closer to a deal to escape going over the fiscal cliff. good to see you this morning. welcome again to the program. and we welcome your calls at 1-866-55-press. in other big news, the supreme court has decided to hear two cases on marriage equality but why even bother to hold a hearing? hey, there s no doubt about it. under the constitution, it is wrong to discriminate against anybody for any reason. so, of course, gays and lesbians have every right under the constitution to marry each other. there is no doubt about it. we ll talk more about that today and a whole lot of other issues but first, we get the latest. here she is with today s current news update, lisa ferguson standing by in our studios in los angeles. hi lisa, good morning. hey bill. good morning everyone. nothing on the president s public schedule today. he just has his usual briefing in the oval office followed by lunch with the vice president. the first lady will be visiting the children s national medical c