Telephone lines were open for viewer comments on the negotiations between Congress and the White House on avoiding the “fiscal cliff” of impending tax increases and budget cuts in January 2013 if Congress failed to reach a budget agreement. Lisa Mascaro, the congressional reporter for Tribune Newspapers, also spoke via Skype about the “fiscal cliff” negotiations. Video clips from earlier in the day were shown of President Obama’s appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that morning, Representative Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) on CNN’s “State of the Union,” and of Senate leaders Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Harry Reid (D-NV) in the U.S. Senate.