Ben Affleck for Senate?

But wait – how about Ted Kennedy? “Could Massachusetts get another Ted Kennedy in the Senate?” Politico asks. “Ted Kennedy Jr., son of the late Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy and brother of former Rhode Island Rep. Patrick Kennedy, would instantly be the leading Democratic candidate in the special election to replace Sen. John Kerry, assuming he’s nominated as secretary of state.”

“The American Civil Liberties Union sued Michigan Secretary of State Ruth Johnson for refusing to issue drivers’ licenses and identification cards to illegal immigrants covered by President Barack Obama’s ‘deferred action’ directive,” Business Week writes. “Announced in June, that initiative lets those who came to the U.S. illegally before age 16, have been in the country for at least five years, have no criminal record and are in either school or have completed a high school education, remain and to obtain a work permit.”

The Telegraph: “Three young undocumented immigrants who have been authorised to live and work in the US under Barack Obama's deportation reprieve have filed a lawsuit challenging a Michigan state policy that denies them driving licenses. They say the ban defies common sense, violates the US constitution and runs contrary to the Michigan governor's goal of his state coming to be the most ‘pro-immigration’ in the nation. Michigan is one of three states to deny driving licenses to those who have recently been granted special ‘deferred status’, after entering the country illegally as children.”

A spokesman for Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., says the former vice presidential nominee and current House Budget Chairman plans to vote in support of Speaker Boehner's "Plan B" measure that would extend Bush-era tax rates for Americans making less than $1 million annually but not for incomes over $1 million.

"Chairman Ryan will continue to work to protect as many Americans as possible from tax hikes," said the aide. "Chairman Ryan believes that Speaker Boehner's "Plan B" meets that criteria."

If Ryan were to oppose the plan -- which has earned scorn from some anti-tax conservatives who say they will not accept any tax increases, even on top earners -- it could have been seen as a sign that Boehner had lost control of the GOP conference.

The vote on the measure is currently scheduled for tomorrow on the House floor.

Updated 2:21 p.m. -- Saying that Republican opponents should "take me out of it," President Barack Obama appealed Wednesday for compromise on the "fiscal cliff," urging GOP House members to put aside personal and political concerns after a week marked by the Newtown shooting tragedy and continued bickering over the nation's deficit woes.

Acknowledging that his most vehement foes live in conservative districts with little political "incentive" to back the Democratic president, Obama blamed Republican rank-and-file for personalizing the politics of possible deficit reduction plans.

"I don’t know how much of that just has to do with [the idea that] it is very hard for them to say yes to me," Obama said at a press conference to announce a new task force to prevent gun violence. "But, you know, at some point, you know, they’ve got to take me out of it and think about their voters and think about what’s best for the country."

"If there’s one thing we should have after this week, it should be a sense of perspective about what’s important," he added, alluding to the Newtown shootings that left 26 dead, including 20 children.

Senior White House officials say that negotiations have stalled since yesterday, when House Speaker John Boehner introduced a "Plan B" stopgap measure that would raise tax rates for those making over $1 million annually but would not immediately tackle larger issues like spending cuts and defense "sequestration."

The administration argues that the "Plan B" would mean that scores of wealthy earners would keep getting substantial tax breaks while 2 million Americans would lose unemployment insurance.

"That violates the core principles that were debated during the course of this election and that the American people determined was the wrong way to go," Obama said.

That premise, however, has been vigorously disputed by Republican leaders, who say that the “Plan B” legislation would immediately prevent tax hikes on the middle class, which the White House has always called its top priority in the negotiations.

In a brief statement to reporters Wednesday afternoon, Boehner said that his proposal will pass the House tomorrow, challenging Obama to instruct Senate Democrats to greenlight the backup measure as well.

"The president will have a decision to make," he said. "He can call on the Senate Democrats to pass that bill, or he can be responsible for the largest tax increase in American history."

"The White House's opposition to a back-up plan to ensure taxes don't rise on American families is growing more bizarre and irrational by the day," Boehner spokesman Brendan Buck said earlier Wednesday. "Republicans have always said a broader, 'balanced' plan is the ideal solution, and we have put one forward. In the absence of a 'balanced' solution from the President, however, we must act to stop taxes from rising across the board in 12 days."

While Obama said he understands lead negotiator Boehner faces "challenges" within his caucus from rank-and-file members fearful of a primary challenge from the right, he accused GOP heavies of keeping on their "partisan war paint" long after Election Day.

"I think an environment needs to be created within not just the House Republican caucus but also among Senate Republicans that say the campaign is over, and let’s see if we can do what’s right for the country. At least for the next month. And then, you know, we can reengage in all the other battles that they’ll want to fight."

NBC's Kristen Welker contributed to this report.

President Barack Obama empaneled a new task force led by Vice President Joe Biden to develop comprehensive proposals to address gun violence no later than next month.

In the wake of last week's shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., the president announced a new initiative that would include members of his cabinet and outside organizations to generate proposals to rein in gun violence. He said that any effort should include new restrictions on guns, but also improved access to mental health services and better management of violence in popular culture.

Obama vowed that the new task force would not be just another Washington commission, shorthand for the groups sometimes tasked with studying an issue or event but which often delay or dilute solutions long past the time when the original impetus for such a panel has passed.

Obama said he had asked Biden "to lead an effort that includes members of my cabinet and outside organizations to come up with a set of concrete proposals, no later than January," which the president would then push "without delay."

"This is not some Washington commission. This is not something where folks are going to be studying the issue for six months and publishing a report that gets read, and then pushed aside," the president said. "This is a team that has a very specific task: to pull together real reforms, right now."

Obama expressed support -- restating the position of his press secretary, Jay Carney -- for certain gun measures, including the assault weapons ban, limits on ammunition and closing a loophole allowing gun buyers to elude background checks at gun shows. But he stressed that those were only components of a broader effort to address violence.

The president suggested that stakeholders in those deliberations could possibly include the National Rifle Association -- the gun rights group that had gone silent in the wake of the Newtown shooting, but will hold a press conference on Friday. The president argued that mothers and fathers who compose the NRA's membership had also been impacted by the Newtown shooting.

Alex Wong / Getty Images

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joseph Biden arrive at an announcement on gun reform in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House December 19, 2012 in Washington, DC.

"Their task is going to be to sift through every good idea that's out there, and even take a look at some bad ideas before disposing of them," Obama said of the task force's efforts.

Already, Democrats on Capitol Hill have started to initiate some gun control efforts in the aftermath of Newtown. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called Wednesday for Republicans to bring up a vote on high-capacity ammunition magazines by this weekend. And West Virginia Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D, introduced legislation to study the impact of violent video games on children.

Additionally, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., has said she'll bring up a bill to reinstate the lapsed ban on assault weapons of the first day of the next Congress.

Few Republicans have stepped forward to embrace any of these gun measures, though, and have focused instead on the need for improved mental health services, or school safety.

Obama said his task force's proposals would make up part of his State of the Union address, and he expressed hope that the searing images from last week's shooting in Connecticut would last in the public conscious and help advance his eventual proposals.

"I would hope that our memories aren't so short that what we saw in Newtown isn't lingering with us -- that we don't remain passionate about it, only a month later," he said.

The assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of Diplomatic Security has resigned and three other officials have been relieved of duty after a report criticized the State Department over the attacks on U.S. diplomats in Benghazi, Libya, the department said late Wednesday.

State Department spokesperson Victoria J. Nuland confirmed that Eric Boswell had resigned and said three other officials had been relieved of duties pending . Two of the others worked in the Bureau of Diplomatic Security and one in the Bureau of Near East Affairs.

Nuland did not name the other three, but a U.S. official told NBC News that one was Charlene Lamb, Boswell’s deputy assistant secretary of state for international programs. Earlier reports had said that Boswell, Lamb and another unidentified official had resigned.

The resignations come after the release of the Accountability Review Board Report on the attacks on the U.S. Mission in Benghazi, Libya, which faulted the State Department and specifically the Bureau of Diplomatic Security for "grossly inadequate" security.

Here’s Nuland’s full statement:

"The ARB identified the performance of four officials, three in the Bureau of the Diplomatic Security and one in the Bureau of Near East Asia Affairs.  The Secretary has accepted Eric Boswell's decision to resign as Assistant Secretary for Diplomatic Security, effective immediately.   The other three individuals have been relieved of their current duties.  All four individuals have been placed on administrative leave pending further action."

Updated 10:48 a.m. - President Barack Obama would veto House Republicans' "Plan B" legislation should it make its way to the White House, a top administration spokesman said Wednesday.

White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer said in a statement that the GOP backup proposal -- which would preserve existing tax rates on income less than $1 million past the end of this year -- "does not meet the test of balance, and the president would veto the legislation in the unlikely event of its passage."

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, unveiled the "Plan B" proposal on Tuesday amid stalled talks with Obama toward resolving the combination of automatic tax hikes and spending cuts set to take place on Jan. 1 -- the so-called fiscal cliff.

The proposal would allow tax rates rise on income over $1 million, matching a previous Democratic proposal earlier this year. The administration, however, has set a lower threshold ($400,000 per year) at which it believes taxes should be allowed to rise. Moreover, the administration has argued for a more comprehensive agreement that includes spending cuts and entitlement reforms, but also new spending projects and an extension of unemployment insurance.

Kevin Lamarque / Reuters

U.S. President Barack Obama walks back to the Oval Office of the White House in Washington December 18, 2012.

"The congressional Republican 'Plan B' legislation continues large tax cuts for the very wealthiest individuals - on average, millionaires would see a tax break of $50,000 - while eliminating tax cuts that 25 million students and families struggling to make ends meet depend on and ending critical incentives for our nation’s businesses," Pfeiffer said.

Republicans, as of now, plan to move forward with a set of twin votes on Thursday, one to maintain existing tax rates for those earning less than $250,000 per year (Obama's existing proposal) and the GOP "Plan B" alternative. Boehner. who is continuing to negotiate a broader deal with Obama, will likely have to pass his backup plan only with Republican support -- and even then, conservatives who are leery of raising any taxes at all may defect.

"The president urges the Republican leadership to work with us to resolve remaining differences and find a reasonable solution to this situation today instead of engaging in political exercises that increase the possibility that taxes go up on every American," Pfeiffer wrote.

"The White House’s opposition to a back-up plan to ensure taxes don’t rise on American families is growing more bizarre and irrational by the day," said Boehner spokesman Brendan Buck in response. "Republicans have always said a broader, ‘balanced’ plan is the ideal solution, and we have put one forward. In the absence of a ‘balanced’ solution from the President, however, we must act to stop taxes from rising across the board in 12 days. If Democrats disapprove of this bill, then there is a simple solution: amend it in the Senate and send it back to the House."

What is Boehner doing with Plan B?... Three reasons why the move is so puzzling… Hillary Clinton is Teflon no more when it comes to Benghazi… It’s been a rough couple of weeks for the Obama national security team (current and potentially future)… Obama to make announcement on the policy process the White House will pursue after the tragedy in Newtown… And (no so) Great Scott: Rick Scott’s tough new poll numbers.

*** What is Boehner doing? That’s our question after House Speaker John Boehner yesterday unveiled “Plan B” -- legislation that would raise tax rates on household income above $1 million but keep them status quo for everyone else -- which the House is scheduled to vote on Thursday. Is Plan B, which comes after President Obama made some of his biggest concessions in the fiscal-cliff debate (chained CPI, moving the income marker to $400,000), a way to strengthen Boehner’s negotiating hand with the White House? Is it to prove a point to his rank-and-file members that they can’t have their entire way in these negotiations? (It’s highly doubtful that Boehner even has the votes to pass Plan B.) Or is it a way to scuttle the talks with the White House? Here’s the answer from Boehner’s office: “Making sure we protect 99.81% of Americans from a tax hike.” What we’re watching today: Do Boehner and House GOP leaders spend more time trying to get votes for Plan B, or do they spend more time negotiating with the White House?

Karen Bleier / AFP - Getty Images

House Speaker John Boehner, R-OH, speaks to the press December 18, 2012 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.

*** Three reasons why the move is so puzzling: There are three reasons why Plan B -- if it’s a serious effort -- seems so puzzling. One, as we wrote yesterday, the two sides are thisclose in getting a deal done. (Where the two sides are publicly is not where they were Monday night; they have both moved in each other’s direction further.) Two, if we go over the fiscal cliff (and time is running out, folks), Republicans might not realize the extent to which President Obama will own the bully pulpit in January. After all, there’s a certain inaugural address on Jan. 21, as well as the State of the Union. And three, are enough House Republicans really going to cast a tough vote -- raising taxes -- without getting any spending cuts or resolution on the sequester in return? And are they going to cast a vote for legislation that breaks a longstanding pledge on taxes that has zero chance of becoming law simply to give Boehner leverage? If Boehner and leadership do pull this off and convince their rank-and-file to vote on legislation that is designed just to give Boehner leverage, it would be quite the political feat. But for what end? Boehner already had one big piece of invisible leverage over the White House: a 2013 domestic agenda. The White House knows not getting a deal now, while politically more damaging for Republicans, probably means he’ll get very little down legislatively next year -- perhaps his ONLY year in a second term to focus on passing legislation.

*** Teflon no more? Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has largely been Teflon in all the scrutiny on the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi; after all, Republican senators like John McCain, Lindsey Graham, and Kelly Ayotte turned their attention more to what U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice said on the Sunday shows than toward Clinton’s State Department. But that Teflon quality might be over. Per NBC’s Andrea Mitchell, an independent report released last night faulted Clinton’s State Department for “systemic failures” and “management deficiencies” that resulted in security “that was inadequate for Benghazi and grossly inadequate to deal with the attack that took place.” Bottom line: This is not the way Clinton wanted to leave the State Department, and it tarnishes her record. As of now, due to her illness, she won’t be testifying on this matter on Thursday (instead her deputies will). But she has no choice but to make sure she testifies in a fairly high profile way early next year, if simply to clean this up before she leaves.  

*** A rough last couple of weeks for Obama’s national security team: Speaking of national security, this has been a rough past couple of weeks for a national security team -- current or potentially future --- that has been viewed as one of the strengths of Obama’s first four years in office. The examples: This Benghazi report criticizing the State Department, Susan Rice taking herself out of consideration for the secretary of state job, and now the pro-Israel community and even the Washington Post’s editorial page, which are pummeling former GOP Sen. Chuck Hagel, who’s viewed as Obama’s likely pick to be the next defense secretary. Is there more pressure on Obama to fight for Hagel after what happened to Rice? Or if he fights harder for Hagel than Rice, does that become a problem for some Obama supporters? And why is the administration leaking out names like Rice and Hagel without having an infrastructure to defend them? At a minimum, this all just looks a tad sloppy. 

*** Obama’s post-Newtown effort: At 11:45 am ET, Obama will deliver a statement announcing that Vice President Biden “will lead an effort to come up with policies to address gun violence amid calls for action following the massacre of 26 people including 20 children in a Connecticut grade school last week,” Reuters reports. “The president is not expected to announce major policy decisions, but rather lay out the process by which his administration will move forward, White House aides said.” This announcement comes after White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said yesterday that Obama supports the thrust of Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s assault-weapons ban. Meanwhile, an amazing first from the NRA following a major gun incident: The organization announced it will be holding a press conference this Friday. Normally, its pattern is to lie low and let the storm clouds pass and duck ever having to truly engage in a gun debate so close to a mass shooting. This time, it’s choosing a different P.R. strategy. Why? Political pressure thanks to public statements from lots of pro-gun Democrats? Did they lose memberships? Or have members complain for the first time? Friday will be interesting to see what the NRA has to say.

*** (Not so) Great Scott: A new Quinnipiac poll shows that Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) is EXTREMELY vulnerable with his re-election on the horizon in 2014. His approval rating sits at just 36%, and a majority of voters (52%) say he doesn’t deserve re-election. Two years is an eternity in politics, but Charlie Crist and others have to be licking their chops.

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*** Wednesday’s “The Daily Rundown” line-up: Rep. Ron Barber (D-AZ) on the Connecticut shooting and his own experience in the Tucson tragedy two years ago… Politico’s Jonathan Martin on his new e-book “End of Days” looking at the 2012 race… Republican pollster Kristen Soltis, Democratic strategist Jamal Simmons, and TIME’s Michael Crowley on the fiscal cliff talks, President Obama being named TIME’s person of the year and much more.

*** Wednesday’s “Jansing & Co.” line-up: MSNBC’s Chris Jansing interviews interviews Susan Page, Lynn Sweet and Rep. Steve Israel on the fiscal cliff negotiations; Shira Toeplitz tracks the gun control options on the Hill; Karen Finney and John Feehery look at the Benghazi report; Dr. Sudeepta Varma on parents’ anxiety about children’s safety; plus Meredith Vieira and Jenna Bush-Hager on their White House special.

*** Wednesday’s “MSNBC Live with Thomas Roberts” line-up: The program has live coverage of President Obama’s guns task force announcement at 11:45am ET.  MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts also will interview Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Rep.-Elect Alan Grayson and Fmr. NM Gov. & UN Amb.  Bill Richardson. 

*** Wednesday’s “NOW with Alex Wagner” line-up: Alex Wagner’s guests include Rolling Stone Executive Editor Eric Bates, The Huffington Post Washington Bureau Chief Ryan Grim, The Atlantic Sr. Editor Garance Franke-Ruta, Author Kurt Andersen, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Sister Simone Campbell, and NBC’s Luke Russert.

*** Wednesday’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” line-up: NBC’s Andrea Mitchell interviews Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN), Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND), Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza and Time’s Richard Stengel.

*** Wednesday’s “News Nation with Tamron Hall” line-up: MSNBC’s Tamron Hall interviews Rep. Dianna DeGette (D-CO), Prof. Robert Spitzer, the author of “Politics of Gun Control”, The Hill’s AB Stoddard, Real Clear Politics’ Erin McPike, Dem Strat David Goodfriend, Time Magazine’s Jim Frederick, and Michael Smersconish.

“President Barack Obama is launching an administration-wide effort to curb gun violence, underscoring the growing political consensus over tightening gun restrictions following the horrific massacre at a Connecticut elementary school,” the AP reports. “Obama is tasking Vice President Joe Biden, a longtime gun control advocate, with spearheading the effort. In remarks from the White House on Wednesday, Obama will outline a process for pursuing policy changes following the school shooting, though he is not expected to call for specific measures.”

“President Obama supports efforts to reinstate an assault weapons ban as part of a comprehensive plan to address gun violence, his spokesman said Tuesday,” USA Today writes. “Press Secretary Jay Carney added that Obama would back proposals to close the ‘gun show loophole,’ which allows people to buy weapons without background checks.”

And: “The president spoke by phone Tuesday with Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a Democratic gun rights supporter who said he is re-thinking his position in light of Friday's shooting.”

The NRA broke its silence with a statement yesterday and will hold a news conference Friday.

Barack Obama is Time’s Person of the Year.

Obama’s job approval hit 57% in a CBS poll. Congress, on the other hand, comes in at just 11%.

Bloomberg: “White House officials have approached American Express Co. (AXP) Chief Executive Officer Kenneth Chenault about joining President Barack Obama’s second-term administration, possibly as Treasury secretary, according to two people familiar with the matter.”

Obama may be traveling to Hawaii next week, possibly Monday. 

“An independent inquiry into the attack on the United States diplomatic mission in Libya that killed four Americans on Sept. 11 sharply criticized the State Department for a lack of seasoned security personnel and for relying on untested local militias to safeguard the compound, according to a report by the panel made public on Tuesday night,” the New York Times reports. More: “In response to the panel’s findings, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said in a letter to Congress that she was accepting all 29 of the panel’s recommendations, five of which are classified.”

Clinton was supposed to testify on Benghazi today, which happens to be the day after the report was released. But Clinton will not be testifying due to a concussion suffered after fainting from a stomach flu over the weekend.

Charles Krauthammer: “Former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton calls this a diplomatic illness. And we heard from Victoria Nuland (spokesperson for the United States Department of State) that it's a bad bug. I think that it's perhaps a Benghazi allergy. She seems to have a severe Benghazi allergy.”

“The provision causing the most heartburn for Democrats on Capitol Hill is one that would change the way inflation is measured to ultimately reduce payments to Social Security beneficiaries. Obama floated the so-called chained consumer price index idea to House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) last year during their failed negotiations over raising the debt ceiling,” Politico writes. “But by including it in his fiscal cliff offer, Obama is guaranteeing that if and when a deal comes together, it’s almost certain to include the provision. It would force Democrats — who have spent decades building their brand as the protectors of Social Security and entitlement programs — into a difficult vote.”

Republicans don’t want to give the president credit for a budget tactic they have used before. “The Obama plan projects savings of $1.22 trillion over ten years, including $290 billion in reduced interest payments as the nation's debt goes down,” USA Today writes, noting that “Republicans are trying to have it both ways on spending cuts.” More: “House Republicans say that shouldn't count as a spending cut, and score the Obama plan with $930 billion in cuts -- not enough, they say, for a one-to-one match of the $1.2 trillion in higher taxes envisioned under the Obama plan. But the Republicans have counted lower interest payments as budget cuts before. That includes the budget reductions that accompanied the increase in the debt ceiling in 2011.”

The labor groups AFSCME, NEA, and SEIU have launched a new 30-second TV ad in the fiscal-cliff debate.

“The late Sen. Daniel Inouye will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda on Thursday, a rare honor usually reserved for presidents,” USA Today writes.

Knives out for Hagel: “The former Nebraska Republican senator — who is expected to get President Barack Obama’s nod to become his next secretary of defense — is anything but a favorite among many of his former GOP colleagues on Capitol Hill. His onetime fellow Republican senators are quick to point out his role as a chief Bush antagonist over Iraq, his opposition to sanctions in places like Iran and comments he’s made about Hamas, Hezbollah and North Korea,” Politico writes. “Some privately note he rubbed them the wrong way; one GOP senator called him ‘prickly.’ Another was irked by the moderate Republican’s penchant for taking on his party, including this past election cycle, when he backed Democrat Bob Kerrey’s Senate candidacy in Nebraska over Deb Fischer, the Republican who later went on to win the race. Off of Capitol Hill on Tuesday, critics — including the Anti-Defamation League — slammed his record on Israel, including comments he made years back when he called pro-Israel forces in Washington the ‘Jewish lobby.’”

Immigration reform will have an interesting twist next year with Trey Gowdy at the helm of a House immigration subcommittee. “House leaders chose a vocal opponent of illegal immigration to head up the chamber's immigration subcommittee, which will play an integral role in the upcoming debates on how to reform the nation's immigration laws,” USA Today reports. “Incoming House Judiciary Chairman Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., announced Tuesday that Rep. Trey Gowdy, a former South Carolina prosecutor who was part of the GOP freshman wave of 2010, will head the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security.”

Ed Markey seems to have more than just a passing interest in running for John Kerry’s seat, if nominated to be Secretary of State. “A Massachusetts resident relayed to a Globe reporter the contents of a 20-minute survey an out-of-state firm conducted via telephone that assessed Markey’s strengths and weaknesses in a potential match-up against Senator Scott Brown,” the Boston Globe reports.

Michael Dukakis, 79, though might still be in the running to be Kerry’s replacement. “When Dukakis was reminded by a Globe reporter that his denial of interest was not an absolute no, he said, ‘That’s what I have to say,’” the Boston Globe reports. 

“Although presidential campaigns traditionally pay the up-front cost for journalists traveling with the candidates and bill their employers later, news organizations have been shocked in recent weeks to get sky-high bills from Mitt Romney's camp for the cost of feeding reporters on the trail,” the New York Daily News writes. “In a letter to the Romney campaign published by Buzzfeed, nine major news companies said the bills they received ‘far exceed typical expenses on the campaign trail.’ The tab for one day in October included $812 per reporter to eat a single meal and then ‘hold’ in a rented space before going to another event. On other days in October, the members of the cash-strapped news industry were charged $461 and $345 apiece for a single meal and seat in a ‘holding room.’”

And: “One Romney aide told Buzzfeed, which also signed the letter, that the campaign wasn’t trying to rip off the media, but had simply mismanaged its expenses.”

Buzzfeed: “One campaign aide, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the bills were not artificially inflated, but rather the product of a generally mismanaged campaign. The aide said the advance team — which was tasked with arranging meals and accommodations for the press — failed to communicate with other elements of the campaign and consistently spent more money than necessary. Indeed, reporters on the trail grew accustomed to having five or six catered meals offered to them every day, with long tables full of food awaiting them at each campaign stop. The meals often went untouched and were sometimes consumed by campaign staff. It remains unclear whether those aides shouldered some of the costs of the meals.”

Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s approval rating dipped to just 36% in the latest Quinnipiac poll. He’s up for reelection in 2014.

The Detroit Free Press: “With the shock of the mass shooting at a Newtown, Conn., elementary school still fresh on the nation's conscience and protests and vigils by clergy and others closer to home, Gov. Rick Snyder vetoed a bill Tuesday that would have allowed Michigan gun owners with extra training to carry concealed weapons in schools, day care centers, churches and stadiums.”

NBC's Mark Murray and Domenico Montanaro discuss who is the leader of the Republican Party after their loss in the presidential race. For now, the leader seems to be House Speaker John Boehner who is the GOP's main negotiator in the fiscal cliff talks.

Thanks to DaNoid for the question!

Edited by NBC's Matt Loffman.

TRANSCRIPT:

MONTANARO: Welcome to Inside the Boiler Room. I'm Domenico Montanaro joined by Mark Murray. Mark, DaNoid asks, 'If we define the leader of a political party as the most influential elected official from his/her party in Washington, who is actually the leader of the Republican party right now? If there doesn't appear to be one, who could we expect to assume that title during the next four years?'

MURRAY: Well this is a fascinating question always for the party that is out of power, particularly the White House. When you look at  an elected leader when you are actually talking about the current negotiations in this fiscal cliff debate, it does seem to be House Speaker John Boehner. But then you also end up having someone like RNC Chairman Reince Priebus whose own committee is looking to see what went wrong in 2012. But to really answer the question on who eventually becomes the leader, its really -- we wont really find out until 2016 when the party selects its presidential nominee. But even as we found out with Mitt Romney, sometimes actually being the leader of that party for a short amount of time...boy, sometimes you end up losing and you are gone a week later and people have forgotten about you.

MONTANARO: Well if leader means someone who is able to corral influence, I do think that there are some people that can do that. Right now, I think that Speaker Boehner, first and foremost, should be at the top of the list because it is the highest ranking office. I mean, you are third in line to the President. Then I would say and maybe almost on equal footing is Sen. Mitch McConnell. The fact of the matter is, he is one of the best tacticians and strategists that the party has on rules. So when you need to get something done or blocked in the Senate, he is the guy that Republicans go to because he can go toe-to-toe with Sen. Harry Reid. I do think that a little further down inside the Republican caucus you still look at someone like Rep. Paul Ryan who does tend to be an influential intellectual leader and someone to watch for the future of the party being as young as he is. But, I think you are right that obviously the person that becomes president becomes the party's de facto leader. I think nobody would have said Barack Obama six years ago was the leader of the Democratic party. But that person emerges eventually.

MURRAY: But one thing that is fascinating and we are going to see in 2016 and it will be a lot like 2008 where so much of the leadership, so much of the activity will be on the presidential campaign trail on both the Democratic side and the Republican side and when you would have a lame duck president like Barack Obama would become in 2015, 2016, all that attention is going to be on the campaign trail. So when there is news, sometimes people are going to be looking for more comment from the presidential actors rather than the President himself who is in the Oval Office, which is an interesting development.

MONTANARO: Well, that is what you call lame duck. (LAUGHTER) I'm Domenico Montanaro--

MURRAY: --and I'm Mark Murray. Thanks DaNoid.

President Barack Obama would actively support an impending proposal next year to reinstate a ban on assault weapons as part of the wide-ranging effort the president promised to initiate in response to mass shooting incidents this year.

The contours of Obama’s plan to address mounting gun violence began to take shape in the nation’s capital as the White House started to outline some of the specific measures the administration would favor as part of its new initiative.

White House press secretary Jay Carney said that Obama supports the thrust of California Sen. Dianne Feinstein's forthcoming legislation to reinstate a ban on assault weapons, which expired in 2004. Carney said that the president was additionally willing to consider limiting the capacity of ammunition magazines and closing a loophole allowing individuals to purchase firearms at gun shows without a background check.

Evan Vucci / AP

President Barack Obama walks off after delivering a speech at an interfaith vigil for the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012 at Newtown High School in Newtown, Conn.

Carney said Obama "is actively supportive of, for example, Sen. Feinstein’s stated intent to revive a piece of legislation that would reinstate the assault weapons ban," along with some of those other gun proposals.

The press secretary's comments offered the first glance into what policy specifics might make up the president's vow to initiate an effort to address gun violence, which he made during a vigil for victims of last week's elementary school shooting in Newtown, Conn.

A steady trickle of pro-gun Democrats have begun to express their willingness to consider reinstating the assault weapons ban, which expired in 2004 without any serious efforts for renewal. West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin -- whom Obama called Tuesday -- appeared in a 2010 campaign ad shooting a copy of the environmental cap-and-trade bill; now, Manchin said every option should be "on the table."

The shooting in Newtown, according to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., served as a "tipping point" in a long-dormant debate over gun control in the nation's capital. While Obama has voiced support for reinstating the assault weapons ban in the past, his administration might throw its weight behind such an effort.

But Carney emphasized that new gun rules would only compose a portion of a more comprehensive effort to adress mass casualty events. The press secretary emphasized, for instance, that improved mental health services were an important element in any effort.

That component has been one which Republicans, who are generally loath to support efforts to rein in gun rights, have emphasized in the aftermath of the Newtown shooting.

"I think we need to look at school safety. Mental health, obviously, seems to be a big part of what happened here," Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, R, said Tuesday on MSNBC. "And once we have the facts, make prudent, reasonable decisions."

He said limits on firearms might make sense, but only if evidence would demonstrate those tighter rules would be effective. On that count, McDonnell said all the facts had yet to be gathered.

Georgia Rep. Jack Kingston, R, made a similar point in a separate interview on MSNBC.

"Yes, put more gun control on the table, but don't forget the mental health element," he said.

But no senior Republican had yet emerged to endorse -- or really, even address -- the prospects for any legislation to restrict access to assault weapons or high-capacity magazines. Because the House will remain in Republican control for at least the next two years, bringing any such proposal to a vote without the blessing of the GOP leadership would be difficult, if not impossible.

Pelosi, however, voiced a more bullish outlook on the current willingness of Congress to take up gun rules.

"Right away -- today, this week -- we could pass the ban on assault magazines," she told NBC's Andrea Mitchell. "In the larger sense, let's go down the path of banning the assault weapon. I think that has a better chance to do that now than ever."

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Tuesday that she backs President Barack Obama's newest proposal to avert the fiscal cliff, defying some progressive Democrats who object to an included cost-of-living calculation that could effectively cut entitlement benefits to Social Security recipients.

Asked by NBC's Andrea Mitchell if she believes she can rally enough Democratic support to pass the White House's plan, Pelosi responded "Yes, I do."

"I believe the president has demonstrated great leadership in what he put forth," she said, arguing that the White House plan would help avert the cliff, create consumer confidence and avoid a credit rating downgrade.

Pelosi pushed back on progressive opponents of one compromise measure that would modify the way cost-of-living increases are calculated to determine Society Security payments. While some in the Democratic Party say that the change -- called "chained CPI" --  would effectively cut Social Security payments, the minority leader said Tuesday that the effects on poor recipients would be minimal once all of the specifics of the deal are worked out.

"The details of this are not all ironed out, but they all mitigate for helping the poorest and neediest in our society, whether they are [Supplemental Security Income] recipients, whether they're 80 and older, or whether they're truly needy," she said.

But, she added, she would join some of those progressive Democrats in opposing an increase in the Medicare eligibility age.

Kevin Lamarque / Reuters

U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi speaks to reporters in the Capitol in Washington December 13, 2012.

Pelosi also came out against House Speaker John Boehner's "Plan B" proposal earlier Tuesday to push a standalone measure that would address tax rates for earners under $1 million.

"Plan B, I would call it 'Plan Befuddled," she said of Boehner's suggestion, adding that the measure cannot pass both houses of Congress.

'It's a tactic, but it's not a serious proposal," she said.

Republicans have pointed out that Pelosi herself suggested in May that tax rates should be maintained for all earners under $1 million, the same threshold that Boehner offered today.

Pelosi said Tuesday that her own proposal was in part a way to "smoke out" the opposition in getting Republicans to agree to at least some rate hikes, a move that they have now made in -- Pelosi argues -- a victory for the president.

"I'm glad he's taking up some of my suggestions," she said of Boehner. 'My next suggestion would be to put something on the table - as we were suggesting then to smoke out the Republicans - at what level would you raise the rates on the wealthiest people in this country? Not 'would you raise them at a million dollars?' That was the point of that exercise."

Hillary Clinton’s possible 2016 bid for the presidency won one high-profile supporter Tuesday in House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

Pelosi said during an interview with NBC’s Andrea Mitchell that she hoped Clinton – who will retire soon from her job as secretary of state – would make another bid for the presidency in four years.

“Wouldn’t that be exiting?” Pelosi said. “I hope she goes – why wouldn’t she?”

“She could be president of the United States, and she would be great,” added Pelosi, who was speaker of the House and stayed neutral during the 2008 primary between Clinton and Barack Obama. “And if she decided to run, I think she would win. She would go into the White House as well prepared, or better prepared, than almost anybody who has served in that office in a very long time.”

Updated 11:38 a.m. -- House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, will introduce "Plan B" legislation to extend the Bush-era tax rates for those making $1 million and below as a backstop for the "fiscal cliff" talks. But Democrats have rejected the plan, saying that it cannot pass the Senate and does not "ask enough" of top earners. 

The proposal, which Boehner described as a less desirable alternative to a larger "balanced" deal with the White House, would mean that rates would go up for the highest earners, while taxes would remain at current levels for the majority of Americans. President Barack Obama had originally called for tax rates to increase at a lower threshold, for those households earning over $250,000 per year; his administration made a new offer to Republicans last night raising that threshold to $400,000.

"I continue to have hope that we can reach a broader agreement with the White House that would reduce spending as well as have revenues on the table," Boehner said at a press conference on Capitol Hill. "I think it would be better for our country, but at this point, having a backup plan to make sure that as few American taxpayers are affected by this increase as possible ... is the right course of action for us." 

Boehner continued to criticize the president's overall offer as too light on spending cuts. "What we've offered meets the definition of 'balanced,' but the president is not there yet," he said.  

White House spokesman Jay Carney said in a statement that Boehner's alternative still "doesn't ask enough" of top earners. 

Obama "is not willing to accept a deal that doesn’t ask enough of the very wealthiest in taxes and instead shifts the burden to the middle class and seniors," Carney said. "The Speaker’s “Plan B” approach doesn’t meet this test because it can’t pass the Senate and therefore will not protect middle class families, and does little to address our fiscal challenges with zero spending cuts."

J. Scott Applewhite / AP

Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, arrives for a closed-door meeting with House Republicans as he negotiates with President Obama to avert the fiscal cliff, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid also shot down the House plan as a non-starter, arguing that it cannot pass both chambers of Congress. 

"Speaker Boehner's 'plan B' is the farthest thing from a balanced approach," Reid said in a statement. "It will not protect middle class families because it cannot pass both Houses of Congress. The Senate bill is the only 'plan B' that can be signed into law and prevent taxes from rising by $2,200 on the average middle-class family." 

Boehner spokesman Brendan Buck retorted that the president's rejection of the alternative plan "defies common sense." 

"After spending months saying we must ask for more from millionaires and billionaires, how can they reject a plan that does exactly that?" he said. "By once again moving the goal posts, the President is threatening every American family with higher taxes."

A Republican leadership aide said earlier Tuesday that the second-track plan to prevent tax increases for most Americans does not mean that negotiations between the speaker and the president have stalled.   Both sides say that they are hopeful that a larger deal can be struck, and talks continue between the White House and GOP. 

But action on the tax cut extension for all but the highest earners would provide a second path to prevent tax increases after the first of the year that could shake the American economy. 

Boehner said that the "Plan B" bill is likely to see action on the floor later this week. It will not address the automatic defense cuts - or "sequestration" --  that are part of the larger fiscal cliff puzzle, he said. 

Asked by NBC's Luke Russert about the effect of the Newtown school shootings last week on partisan wrangling over the cliff, Boehner acknowledged the effect the tragedy has had on the American people. 

"It's not a time to put Americans through more stress," he said.  

NBC's Carrie Dann contributed to this report. 

On the verge of a fiscal-cliff deal… Where things currently stand between Obama and Boehner… The two remaining questions: Can they resolve the final differences? And can they sell the deal to their rank-and-file members?... Liberal and conservative opinion leaders react… The sound of silence (from the right) in the post-Newtown gun debate… Sen. Inouye passes away… And the best news of the day: NBC’s Richard Engel and crew rescued.

*** On the verge of the deal: The Obama White House and House Speaker John Boehner now appear closer to a deal than ever before. The only questions remaining are whether both sides can resolve their remaining differences and, more importantly, can sell the deal to their respective rank-and-files. After Boehner made an offer on Friday to raise rates on income above $1 million, President Obama yesterday presented the speaker with a counterproposal consisting of $1.2 trillion in revenue (which includes the Bush-era tax cuts expiring for income above $400,000) and $1.2 trillion in spending cuts (including $800 billion in health and non-health programs, $290 billion in interest, and $130 billion in changing the cost-of-living adjustment for Social Security benefits). The White House’s offer also extends unemployment insurance, raises the debt ceiling for two years, and includes funds for infrastructure. Boehner’s office released a statement calling the White House’s counteroffer “a step in the right direction,” per NBC’s Frank Thorp. But it doesn’t want to count the interest as part of the spending cuts. Yet he fact the White House is agreeing to the Boehner principle of 1-to-1 revenue increases vs. spending cuts on this deal means it’s now about exchanging numbers, potentially dotting “I”s and crossing “T”s. Folks, this is progress -- but we’re not there yet.

*** So here are where things stand: Both sides are $200 billion apart on tax revenue ($1.2 trillion vs. $1 trillion), apart on the income cut-off for tax rates going up ($400K vs. $1 million), apart on whether you include interest as part of the spending cuts (Republicans believe the White House has actually only proposed a net of approximately $850 billion in spending cuts compared to $1.2 trillion in tax hikes), and apart on the debt-ceiling increase (one year vs. two years). If you simply split the difference, you could have a final deal of $1.1 trillion in revenue, $1.1 trillion in spending cuts, and $600K to $700K on the income cut-off. The things to watch today: 1) How both sides’ rank-and-file members receive these numbers, and 2) if the momentum for a deal continues. As one Dem congressional aide tells First Read, “Momentum breeds momentum.” A Senate leadership aide adds that the potential “Plan B”s circulating among GOPers are being held off until Thursday. So Boehner and the White House have until then, realistically. So time is now of the essence. If you want to do something before Dec. 31, the clock is ticking. By the way, House GOP leaders (Boehner, Eric Cantor, Kevin McCarthy, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Lynn Jenkins) are holding a stakeout at 10:00 am ET.

*** Liberals and conservatives react: How are liberal and conservative opinion leaders reacting so far to these outlines? From the liberal side, here is the headline banner of today’s Huffington Post: “Raw Deal: Obama’s latest fiscal cliff offer targets middle class, elderly.” From the story: “Obama's offer would allow the payroll tax holiday to expire, meaning middle class workers will see smaller paychecks in 2013.” (Though wasn’t the payroll tax cut supposed to be temporary?) Meanwhile, the New York Times’ Paul Krugman is taking a wait-and-see approach. “Those cuts [CPI adjustment for Social Security] are a very bad thing, although there will supposedly be some protection for low-income seniors. But the cuts are not nearly as bad as raising the Medicare age.” And yesterday, on the conservative side, we saw Heritage Action blast Boehner’s offer to let the Bush-era tax cuts expire on income over $1 million, and Club for Growth urge Republicans not to concede on the debt ceiling. The way you used to be able to get a deal in Washington is if both sides complained -- that meant there was equal pain. The question is if that still applies today.

*** Sound of silence: As NBCNews.com’s Mike O’Brien writes, there were two striking developments yesterday in the wake of the Newtown shootings. One, Democratic politicians from red or purple states (Joe Manchin, Harry Reid, Mark Warner, John Yarmuth, Jeanne Shaheen) were calling for having a conversation about guns and their role in the tragedy. And two, Republican politicos have been mostly silent when it comes to guns and the role they played in Connecticut. The New York Times notes how the NRA has been silent, too. “Leaders of the organization have declined interview requests since the shootings, the group’s Twitter account has gone silent, and it has deactivated its Facebook page.”

*** Sen. Inouye passes away: The Washington Post: “Sen. Daniel K. Inouye of Hawaii, a highly decorated World War II combat veteran who used his status as one of the most powerful Democrats in Washington and the second-longest-serving senator in history to send billions of dollars to his home islands, died Monday at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda. He was 88… Since 2010, Sen. Inouye had been the Senate’s president pro tempore, which put him third in the line of succession for the presidency.” A couple of additional points to make here: One, with Inouye’s passing and Sen. Akaka’s upcoming retirement, the next Senate will feature just one remaining WWII veteran: Sen. Frank Lautenberg (who served in Army Signal Corps). Two, the new pro tempore will be Sen. Pat Leahy (who was elected in 1974). And consider this: If he weren’t VP, Joe Biden would have been the pro tempore (he was elected in 1972). By the way, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports that Inouye urged Dem Gov. Neil Abercrombie to appoint U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa as Inouye’s successor in the Senate.

*** Engel and crew rescued: And here is our favorite news of the day -- our NBC colleague Richard Engel and his crew have been rescued from Syria. The statement from NBC News: "After being kidnapped and held for five days inside Syria by an unknown group, NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel and his production crew members have been freed unharmed. We are pleased to report they are safely out of the country." That’s great news for our colleagues, their families, and NBC News. To hear Richard tell about their escape, click here.

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*** Tuesday’s “Jansing & Co.” line-up: MSNBC’s Chris Jansing, anchoring from Newtown, CT, interviews Ruth Marcus, Chris Frates and Rep. John Yarmuth on gun legislation & the fiscal cliff negotiations; Newtown’s Pastor Rocky Veach on his community’s grief; John Brabender & Steve Elmendorf on the changing face of the senate; Howard Bragman on Hollywood violence; Eric Yaverbaum on the social media response to the shootings, and Chris’s personal tour of the makeshift memorials throughout the Newtown community.

*** Tuesday’s “MSNBC Live with Thomas Roberts” line-up: MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts interviews MSNBC Host Ed Schultz, Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA),  Rep. Michael Grimm (R-NY), Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) and Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-SC).  Today’s Power Panel includes:  MSNBC.com VP & Exec. Editor Richard Wolffe, Author Paul Barrett and Rev. Gary Hall.

*** Tuesday’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” line-up: NBC’s Andrea Mitchell interviews House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi, former White House Chief of Staff John Podesta, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza.

*** Tuesday’s “News Nation with Tamron Hall” line-up: MSNBC’s Tamron Hall interviews Real Clear Politics’ Erin McPike, Politico’s Roger Simon, Huffington Post Blogger John Rosenthal, Democratic strategist Chris Kofinis and Michael Smerconish.

Waiting on specifics… “While pressure from the public and some gun-control advocates mounts in the aftermath of the Newtown, Conn., school shooting, the White House hasn't laid out any specifics on how President Obama plans to tackle the scourge of gun violence that he declared has become far too routine,” USA Today writes.

“Private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management announced early this morning that it plans to sell Freedom Group, a firearms conglomerate that produced the .223 Bushmaster rifle used in last week's elementary school massacre,” Fortune reports.

Pro-gun Democratic senators are speaking out. Incoming Democratic senators in red states -- Heidi Heitkamp (ND) and Joe Donnelly (IN) – say they’re open to possible changes in gun laws.

And Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA): "I've been a strong supporter of Second Amendment rights. I've got an A rating from the NRA. But the status quo isn't acceptable. I've got three daughters. They asked me on Friday evening, 'Dad, what are you gonna do about this?' There's got to be a way to put reasonable restrictions, particularly as we look at assault weapons, as we look at these fast clips of ammunition."

Charlie Cook: “Although it’s easy for liberals on cable shows to predict that the mass killing in Newtown will lead to a dramatic tightening of gun laws, the simple arithmetic of the House and Senate suggests that action will be very difficult. According to Cook Political Report House Editor David Wasserman, only 15 of the 234 Republicans who were elected to the House last month are in districts also carried by President Obama, presumably the more-liberal districts and more likely to be open to tighter gun laws; 219 House Republicans represent districts won by Mitt Romney, one more than the 218 majority. Nine of the 201 districts in which Democrats were elected to the House voted for the GOP nominee. With 94 percent of House Republicans sitting in Romney districts and 96 percent of Democrats in districts won by Obama, it’s clear that the House is pretty much sorted out on the issue, with not that many “fish out of water” members (Republicans occupying Democratic-leaning districts or Democrats in Republican-oriented districts). Arguably, this means that while fewer Democrats would have to worry about incurring the wrath of the NRA in so called pro-gun districts, relatively few Republicans would be endangered by opposing a gun-control measure.”

The Washington Post’s Greg Sargent makes the point that the Democratic coalition largely backs gun control. “What’s really striking is that opposition to stricter gun control is largely driven by white men — blue collar white men in particular. By contrast, college educated whites, white women, moderates, and minorities all show majority support for stricter gun laws. These are the emerging pillars of the Democratic coalition.”

The New York Times: “Even when the N.R.A. is silent — as its Web site and Twitter feed remained Monday, after the second-deadliest school shooting in United States history — it wields one of the biggest sticks in politics: A $300 million budget, millions of members around the country and virtually unmatched ferocity in advancing its political and legislative interests.”

“The Facebook page of the National Rifle Association disappeared this weekend in the wake of the elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut; the page’s former location now redirects users back to the home page,” Wired magazine writes. “Press accounts speculate that the staunch anti-gun-control group deleted its page amid a growing and impassioned debate over whether gun laws need tightening. A woman answering phones at the NRA’s public affairs office declined to immediately comment on the Facebook page Monday. … The NRA’s Google+ and YouTube pages remain intact, but the NRA “locked” its most recent Google+ post, decrying a surge in federal background checks, preventing the post from being shared with others or commented upon. On YouTube, the NRA appears to have similarly disabled comments on its most recent upload. So it would appear that the most famous Second Amendment advocacy group is not nearly as keen on people exercising the First Amendment.”

NBCNews.com’s Technology blog wraps that as well.

USA Today: “‘When there is a large-scale mass shooting like this, the NRA plays duck and cover,’ says Robert Spitzer, a political scientist at the State University of New York-Cortland and author of The Politics of Gun Control. ‘They are waiting for the storm to subside,’ Spitzer says. ‘They know that, historically, what happens is great public outrage (after mass shootings) until the political storm passes. And once that happens, then they resume standard procedures. They will work to defeat any proposed laws.’”

Here we go… “As residents of Newtown, Conn., began burying the 20 children and six adults killed in Friday's school shooting, a South Dakota legislator is drafting a bill that would allow teachers, administrators and even janitors to bring guns to school. Rep. Betty Olson, R-Prairie City, told The Associated Press on Monday that she believes armed school personnel could have mitigated the Newtown massacre.”

OK, now we can talk. Now that House Speaker John Boehner crossed the threshold and proposed raising taxes at all, the president is moving off of what was a seemingly ironclad position on raising rates on those making $250,000 a year or more.

The AP: “Narrowing a ‘fiscal cliff’ negotiating gap, President Barack Obama is backing off what had once been ironclad positions. A new proposal handed to House Speaker John Boehner on Monday drops Obama's long-held insistence that taxes rise on individuals earning more than $200,000 and families making more than $250,000. He is now offering a new threshold of $400,000 and lowering his 10-year tax revenue goals from the $1.6 trillion he had argued for a few weeks ago. Obama also abandoned his demand for permanent borrowing authority. Instead, he is now asking for a new debt limit that would last two years, putting its renewal beyond the politics of a 2014 midterm election.”

USA Today’s Davis: “There is strong agreement that President Obama and Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, should compromise party doctrine to solve the ‘fiscal cliff,’ and by a nearly 2-to-1 margin the public approves of Obama's handling of the ongoing negotiations over Boehner. According to the latest USA TODAY/Gallup Poll, 66% said the two negotiators should compromise ‘on their principles and beliefs’ on taxes and spending to avert the year-end ‘fiscal cliff’ when all of the George W. Bush-era tax rates will expire and $1.2 trillion in spending cuts over a decade will begin, threatening an economic recession in 2013. …  A steady 48% approve of the president's handling, while only 25% approve of Boehner's handling.” 

Washington Post: “Most Americans want President Obama and congressional Republicans to compromise on a budget agreement, though they, too, are unhappy about the options that would avert the “fiscal cliff,” according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.” But: “Most Americans oppose slashing spending on Medicaid and the military, as well as raising the age for Medicare eligibility and slowing the increase of Social Security benefits, all of which appear to be on the table in negotiations. Majorities call each of these items ‘unacceptable.’”

More: “A clear majority of Americans, 74 percent, say they would tolerate Obama’s proposal to raise taxes on those with incomes over $250,000, but neither side in the talks thinks that alone would generate enough revenue to bridge the budget gap.” And: “Fully 76 percent see the Republicans as too intractable on the deficit issue, and most, 57 percent, also see Obama as not being willing enough to compromise.”

CBS: “[O]nly half of Americans think a deal on taxes and spending cuts will be made before the end of the year. Forty-four percent expect time will run out. Democrats (58 percent) are much more optimistic about a deal than Republicans (38 percent). Right now all parties involved - President Obama and Democrats and Republicans in Congress -- receive negative marks for how they are handling the negotiations over taxes and spending cuts. The public is more critical of the Republicans in Congress on this matter - 69 percent disapprove of the Republicans in Congress compared to 50 percent disapproving of the president and congressional Democrats. Meantime, 38 percent approve of how the president and Democrats are handling these negotiations compared to 17 percent approving of congressional Republicans. Raising taxes on those with household incomes of $250,000 is supported by most Americans (69 percent to 29 percent), but they are divided on reducing government services and programs that benefit people like themselves in the name of deficit reduction; 45 percent favor that, while 48 percent oppose it.”

Reuters: “After making major concessions on long-held ‘fiscal cliff’ positions, President Barack Obama and House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner will test the reaction Tuesday of their respective parties in the U.S. Congress and continue talks aimed at further narrowing their differences. … In rapid developments Monday, the two sides came significantly closer to bridging gaps on critical issues such as tax hikes for the wealthy and cuts in Social Security cost-of-living benefits. Those issues have the potential to cause problems politically for both leaders, as Republicans and Democrats start to study them.”

Not everyone’s happy with Boehner’s deal. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, in the House leadership team, rejected Boehner’s plan, calling it a “false promise.”

Market Watch: Dickering between the White House and congressional Republicans over higher taxes on the wealthy is in full swing, according to news reports, helping to lift Asian and European equities and pushing U.S. stock index futures on hopes politicians will manage to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff. Alternatively waning and waxing expectations surrounding a solution to the cliff – a combination of massive spending cuts and tax hikes set to automatically begin taking effect Jan. 1 unless a deal is reached – have driven global financial markets since President Barack Obama won re-election in early November.

The Honolulu Star Advertiser: “Hawaii mourns 'An American hero'.”

Here’s its cover, which is entirely about Inouye. Subhead: “The venerable senator ‘changed our islands forever.’”

“Democrat Daniel Inouye, the U.S. Senate's most senior member and a Medal of Honor recipient for his bravery during World War II, has died. He was 88,” USA Today writes.

Here’s Nightly News on Inouye.

Political Wire: “The Washington Post notes that less than two hours after Sen. Daniel Inouye died, the Senate passed a resolution naming Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) as the new president pro tempore.” And: “Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) will be the only -- and likely the final -- veteran of World War II serving in the Senate next year."

All across the country, electors (to the Electoral College) officially cast their ballots for President Obama or Mitt Romney. It was pretty standard in California, Florida, Washington, Texas, Oklahoma, Nevada, South Carolina, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, for example.

Most noted the history being made. One elector in Florida, even said, “I will quote loosely Vice President Biden: ‘This is a…uh…big deal.'”

In Arizona, though, a different story: “Arizona's 11 Republican electors formally cast their votes Monday for Mitt Romney - but not before three of them, including the state party chairman, said questions remain about whether President Obama is a natural-born citizen,” the Arizona Daily Star writes. “ ‘I'm not satisfied with what I've seen,’ said Tom Morrissey, head of the Arizona Republican Party, after signing the formal paperwork to cast his Electoral College vote for Romney. ‘I think for somebody in the president's position to not have produced a document that looks more legitimate, I have a problem with that,’ Morrissey said.”

KTAR: “College member Don Ascoli, who recently finished serving as Republican Party chairman in Gila County, said he didn't think Obama was ‘properly vetted as a legitimate candidate for president.’” More: Secretary of State Ken Bennett, who presided over the Electoral College ceremony, later said he did not share the views of the three college members, but he said the college members were exercising their First Amendment rights. Gov. Jan Brewer, who observed the ceremony, later said she disagreed with the three college members' opinions. ‘The bottom line is everybody is entitled to their own opinion. I happen to disagree,’ she said. Brewer in 2011 vetoed a bill passed by the Arizona Legislature to require Obama and other presidential candidates to prove their U.S. citizenship before their names could appear on the state's ballot.”

And in Oregon, one was missing.