Two key senators have reached a deal to expand background checks to firearms sales at gun shows and on the Internet, sources close to the negotiations said early Wednesday.  

Sen. Pat Toomey, a conservative Pennsylvania Republican, plan to announce the deal Wednesday with West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, who holds an A rating from the National Rifle Association. 

The two have been working on a compromise proposal that could draw Republican support for expanding background checks. On Tuesday evening, the two had an agreement in principle, and spent the night hammering out the final details. 

The compromise doesn't go as far as the universal background checks that President Barack Obama first envisioned in the wake of the Newtown shootings. The Manchin-Toomey compromise will include exemptions for some transactions, such as those between family members. 

Michael Patrick / AP file

People crowd the RK Gun Show in the Smokies Friday, Dec. 28, 2012 in Knoxville, Tenn.

Outlines of the compromise have been circulated to the National Rifle Association, and sources close to the negotiations said it's unclear where the group stands although the powerful lobby is unlikely to support it. 

Senate Democrats, meanwhile, set up a possible Thursday vote on gun legislation.

The deal between Toomey and Manchin represents a major breakthrough for a package of new gun laws that Obama proposed in the wake of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14.  

Support from the conservative Toomey, who also carries an A rating from the NRA, could give other, more moderate Republicans cover to vote in favor of a bill to expand background checks for gun sales beyond just those conducted through licensed dealers.

In recent days, Obama's gun control agenda has been imperiled on Capitol Hill. While Democratic leaders have promised votes on an assault weapons ban and new limits on high capacity magazines, neither can realistically pass the Senate. And a deal on background checks has eluded Democrats for months -- threatening to leave the president with only stricter gun trafficking laws to show for a prolonged, emotional national plea for tighter restrictions on firearms after 20 young children and 6 educators were gunned down in Connecticut.

But there was new momentum for gun legislation Tuesday as Republican senator after Republican senator announced they wouldn't support a filibuster that would prevent gun legislation from even coming up for debate. A trio of conservatives -- Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Mike Lee of Utah -- are leading the filibuster effort, with support from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. But as Tuesday wore on, as many as 10 Republican senators said they could not support it or left the door open to allowing Democrats to bring the measure up on the floor. 

"The purpose of the United States Senate is to debate and to vote and to let the people know where we stand," Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said on CBS' Face the Nation on Sunday. "What are we afraid of?"

On Tuesday night, Reid officially filed gun legislation that's been written by Democrats. It sets up a possible Thursday vote to open debate on guns. Senate aides said debate on gun legislation could continue through next week and even into the following week. The Manchin-Toomey compromise would likely be the first amendment offered to the package. 

The vote to open debate is tricky for some Democrats who hail from conservative states like Arkansas, where the NRA and other pro-gun groups hold significant sway. But Republican movement in favor of it could help protect them and increases the chances that the vote will succeed.

Now, a key question is how conservatives who've signed on to filibuster the gun bill decide to proceed. They haven't ruled out taking a stand on the Senate floor, similar to Paul's 14-plus-hour talkathon opposing drone strikes on American citizens.

That has some Republicans on edge. One member of Senate leadership, speaking on condition of anonymity so as not to violate personal confidences, said there's a sense among the top GOP lawmakers that such a public display could further damage the already-battered Republican brand.

But McConnell, who's up for re-election in 2014, vowed Tuesday to stay the course and filibuster the bill.

"It clearly had no bipartisan support in committee," he said. 

NBC News' Frank Thorp and Mike O'Brien contributed to this report

This story was originally published on Tue Apr 9, 2013 7:19 PM EDT

As a bipartisan group of senators chips away at the remaining obstacles to an immigration deal, President Barack Obama says he is optimistic that – if lawmakers release a draft bill early next month – he will be able to sign comprehensive immigration reform into law before autumn.

“If we have a bill introduced at the beginning of next month -- as these senators indicate it will be -- then I'm confident that we can get it done certainly before the end of the summer,” Obama said in an interview with Telemundo on Wednesday.

The president repeated that he could still introduce a White House-drafted version of the legislation if the “Gang of Eight” Senate group is not able to put forward a bill. But he said he’s confident that lawmakers will be able to work out the final snags in the negotiations in time to unveil their proposal when they return from a two-week Easter recess next month.

“I'm optimistic,” he said. “ I've always said that if I see a breakdown in the process, that I've got my own legislation. I'm prepared to step in. But I don't think that's going to be necessary.  I think there's a commitment -- among this group of Democratic and Republican senators to get this done.”

The negotiations have been held up in part by continuing disputes between business and labor groups about the conditions of a guest-worker program, particularly the wages and treatment ensured to temporary workers compared to those for American workers pursuing similar jobs.

But the president said he doesn’t believe that the dispute could scuttle the whole reform framework.

“There are still some areas about … the future flow of guest workers,” he said. “Labor and businesses may not always agree exactly on how to do this.  But this is a resolvable issue.”

While he expressed optimism that a final bill will contain a path to citizenship for those currently in the country illegally, Obama would not offer specifics on how long the process of obtaining citizenship should take.

And he declined to outline how the security of the nation’s border should be assessed, saying only that there should be no border security “trigger” that must be met before undocumented persons are eligible to begin the process of seeking legal status.

“We don't want to make this earned pathway to citizenship a situation in which it's put off further and further into the future,” he said. “There needs to be a certain path for how people can get legal in this country, even as we also work on these strong border security issues.”

While the White House has deferred to the Senate group on the legislative language, the president has used the bully pulpit in recent days to urge lawmakers to action and remind the public of the general framework for reform that he supports – including a path to citizenship.

In addition to the Telemundo interview, he also sat down with Spanish-language channel Univision on Wednesday. Earlier this week, the president urged Congress to show “political courage” on the issue during remarks at a naturalization ceremony at the White House.

Senate negotiators say they are close to a final deal.

Brendan Smialowski / AFP - Getty Images file photo

President Barack Obama signs a bill creating the Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument in Ohio during a ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House March 25, 2013 in Washington, DC.

Earlier Wednesday, Republican Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake of Arizona held a joint press conference with Democrats Chuck Schumer of New York and Michael Bennet of Colorado. The lawmakers traveled to Arizona’s southern border to survey the state of security there, a tour that offered a very real illustration of the illegal immigration issue when they spotted a woman scaling a border fence. (She was later apprehended by border security officers, McCain said.)

At a press conference, Schumer told reporters there that negotiators are “90 percent of the way there” on a compromise bill, adding that the trip offered a glimpse into what further resources are needed to ensure full border security.

“We learned about the great progress that’s been made,” Schumer said. “It’s a lot better than it was 10 years ago, but we also learned that we have more progress to go. And in our immigration bill, we hope that we will make that progress, along with many other goals.”

While the president is hopeful that a bill will move quickly through the legislative process, opponents say the negotiations deserve a longer – and more public – hearing.  

Leading that charge, Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama has accused Democratic Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy of trying to “ram through” the bill with limited debate before the measure hits the Senate floor.

“The massive proposal being cobbled together by a group of Senators in secret must be independently judged and reviewed by the Judiciary Committee in the full light of day,” Sessions said in a statement today. “That will take months — not two weeks — and will require hearings on every aspect of this issue."

Chuck Todd, NBC’s incorrigible political director, took time out of his day following President Obama on his Mideast trip to answer questions from his legions of Twitter followers. The conversation ranged from his take on Obama’s relationship with Netanyahu to the the particulars of 2014 Senate races and University of Miami athletics (he’s a fan if you haven’t heard). Here are some highlights from the wide-ranging conversation:

President Barack Obama wraps the first foreign trip of his second term Friday with stops in Israel and Jordan before returning to the U.S. 

After spending time with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and giving a speech to Israeli youths Thursday, Obama is finishing his trip Friday with a visit to Amman, Jordan and a meeting with King Abdullah II.

Chuck Todd, NBC News’ Chief White House Correspondent and anchor of MSNBC’s “Daily Rundown,” has been traveling with the president and will take to Twitter this morning to answer questions about the trip.

And in the spirit of March Madness, he’ll dish on NCAA basketball brackets as well. (Chuck has his Miami Hurricanes taking the title). 

To join the conversation on Twitter, tweet your question for Chuck (@chucktodd) using the hashtag #ChuckToddQuestions. He’ll be answering until 11:30 a.m. ET.

Related links: 

Obama visits a Bethlehem in midst of change, Islamization

Obama appeals to Israelis: Give justice to the Palestinians

Iran threatens to destroy Tel Aviv, Haifa if Israel attacks

Obama: 'Still time' for diplomatic solution to Iran nuke dispute

Ricky Li / Ricky Li

Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie named his lieutenant governor, Brian Schatz, to fill the Senate seat left vacant following the death of the late Sen. Daniel Inouye (D).

Abercrombie, a Democrat, chose Schatz from a list of three finalists forwarded to him by the state Democratic party. Inouye, who served almost 50 full years in the Senate, died on Dec. 17.

"No one can fill Sen. Daniel K. Inouye's shoes, but together, we can all try to follow in his footsteps," Schatz said in a press conference in Hawaii.

Schatz, flying to Washington with President Obama aboard Air Force One, Tweeted that he was eager to support the president's agenda. The president was returning early from a Christmas break in Hawaii. 

The other finalists for the position included Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, whom Inouye had preferred as his successor, and Esther Kiaaina, the deputy director of the state's Department of Land and Natural Resources.

"Senator Inouye conveyed his final wish to Governor Abercrombie," Jennifer Sabas, Inouye's chief of staff, said in a statement. "While we are very disappointed that it was not honored, it was the Governor's decision to make."

Abercrombie said Inouye's views and wishes weighed on his decision-making process, but "no one and nothing is preordained." He said the possibility of a special election to fill Hanabusa's seat weighed on him in choosing Inouye's successor.

"Sometimes you have to set aside personal considerations in order to look for the good of the whole," the governor, a former congressman, said at a press conference.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's office said Schatz would be sworn in to office on Thursday afternoon or early evening, NBC's Kelly O'Donnell reported. The Senate reconvenes on Thursday to take up the urgent business of reaching a deal to avoid the "fiscal cliff" on Jan. 1.

As President Obama prepares for his second term, NBC's Mark Murray and Domenico Montanaro discuss the legislation that may define his next four years in office: immigration reform.

Thanks Maxx the Moocher for the question!

Video edited by NBC's Matt Loffman.

TRANSCRIPT:
MARK MURRAY: Domenico, we have another Inside the Boiler Room questions and this actually comes from Maxx the Moocher, I think this is Maxx's first question to us, so welcome Maxx. Maxx asks, "What will be the President's "signature" piece of legislation for a second term?"

DOMENICO MONTANARO: Well we know in the first term it was health care, or he would like it to be health care. I think that once we get past the fiscal cliff
stuff the biggest piece of legislation we are going to see is going to be on immigration reform. I really think that Republicans more so than their stepping away from a pledge on Grover Norquist which is pretty minor to be honest. You've heard much more-- you have seen much more of a thaw on immigration reform after they saw those demographic numbers and that their pollsters were wrong about their assumptions that were going to be made, and that the Census data in fact shows Latinos actually under performing what their percentages, they make up almost 17 percent, only 10 percent showed up at the polls this time around. That is only going to grow. Republicans see that, they know that is real and they have got to do something about that problem.

MARK MURRAY: Domenico, I agree with you that it would be comprehensive immigration reform particularly in that it is his second term. You know we have talked about before that President Obama took a lot of heat during the presidential campaign for saying that change comes from the outside not from the inside. But comprehensive immigration reform would actually be a key example of change coming from the outside because Obama is pointing to the exit polls and saying, 'Look, 71% of the Latino voters voted for me. Republicans, if you guys want to start winning back Latinos you guys have to cut a deal with my on comp. immigration reform and change the rhetoric. So I think that is an interesting dynamic. And then if we take a step back and look at if President Obama is able to get immigration reform done, if there is some type of a budget deal, of course that again is going to be a big question --

DOMENICO MONTANARO: --This stuff always seems tougher than even some of these other issues.

MARK MURRAY: Those would be two very big domestic achievements for a second term. More than you usually see in most second term presidencies just because you are a lame duck and it is harder to get things done domestically. But if you have those two things, combine it with health care, combine it with Wall Street reform, combine it also with that new START treaty with Russia, that is really a very big--

DOMENICO MONTANARO: --you talk about DOMA, some of those other...

MARK MURRAY: Right. Big accomplishments that you could actually probably rival to FDR or Lyndon Johnson.

DOMENICO MONTANARO: Interesting. I do think immigration reform and health care are humongous pieces of legislation if they were to get done. It is hard to see what else there would be a push on, they've largely gone around Congress on education so I don't think they are necessarily going to go a route where they are going to try to reauthorize a No Child Left Behind or something. I think they are very happy doing that with Arne Duncan and through some of the more administrative and executive means. It is really hard to see what else there would be. Obviously on foreign policy they have a lot to manage when it comes to the war in Afghanistan and needing to wind that down in 2014, so I think that is going to be a big part of what happens in that second lame duck session.

MARK MURRAY: Also, don't lose sight on the Supreme Court. That is actually sometimes how a president has the most lasting effect.

DOMENICO MONTANARO: And really put their stamp.

MARK MURRAY: Right, and President Obama has the potential in the next four years to appoint maybe one, two or three Supreme Court justices potentially changing the balance of political power.

DOMENICO MONTANARO: It is really something and it is why the 2012 election was such an important one.

MARK MURRAY: Thanks Maxx for the question.

By NBC's Ali Weinberg
President Obama won 66 percent of the college-age vote in 2008, but young voters seem to be losing enthusiasm for his presidency, which could mean lower turnout on election day. At each stop on the president’s three-college-town swing Tuesday and Wednesday, NBC caught up with students to talk about just how excited (or not) they were to vote this November.