in washington steve centanni, fox news. >>> a perfect sunday to round out the weekend, but now is the christmas holiday going to shape up? >> a last look at the forecast. gwen? >> today was wonderful, plenty of sunshine and light winds, but things are changing. current temperatures, 37 d.c., 25 manassas, 25 annapolis. now we've got a few clouds starting to roll in and we're keeping a close eye on the system affecting areas to the west of us. from tomorrow morning since a.m. till noon there is a winter weather advisory and freezing rain advisory in the shaded areas. this includes highland, pendleton, grant and mineral counties. we are looking at the onset of some winter precipitation in the form of sleet, snow and freezing rain and then a little later in the day possibly changing into all rain. that depends on how the temperature holds. for us we're looking at precipitation starting to move. in here's our futurecast about midday. then you can see this line which is a mix of precipitation, snow to the just on the line barely as we watch it moving through to the afternoon hours. then you

national correspondent steve centanni may be the only person left in washington. steve. >> reporter: it feels like it, the president is in hawaii and congress is out of town and the fiscal cliff negotiations are on hold for the holidays with no agreement in sight. john boehner is throwing the ball in the democrats' court saying the debt is too high, spending out of control and taxes should not go up. in the g.o.p.'s weekly address, he accused the president and the democrats of refusing to accept a reasonable compromise. >> the best way to address our crippling debt is to make significant spending cuts and fix our tax code. to pave the way for long term growth and opportunity. this is an approach most americans support and remains republicans' highest priority. but we only run the house. democrats continue to run washington. >> reporter: the president left town for his traditional christmas in hawaii and he and his family arriving there this morning and he has gotten in a round of golf already. before leaving the white house, he stayed back hayes spe-- scal back his

between both parties. >> gregg: national correspondent steve centanni is live in washington.g happening at all, before christmas? >> reporter: no. not much, gregg. the house is shut down through christmas and even as we get closer and closer to the fiscal cliff. no deal was reached this week that would keep taxes from going up for everyone at the end of the year and john boehner accusing the president of ducking the central issue in the fiscal stand off. >> what the president offered so far, simply will not do anything to solve our spending problem. and, begin to address or nation's crippling debt and instead he wants more spending and more tax hikes, that will hurt or economy. and refuses to challenge the members of his party to deal with entitlement reform and big issues facing our nation. >> reporter: he suggests the ball is now, basically in the democrats' court. gregg. >> gregg: will the president focus at all on this topic, in the coming days? >> reporter: there doesn't appear to be much he can do, he's with his family in hawaii to celebrate christmas and he'll return t

we continue our live team coverage with steve centanni. side the egyptian embassy in washington. where we understand there could be protests today as well. hello, steve. >> hello, shannon. yes, there will be protesters here. several hundred people expected here today. also embassy in new york and boston, egyptian embassy in washington, d.c. sentiment is running strong on both sides of the issue. for an against morsi. we have somebody absolutely opposed to president morsi here. why do you think morsi is doing the wrong thing? a guy in charge and -- this means that is not at all. [ inaudible ] >> do you think he is taking awer totarian -- >> of course. mubarak took 50 years to reach this point. making this in five months. >> reporter: thank you. why do you support the president? the only democracy that we agree on. i mean the regulations and the rules of democracy is get to the balance and vote. vote. >> reporter: but he apolished the courts. isn't that authoritarian stand? >> he is not against court. in the beginning he wanted to get parliam

steve centanni live for us in washington. , steve, what exactly did the nra president have to say over the weekend? >> reporter: well, wayne laperriere saying there was no more horrible tragedy than that shooting at sandy hook elementary up in connecticut and he understands the grief of those parents and the national mood following that tragedy. that he explained is exactly why he's making his proposal. listen. >> i'm telling you what i think will make people safe and what every mom and dad will make them feel better. when they drop their kid off at school in january, is if we have a police officer in that school, a good guy, that if some horrible monster tries to do something they will be there to protect them. >> reporter: even some republican who is support a comprehensive approach to the problem of mass violence are questioning the idea of armed guards in schools. >> if my memory is correct there actually was an armed individual at columbine years ago and it didn't prevent that tragedy. so i think we need a comprehensive a

let's check in with steve centanni who has been monitoring what's going on here in washington in reactioning. steve? >> yeah, shannon, reaction here in washington. so far very far reaching shock and grief new push for gun control as you can imagine and ideas for dealing with mass violence in this country. everyone seems to agree it's a difficult challenge with no eyesy solutions. >> we have to come a knowledge there is no simple solution. yes there needs to be a conversation about gun control but also about the way we treat mental illness, also about the culture of violence in this country which may have contributed to the way in which this very disturbed young man thought of course a hot topic on the sunday talk shows. joe lieberman of connecticut and congressman jason chaffets of utah both suggesting the mats media including violent negative video games negatively influence impressionable young men. dick durbin and lieberman suggesting a national commission on mass violence to find ways of preventing future tragedies like this. and some are pointing to a better mental health and better

steve centanni is live with more. >> no agreement but plenty of talk.ush for a plan b saying the ball is now in the democrat's court there has been no movement toward any kind of deal. republicans can't spending cuts and one key republican says what they need now is leadership. >> if you want leaders the president has been a pathetic fiscal leader. i would vote for revenues including tax hikes to keep the country from becoming greece. i am not going to set aside the 1.2 trillion in cuts. >> the president spoke out about the dpfiscal cliff on friday focusing his goals on middle class tax cuts not some kind of bargains. his supporters should find it no surprise to any one he wants people above tacks. >> he won 60 percent of the voters stharp for it in the exit polls including some republicans. >> the focus shift to go the u.s. senate where few republicans are backing democratic plan to take some kind of actions before the deadline. >> they continue to give opinions rick warren had an opinion. >> he said it is time to stop placing blame and start fixing th

bill: steve centanni from the white house. what do we expect there, steve? >> reporter: well, bill, we expect the president and vice president joe biden come into the briefing room in a couple hours and begin process gathering information from inside their administration to formulate new policy, any kind of policy. any idea that could prevent this kind of mass violence, these kind of school shootings to happen in the future. this cops as newt town, connecticut, deals with the mass shooting. the yesterday administration officials met with a father of a teenager killed in the 1999 columbine shooting in colorado. monday the president met with members of his cabinet to gather ideas what might be done in the areas of mental health, school security, and gun control. most likely to push to renew the ban on assault weapons. press secretary jay carney talked about the challenge ahead of them. let's listen. >> it is clear as a nation we haven't done enough to address the scourge of gun violence in this country. it's a complex problem that requires more than one soluti

. >> jamie: well, the developments are wii by the hour and our steve centanni is covering all of them to see you. >> you, too, jamie. one month until the fiscal cliff and appears to be little movement, but a lot of talk back and forth and the president used a campaign style appearance to appeal directly to the american people and pushed for immediate action to extend bush era tax cuts for everybody except the more wealthy americans. >> right now congress can pass a law that would prevent a tax hike on the first $250,000 of everybody's income, everybody. and that means that 98% of americans and 97% of small businesses wouldn't see their income taxes go up at all. and even the wealthiest americans would get a tax cut on the first $250,000 of their income. >> but republicans led by house speaker john boehner said the president should quit campaigning and take care of business and some suggest that the president is playing a dangerous game of political brinksmanship. >> i think that the democrats and the president view it to their advantage to run the clock out and dangerously close by th

steve centanni, thank you. martha. >> reporter: you bet. martha: also in the fight against terror a big blow to al qaeda, its second-in-command killed in a drone strike. pakistani intelligence officials say abu saiid kuwaiti was killed. and he was presented as a religious scholar for the group. he was promoted second-in-command earlier this year. >>> back to the economy now, china apparently going on an american spending spree. a chinese company agreed to buy a big chunk of insurance giant aig for more than $4 billion after the company got a huge bailout during the u.s. financial crisis. that is not the only bargain that china is picking up from u.s. taxpayers lately. stuart varney on this morning, head of "varney & company" on fox business network. good morning, stuart. good to see you. >> good morning, martha. martha: they're gobbling up our assets in many ways . what do you make of it. >> they are spending the money they have got buying american assets cheap. you mentioned aig. a chinese company is paying $4 billion for aig's plane leasi

. >> harris: steve centanni, thank you very much. new information tonight on the condition of president george h.w. bush. as you may know he's been hospitalized just before thanksgiving with a lingering cough from a bout with bronchitis. and doctors say that president bush is recovering, but he must build up his strength where he can go home. he's 88 years old and undergoing physical therapy to do just that, to build up his energy. however, right now, doctors are not sure if he'll be able to go home for christmas. >> right now, a new warning, north korea can deliver the world's most destructive weapon farther than ever imagined, all the way, we're being told to the u.s. main land. what you're watching here 11 days ago was a test for north korea. but south korea now asking, what if the next one is not actually a test? where would it land? and did you know that, there's been a change to america's deportation policy and it's not without controversy. what it could mean for the future of immigration in this country. stay with us. i always

steve centanni, live in washington with what we can expect. >> reporter: hi, jamie. president obama heading to newtown, connecticut, to offer comfort do the families and the victims in the very tragic shooting here. reacting to the tragedy, here's one sample from a democratic senator. >> this conversation has been dominated in washington by, you know and i know, gun lobbies that have an agenda. we need for people, ordinary americans, to come together and speak out and to sit down and calmly reflect on how far we go. >> reporter: others are pointing out that school security is a big part of the problem and a better system for identifying students with mental problems would be very important as well, especially identifying troubled youth before they could possibly resort to the violent crimes as we saw in newtown, connecticut. joe lieberman is adareicating a commission on mass violence. he also said the entertainment media, often have a detrimental effect on impressionionable teenagers. >> the violence in the entertainment culture with the extraordinary realism to vide

. >> steve centanni kicks off our college tonight from washington d.c. steve, where exactly do we stand tonight? >> well, harris, democrats are hoping republicans to raise taxes on the wealthy and the republicans are accusing the white house of wasting time. and saying that he didn't have a serious proposal when he reintroduced a plan to reduce 4 trillion dollars. >> the president asking for 1.6 trillion dollars worth of new revenue over ten years, twice as much as he's been asking for in public. his system spending in here that exceeded the amount of new cuts that he was willing to consider. it was not a serious offer. >> but so far it's the only white house offer on the table, a starting point for further negotiations, one would assume, harris? >> not to sound pessimistic, but it's a fact, even if he reached a deal tonight, it would tough to meet that deadline by the end of the year, because there's red tape profit to deal with. >> that's right, it takes time and time to get the legislation drafted and passed and to get it scored by the congressional bu

. >> arthel: let's bring in steve centanni with more. >> as you can see, the two sides are taking strong stands on principle, but aren't really getting any closer to a compromise as we speed toward that fiscal cliff. the president hit the road appearing at a pennsylvania toy factory yesterday and appealing for a balanced approach, including spending cuts and new revenues. the president says we could cut taxes for the middle class right now if congress agreed to extend the bush era tax cuts for everybody except those earning more than 250,000 a year. he stressed the urgency of the situation. >> if congress does nothing, every family will see their income taxes automatically go up at the beginning of next year. a family of four will see their income tax rise by $2,200. we can't let that happen. our families can't afford it and neither can our economy. >> republicans, including house speaker john boehner, is staking out a very different position. they're demanding spending cuts to go along with extra revenue and they're opposed to raising the tax rate for the wealthy. they accuse the presid

steve centanni is following this in washington. >> reporter: yeah, the fiscal cliff may be looming, butve put negotiations on hold for now, to take a christmas holiday. no deal was reached this week to keep taxes from going up for everyone at the end of the year. house speaker john boehner, while saying he's still hopeful a sweeping deal can be reached, he's nonetheless, accusing the president of ignoring a huge problem here. >> this was the year of the size of our debt. all 16 trillion dollars surpassed the size of our entire economy. it's a grim many will have to bear if we don't come to grips with it. the president's solution of raising tax rates would still be red ink for as far as the eye can see he. >> reporter: president obama landed in hawaii this morning for a shorter than usual christmas break. and the white house yesterday, he said he thinks the comprehensive deal could still be reached, but at the same time, pushed for a scaled back plan to cut taxes for the middle class. >> even though democrats and republicans are arguing about whether those rates should go up for the weal

steve centanni has more from us from washington. >> multiple deployments and combat injuries are saido be causing this troubling spike in alcohol and drug abuse among active duet military. democraticked by the institute of medicine. their study concluded earlier this year and sponsored by the department of defense shows that 20% of our active duty military personnel report they engaged in heavy drinking in 2008. binge drinking rose from 35% of personnel in 1998 to 47% in 2008. drug abuse of illegal and prescription drugs rose from 2% in 2002 to 11% in 2008: the report recommended better screening and that's just what the marine corps is doing, according to a directive issued in month the purpose of the screening program is to provide gheanders and additional tool to provide marines and sailors in their commands at risk for the adverse effects of alcohol abuse or misuse. the report notes that alcohol has long been a part of military culture. but it recommends better leadership on the frish top commanders all the way down. and it says this spike in cases results partly from outdated app

steve centanni, steve is there still any chance some sort of a comprehensive agreement can be reached? >> reporter: it's looking less and less likely. two sides in the did the debate had their say on sunday talk shows. there is a lot of talk and not much action. john boehner called off his public for a plan b, there has been no movement toward any kind of deal and some are saying the president wasn't to avoid that fiscal cliff. >> when i listen to the president, i think the president is eager to go over the cliff for political purposes. he sees a political victory. he gets additional tax revenues and gets to cut the military which democrats have been calling for years. he gets to blame republicans for it. >> reporter: if nothing has done by the end of the year, taxes go up for everybody. >> gregg: will be the president be working on these issues during his christmas holiday in hawaii or is it golf and r&r and spending time with the kids? >> mostly r&r but on friday the president acknowledged there might not be time for any grand bargain. he scaled back for expectations for the rest of

steve centanni is live in washington. are the two sides any closer together?> reporter: there are two important signs today. speaker, house speaker john boehner met with president obama at the. we don't know how long they met or exactly what they talked about, but the white house says lines of communication are open and face-to-face meeting is on important. at the same time republicans say they will accept the demands for higher taxes on the wealthy if it goes along with spending cuts entitlements like medicare and social security. listen.... >> a lot of people are putting forth a theory. i think it has merit where you give the president 2% increase he is talking about on the top 2 percent. i am beginning to believe that is the best route for us to take. >> reporter: many other republicans, of course, standing firm against any tax increase. they could give the speaker a hard time if he tries to pass the kind of legislation corker was talking about there. >> and how are the democrats reacting to accept the higher tax rates? >> reporter: they are happy to see mo

steve centanni has more on that. >> reporter: shock and sadness in washington, that for sure in the waketragedy in newtown and at the same time some ideas are being floated aimed at preventing the same kind of thing from happening again. out going senator joe lieberman and independent from connecticut has this recommendation. >> i think we need a national commission on mass violence, not to be in place 6 anything else the president or congress or state governments might want to do but to make sure that the heartbreak and the anger that we feel now is not dissipated over time or lost in legislative gridlock. >> reporter: in his call for a national commission. the senator is supported by democratic senator dick durbin of illinois. also on the talk shows, jason a republican of utah says that we need to explore what he calls the intersection of lethal weapons and mental health. he says violence and media are major factors in the equation. >> we also have to deal with the new social ramifications of the bombardment and social interaction between violence, the realism that you find at games an

. >> gregg: steve centanni has more. >> the two sides taking verbal pot shots, but not really comingkind of agreement adds the clock continues ticking. the president hit the road yesterday using a campaign style appearance in pennsylvania to appeal directly to the american people. at a toy factory, he pushed for immediate action to extend the bush era tax cuts for everybody except the more wealthy americans. >> right now congress can pass a law that would prevent a tax hike on the first $250,000 of everybody's income. everybody. that means 98% much americans and small businesses wouldn't see their income taxes go up at all. even the wealthiest americans would get a tax cut on the first $250,000 of their income. >> republicans led by john boehner said the president should quit campaigning and take care of business here at home. some republicans suggest the president's playing a dangerous game of political bringsmanship. >> i do think that the democrats and the president view it to their advantage to run the clock out and try to build pressure, gain leverage, getting closer and closer

steve centanni live with the latest update. >> still no agreement but you plenty of talk as the two sides aired differences in the fiscal cliff delate. after john boehner called off the push for a so called plan b saying the ball is now in the democrat's court there has been no movement towards any kind of deal. the wealthy and republicans want spending cuts. one key republican says what we really need is leadership. >> if you want leaders you have to lead. the president has been a pathetic fiscal leaders. he produced three budgets and can't get one vote for the budget. i would vote for revenues including tax rate hikes even though i i don't like them to save the country from becoming greece. but i am not going to set aside the $1.2 trillion in cuts. >> the president meantime is in hawaii, but he spoke out on the fiscal cliff at the white house on friday before leaving town for christmas. he scaled back his goals for the few remaining days between now and the end of the year. he is focusing now on the middle class tax cut and extended unemployment benefits. both of which would disappear j

our own steve centanni live with more details. good morning. >> good morning.l panel will appear on capitol hill today to brief lawmakers behind closed doors about their findings. here is the underlying problem, according to the review board's report, it says systemic failures and leadership and management deficiencies at senior level within the state department resulted in a special mission security posture that was inadequate for benghazi and grossly inadequate to deal with the attack that took place. the report appeared to break little new ground about the time line of the benghazi attack, which left four people dead, including the u.s. ambassador to libya. it recommended better security, better training, and less reliance on intelligence warnings. the kind of warning that did not come before this attack. the board determined there had been no specific warning of a potential attack on 9-11, but there had been several incidents in the days before the attack which should have said off warning bells. the obama administration first blamed a spontaneous demonstra