Guests: Zerlina Maxwell and Guy Benson

"Yesterday the Obama administration announced that the President would cut short his Hawaiian holiday to make one more attempt to cut a deal to avert the 'fiscal cliff.' In unison, his pals in the media repeated this White House talking point. So we should believe that the President is making some big sacrifice for the country? I have never understood how any of these politicians would even think about leaving town with so much riding on this cliffhanger. Shouldn't they get their work done before they leave for a break? They're supposed to work to make our lives better, the operative word being 'work.' But so much doesn't seem to be working inside the beltway, where posturing and puffery replace policy and principle. No wonder so many people are tuning out politics all together these days, because it always seems to be the taxpayers left holding the bag. They're the ones forced to turn over more of their hard-earned money to a system that seems utterly incapable of proper management. So thanks, Mr. President, for coming back to Washington. Let's hope it's for real work and not just for the show of it."

Laura was joined by Democratic strategist Zerlina Maxwell and conservative editor Guy Benson. "I certainly think that the 'fiscal cliff' language is a manufactured media narrative," Maxwell stated, "which makes Americans believe that on January 1st we'll all be standing in bread lines. This is all because Congress kicked the can down the road after the debt ceiling, which was a real crisis. By not completely resolving that issue, we are now here at this 'fiscal slope,' as I like to call it." Benson blamed the fiscal mess squarely on Harry Reid and his fellow Democrats. "The only reason we keep having these cliffs and crises is because Democrats, particularly in the Senate, have completely abandoned the legally mandated budgeting process. We have not had a budget in this country in three years. If we just passed budgets the way we're supposed to, we wouldn't be having any of these problems."

Guests: Margie Omero

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been conspicuously out-of-sight since falling and hitting her head nearly two weeks ago. Democratic strategist Margie Omero firmly dismissed any suggestion that the injury is being used as an excuse for Mrs. Clinton to avoid testifying about the consulate attack in Libya. "I don't think this is 'convenient timing,'" Omero said. "I take it at her word and I don't doubt for a second that she's been ill. If there is anyone who would not be afraid to testify before Congress, it's Hillary Clinton, and I think she'll testify in the New Year." Laura praised the Secretary of State's work ethic and urged her to testify: "I agree that she's incredibly tough and I have a lot of respect for her, but how could a fall flatten Hillary Clinton? If her health is badly compromised, I hope she's getting medical attention."

Demands for new gun control laws have been emanating from the left after the Newtown massacre, but anti-gun forces have been largely silent about the ongoing carnage in Chicago. Laura introduced Bill's interview with Chicago priest Michael Pfleger, who tried to explain why the Windy City is under siege. "There is an epidemic across the country," Pfleger said, "that we are largely ignoring because the victims are black and brown. You have high unemployment, poor education, and communities broken apart - it creates the perfect storm and there is a culture of violence. We can't continue to ignore the proliferation of guns and we have to break the code of silence where people are afraid to speak up." Bill reminded Pfleger that not all cities are in the same predicament: "In New York and other towns the murder rate is coming down, but in Chicago it's going the other way. We have to be honest about this - the more chaos there is in the family, the more crime you're going to have."

Bill also analyzed the violence with Chicago pastor Corey Brooks. "These crimes are being committed by young men 25 and under," Brooks said, "who feel a sense of hopelessness and frustration. These are not necessarily all drug gangs, these are young men who feel they don't have anything to live for, who feel they don't have a chance in society. They are creating mayhem in our neighborhoods." Bill lamented that violent crime on Chicago's south side has been an intractable problem for decades: "In the past 40 years tens of millions of dollars have been poured into your neighborhood by the government to try and improve things. It doesn't seem to make any difference."

Guests: Anahita Sedaghatfar and Steve Greenberg

There is widespread outrage after a suburban New York newspaper published the names and address of local citizens who hold handgun permits. Laura discussed the controversy with attorneys Anahita Sedaghatfar and Steve Greenberg. "This is irresponsible," Greenberg asserted, "and there's no real reason for it other than to put these people on some kind of map. I understand their outrage, these people are now going to be subject to thieves coming into their houses and taking their guns." Sedaghatfar seconded that motion. "I support the Freedom of Information Act, which is the basis on which the newspapers got the names and addresses, but that should not trump common sense. This is a danger to society and there should be legal recourse." Laura theorized that the paper's editors and owners have a not-so-hidden purpose: "This newspaper has an anti-gun agenda. We can't find any record of this newspaper publishing the names of sex offenders, people who have actually committed crimes."

Guests: Deroy Murdock and Matt Schlapp

Some Republicans, still smarting after losing the Hispanic vote in November, want President George W. Bush to speak more often about the value of immigrants to America. Laura analyzed the issue with former Bush adviser Matt Schlapp. "We didn't even get all the conservative Hispanic voters," Schlapp lamented. "A lot of them tend to be pro-life and pro-traditional marriage, but even folks who agree with the Republican Party on those issues did not all vote for Mitt Romney. So it's not just an issue of immigration, it's an issue of whether we are connecting them to our conservative policies." Conservative columnist Deroy Murdock warned Republicans to keep their distance from former President Bush. "I embrace the idea of reaching out to Hispanic voters, but we have to remember that the majority of voters blame George W. Bush more than President Obama for the country's economic situation. So it's not an answer to re-embrace Bush or perhaps have Jeb Bush run in 2016."

Jesse Watters recently paid a visit to Hawaii, where the First Family is currently vacationing. Here's what a few of the locals told Jesse: "I was lucky enough to be one of his classmates from 5th grade on" ... "My mother-in-law remembers him scooping Baskin Robbins ice cream with a big afro in high school" ... "African Americans were not widely populating our schools, they were mostly in the military families" ... "We need Obama!"

Guests: Father Edward Beck and Raymond Arroyo

Laura welcomed broadcaster and author Raymond Arroyo and Fox News contributor Father Edward Beck, who scrutinized a new poll showing that a growing number of Americans are turning away from organized religion. "People are not identifying with a faith," Arroyo said, "but that doesn't mean they're not religious. You still have 90% of people who have a belief in God and religious faith hasn't changed much. We just have more people who don't identify with the mainline churches." Beck contended that his own Catholic Church and other religions can do more to reach younger Americans. "The younger generation is not as attuned to organized religion and to tradition in general, so they're finding other ways to get fed spiritually. Also, in our culture there is a widespread suspicion of institutions that filters into religion. We have to accept responsibility for some of that."