Americans' Optimism Wanes About Averting “Fiscal Cliff”  —  Obama, Democratic leaders see increase in approval on budget negotiations  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Americans' optimism that President Barack Obama and congressional leaders will reach a budget agreement before Jan. 1 has waned somewhat over the past week.

Police probe NBC's David Gregory on gun clip  —  The Washington Metropolitan Police Department is investigating whether any city laws were violated when NBC's David Gregory displayed what appeared to be a 30-round gun magazine on NBC's “Meet the Press” on Sunday, a spokesman confirmed to POLITICO.

FreedomWorks tea party group nearly falls apart in fight between old and new guard  —  The day after Labor Day, just as campaign season was entering its final frenzy, FreedomWorks, the Washington-based tea party organization, went into free fall.  —  Richard K. Armey, the group's chairman …

Frank Luntz: NRA not listening to public  —  Pollster Frank Luntz, who has studied attitudes about gun control, said on Wednesday that he doesn't “think the NRA is listening” to the American public in the wake of the massacre of 20 children at a Newtown, Conn., elementary school.

Look beyond the Capitol for the next speaker  —  Norman J. Ornstein is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and co-author of “It's Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided With the New Politics of Extremism.”

Jack Klugman's secret, lifesaving legacy  —  The actor Jack Klugman died on Christmas Eve at age 90.  Klugman was best known for his roles as the unkempt sportswriter in “The Odd Couple” and as the crusading medical examiner on “Quincy, M.E.” the wildly popular 1980s medical drama.

Virginia embodies GOP's woes  —  RICHMOND, Va. — Look no further than Virginia to catch a glimpse of the GOP's national dilemma.  —  As the Old Dominion becomes a firmly centrist state, more closely resembling the rest of the country demographically and politically, Virginia Republicans are shifting rightward.

Petition To Deport CNN Host For Gun Control Support Reaches 60,000 Signatures  —  A petition to deport CNN host Piers Morgan over his heated comments on gun control has reached more than 62,000 signatures in just 4 days, far exceeding the threshold required for a White House response.

FNC's ED HENRY just emailed me news about President Obama  —  Below is from FNC's Ed Henry:  —  An administration official tells Fox it is now “likely” the President flies back to Washington late Wednesday night to deal with the fiscal cliff.  —  Last Friday the President told reporters in Washington …

Clout Diminished, Tea Party Turns to Narrower Issues  —  The Tea Party might not be over, but it is increasingly clear that the election last month significantly weakened the once-surging movement, which nearly captured control of the Republican Party through a potent combination of populism and fury.

Refi Program Expansion Eyed  —  The Obama administration is considering expanding its mortgage-refinancing programs to include borrowers whose mortgages aren't backed by the government and who owe more than their homes are worth, according to people familiar with the discussions.

Nigeria gunmen ‘kill at least five Christians’  —  Gunmen in the northern Nigerian state of Yobe have shot dead at least five Christians, a human rights worker in the area has told the BBC.  —  He said that a church in Peri village near Potiskum, the economic capital of Yobe, was set on fire in an attack late on Christmas Eve.