Moderator Fred Barnes, Executive Editor of the Weekly Standard, Barbara Slavin, Washington Correspondent for al Monitor.com and Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council and Tom DeFrank of the New York Daily News discuss the implications of the mass school shooting in Connecticut, the scathing independent report on the September 11 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi which concluded that security was “grossly inadequate,” Senator John Kerry as the President Obama’s nominee as the next Secretary of State, and the continuing dispute between the White House and GOP-controlled House of Representatives over the automatic spending cuts and tax hikes that will take effect January 1, 2013 unless an urgent deal is reached.

Moderator Barbara Slavin, Washington Correspondent for Al-Monitor.com and Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, Said Arikat, Washington Correspondent and Political Analyst for the Jerusalem based “Al Quds” Daily Newspaper, and Jim O’Sullivan, Chief Analyst at National Journal discuss US recognition of the Syrian opposition and Russia’s wavering on Assad, the significance of the North Korea missile launch and the Obama Administration’s response, Susan Rice’s withdrawal as candidate for Secretary of State and the status of the “fiscal cliff” negotiations.

Prominent Washington correspondents discuss topics making headlines around the world.

Moderator Tom DeFrank, Washington Bureau Chief for the New York Daily News, Hilary Krieger, Washington Bureau Chief for the Jerusalem Post, and Abderrahim Foukara, Washington Bureau Chief for Al-Jazeera Arabic, discuss the political crisis in Egypt, the implications of the deteriorating situation in Syria, the politics behind Israel’s announcement of new housing units on disputed territory, and the continuing stalemate over expiring tax hikes and draconian spending cuts in the United States known as the fiscal cliff.

Moderator Viola Gienger, Washington-based freelance reporter covering U.S. foreign and defense policy, formerly Pentagon and State Department correspondent for Bloomberg News, Barbara Slavin, Washington Correspondent for Al-Monitor.com and Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, and Jim O’Sullivan, Chief Analyst at National Journal discuss the controversy over Susan Rice nomination to become the next US Secretary of State, Palestinian’s new UN status, the Obama administration’s stand towards Syrian opposition and Egypt’s new constitution, and the fiscal cliff stalemate.

Moderator Tom DeFrank, Washington Bureau Chief, New York Daily News, Said ARIKAT, Washington Correspondent and Political Analyst for the Jerusalem based “Al Quds” Daily Newspaper, and Nathan GUTTMAN, Washington correspondent for Israeli TV-Channel 1 and reporter for the Jewish Daily Forward discuss the efficacy and sustainability of the US and Egyptian brokered ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi’s apparent triumph in handling his first major regional crisis even as he consolidates power at home, President Obama’s historic trip to Burma, and the prospects of a bipartisan deal to avert the so-called “fiscal cliff” in Washington.

Moderator Viola Gienger, Washington-based freelance reporter covering U.S. foreign and defense policy, formerly Pentagon and State Department correspondent for Bloomberg News, Tom DeFrank, Washington Bureau Chief of the New York Daily News and Olivier Knox, White House correspondent for Yahoo! News discuss the outbreak of violence between the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip and Israel, Cairo’s sympathy for Hamas and Washington’s defense of Israel, Syria’s new opposition alliance, the assertive posture struck by President Obama at his post-election press conference, prospects for breaking political gridlock and the scandal that forced General David Petraeus to resign as Director of the CIA.