As elected officials discuss ways to address gun violence following the tragedy in Newtown, Conn., one New Jersey township mayor is taking action first and placing armed police officers in its schools. Read More
House GOP expected to vote on Senate bill
Update 8:06 p.m. ET: House Republicans will vote Tuesday night on a bill put forward by the Senate to avert the fiscal cliff. Read More
Senate reaches deal to avert fiscal cliff
The Senate approved a deal to avert the fiscal cliff in the early hours of the new year. The agreement will now move to the House for consideration. Read More
Voices
Chris Matthews December 31, 2012
Onward to 2013, a year where more progress will be made
We saw extreme progress in 2012, and I can only hope that 2013 will shed light to new policies that reflect the growing diversity of America. … Read More
Melissa Harris-Perry December 29, 2012
Gov. Bev Perdue, pardon the Wilmington 10
In her last days in office, North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue can right a great wrong. … Read More
112th Congress Set To Become Least Productive in Decades
The 112th Congress will adjourn as the least productive Congress on record. Some conservatives, who believe the role of government should be limited, like it that way. But Congress is not just unproductive, it's unpopular. Read More
Rep. Barbara Lee: “This is a do-nothing Republican congress”
"It's a shame and disgrace where we are." Congresswoman Barbara Lee, D-Calif., told Chris Jansing Monday morning. "We have to come up with some fairness in this overall deal." Read More
Biden comes to McConnell’s aid for a last-ditch deal
As the clock runs out for lawmakers to strike a deal on the fiscal cliff before the ball drops on New Year's Day, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is calling on President Obama's right-hand man Joe Biden to help ease both parties into a solution. Read More
Illness has kept Clinton out of the public eye for nearly a month
Clinton hasn't been seen in public since December 7. Read More
GOP Rep: Real fiscal cliff is failure to ‘deal with our debt and deficit’
Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., opposes any delay of the sequester, when steep, automatic spending cuts will slash budgets at the Pentagon and other government agencies. Flake says he'll take any fiscal cliff deal that prevents a tax hike for most Americans. Read More
Update: Hillary Clinton hospitalized with blood clot
The secretary of state was under supervision at New York Presbyterian Hospital after doctors discovered a blood clot Sunday. Read More
The top GOP moments in 2012
It's been a wild year in politics. You probably laughed, cried, and perhaps even lost some sleep over the GOP's behavior. Here’s a recap of the top 10 moments. Read More
Obama: Sandy Hook tragedy was ‘the worst day of my presidency’
President Obama gave an exclusive interview to NBC's David Gregory on Meet The Press this Sunday morning, where he discussed the Sandy Hook shooting, the fiscal cliff, and his views on a second term. Read More
Obama levels attacks on GOP for no fiscal cliff deal
“We have been talking to the Republicans ever since the election was over. They have had trouble saying yes to a number of repeated offers,” President Obama told Meet the Press host David Gregory. Read More
For liberals, 2012 was the year of resilience
Don't cry, don't cave. Despite all the challenges, liberals fought their way to impressive victories in 2012. Read More
‘Modestly optimistic’–despite ‘mind-boggling’ dysfunction
President Obama is giving Reid and McConnell a last chance to broker a package--but failing that, he wants an up-or-down vote on a bill that would pass both Houses. Read More
Bipartisan agreement–against privacy rights
The Senate voted 73-23 on Friday to renew George W. Bush-era warrantless wiretapping legislation. Read More
Musician John Forte on prison reform
Forte has had personal experience with prison sentencing. Read More
Meeting at the edge of the cliff
President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will meet with Congressional leaders at 3 pm Friday afternoon in a last-ditch effort to cut a debt deal. But is this crowd capable of compromise? Read More
Photo Finish: Favorite Behind the Scenes Moments on The Cycle
The Cycle's past year told in "behind-the-scene" photos. Enjoy! Read More
A last-ditch effort to avoid the cliff
It's been 42 days since President Obama last met with Congressional leaders about the fiscal cliff. Since then, we've celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas, suffered through the tragedy in Newtown and watched the days slowly tick by without any semblance of a deal. Read More
There’s still time for a deal–if the Tea Party would allow it
Rep. Wasserman Schultz blames the Tea Party for making it impossible for Speaker Boehner to negotiate a deal. Read More
Free gun training for teachers
A group in Utah is offering free shooting lessons for teachers, saying it will make schools safer. Read More
Look out! Here comes the ‘dairy cliff’ and the ‘retail cliff’
Milk prices could rise to $8 a gallon, and all sorts of good like TVs and clothing could sit in ports or get rerouted. Read More