. >> reporter: in the weekly address to the nation, president obama urged congress to do something. >> we can't afford a politically self-inflicted wound to our economy. >> reporter: congress will try to find compromise. >> i am still optimistic and i think we can avert this and there is enough common sense to come together and get it solved. >> reporter: a combination will kick in on january 1st. if no deal is made, president obama will press congress to vote on a plan c, one keeping tax cuts in place for most americans. in washington, mike emmanuel, fox news. >> when it comes to the spending cuts, critics are more concerned. they will be cut by $50 million what will be cut is undetermined. >> it's going to affect the operational force that is deployed in terms of its ability to maintain its equipment and to get repair parts and that forces on force is deployed around the world. not just in afghanistan but being reduced. it would impact the training of the force. >> whatever happens, citizens won't so any trouble if congress doesn't act by the new year. they have a few days to act. >

. >> president obama urged congress to get a deal done when they returned from christmas break. president obama was among the dignitaries that attended the memorial service for the senator. the world war ii was the first japanese-american elected to both houses of congress, serving hawaii for 50 years. he died of respiratory complications last monday. he was 88 years old. former president bush is still in stable condition in a houston hospital. the 88-year-old former president has been hospitalized since november undergoing treatment for bronchitis. doctors are opportunistic he will make a full recovery. they said today he still needs to build up strength before they can release him. no discharge date has been set . >> it looks like the weather will be active as we head into the holiday week. just a few scattered clouds right now. when we turn the corner toward christmas, that will change. it is dry right now at the airport. there is a chance we could see light rain or snow during the day on monday, christmas eve. it should be drawn on christmas day. a bigger storm on wednesday

. >> before leaving for hawaii for the holidays, obama urged congress to come up with a deal before the christmas break. many spent today navigating the parking lots of packed stores and shopping malls for final gifts. some had a really good reason for hitting the stores in these final hours before christmas. >> i have a baby that is due christmas morning. so i came out here to do some last-minute shopping. it is tough to shop during the holidays, especially right before christmas because, again, you miss out on deals. >> a recent poll found 132 million people had not finished their holiday shopping and 26 million had not even began. many retailers will be open christmas eve late to accommodate them. the pope spoke in a number of languages today in vatican city. he encouraged people to look beyond the materialistic side of christmas and wish people unhappy and gracious christmas. after a rough start, smooth sailing for several holiday travelers. but could that change? >> we have a little bit of rain and snow in the seven-day forecast. 28 degrees at the airport, but still near 40 degrees

. >> president obama is urging congress to focus. >> i'm optimistic that an agreement can be achieved. >> at the white house friday the president and congressional leaders spent some 70 minutes in a negotiating session and agreed to keep talking. >> it was constructive. >> it was constructive. >> i'm hopeful and optimistic. >> as snow fell on mostly deserted washington, two sides continued bargaining. if there some on deal, president obama wants smaller bill extending tax cuts making $250,000 or less and continuing unemployment benefits for millions that will lose them. >> i believe such a proposal could pass both houses with bipartisan majorities as long as these leaders allow it to come to a vote. >> we can still avoid going over the fiscal cliff if the president and democratically controlled senate step forward to solve this problem and solve it now. >> frustration over the impasse runs from wall street where the dow is down 400 points to main street. >> this is america. they should be working for the american people. >> the parties are trying to outdo each other. >> sit down and d

before leaving washington, president obama urged congress to pass a mini plan that would preserve middle class tax rates. brianna keilar joins us live from hawaii. what do we think will happen as the holiday week rolls out? >> reporter: well, and don, we should probably say where our senate majority leader harry reid and senator mcconnell, the republican leader in the senate, because now all eyes turn to the senate. they're set to come back to town on the 27th. that is thursday. and at this point there are a number of options for some sort of bill that senate majority leader harry reid could put on the floor, but right now it appears democrats in the white house are pushing for something that still concentrates on making sure that income tax rates for those making a quarter million dollars or less don't go up. that said, it's really hard to see how at that rate senator mcconnell might allow some republican senators to support it or that some republican senators would even want to jump on board with that and even harder to see how a bill like that is something that house speaker john boeh

breaking news, president obama urges congress to make a deal to overt the fiscal cliff. he announces no deal, but progress may be in sight. >> and that would be the wrong thing to do for our e con mu. it would be bad for middle class families and bad for businesses that depend on family spending. fortunately, congress can prevent it from happening if they act right now. i just had a good and constructive discussion here at the white house about how to prevent this tax hike on the middle class. and i'm optimistic we may still be able to reach an agreement that can pass both houses in time. senators reid and mcconnell are working on such an agreement as we speak. >> it comes after speaker boehner left the white house. he didn't say anything to reporters and neither did anyone else who was seen leaving the meeting. here's what we do know. in just four days, taxes will go up on millions. and millions more will have their vital unemployment benefits run out. that's why president obama organized the meeting with vice president biden, speaker boehner, nancy pelosi and senators

tonight president obama urged congress to broker a scaled down deal. >> i just speak to speaker boehnerso met with senator reid. in the next few days a asked leaders of congress to work towards a package that prevents a tax hike on middle class americans, protects unemployment insurance for 2 million americans and lays the groundwork for further work on both growth and deficit reduction. that's an achievable goal. that can get done in ten days. >> yesterday the house speaker john boehner failed to garner enough support from his own party to even hold a vote on his plan to raise taxes for those with an income over $1 million. >> while we may have not been able to get the votes last night, to avert 99.81% of the tax increases, i don't think they weren't taking that out on me. they were dealing with the perception that somebody might accuse them of raising taxes. >> "outfront" tonight, chief white house correspondent jessica yellin and dana bash. ladies, nice to see both of you. jessica, we'll start with you. the president's message was short and sweet and kind of basic. what do you think

before leaving town president obama urged congress to pass a mini-plan that would preserve middle class tax rates. the president is now in his native hawaii for a quick christmas break. briana keiller joins us from honolulu. hello, briana. is this fiscal cliff deadline getting closer, what do we think will happen as the holidays rolls out here? >> reporter: well, there's one sort of last ditch effort possibility here, don, and that is when the senate reconvenes on the 27th, it's possible that either they could try to pass something and sort of force it on the house or it's possible that they could take a bill that they've already passed back in july with the threshold of those tax hikes being at the $250,000 level and that they could kind of say to the house, okay, now the ball is in your court. you have to deal with this, but it's still very much a possibility, don, that this doesn't work out, that we go over the fiscal cliff, and that was reflected today on the sunday shows from both democrats and republicans. take a listen. >> passing plan b, the other night, would not have changed t

congress to move forward on. but we know that president obama has urged congress and will continue to do so in the new year to passult weapons ban. to pass a ban on high capacity ammunition clips and to close the gun show loophole so all gun purchasers are suggest to background checks and he also wants to address the mental health issue. >> thank you. appreciate it. >>> if you were watching, the nfl playoffs are set. joe carter is here to tell us who is in and who is out. sunday was exciting. >> thank you. good morning. it was an emotional year, emotional day in indianapolis. head coach chuck pagano back on the sidelines. he's been out since september after being diagnosed with leukemia. arian foster tapping the chuck strong banner after scoring a touchdown. they finished the regular season 11-5. that's nine more wins than last year. it's the second greatest turn around in nfl history. as you can imagine, they were celebrating in the locker room after the game and why not? this is one of the best fell good stories in the nfl season. look at chuck pagano. he has moves. i love it. the team has rallied around him. an

before he left, president obama urged congress to approve a scaled down proposal he says would preventdle-class tax hikes and extend unemployment benefits. we may not see any movement until thursday when both sides may be back in washington. >>> a former u.s. marine who was imprisoned in mexico for four months has been reunited with his family. john hammer was released yesterday partly thanks to work from u.s. senator big nelson. hammer was imprisoned on a questionable charge after police found him with an antique shotgun. he said u.s. officials is told him it was okay to cross the border with the gun seen here. mexican officials accused him of violating their law. >>> california's controversial gay therapy ban has been halted. there's an injunction blocking the ban. some say conversion or so-called reparative therapy can turn a gay person straight. therapy techniques include cuddling. the ban would have gone into effect on january 1 and prevented people under the age of 18 from undergoing the treatment. some say the treatment benefited them, others say it ruined their lives. the court

he urged the obama administration and congress to resolve the problem as soon as possible. >> clearly this is a major risk factor and a major source of uncertainty about the economy going forward. we would try to do what we would. we would increase a bit but i want to be clear that we cannot offset the full impact of the fiscal cliff. it's too big given the tools we have available and the limitations on our policy tool kit at this point. >> let's get a check on the markets now. following the feds decision to take monetary easing steps, the dollar is higher against the yen. that is trading at 83.39 to 40. this is the highest level in eight months. participants are buying dollars due to receding worries after the fed's action. they are hoping the bank of japan will take action at its upcoming policy meeting next week. euro yen quoted at 108.22 to 99. japan's nikkei average went above 9700 at one point. a weaker yen and the u.s. fed's policy decision that's what's lifting a wide range of issues here in tokyo. let's take a look at other asian markets open now. we are seeing seoul's kospi

. >> president obama is urging congress to reach a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff. o and internet address, mr. obama says he believes leaders in congress may be able to reach an agreement that can pass both houses before taxes rise and spending cuts take effect at the end of the year. he urges "washington politics" to not get in the way of "america's progress." meanwhile, in the republican address, missouri senator roy blunt says the nation can avoid going over the fiscalbama and the democratic- controlled senate work with republicans to solve the problem. >> the senate has approved a 60-point-4 billion dollar emergency spending package for hurricane sandy recovery. the measure, which was backed by democrats, now heads to the house. meanwhile, republican leaders favor a smaller aid package to pay for immediate sandy recovery needs, saying they need more time to consider any additional aid. >> sandy battered the east coast in late october. it was the most costly natural disaster since hurricane katrina in 2005. >> a connecticut attorney is asking permission to sue the

obama is meeting with a bipartisan group of governors at the white house. reportedly, the governor has requested the meeting with the president. they want to urge president obama to work with congress on a solution to the fiscal cliff. in the afternoon, the same group of governors will meet with john boehner. california governor jerry brown is not among the group. >>> 7:15. the owner of the drake's bay oyster company is plotting a legal response to the federal decision to shut down his operation. he said he will not give up. the operating permit expired last month at the national seashore. the company was told it will have to leave within 90 days and that area will return to wilderness. >>> oakland's largest pot club gets a key victory in court. a judge ruled that harborside medical center cannot be ejected and they cannot kick them out because it is not breaking state law. now, the landlord will decide again in federal court on december 20th. she wants them out because a federal prosecutor is threatening to seize the property. >>> southern california leaders are demanding that the county be reimbursed for more than $12,000. "the san jose mercury news" show that he used a tax-funde

president obama urged all members of congress to get some perspective over the holiday weekend on this. >> everybody can cool off. everybody can drink some eggnog, have some christmas cookies, sing some christmas carols, enjoy the company of loved ones, and then i'd ask every member of congress while they're back home to think about that. think about the obligations we have to the people who sent us here. think about the hardship that so many americans will endure if congress does nothing at all. >> that is a crucial point right there, folks. here is president obama. not saying, you know, boehner can't get his caucus together. i got my folks together. we're ready to rock 'n roll. we've got a deal right on the table for the american people. it's boehner, he is the problem. the president didn't do that. today every american should be encouraged about the fact that there is leadership coming out of the white house. this president has got so many olive branches coming out of the windows of the white house, nobody could cut them off. the fact is, this president has done everything he can. h

obama conceded a large deal may now be impossible but urged congress to at least prevent taxes from going up on middle class americans while extending unemployment insurance and laying the groundwork for deficit reduction. >> i expect democrats and republicans to get back to washington and have it pass both chambers. and i will immediately sign that legislation into law. >> reporter: house speaker john boehner also headed home after a bruising week. his own conference refused to back his proposal, which would have allowed taxes to go up on the wealthy, delivering a stinging blow to his leadership. today he faulted the president and congressional democrats for the impasse. >> unfortunately, the president and senate democrats have vowed to reject and veto all of our proposals while failing to offer responsible solutions of their own. >> reporter: the prospects for a deal remain grim. on friday senate republican leader mitch mcconnell said his strategy forward is unclear, but stressed time is running out. >> the u.s. economy is at stake here. millions upon millions of families are counting o

organizers urge president barack obama to use the terrible tragedy to push congress for stricter guncontrol laws. many those who attended happened to be in washington for a training session for gun violence prevention groups. our viewers are responding to the tragedy on our facebook page. one comment reads "my heart is so broken. i can not stop crying at the thought of what happened and how the families feel. all of the other student his to experience. it is such a devastating thing." visit ktvu channel 2 facebook page to leave your own condolences for the victims in the shooting by posting your comments on our wall. >>> today's events are hard to understand for just anyone. but what do you say about today's shooting to aa young child? experts advising parents on how to handle the issue. >>> and other news, what closed part of a busy bay area mall on one of the busiest shopping days of the season? >>> picking up a few sprinkles as we head towards the weekend. sprinkles in the forecast. the latest computer model when i come back look at you guys with your fancy-schmancy u-verse high s

president barack obama is now in hawaii for christmas with his family. yesterday, he urged the congress to adopt a stopgap measure to keep benefits flowing to unemployed workers that prevent taxes from rising on income under $250,000 a year. house speaker john boehner, he's home in cincinnati tonight. he failed the get mobs of his -- to get members of his own party to support the plan b. proposal for ending the crisis. today boehner was blaming democrats for the stale mail by refusing to include -- stalemate by refusing to include entitlements in the proposal. >> what the president is offering so far won't do anything to solve the problem. instead he wants more spending and more tax hikes that will hurt the economy. and he refuses to challenge the members of his party to deal honestly with the entitlement reform and the big issues that are facing our nation. that's why we find ourselves here today. >> president said on friday that since the deal has not been reached he would be returning to washington sometime after christmas. >>> workers won't feel all of the tax increases in their jan

president obama is in hawaii for christmas with his family. before he left he urged congress to adopt a stopgap measure to prevent taxes from rising on people who make less than 250,000 a year. he also asked for a plan to keep providing benefits to unemployed workers. house speaker john boehner is home in cincinnati. he failed to get members of his own party to support his plan b proposal for ending the crisis. speaker boehner says the stalemate and the failure of plan b is the democrats' fault. >> the president -- what the. has offered so far simply won't do anything to solve our spending problem and begin to address our nation's crippling debt. instead he wants more spending and more tax hikes that will hurt our economy. and he refuses to challenges the members of his party to deal honesty with the entitlement reform and the big issues facing our nation. that's why we find ourselves here today. >> the president is scheduled to return to washington wednesday. there's no word if any new talks are planned. >>> even if we go over the cliff, workers won't feel all of the tax inc

president barack obama is now in hawaii for christmas with his family. yesterday he urged the congress to adopt a stopgap measure to prevent taxes from rising on income under $250,000 a year and keep benefits flowing to unemployed folks. house speaker john boehner, he's home in cincinnati tonight. he failed to get members of his own party to support his plan b proposal for ending the crisis. today boehner was back on the attack, blaming democrats for the stalemate by refusing to include entitlements in the networkses. >> what the president has offered won't do anything to help our spending problem and address the crippling debt. he wants more spending and tax hikes that will hurt our economy, and he refuses to challenge the members of his party to deal honestly with thentitlement reform and the big issues facing our nation. that's why we find ourselves here today. >> the president said since the deal had not been reached he would be returning sometime after christmas. >>> workers won't feel all of the tax increases in their january paychecks. the american payroll association says it's

congress to produce. >> that was president obama urging republicans to come together on a fiscal cliff deal. comments drew a quick response to john boehner who said republicans made every effort to reach the balanced deficit agreement that the president promised the people. we have been responsible and reasonable. the president is the one who has never been able to get to yes. we are learning that the fiscal cliff talks have hit a major setback today. joining us is oklahoma congressman tom cole. what are you hearing? are you hopeful that there is a deal today? >> i am probably the last optimist in washington. all the parties that can make a deal are in town. that is a step in the right direction. there is very serious negotiations going on now between senator mcconnell and leader reed. they have found common ground. i wouldn't be surprised that there are bumps along the way but the senate will get something done and it moves to the house. and what senate would be extraordinary important. >> until now it appeared negotiations centered around a small deal that would likely extend bush tax cuts

on friday when president obama spoke to the nation before he left to come to hawaii he urged members of congress to take these days off during the holidays, to cool off and to gain some perspective. here's more of what president obama had to say. take a listen. >> so, as we leave town for a few days to be with our families for the holidays i hope it gives everybody some perspective. everybody can cool off. everybody can drink some eggnog, have some christmas cookies and sing some christmas carols, enjoy the company of loved ones. >> now the president also conceded that given the time crunch, there's probably not enough time to get a large deal done. so he really urged lawmakers to work together to at least get a deal that would prevent middle class americans and that lays the groundwork for deficit reduction and the president saying he remains hopeful that something can get done before the all-important january 1st deadline and i am told by sources at the white house that this will be a working vacation for the president. >> working in terms of what you have just learned kristen, and that is tha

. >> president obama is saying that he is out of patience and he is urging congress to do its job. i >> what ever we come up with, it is not going to be perfect and did not everybody is going to like it. >> house speaker john peter does not want to bring anything to congress until it is passed by the house. those tax cuts are expected to expire house speaker john boehner does not want to bring anything until it is passed by the house. >> these everyday workers are going to be paying the price for all of not being able to get anything done. >> catherine: after a break in the rain.yet another round is this is a live look at conditions in san on van ness avenue. i'm in the weather center with jacqueline - who has been tracking this latest >> jacqueline: it has been a bit deceiving. but we are finally seeing rain hit the coast. half moon bay in the last one hour and a san francisco probably seen some sprinkles right now as well. let us to track some of these rainfall totals. not all of this is hitting the ground. there are pockets of yellow is indicating the rainfall in excess of 1 ten

off the plane, but before he left, president obama urged republicans and democrats alike to get it done. >> in the next few days, i've asked leaders of congress to work toward a package that prevents a tax hike on middle class americans, protects unemployment insurance for 2 million americans, and lays the groundwork for further work on both growth and deficit reduction. that's an achievable goal. that can get done in ten days. >> congress is also in recess until after christmas. in his weekly address, house speaker john boehner accused the president and senate democrats of failing to offer a responsible solution. boehner's own proposal had to be pulled this week after he failed to get enough support from fellow republicans. >>> and the national rifle association promised meaningful contributions to avoid another tragedy like the one in newtown, connecticut. friday, the gun rights group unveiled that plan. nra executive vice president wayne lapierre says the u.s. should put armed guards in all schools. the comments came one week after 20 children and seven adults excludeing the gunman were killed in one of the worst mass shootings in u.s. his

obama's call to action following the deadly connecticut massacre. the president says this time washington will not just talk about tackling gun violence. he urged congress to vote early next year on an assault weapons ban, a ban on high-cast ammunition clips and to -- -- high-capacity ammunition clips, and to close the gun loophole so all purchasers are subject to background checks. >> the fact that this problem is complex can no longer be an excuse for doing nothing. the fact that we can't prevent every act of violence doesn't mean we can't steadily reduce the violence and prevent the very worst violence. that's why i've asked the vice president to lead an effort that includes members might have cabinet and outside organizations to come up with a set of concrete proposals no later than january, proposals that i then intend to push without delay. >> the president said that he will make very specific proposals once he gets the recommendations next month. on friday, the nra will hold its first news conference since the elementary school shooting. >>> california has some of the toughest gun laws in the nation, but some state lawmakers are looking to make t

obama is making alternative plans in case congress does not vote to avoid the cliff. president obama says if lawmakers don't reach a deal he will propose a different vote. >> i will urgehe senate to hold an upper down vote to basic package, extends unemployment insurance and lays the ground works for future progress on more economic growth and deficit reduction. i believe such a proposal could pass both houses with bipartisan majorities as long as they let it come to vote. >>> don't be surprised if you come across the jeiy checkpoint in the next couple of days. local law enforcement agencies have launched their annual crackdown a drunk drivers, indictment will are already in place. a bay area lawmaker is voting for tested solution to get repeat drunk drivers off the highways. a proposal that is being used in assisted states. >> the thinking behind the proposed crackdown is address what state senator jerry hill says the high rate of drunk drivers that don't modify their behavior. he cites statistics, most recent numbers available. >> there were 161,000 d.u.i. arrests and convictions in california. 27% of those were repeat offenders. >> a second indictment conviction wo

president obama is in hawaii for christmas with his family b. before he left, he urged congress to adopt a stopgap measure to prevent taxes from rising on people who make less than $250,000 a year. he also asked for a plan to keep providing benefits to unemployed workers. house speaker john boehner is home in cincinnati. he failed to get members of his own party to support his plan b proposal to end the crisis. he said the stalemate and failure of plan b rests with the democrats. >> what the president has offered so far simply won't do anything to solve our spending problems and begin to address our nation's crippling debt. instead he wants more spending and more tax hikes that will hurt our economy. and he refuses to challenge the members of his matter to deal honestly with the entitlement reform and the big issues that are facing our nation. that's why we find ourselves here today. >> president obama is scheduled to return to washington on wednesday. there's no word if any new talks are planned. >>> 9news is tracking the discussions on capitol hill concerning the fiscal cliff.

obama is taking his fiscal fight to the public. today he visited a toy factory in pennsylvania urging the crowd to persuade congress to increase theax cuts. >> it's not acceptable to me or you for just a handful of republicans in congress to hold middle class tax cuts hostage simply because they don't want tax rates on upper income folks to go up. >> we're willing to put revenues on the table. but revenues that -- that come from closing loopholes, getting rid of special interest deductions, and not raising rates. >> congress needs to reach an agreement in the next few weeks to avoid automatic hikes and cuts come january. >>> they bought just five tickets and picked numbers at random. that's how a missouri family lucked into the biggest powerball lottery of all time. cbs moneywatch reporter alexis christoforous shows us the recently jobless couple now the country's newest millionaires. [ applause and cheers ] >> reporter: the country's newest megamillionaires stepped into the spotlight. >> the hill family, come on up. >> reporter: cindy and mark hill of dearborn, missouri, bought one of the two winning tickets for the $588 million

last week, and gorman sent and e-mail to two brokers urging them to force congress to do a balancedded approach, stealing a line from president obamaat's interesting about the issues is it looks like wall street is now teaming up with the president, despite the fact they supported mitt romney. they are now teaming up -- >> eating you, crawling back? >> looks like they are forcing -- they are forcing the issue, and, basically, supporting the president's position on this for higher taxes on those upper brackets. little bit of background on tom. he was a senior executive at morgan stanley in a very big democratic operative, a senioo executive, then to be hillary clinton's number two of secretary of state, and rumored, rumor, it's in the wall street washington nexus, that if jack lew is treasury secretary, highly likely if you read the tea leaves, he gets jack's job as the chief of staff. interesting meeting. this guy is a key player in the obama administration. you know, there's lots of taj about coming back to wall street. he likes it down there, and he likes working there, and that he wants a higher position, and, you know -- >> dow

do we expect president obama to say anything about that specific issue, or is this kind of a broad strokes we need to get this plan done, month specific urgings to congress? >> well, the one thing i would say is that this has been so fluid. not only the negotiations on capitol hill, but how the white house -- how the president has been responding. the president planning to speak in broad strokes. could that change within the final few minutes before he gets to that podium? it certainly could. these negotiations are so fluid. at this point in time i am told that this is really going to be more of a pr event. president obama standing there with middle class americans standing behind him to make the case that actual people will be impacted if congress fails to act in this instance. now, one important theme throughout these entire negotiation that is we've talked about, chris, is that if a deal emerges too soon, it could essentially be spoiled. it could be derailed by a lot of people coming out against it. that's, in part, why congress waits until the 11th hour to get these big things done. that is what we are seeing happen here in this case. we are certainl

obama said that it's important for congress to vote on some type of package before it expires. >> if the agreement is not reached in time between senator reid and senator mcconnell, i will urge senator reid to bring to the floor a basic package for an up-or-down vote, one that protects the middle class from an income tax hike, extends the vital lifeline of unemployment insurance to two million americans looking for a job and lace the ground work for future cooperation on more economic growth and deficit reduction. >> reporter: the current congress will be in session until january 3rd. after that, 13 new senators and 82 new house members will take over and unher it the huge problem out of the congressional gates. audrey barns, fox 5 news. >>> love that song. redskins fans coming down to tomorrow night's kickoffs against the rival, the cowboys. a lot is on the line and lindsay murphy joins us now. feels like christmas eve all over again. >> and i am going to -- some football. >> reporter: redskins have had nailbiters this year and this is the first since 1979 that both of the teams were fighting to make it in the season. >> and everyone in the media, you could not have scripte

obama says it's important for congress to vote on some type of package before the fiscal cliff deadline expires. >> if an agreement isn't reached in time between senator reid and senator mcconnell, then i will urge senator reid to bring to the floor a basic package for an upor -- up or down vote, one that protects the middle class from a hike, extends insurance to 2 million americans looking for a job and lays the groundwork for future cooperation on more economic growth and deficit reduction. >> the current congress only be in session until january 3rd. after that, 13 new senators and 82 new house members will take over and inherit this huge problem, right out of the congressional gate. audrey barnes, fox 5 news. >> critics are most concerned about the -- spending will be cut by more than $50 billion but exactly what is cut is still to be determined. >> going to affect the operational force that's deployed in terms of its ability to maintain its equipment, to get repair parts and that forces -- not just the force that's in afghanistan that's being reduced. it would impact on the training of the force and its preparedness to conduct other operations. >> whatever happens, analysts say citizens wo

congress will come to a deal. the ceo is urging workers in the d.c. area to write "come together" on cups starting today when president obama and lawmakers should returnrom the christmas holiday. schultz says we're paying attention and we deserve better. the concentration of starbucks stores on capitol hill is actually relatively low. >>> let's take a look at u.s. futures. they are drifting just a little higher. we only have a few trading days left to go in the year. european markets are moving higher for the most part, although the ibex does continue to be an underperformer. there are concerns about funding, that is, the valuation of bankia, before the spanish bank is set to receive about $18 billion euros in relief aid. and take a look at the xetra dax. they're adding .3% today as it continues its extraordinary run in 2012, up nearly 30%. it's been one of the top performing assets in the world. >>> and we'll leave with a look at what is happening in currencies because the yen continues to be a big story and will continue to be a big theme into 2013. the yen was another -- or the nikkei, i should say, was up another .9% in asian trade. so in a week t

the group is urging congress to take immediate action to avoid those automatic tax increases and spending cuts come january. president obamasaying that with the way speaker boehner plan stands now, no deal. >> unfortunately the speaker's proposal is out of balance. we will have to see the rates on the top 2% go up and we are not going to be able to get a deal without it. >> that was an exclusive with bloomberg t.v. and the first televised interview since the president's re-election. as you heard, taxes are the big issue blocking this deal from taking place. president obama is calling for downhill the amount of tax revenue as speaker boehner over the next tens years, most from the nation's top earners. many. republicans say that's not the way to handle this. here is marco rubio. >> it wouldn'ting make a small bent in the debt but it would heard middle class businesses. >> the g.o.p. could be risking a civil war over this issue. it does not look like obama is ready to cave. if that forces republican leaders to compromise staunch conservatives will likely rebel. more "bill press" up after the break. we will be right back. exc

congress and president obama to act on gun control. at sunday's sermon at the washington national cathedral, the very reverend gary hall urged faith communitiesof the pulpit behind gun policy, saying quote, i believe the gun lobby is no match for the cross lobby. whether the nra has met its match in g-o-d remains to be seen but it does beg the question of whether, as we attempt to understand and respond to the newtown tragedy, how do people of faith process the unthinkable? here with me, anthea butler, professor of religious studies, joe watkins, pastor of christ evangelical lutheran church in philadelphia, serene jones, president of union theological seminary and chris jenkins, the author of "how an atheist found common ground with the religious." you know, i want to go to reverend joe watkins first because i think this is the question that most commonly gets asked by people of faith after a tragedy like this. where was god? how do you answer that when your parishioners come to you and ask where was god. >> god lets the rain fall on everybody, on good people and people who aren't so good, and he loves us all. sometimes it may feel like we --

dozens of house republicans signed onto a letter urging speaker boehner to take the last hexit before the cliff. neither president obama nor democrats in congress have ever been ambiguous about our proposal to provide economic security for 98% of american families and 97% of small businesses while asking the wealthiest 2% to contribute just a little more to stop this runaway debt. and now that even a dyed in the wool conservative like senator coburn of oklahoma has endorsed the democratic approach, here's what he said, "i know we have to raise revenue. i would rather see the rates go up," he said. he's been heavily involved in everything that's happened in the last several years in washington dealing with debt. when he joins in, that's really significant. it is apparent how this will end. the only question is, when will it end? it's how long will speaker boehner make middle-class families wait for relief and how long will he force the financial markets to wait for u un-- wait for certainty? the longer he delays, the greater i think ris the risk to. so i urge him, don't listen to me, listen to your own caucus. listen to prudent members of your o

president obama says he's optimistic senate leaders can avoid the fiscal cliff with just three days to go. if no agreement is reached the president says he's urge congress down votes on a package that prevents tax hikes on the middle class and extends unemployment insurance. joining me now, congressional correspondent for the national journal, chris fragts and congressional reporter for the "washington post" ed o'keefe. chris let me start with you this time. we're talking about a deal could be reached. the president modestly optimistic. i'm hearing that word a little bit thrown around this morning and this afternoon, optimistic. so what does that deal look like now? >> well, t.j., i thought maybe your butmper musing coming back in shoulding final countdown. just a few days left and the senate is at work. a lot of optimism out there and a lot of happy talk coming out of friday's white house meeting. but the sides still remain pretty far apart. reid and mcconnell on who is rich. what's the definition of wealthy. is it 250,000? is it 400,000? they still haven't hashed that out yet. there's the addition of unemployment benefits, how do we extend those? how

obama taking his message directly to the public amid the fierce fiscal cliff fight. after holding a campaign-like stop in pennsylvania friday, the president today is urging congress toxtend middle class tax cuts in his weekly address. >> both parties say we should keep middle class taxes low. the senate's already passed a bill to keep income taxes from going up on middle class families. democrats in the house are ready to do the same thing. if we can just get a few house republicans on board, i'll sign this bill as soon as congress sends it my way. >> the gop is also out today with new criticism of the president's plan. here's republican senator orrin hatch of utah. >> what he proposed this week was a classic bait and switch on the american people. a tax increase double the size of what he campaigned on. billions of dollars in new stimulus spending. and an unlimited, unchecked authority to borrow from the chinese. maybe i missed it, but i don't recall him asking for any of that during the presidential campaign. >> joining me now, white house reporter for the "washington post" david nakamara and congressional reporter for roll call, meredith shiner. good to see you.

urge congress to act. >> the specifics -- >> i don't have any information to read out, but happy to get back to you. >> sec of all, i saw the obama administration put the payroll tax cut back on the table in the proposal. i know that the white house is doing these my# -- my2k hash tags. why not my3k because the payroll is back in it? >> that's a good question. i appreciate the contribution to the communication's thinking. the facts of the matter is we are clear that we believe unemployment insurance has to be extended, and we believe all the precisions expire at the end of the year have to be a part of the conversation and discussion. we are interested in payroll tax cuts being interested in very much part of the discussion. i'm not going to get into the specifics of our negotiations, but, you know, two things. one is we fought very hard. the president fought hard for the payroll tax cut and the payroll tax cut extension. around this time last year, i think i was entertaining similar questions, which is, why cannot the president meet with speaker boehner right now? the deal was done, and american families benefited enormously fro

urging action, is clear. we're all saying to president obama, who has stated clearly that there will be drastic consequences if they use chemical and biological weapons, we are with you. there is strong support across congressif the president takes the strong action that is necessary to prevent a very historical horrific humanitarian disaster in syria. >> thank you, senator lieberman, senator mccain, senator gramm. -- graham. there is a unanimous view here today that we support president obama in announcing a red line, should bashar al-assad, who was murdered tens and thousands of people in the last two years, take the unthinkable step of using advanced chemical weapons against his own people, there will be prompt consequences. this is not an easy thing to get a consensus in the senate of the united states on virtually anything. i join this statement today to send a clear message to those who from outside the halls of the capitol watches and see division. on fiscal matters, other policy matters, there's been a lot of division. but on the matter of standing behind our president and making a clear statement of principle, that we will not stand by, as assad uses chemical weapons against his own people, it is s