kristen welker, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us. >> reporter: thanks, chris. >> let's go to miguel almaguer who's at the sandy hook firehouse. he's been responding to the first responders. good evening, miguel. >> reporter: good evening, chris. the first respoernlds were at the school moments after the 911 call came in. it took them just minutes to make their way into the school. of course, they saw the most horrific things that any human could see. some of the first responders said this was, of course, a difficult tragedy because of the large number of children that were involved in it. of course, many of these first responders knew these children, they had kids who were their

>> kristen welker at the white house. nbc's moderator of "meet the press" david gregory joins me now. as we've said, david, you sat down with president obama this afternoon for an exclusive interview that airs tomorrow morning, but give us a hint. is he optimistic? do you come away with any hope that we're going to have a deal before the deadline? >> i'd say a couple things. i think the president continues to be optimistic, but he, i think, in part is doing the interview on "meet the press" because he wants to keep the pressure on republicans to get something done and made very clear in the course of the interview that there is a political cost to be paid if there is not a deal, a cost that i think he believes will be paid mostly by republicans if they don't get something done. he's gone out of his way to really cast his argument as one of protecting the middle class and that the middle class, 98% of americans don't want to see their taxes go up. if there is a failure to act. that said, the president did not strike me as

joining me now from the white house is nbc's kristen welker. kristen, let's take a look at what the president said about what he expects from the senate. >> i just had a good discussion from house leadership about how to prevent this on the middle class. i believe we can reach an agreement. if an agreement isn't reached in time between senator reid and sno senator mccollum, i will reach to him. i believe such a proposal could pass both houses with bipartisan majorities as long as the leaders allow it to actually come to a vote. if members of the house or the senate want to vote no, they can. but we should let everybody vote. >> kristen, this up or down vote seems to be the big news of the day. isn't this what the white house wanted all along? >> well, it is and it's president obama's way of saying, look, vote on his basic proposal, the proposal that would extend middle-class tax cut, deal with spending cuts. it's a basic plan that the president is calling for. something similar has already passed so the white house feels confident that what the

>> kristen welker, thank you so much for all of your work at the white house. joined by the grio's joy reid and chicago tribute's clarence page. let's talk about what kristen was just talking about, because i felt that the president was getting impatient. roll the tape. >> outside of washington, nobody seems to understand why this is a repeat pattern over and offagain. ordinary folks, they do their jobs. they meet deadlines. they sit down and they discuss thi things, and then things happen. if there are disagreements, they sort through the disagreements. the notion that our elected leadership can't do the same thing is mind boggling to them. >> the president seemed to be much more comfortable in the white house briefing room today using the bully pulpit saying enough is enough. >> he did. i thought that he sounded like a man who knows he holds, if not all of the cards, but a lot of them. he has the advantage here, and the polls indicate as with bill clinton in the showdown with newt gingrich and the shutdown of the '90s the public blames the republicans when th

kristen welker, kelly o'donnell. i will let you get back to reporting on this. >> i want to bring in jonathan capehart. let's talk about where we are. >> i have compared xwnk to a college student who waits until the absolute last minute and is tightening out the last words of their paper as they are running out the door to hand it in. that's probably an arcane comparison. i have dated myself. you get the idea. >> arcane, but apt. is there any way that congress moves forward? does anybody wind up looking good in this scenario? >> no. no one looks good in this scenario. not perfect ez. not the extending. not the house, not the senate. not senate minority leader mitch mcconnell. you have people around the country today saying we send you to washington to solve the nation's problems, to do what we sent you to washington to do, which is to govern, and here we are with a countdown clock at the bottom, ten hours, 51 minutes, and 34 seconds to get something done that should have gotten done, could have gotten done months ago

kristen welker is live with the latest from washington. kristen, it is an interesting and powerful moment in the presidency to realize it is not just a governmental office, but to be president is to be us, the emblematic person, and to react almost like the adult in the family, the grown-up. >> absolutely. absolutely. and president obama today admitting that he was responding to this tragedy not only as the president, but also as a father who has two daughters, and that is how he watched these horrific events unfold. we certainly saw that raw emotion come out when he addr s addressed the nation a little bit earlier on today. the other thing that stood out about his comments, chris, he talked about the need for meaningful action saying that it is necessary regardless of the politics. he didn't go into any details today, but i expect in the coming days and weeks that we will learn more about what he specifically meant by meaningful action, but i can tell you that the last time he really talked about gun control and this issue were in the day

>> kristen welker traveling with the president tonight. thanks. >>> for more on what going over the so-called fiscal cliff could mean for you and your family come the new year we want to bring in the "today" show financial editor. a lot of focus has been on the expiring bush era tax cuts. let's talk about the amount of money that comes out of your weekly or monthly paycheck. how will that change? >> reporter: the other thing that is expiring is the payroll tax holiday. that is very likely to go whether or not we get a deal. for americans who earn about $30,000 a year, that's going to mean a cut of $50 a month, $500 over the course of the year in their pay checks. for those who earn closer to $50,000 we're looking at a thousand dollars over the year and if you earn closer to $100,000 it's $2,000 throughout the year. >> let's talk about those expiring tax cuts. if congress doesn't act, how much of a bite is that going to take from the average american? >> well, as the man said in the piece, on average it is going to take about a $3500 bite f

with us is cello o'donnell and kristen welker. >> we are sort of at a pause point. if you are looking at the tone of these leaders what is i think optimistic is they have both acknowledged that the other side is acting in good faith. nobody has huffed and stormed away. there are signs that they still want to work together. at the same time they are calling for reinforcements. leader mcconnell says he has placed a call to the vice president asking him to get involved in this in part because joe biden was in the senate for so long and has been able to help bring the two sides together in previous cases where they were down to the wire. we know that call has gone out. harry reid says he has reached out to the president on the phone a couple of times. republicans say there is no single issue that should break this. there is something that democrats are talking about. what we have learned is in an offer presented by republicans last night at 7:00 included within that was a request to make a change to how future increases to the payments of social security would change. n

nbc's kristen welker has more on that angle from the white house. good evening. >> reporter: kate you good evening. the president has repeatedly blamed republicans for the fiscal cliff stalemate and now, he is doubling down on that criticism. on "meet the press," president obama continued his public campaign to pressure congress. >> if congress doesn't act, then everybody's taxes go up. and for the average family that could mean a loss of $2,000 in income and the whole economy could slow down at a time went economy's actually starting to pick up. >> reporter: he, again, called on lawmakers to strike a deal or hold a vote on his plan, which would raise tax rates on wealthy americans, a major sticking point for republicans. >> the way they're behaving is that their only priority is making sure that tax breaks for the wealthiest americans are protected. that seems to be their only overriding, unifying theme. >> reporter: after the interview, republican leaders accused the president of assigning blame instead of leading. >> when they say leadership fall

last we heard, kristen welker, the president came out to report that he is modestly optimistic. has the rhetoric changed at all today? >> reporter: it has changed a little bit. the president is still modestly optimistic, but i just spoke with a democratic source who tells me at this hour a deal is looking doubtful. of course, we want to underscore the fact that these negotiations are very fluid so that characterization could change at any moment, but it seems as though the discussions going on behind the scenes right now have yet to bear fruit and right now we do have the focus on the senate. majority leader reid and mitch mcconnell trying to hammer out a deal that would, to some extent extend the bush-era tax cuts for those making $250,000 although we might see that number go up to 400,000, 500,000 if there is some type of a deal. the president has called on a deal to extend unemployment insurance benefits so that is another aspect that they're negotiating, but clearly, these negotiations are difficult. they have been from day one and that is why we are seeing them go to the 11

kristen well welker who's standing by to travel with the president. what can we expect to hear from president obama tonight? >> reporter: as you mentioned, president obama is going to start off by meeting with the folks who were most affected by this tragedy as he arrives in newtown, connecticut. he'll be speaking with family members and first responders here at newtown high school. he said his comment also focus on the victims, on the lives lost. this is becoming an all too familiar path for this president. this will be the fourth time he will have spoken to a community that is reeling in the wake of a gun massacre. just this summer, he went to a aurora, colorado in the wake of the shooting there. last year, it was tucson, arizona, in 2009, it was ft. hood, texas. too many lives lost in all of these incidents, of course what makes this unique is so many young children were lost. so president obama will be comforting this community as commander in chief and also as a father. before he left he attended sasha's dance recital, so spent some family time t

let's go to the white house correspondent kristen welker. we know the senate majority leader has talked to the president. has there been any reaction from the white house today. >> reporter: the white house is not commenting on these negotiations that are going on over on the hill. they do not want to derail them by speaking out, by agitating the situation, but i tell you that there is a lot of investment here going on behind the scenes. in addition to mitch mcconnell speaking to vice president biden, the president sent his top negotiator, one of his top negotiators, rob nabors over to the hill. he's meeting with senate democrats as well this afternoon. a number of phone calls have been exchanged between staffers at the white house, staffers on the hill so there's a lot of work going on behind the scenes, but as for publicly right now, melis melissa, the white house is not talking. president obama is basically launching this public campaign to pressure republicans. president obama came out on friday and urged them to get behind his plans. ag

kristen welker from the white house. we'll be back with more coverage of the tragic shooting at sandy hook elementary school in newtown, connecticut. >>> welcome back to "hardball's" coverage of the tragedy at a connecticut elementary school this morning. nbc's michelle franzen is back with us live from newtown. michelle, you're there tonight live. i wonder what it feels like. i wonder what the people of that community are all sharing right now, the grief. >> reporter: well, we've certainly felt this emotion grow throughout the day as the details of this tragedy unfolded. and at this hour they are continuing to hold that vigil that we talked about earlier at a nearby catholic church. hundreds gathering there. residents and families coming together, mourning together, trying to make sense of this tragedy together. i think we have a live view of that vigil at this hour. and several people have commented who are attending the vigil tonight that they just wanted to come together. that of course many of them knew of the child

kristen welker, white house correspondent. good to see you as always. >> you, too. >>> with the negotiations now in the hands of the senate, will they have any more luck dealing with the fiscal cliff than the house did? let's bring in a senator, bernie sanders a member of the budget and joint economic committee. sir, thank you for being here. these are your colleagues. what are you hearing? are you hearing anything this morning that makes you want to use the word that luke russert was using, optimism? >> i think we have a reasonable chance to get a short-term fix through the senate. the problem that boehner will have in the house is that his caucus is dominated by right wing extremists who are very hesitant, who will do everything they can to prevent the wealthiest people in this country and the largest corporations from paying a nickel more in taxes. but i think if it goes to the house and if the democrats remain strong and you've got 20 or 30 republicans, you probably can prevent the tax hike, the 98% of the american people,

. >> kristen welker, thank you again. we can expect to hear from president obama some point this afternoon. we are looking, this is a live look at newtown, connecticut. sandy hook, elementary. we are told that the scene is secure. that the gunman, the man who's thought to be responsible for the death of 18 children and at least 8 adults, the gunman dead inside that school. we are starting to hear stories from inside the school and starting to hear from a number of parents, even some students who were inside when all of this went down. here's reaction now from the brother of one of those students. take a listen. >> with me right now is bargeem baru. you were there. talk about what you saw. >> well, i mean, the first thing i saw was three injured children. all three of them female and one of them had -- was very bloody. had a very bloody face and two others carried out by a state trooper. they were not moving and they looked -- i thought it was my sister at first so there's not a lot of security and got near to get a closer

nbc's kristen welker is at the white house. what are you hearing? >> reporter: well, krystal, president obama was alerted about this tragedy at 10:30 this morning by the national security adviser john brennan. he is receiving updates throughout the morning and afternoon. white house press secretary jay carney holding a daily briefing today and talking about how tragic the events are and asked the initial response was. carney held off saying that it's too soon and the president waiting for details and made the point that president obama is watching these events unfold today as a father as much as he is wachi inwatching as a presid. the president reached out to fbi director mueller as well as the governor of connecticut malloy. now, president obama is very reminisce ept of the aurora, colorado, shooting and president obama spoke to the nation. he was middle in the campaign at that point. he suspended the events. spoke to the nation about how tragic it was, extended condolences to the people of colorado. i'm sure we'll hear similar comments of the pres

. >> kristen welker is live in honolulu. it's early in the morning there, but president obama traveling home to d.c. 10:00 p.m. hawaii time. there doesn't seem to be a lot of urgency rarg the fiscal cliff. are they geared up and ready to work on this? >> i think they are. they are hoping that the pressure to get something done will encourage everyone to come to the table to compromise. if you think about it, they have less than a week to get a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff. not a lot of time. how did we get to this point? taking you back to last week, you remember john boehner tried to get that alternative bill through the house. his own bill. he didn't have the support to do it. it fell apart. now things are in the senate and it will be up to harry reid and mitch connell and the president to try to come to a compromise to avoid the tax hikes and spending cuts that go into effect on the first of the year. president obama had been working with house speaker john boehner and trying to get a big deal that dealt with tax reform

kristen welker joins me now from honolulu. a warm christmas, i see. >> reporter: yes indeed. it is lovely here. >> the president is on christmas vacation and so is congress. that doesn't mean they don't have work to do as the fiscal cliff looms. i take it this is a working vacation. >> reporter: white house officials have described this as a working vacation and talks are going on behind the scenes between white house staffers and hill staffers. the reality is the bulk of this probably won't get done until after christmas when lawmakers are expected to resume negotiations. there is a lot of frustration especially among senior members in both parties in part because president obama, house speaker john boehner seem so close to getting a deal done. they were really close on taxes and entitlement reform. we saw that last week house speaker john boehner couldn't get his plan b through the house. aides tell me right now president obama does not feel as though he has to compromise much more. he believes he has the leverage because he won reelection. >> on taxes i know it is hard for

kristen welker, thanks so much. >> reporter: thank you for having me, chris it's been a little over 24 hours since we heard the names. let's listen now to how they're being remembered by their loved ones. >> how many lives she was able to touch in her short time here on earth. emilie was bright, creative, very loving. emilie was always willing to try new things other than food. she loved to use her talents to touch the lives of everyone she came into contact with. she e with us an exemptional artist and always carried around her markers so she never miss and opportunity to draw a picture or make a card for those around her. i can't count the number of times emilie noticed someone sad or frustrated and would rush to to find a piece of paper to draw a picture or write a note. >> he was a member of the congregation. both lovely first graders in that classroom. >> she loved those students more than anything. she didn't call them her students. she called them her kids. she was so close to those kids and she loved them so much. >> that's what she loved the most. she loved the little kids. sh

joining us now is kristen welker from the white house. gun control was never on the forefront of the president's agenda during his first term. he was called to account for that today. let's take a listen. >> this is not the first issue, the first incident of horrific gun violence of your four years. where have you been? >> well, here's where i've been. i've been president of the united states dealing with the worst economic crisis since the depression, an auto industry on the verge of collapse, two wars. i don't think i've been on vacation. >> that seemed to be a fairly personal moment for the president. is the white house, though, sensitive about its record on guns? especially to criticism from their own progressive supporters? >> well, they certainly have gotten a lot of criticism. i think there is some sensitivity there. remember, this is the fourth time that we will have seen a mass shooting under president obama's leadership. each one very difficult, obviously, for the nation and for him. president obama has talked about the need to

nbc's white house correspondent kristen welker there at 1600 pennsylvania avenue. and, kristin, the phrase there, meaningful action. lots of folks today wondering what the president means by those words. any indication at this point? >> reporter: of course we will have to wait for the coming days and weeks to learn what he specifically meant but it does natural we might see some renewed push important stiffer gun control laws. if you look back at this president's past record, his -- policy on this issue, he has said that he supports reinstating the ban on assault weapons. in the days after the shooting in aurora, colorado, he talked about this issue and he said that we need to have stiffer background checks to make sure that these weapons stay out of the hands of people who are mentally unstable and also talked about the need for preventative measures to make sure folks who are suffering from mental disabilities are getting the type of help and support that they need. but mostly to make sure that these weapons stay out of their hands. so those are some of the types

. >> kristen welker is nbc's white house correspondent, also traveling with the president in honolulu. kristen, explain to all of us because it appears the lights are out in washington d.c. the president is in hawaii. everyone is home. with all the sides saying that they expect to go over the cliff, it looks pretty likely that that might just happen. >> well, i certainly think that concern is growing. that that's a real possibility at this point. at the same time, thomas, i think there's still so much pressure on all sides so get something done because as he heard joe lieberman said, the consequences would be huge. the economy could potentially slip back into recession. the white house has described this as a working vacation for president obama, but the reality is that negotiations are largely deadlocked on all sides. there have been a few talks going on at the staff level, but the real bulk of this work is going to get done when lawmakers return to washington later this week after the christmas holiday and resume manageses. that's when we're going to see the focus really shift away

kristen welker in hawaii and with a good morning to you. kristen, i know are you in hawaii, but it's not vacation. the question i think air force one landed a couple of hours ago? >> yep, about two hours ago, alex certainly not a vacation for me. >> 2:30 in the morning there, right? >> quite early here. and president obama beginning his vacation against the back drop you just described. washington still in disarray. seemed earlier this week, the president obama, house speaker john boehner, would get a deal that would include deficit reduction and tax reform. that has fallen apart. so there is a big question mark about what happens now. how they move forward. president obama boarded air force one friday evening with his family. as they left for hawaii. but a little earlier in the day, he met with senate majority leader harry reid and spoke with house speaker john bainer and addressed the nation on the topic of avoiding the fiscal cliff. called on lawmakers to compromi compromise, to get a deal done. he acknowledged time has run out for getti

. >> i want to go ahead and bring in nbc news white house correspondent, kristen welker, who's standing by at pennsylvania avenue. kristen, at this point, any indication of whether the president might be heading at some point to connecticut? >> well, craig, i think it's likely, whenever there is a national tragedy like the one that we have just seen in connecticut, he does go to the scene, meets with victims, meets with their families. you'll remember, after the shooting in tucson, arizona, he went, he spoke to the community there. after the shooting in aurora, colorado, he went and met with the folks who were suffering there. so i think it is likely we will see that. we're still waiting for guidance from the white house about a potential visit. but president obama has been getting updates on the situation. he was informed yesterday about an hour after the shooting happened, and was receiving regular updates throughout the day. of course, when he did address the nation, he was incredibly emotional and talked about the fact that he really has been watching these developments, not just as

let's get backe to kristen welker. she's monitoring the exchanges. what have we learned, kristen? >> reporter: good afternoon. most exchanges have to do with questions concerning increasing taxes on wealthier americans as well as cuts to sbimgentitlemen. one exchange caught our attention. this is from mandy. as a recent college grad bout wout a full time job these cuts wouldn't help me, would they? the president responds kitts without revenue equal reductions in student loans, work study and college tax credits expire. bad for growth. the president says like your hair. she has purple hair, tamron. a lot of questions pouring in. as you know when you look at the polls about 60% of americans agree with president obama's plan to increase taxes on those making $250,000 or more. if you look at questions coming in, there's still concerns about those ideas, so the president answering those this afternoon. this is really like a twitter town hall. he used a similar tactic back in 2011 to talk about jobs and the economy. also remember during the payroll tax cut fight, senior administration o

nbc's kristen welker is on the north lawn and luke russert are both following developments this saturday afternoon. kristen, i'll start with you. any indication at this particular point as to what's happening behind closed doors this afternoon? >> reporter: well, i think most of the action is going on in the hill where staffers with majority leader reid and minority leader mcconnell are trying to conjure up some last-minute deal and this plan would not be the grand bargain that john boehner started initially working on. that plan would have dealt with tax reform and deficit reduction and this will be a much more scaled back version that will deal with the issue of taxes and that is still the big sticking point, taxes. of course, democrats and president obama have called for tax rates to increase on those making $250,000 or less. republicans have said that's way too low. so they're thinking about potentially compromising on a rate that would be $400,000 or $500,000, but some republicans are saying they don't think that the tax rate should go up on anyone. so taxes still the major sticking

welker, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, president obama tried to sell his plan in the suburbs of philadelphia today. it is a tactic he thinks has worked in the past, but it did very little to sway the congressional republicans. president obama turning up the heat on republicans. >> hello, hatfield. >> reporter: taking his case for higher taxes on the wealthy to pennsylvania today. >> i don't think it is acceptable to 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. >> reporter: speaking at a factory, mr. obama argued that if congress can't get a deal, taxes will rise about $2,000 average for a family. of coal you get for christmas, that is a scrooje christmas. >> let's not kid ourselves. >> reporter: house speaker john boehner balked. >> increasing tax rates draws money away from the economy that needs to be invested in the economy to put people back to work. it is the wrong approach. >> reporter: bolder by his re-election, and criticized for being soft on republican

nbc's kristen welker is in connecticut for us. what can you tell us about the president's visit later today? >> reporter: alex, i can tell that you when he arrives here a little bit later on this afternoon, he will meet with victims, family members as well as first responders. he will be offering his support and condolences, not only as the president but also as a father, as a husband. later on this evening, he will speak here at the newtown high school at an interfaith prayer vigil. white house officials tell me that his speech will be focused on the families, on this community. do not expect to hear any policy in that speech, alex. this is becoming an all too familiar trip that president obama is making. this will be the fourth time that he will have visited a community that has been ravaged and torn apart by gun violence this past summer, he visit aurora, colorado, in the wake of that massacre. last year, it was tucson, arizona, after a gunman killed six people and critically wounded arizona congressman gabrielle giffords. of c

nbc's kristin welker is with us tonight from honolulu. kristen. >> reporter: natalie, good evening. with president obama flying home this evening, the political rhetoric has already started, with republicans urging action in the senate, and with democrats calling on republicans to put middle class families first. the president and first lady spent part of their christmas visiting troops in honolulu. >> we want to say thank you. we love you. >> reporter: but now he heads back to a snowy washington, where the last hope for a deal to avert the fiscal cliff is the senate, which returns tomorrow. majority leader harry reid is devising a partial solution that could ease economic fears. >> if we go over in a chaotic fashion, where members of congress are deeply grid locked with no sign of coming together, then we're likely to go over and stay over. and that's very problematic. >> reporter: going over the cliff would restore higher bush era tax rates and trigger deep spending cuts on january 1st. congress set up the harsh mechani mechanism, hoping it would force a compmise, but it hasn't. >

. >> nbc's kristen welker is at the white house now. kristen with a hello to you. the president included that statement in his weekly address about the shootings today. but yesterday he offered quite an emotional reaction. >> reporter: it really was, alex. it was one of the most emotional moments that we have ever seen from this president. he said that he was watching these horrific events unfold, not just as commander in chief but also as a father. so he said that he was mourning right along with the families in connecticut. the purpose of his message really to make the point that connecticut's tragedy is the nation's tragedy. here's a little bit more of what president obama had to say. and this is from yesterday. take a listen. >> i know there's not a parent in america who doesn't feel the same overwhelming grief that i do. the majority of those who died today were children. beautiful little kids between the ages of 5 and 10 years old. they had their entire lives ahead of them, birthdays, graduations, weddings, kids of their own. >> reporter: so the president pau

kristen welker is traveling with the president. good morning to you. >> reporter: savannah, good morning to you. the first lady and first daughters will remain here and continue their hawaiian holiday. the president and first lady spent part of their christmas visiting with troops stationed here in hawaii, thanking them for their service before they sat down and enjoyed a tradit n traditional christmas dinner. the night before president obama called service members stationed overse overseas. when president obama returns to d.c., he and lawmakers will have just days to avert the so-called fiscal cliff. here is where everything stands. last week house speaker john boehner failed to get his own bill through the house. so now things are in the s senate's court. leaders there will have to come up with a compromise to avert the tax hikes and spending cuts set to go into effect during the first of the year. president obama had been working with house speaker john boehner, trying to get a big deal, but talks fell apart. so hopes for that h

. >> white house correspondent kristen welker. kristen, obviously they always say the white house travels with the president wherever he is. that's where the white house is. the president, though, is enjoying vacation, but still continuing to keep tabs on the fiscal cliff negotiations, correct? >> he is. white house officials describe this as a working vacation. i think there have been maybe a few conversations at the staff level about the fiscal cliff, but the reality is, thomas, the negotiations have largely stalled. you remember president obama on friday urging lawmakers to take this time off to really cool off, come back later this week with a appreciate perspective. i think you're going to see the hard work, the real negotiations resume when lawmakers go back into session after the christmas holiday. now, last week it seemed as though president obama, house speaker john boehner were close to getting some sort of a grand bargain that would have addressed tax reform as well as deficit reduction. those talks, of course, fell apa

joining me in kristen welker, nbc news correspondent. chr kristen, what do you make in light of the boehner plan put on the table? the president unupped them here. >> you look at the polls, they show if we do in fact go over the fiscal cliff, the majority of americans would place the blame on republicans. so house speaker john boehner putting forward the proposal that would increase taxes on those making $1 million or more. harry reid already responding. he said speaker boehner's plan "b" is the farthest thing from a balanced approach. it will not protect middle class families because it cannot pass both houses of congress. it would be a shame if republicans abandoned productive negotiations due to pressure from the tea party as they have time and time again." there you have democrats taking issue with this idea of raising taxes on those making $1 million or more. thomas, this plan "b" does not mean that negotiations are not going forward. they still are, two competing plans on the table. let's look at president obama's latest offer. thi

willie, back to you. >> kristen welker in honolulu this morning. thanks. >>> john harwood is the chief washington correspondent and writing for "the new york times." good morning. >> merry christmas, willie. >> merry christmas to you. eight days until the fiscal cliff arrives and by the time congress gets back it's four or five days. is there any he hope remaining at this point for the so-called grand bargain? >> i don't think there will be a grand bargain before the end of the year. there's he hope a deal will be cut before new year's to avert the fiscal cliff by extending tax cuts temporarily or tax cuts from people under $250,000 of income. i spoke this morning to a republican member of congress who said, we still can come back next week, and we can still do it, although, you know, mara was talking in her piece about shoppers who think they get a better deal the longer they wait. it's a worse deal for the republican party having waited this long, having gotten beaten on the plan b that speaker boehner was trying to do. the terms are getting wors

>> nbc's kristen welker in hawaii with the president. thank you, kristen. >>> speaker boehner has his work cut out for him now, not only does he have to cut a deal with the democrats, but he has a plan b fiscal cliff proposal and let's bring in jonathan allen and third way resident fellow bill schneider. i want to start with you. you wrote an article titled revenge of the purged, and you basically were saying in your article, jonathan, that the three amigos that spooker boehner stripped out of their positions and we see them on the screen, what beef did they have? was it simply because they were stripped of their titles? >> look, i think there's a fundamental divide between them and not only speaker boehner with a lot of the republican conference. these guys lost their assignments voting against republicans a lot, but also members of the republican steering committee that led the committee led by speaker boehner have basically said that these guys have gone to another level of trying to hurt the team over the last couple of years and tha

let's get to nbc white house correspondent kristen welker there for us. what was the point here? the president decided to come out and that bully pulpit can be a powerful weapon. >> reporter: certainly can be. good afternoon to you, t.j. the president using the bully pulpit. this is a part of the pressure on congress but also democrats who might be skeptical of this compromise that is coming to fruition so he came out today with middle class americans standing behind him and made the argument if we do, in fact, go over the cliff, if the steep tax hikes and spending cuts kick in to effect tomorrow, that the average american would see their taxes increase by about $2,000. this is an argument that he has been making for quite sometime now and appeared on "meet the press" this week with a similar argument and the event a part of that larger message and the president started to map out the contours of the deal coming together and i can tell you that this is what we can report, t.j. they have worked out the tax issues. so at this point in time, taxes will raise on folks making $400,000

joining me with one of the luckiest assignments on earth, kristen welker. the beach has been filling up since the last time we got to speak. >> reporter: it has, thomas. a lot of people heading to the beach right now. not a bad assignment. you are absolutely right now. s a for the fiscal cliff talks, i'm told that there have been some fresh talks at the staff level but the hard work is not going to get done until lawmakers return to washington, that's expected to happen after the christmas holiday and at this point there's not a lot of time left and hopes for a grand bargain, president obama and house speaker boehner had been working on have all but evaporated right now. making sure that the steep tax hikes don't go in to effect. president obama on friday saying he would accept a deal as long as it does not allow taxes to go up on middle class americans, as long as it extends unemployment insurance and lays the groundwork for deficit reduction in the future. so there's sort of scaling back their expectations. house speaker boehner tried to get an alternativ

kristen welker is with the president in honolulu. good day to you, kristen. what are you hearing there? >> reporter: alex, good morning to you. white house officials say this is very much a working vacation, no word if president obama has actually spoke on the congressional leaders at this point. i can tell you that conversations are going on at the staff level. but the reality is that the hard work, the final touches probably won't be put on these bills or this bill, rather, that they're hoping to get until lawmakers, the president, return to washington. and of course that won't happen until after the christmas holiday. this has a lot of people worried, alex, because as you say there's not a lot of time left to get a deal done. president obama, house speaker john boehner, were very close to getting a deal. president obama had given a little on entitlement reform, house speaker john boehner had given a lit until terms of agreeing to increase taxes. but they just couldn't get to the finish line. ultimately, everything sort of fell apart. i've been speaking to

we begin with kristen welker. >> the house is back in session and they could announce a deal as early as this afternoon. many saying this entire episode represents a lack of leadership on both sides of pennsylvania. with less than 48 hours until the tax hikes and spending cuts take effect, florida small business owner, gary simmons, is watching what happens in washington closely. >> it could directly impact our business if people do not have the extra dollars to come shopping. that hurts business. >> reporter: it is a frustration that is being felt coast to coast and christmas shoppers in california sound off. >> potentially, it will affect the middle class, which i am the most, right now. that's disappointing to me. >> reporter: with public pressure mounting, key staffers worked behind closed doors trying to hammer out a last-minute deal. in his weekly radio address, the president said, if lawmakers can't find a compromise, they should put his plan up for a vote. >> i will urge the senate to hold an up or down vote on i abasic package that protects the middle class and extends unempl

kristen welker at the white house. good morning to you. a lot happening in d.c. a lot happening on capitol hill i assume, a lot happening at the white house as well. >> it sure is, good morning, it j. all eyes on the senate right now. minority leader mitch mcconnell and majority leader harry reid try to cobble together a last minute deal to avoid the fiscal cliff. this on the heels of the meeting that happened at the white house. and top congressional leaders met for about an hour. source who's have knowledge say the president laid out two options for lawmakers, one, either come up with a plan that can pass through both chambers to avoid that deadline or allow his pro poisal to go up for a vote in both chambers. under his plan, bush-era tax cuts would be extended for those making $240,000 or less and rates for top income earners. something that a lot of republicans do like and it would call for extending unemployment insurance benefits and a number of other measures. that's where things stand right now. but as you point out, t.j., only three days left, and the pr

kristen welker, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us. >> reporter: thanks, chris. >> let's go to miguel almaguer who's at the sandy hook firehouse. he's been responding to the first responders. good evening, miguel. >> reporter: good evening, chris. the first respoernlds were at the school moments after the 911 call came in. it took them just minutes to make their way into the school. of course, they saw the most horrific things that any human could see. some of the first responders said this was, of course, a difficult tragedy because of the large number of children that were involved in it. of course, many of these first responders knew these children, they had kids who were their same children's age, very much touched by this tragedy here in their backyard. they've been coping with it since the day it happened, friday. so many of them remain on the job, still working, taking part in the investigation, many of them, as you know, chris, are meeting with the president tonight. >> yeah. i was so struck when i first got here and there was somebody guarding a checkpoint and ki

we have nbc news correspondent kristen welker, cnbc contributor and democratic strategist keith boykin and republican strategist allison stewart. kristen, kelly o'donnell was saying earlier today that many on the hill see bynum's entrance into the negotiations as a good sign, that something could happen here. why is biden in a unique position here? >> happy new year's eve to you as well. vice president biden served as a u.s. senator for more than 30 years. few people really understand the way these types of negotiations work like he does. in addition to that, equally importantly, 23 of those years were spent serving alongside minority leader mitch mcconnell. so they have a good working relationship, good personal relationship. you remember that yesterday mcconnell said he needs a dance partner in these negotiations. he didn't feel as though they were moving forward. so he reached out to vice president biden. biden engaged. and what looked like a stalemate yesterday really has begun to move forward overnight, the two on the phone late into the evening until midnight i am told working ou

. >> kristen welker at the white house and mike. we're waiting for john boehner there live. >>> in political wire, a new strategy memo saying the gop has, quote, run out of persuadable white voters. for the fifth time in the past six presidential elections, republicans have lost the political vote. politico has a perspective saying i think we did a great job. unfortunately, i think the other side did a great job for four years. >>> and huffington post, is going to arrest lady gaga. why? for promoting lggt rights. weekly briefing. >> the president has not make a deal that meets those two standards but republicans have. his proposals have been anything but. he wants far more in tax hikes than spending cuts. and instead of trying to solve our debt problem, he wants new stimulus spending and the ability to raise the debt limit whenever he wants without tax cuts or reforms. it's clear the president is just not serious about cutting spending. but spending is the problem. how big a problem? well, look at this chart put together by paul rya

a triple threat, luke russert and mike viqueira on the capitol hill and kristen welker from the white house. are you happy to be working on the holiday? >> it's fantastic. >> absolutely. >> sounded believable. viq, let's start with you. we have news trickling out today. working, trying to make a deal. what's going on? >> it's washington, d.c. nothing is as it appears. we6 classic kabuki theater going on here, toree. the president, jovial, said they were close to a deal. that joe biden, the negotiations with mitch mcconnell essentially borne fruit. republicans annoyed with that. the tax threshold, that's agreed upon. republicans agree, too. what about this sequester? supposed to be the trigger, supposed to be the apocalyptic scenario that made cuts in spending necessary. otherwise we go over the cliff and there are cuts to defense and domestic programs. the president wants to delay them two months, three yearmonta year. many republicans say, absolutely not. many were angry he chose to have a campaign-style event in the white house complex. mitch mcconnell took the floor of the senate a

congressman, it doesn't make sense and we were just talking with kristen welker in hawaii. does it make sense that the president is on vacation when we're days away from the fiscal cliff? some voters might be look at that. >> it's a perception issue and as a practical matter you can do your work wherever you are especially if you're the president. bottom line, it's become clear that mr. boehner, despite my view, his best efforts can't get the votes in the republican conference. so any -- anything that we'll do before the january 1st deadline will have to be negotiated with mr. reed and they'll come back to the house and probably be passed with democratic votes. that's the only path forward and it obviously would be a long way from a grand bargain. >> are you fine with that, congressman? that he's not going to go for the grand bargain recently saying that he'll go for something less? >> it's a disappointment. we need a grand bargain and this is a great disappointment to many of us on both sides of the aisle. the other thing is even if we get something that deals with the tax