years it's begun a rapid about-face. today president obama complemented... complimented the myanmar president, former general and his reform. >> the steps that he's already taken for democratization -- elections, the release of prisoners of conscience, a commitment to work with us on human rights dialogue -- all can unleash the incredible potential of this beautiful country. >> suarez: from there the president followed by admirers traveled to the home of long time opposition leader who spent most of the last 20 years under house arrest and is now an elected member of her country's house of representatives. >> the united states has been staunch in its support of the democracy movement in burma and we are confident that this support will continue through the difficult yea

myanmar has made steady progress on political reform. he promises to support the economic development. japan's public and private sectors will back reform efforts. it will be the first yen loan in almost 26 years. myanmar's leaders will use it to refurbish a thermal power plant in yangon. japan's government will extend the loans in february next year at the earliest. myanmar's to foreign investors. >>> letting out a small sigh of relief. trade agreement. joins us from the business desk. what's the story here? >> as you know, political tensions have tied up in parts of east asia. and that has affected business activity and trade but now japan, china, and south korea will have free lateral trade talks on tuesday as they put aside recent diplomatic tensions. will meet on the sidelines of the east asia summit in cambodia. the delegates are the trade minister, china's commerce minister, and south korea's chief trade negotiator. administrators have agreed in may during talks in beijing to begin negotiations by year end. but it took them awhile

. >>> president obama is in cambodia this hour and he made a passionate speech to the people in myanmar formerly known as berma. chuck todd is traveling with him and has more on the visit for s us. >> good morning from myanmar, richard. the president left a few hours ago but it was a whirlwind 12 hours he spent here, and it is an amazing story, myanmar and the relationship with the united states. a few years ago a country completely isolated essentially from the world community and now a first-h ever visit from a united states sitting president. barack obama spent time with the current president of this country and also did a little tourism if you l and he was greeted by throngs of locals and schoolchildren were waving flags and the motorcade was at times engulfed in the sea of people. and the president did get time to play a little tourist and went to a famous pagoda here and participated in a ceremony having to do with the buddha that is at this pagoda and then it is on to angsn suu kyu kyi's house. she is the activist who was under house arrest at the very house that the president vi

japan is planning a program to train lawyers from myanmar and help revise its civil code. myanmar's reform government is led by civilians, but the constitution still reserves one-quarter of seats in pal meant for the military. during wednesday's speech, the chief justice said all citizens have the right to equality, freedom and justice. but he stopped short of saying whether the constitution should be changed. >> and that wraps up our bulletin from bangkok. scientists are raising the alarm over another source of global warming. that comes from perm ma frost which scientists say is melting releasing greenhouse gasses trapped under the ice. the authors say perma frost contains huge amounts of carbon from the melting of organic matter. perma frost covers almost a quarter of the northern hemisphere including large parts of siberia and canada. it could release as much as 105 giga tons of co2 before the end of the year. >> perma frost tends to be very durable but when it melts, tarrant county infrastructure gets soft. >> the scientists warn emissions from perma frost could start

. >>> also the president making an historic visit to myanmar overnight. we'll let you know what he had to say about relations with that country. >>> taking a live look outside for this monday morning. look at that, already festive holiday lights. well, it is november 19th, after all. this is "today in the bay." >>> 4:30. everybody. a very good monday morning to you. i'm jon kelley. >> and i'm laura garcia-cannon. lots to get to. in the meantime let's check in with meteorologist christina loren. good morning. >> hey, good morning to you. yeah, i was trying to get a christmas tree over the weekend. you've got to wait until the day after thanksgiving before those trees become available. what i can tell you is today and tomorrow for the most part we'll stay dry but there's a lot of rain on the way for wednesday. but as you're trying to make your plans, you want to keep that in the back of your mind. 55 in san francisco, 51 in sonoma and we're at 54 in stinson beach. new week, new forecast. lots to talk about. first let's check your drive. good monday morning,

he said myanmar has made steady progress in political reform. he promises to support the country's economic development. >> translator: japan's public and private sectors will both back myanmar's reform effort. >> it will be the first loan in almost 26 years. they will use it to refurbish a power plant. they plan to invest in the commercial economic zone. japan's government will extend the loans in february of next year. they promise to make the country more attractive to foreign investors. >>> expecters in japan are hoping they will be able to shift more of their products to neighboring countries. exporters need any help they can get. >> not only that they are struggling against trade barriers and they are hoping one may be on the way because japan and south china will start trade talks. trade officials from the nations will meet on the sidelines. the delegates are japan strait minister, china's commerce minister and trade negotiator. the ministers agreed in may during talks in beijing to begin negotiations by year end. it took them a while to

now the president is in cambodia at the historic visit to myanmar. in cambodia he is attending the rageal east asia summit. he also held what one aide calls a tense meeting with cambodia's prime minister. the focus was on the need to improve human rights. in myanmar the president urged the country to continue the reform movement that is underway there. he met with nobel peace prize winner aung san suu kyi and praised her for her prodemocracy activism. we get details from the trip from our dan rivers. >> reporter: president obama became the first sitting u.s. president to visit myanmar formally after three years of intense engagement with the former military dictatorship. he dismissed criticism that the trip was in some ways premature saying that his presence there could be a catalyst for change. he held a highly symbolic meeting with the pro-democracy leader aung san suu kyi at her residents. the house that had been her effective prison for more than 15 years and officials saying the president was really quite moved by that visit to her home. he paid

myanmar's remarkable journey has just begun. these are remarkable live pictures that you are looking at at the university of myanmar, as the u.s. president barack obama is making a historic visit to this country. he's the first serving american president to visit myanmar. in the speech, he complimented political change in the country and also focused much of the speech on calling for more political reform. a little bit of a delicate balance he had to make there. looking at pictures too of aung sung suu chi, a pro democracy icon silting alongside the secretary of state, hillary clinton. a short while ago, president obama and hillary clinton had gone to her house. president obama bowed and shook her hand and hillary clinton gave her a huge hug. in the speech, president obama quoted her focusing especially on citizens in myanmar, as well as across asia, saying that fighting fear was really the key to success, economic and political development, and she really is an icon of that. president obama also talked more about reforms, press

the president arriving in myanmar. air force one, in a moment the door will open, and the president will get off the airplane and walk down the tarmac to meet with leaders there. president barack obama in myanmar as part of his three-day trip to asia. again, these pictures are just coming in. first time a sitting u.s. president visited the pacific rim. long ruled by a repressive military regime. and you can better believe there's a bit of controversy with this one. cnn's dan lothian traveling with the president. joining us now. live from the capital city of yangon. so, dan, how is the president responding to criticism over this visit? >> reporter: well, you know, obviously the president pushing back on this criticism saying that, you know, if you were to wait around for this country to have a perfect democracy, you might end up waiting a long time. so to that end, the president will be arriving here and as you pointed out and will be meeting with two important figures in this country on this long road to democracy. fir

president has visited myanmar. president obama is now in cambodia for the east asia summit. >> a monumental trip of unity. 6:46 right now. christina loren is back to tell us about a monday starting off that should be a lot nicer than the next couple of days. >> another round of rain to get through. but the good news is it's going to clear out just before you start to enjoy your thanksgiving feast. that's the good news. a lot of people have family coming into town, maybe you're trying to get out of town. we'll help you sort out your plans. 6:46. right now is a pretty safe time. we are looking so crystal clear this morning, no fog to report. this is a beautiful live look over the bay bridge this morning. you can see there's a little bit of a ripple out here on the waterway. well, that's because we've got some winds picking up over the san francisco bay so it's not going to be quite as glassy as it has been the past couple days, but look at this. foster city just spectacular. we have more midlevel clouds here and that

president to myanmar was unthinkable. but that is changing as the former military regime continues reforms following years of isolation. now president obama is set to make a landmark trip to the country, following up on the u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton's visit last year. president obama plans to meet with president thein sein and opposition leader aung san suu kyi. the government of myanmar is bolstering democratization and economic reforms. obama's visit could be seen as a sign of approval of the efforts. but he is also expected to encourage politicians to do more to achieve their goals. the u.s. president is also scheduled to attend the east asia summit in cambodia to talk about disputes between china and member countries including vietnam, as the islands in the south china sea likely to be taken up for discussion at the summit. obama is expected to join asean members in the call for china to establish the code of conduct to peacefully resolve the disputes. such an appeal would certainly provide asean with le

it's historic because it will mark the first time a sitting president visited burma, also known as myanmar. phil neville previews the trip. >> reporter: president obama is traveling to southeast asia hoping to expand relations with countries in the region. this is his fifth strip to -- trip to asia in four years and centers around a visit to burma. the country's in the process of transitioning from decades of authoritarian rule to a democratic system. secretary of state hillary clinton said burma is a prime example of a formerly militaristic regime changing its ways. >> the cost of economic sanctions and the benefits of rejoining the global economy help spur the government to begin opening up. >> reporter: over the past year, burma introduced sweeping reforms, including holding elections, easing rules and protests, relaxing sensorship and freeing dissidents. the president will meet with the most public figure at her home where she was held under house arrest for more than two decades. >> this is with -- will have very high symbolic significance. under substance itself, it depends on how it

myanmar. how hard is that? >> stephanie: i think jacki schechner had to use siri this morning. >> it is mar and i not me and mar. >> me and bill maher. >> obama: the united states is and always will be a pacific nation as the fastest-growing region in the world, the asia pacific will shape so much of our security and prosperity in the century ahead and it is critical to creating jobs and opportunity for the american people. >> stephanie: yeah! >> president doing some presidenting. [ applause ] >> he's trying to cover up for the whole scandal. >> stephanie: right. that's why he's over there. we're just repeating what skeeter said. by the way julie writes steph right wing morons have something to suck on. most of the world calls burma -- >> myanmar. >> about 20 years now. >> stephanie: he's supposed to call it burma. omg. president obama calls burma myanmar as diplomatic courtesy. oh, it is an apology tour, see? >> yeah, why is there a problem? >> if that's the case, we should call israel palestine. >> stephanie:

of course, the highlight has been the several hours he spent in myanmar, the first american president to be there in the country known as burma. to catch a look at the president, the president was greeted by thousands of locals that lined the streets. including uniformed school children, waving flags for miles. mr. obama made an unannounced stop at a holy site, the center of the religion. there, the president made the ceremonial water pouring. then it was off to the home of aung san kyi, where the nobel prize peace winner lived under house arrest. >> i would like to see president obama in my country, and in my heart. >> reporter: later, the president formally addressed the president in a speech where he justified his trip to the still not-yet free country. >> i said, in my address, we will extend a hand if you're willing to unclench your fist. under the president, the desire for change has been met by an agenda for reform. so today, i have come to extend my hand of friendship. >> reporter: the president tried to draw the american history to push myanmar even further. >> i stand before

. >>> myanmar's opposition leader aung san suu kyi has called on india to support her country as it moves towards democracy. aung san suu kyi made the call in new delhi, india, on wednesday where she's visiting for the first time in 25 years. she asked india to support the people of myanmar as they continue to strive toward their goal of creating a democratic state. >> as long as our peoples remain bound in understanding and mutual respect, the friendship between our two countries will last far into the future. >> in a speech she cited her own close relationship with india, referring to the period when she lived there. at that time her mother was serving as then burma's ambassador to india. ahead of the lecture she exchanged views with india's prime minister singh about the process of bringing democracy to myanmar. >>> afghanistan produces more than 80% of opium circulating around the world and trade in the drug threatens to destabilize the entire region. politicians from several nations have been meeting in the pakistani capital islamabad to discuss ways to tackle the problem. >> reporte

recently been on to vee either ma'am, cambodia, laos, of course thailand because i have a house there and myanmar. that whole region is known as southeast asia. and i think that region of 250 million people will continue to grow regardless because you have a relatively high gdp per capita in thailanthailand, and the surg countries have a g igdp per cap less $1,000. the countries opening up now and i think with the trade links and transportation links that are being expanded regardless of what happens in the world can grow. provided there is geopolitical stability in asia which is a big

ally and neighbor of myanmar and burma, are you certain and do you believe president obama's visit is premature or appropriately timed? thank you? >> well, first of all i think it's important to recognize, david, this is not an endorsement of the burmese government. it's an acknowledgen't there's a process under way inside that country that even a year and a half ago, two years ago nobody foresaw. president hussein is taking steps that move us in a better direction. you have aungi san suu kyi. you've seen prisoners released. there's an articulated commitment for political reform. but i don't think anybody's under the illusion that burma's arrivinged, that they're where they need to be. on the other hand, if we waited to engage until they had achieved a perfect democracy, my suspicion is we'd be waiting an awful long time. and one of the goals of this trip is to highlight the progress that has been made but also to give voice to the much greater progress that needs to be made in the future. so when i address the burmese public as the first president who's ever visited that country, wha

obama is scheduled to hold talks with myanmar president thein sein. the talks will likely focus on democratic reforms. he'll also meet with opposition leader aung san suu kyi. in cambodia obama will attend the east asia summit. one of the top items will be territorial disputes over islands in the south china sea involving china, philippines, vietnam among other country. the u.s. administration said last year it should shift its diplomatic and security focus to the asia pacific region. obama will be keen to reassure leaders his position remains unchanged. >>> the united states has launched a protest with iran after several iranian warplanes attacked a u.s. military drone. the pentagon says the attack occurred last thursday in international aerospace over the persian gulf. >> unarmed, unmanned mq 1 military aircraft conducting routine surveillance over the arabian gulf was intercepted by iran january craft and was fired upon with guns. >> little says the iranian jets fired at least twice at the drone but failed to hit it. the u.s. believes the pilots in

ditto, myanmar. in a university speech overnight in yangon, myanmar, the president offered the country's new civilian government a hand of friendship as long as it continues to nurture democracy. >>> also this morning there's this new video we want to show you from this tv crew's camera. just so happened to be rolling as this oil rig in the gulf of mexico exploded in the distance. hear them reacting to it. see the smoke there. divers scouring the sea floor found the body of one man who worked on that platform. another worker is still unaccounted for today and we're told at least 11 others were injured in this plosion which happened friday. as for a cause, we still don't know yet. >>> it may be a little too early to talk about 2016. but florida senator marco rubio certainly looked like he was ready to hit the campaign trail during a visit to iowa this weekend. rubio appeared saturday night at a fundraiser for iowa governor terry branstad. in his speech he discussed the future of the republican party,

obama has already met with myanmar's leaders with aung san suu kyi. the president has also praised myanmar's move towards democracy and urged the country to continue making further reforms. >>> vice president biden spent sunday getting an up close look at the area devastated by superstorm sandy. the v.p. toured seaside heights. he later surveyed the damage in hoboken. he later met with supporters saying rebuilding is, quote, a national responsibility. >>> and in new york, city officials plan to demolish about 200 homes severely damaged by sandy. in some cases, the danger of collapse is so great, they'll be bulldozed before the owners are notified. another 500 homes are being inspected and could be torn down as well. >>> most of the country is expecting a mild week which clears the way for a pretty smooth thanksgiving getaway. but that is definitely not the case in the northwest. a major storm is washing out holiday travel plans in that part of the country. seattle, portland and northern california have already been swamped by some pretty heavy downpou

his stop in myanmar will be a first as a u.s. president. >>> in missouri police arrest a man planning an aurora-style shooting in the premiere of "twilight." the suspect is 20-year-old blake lammers. police were tipped off by his mom. he purchased two assault rifles, 400 rounds of ammunition and was off his medication, and says that he was also thinking about shooting people in walmart. >>> in aurora, colorado, details finalized for dividing up the $5 million in donations to the theater shootings. families of the 12 people killed and five people who suffered permanent brain damage or paralysis will get $220,000 each. six people who spent at least 20 days in the hospital will get $160,000 each and 13 others who spent lace time hospitalized will get $35,000 each. >>> the coast guard is searching for two missing crew members from an oil platform in the gulf of mexico. an explosion ripped through the oil platform yesterday. at least 11 people were injured. the platform is about 20 miles from louisiana. only about 30 gallons of fuel s

first myanmar, a country rapid by transitioning from years of brutal military rule. president obama met with government officials as well as opposition leader aung san suu kyi who spent decades under house arrest and subsequent election to parliament. myanmar, also known as burma, has sweeping change to renewed focus on tackling poverty and political oppression. speaking in thailand president obama brushed off criticism that his trip may have been premature. >> this is not an endorsement of the burmese government, this is an acknowledgment that there's a process underway inside that country that even a year and a half, two years ago nobody foresaw. but i don't think anybody's under any illusion that burma's arrived, that they're where they need to be. on the other hand, if we waited to engage until they had achieved a perfect democracy, my suspicion is we would be waiting an awful long time. >> today president obama will meet with leaders of several southeast asian nations at a summit in cambodia's capital. >>> the members of the congress are vowing to find out if a

president has gone to myanmar. he explained he wants to encourage democracy in what was a regime. >> this is an acknowledgment that there's a process under way in that country that even a year and half, two years ago nobody forsought. >> president obama will meet with chi. >>> we want to take you back now to burma this is in yangon myanmar. president obama is expected to enter that building any home. they gather there as he makes his historic visit in that country. >>> in tonight's special report we take a closer look at this controversial plan and hear from some of those who say it's a more cost effective way to fight crime. >> i apologize to them as well, i'm embarrassed for them because they live and die as a raider fan. i feel for them. >>> raiders owner mark davis makes a rare apology. why he says she's embarrassed coming up in sports wrap. >> remember you can get ktvu news to go right on your cell phone. just download the ktvu app, click the live icon and watch all of our newscasts live. be connected any time

president has gone to myanmar, also known as burma. it is a country that has been closed until recently. about two years ago we've seen this sort of movement to reform, but the controversy believes it's too soon for the president to make a visit there because you only have sort of one first visit to make and it becomes a very big deal. and they point to the fact that, you know, secretary of state hillary clinton already went there at the end of last year. there's now a u.s. ambassador there and that there's such a long way to go on the road to democracy there that we're only in the first chapters of it that it's really too early. the country's still unstable. there's still a lot of corruption there, violence there, and yet the president is going there. and the defense from the administration is they have rewarded action with action, and they point to the fact that when it was announced that secretary clinton would be going there and they would be putting a u.s. ambassador there, that's when you saw parliamentary elections. that's when