Tragic prank has radio rethinking

An Australian radio prank prompts U.S. broadcasters to re-evaluate "My advice: it's a tragedy, but just calm down," one expert says The tragic prank revives memory of a 2007 radio stunt that killed a contestant Are pranks driven by ratings? Will the Aussie DJ scandal affect U.S. radio? (CNN) -- In the radio biz, if the buzz is good, the listeners will come. But now a suicide that followed an Australian radio prank is forcing American radio broadcasters to look in the mirror. "It was a feeding frenzy last week when the prank first happened," said Paige Nienaber, a radio consultant for about 100 stations. "We thought, 'This is the greatest thing ever!' Then, of course, it became a tragedy." Although the story is Topic A on U.S. airwaves, where pranks and stunts are all too common, it's hard to know what's being said off the air -- when studio microphones are not live. The blame is widespread, says 40-plus-year radio veteran Bruce Kelly. "Most of the industry people I've talked to are saying it's not the DJs' fault. But it does make radio as a whole look pretty stupid." UK media attacks Australian DJs Radio network: 'Witch hunt' against DJs Nurse Jacintha Saldanha's apparent suicide after Australian DJs Mel Greig and Michael Christian fooled her into thinking they were Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles has triggered American station owners to take a new look at their policies concerning pranks and stunts, industry insiders say. "There is no way they could have anticipated this," said Nienaber. Now station owners, he said, are reviewing policy and reminding their talent to toe the line when it comes to stunts and pranks. "My advice: it's a tragedy, but just calm down." "The DJs should not blame themselves," wrote CNN commenter Marci Richardson, who described herself as a paralegal. "No one commits suicide over a prank." But another commenter, identifying as yokohamacat, wrote that "without their prank, she would probably be alive now. DJs can not go claiming total innocence as long as there is a clear sequence of suicide and the prank call." Related story: Prank call radio station donates to nurse's family When it comes to prank phone calls on American radio -- believe it or not -- there are rules. In fact, the Aussie prank never would have happened in the United States, broadcasters say, because the FCC dictates that anyone featured on air must give their permission before their voice is broadcast. Some stations take this so seriously that they produce fake prank phone calls by hiring impromptu actors to play the roles of unwitting listeners. Radio has been successful partly because it has realized April Fool's Day doesn't have to happen once a year, Nienaber said. He should know. The stunts he's helped stations promote are creative to say the least. Jacintha Saldanha died after being hoaxed by an Australian radio show. --Hundreds of listeners were fooled into thinking they were appearing in a Brad Pitt movie. --A station promoted a "baby giveaway" contest by offering the winning couple free treatments for in vitro fertilization. --A contest dubbed Swap Your Wife for a Brand New Life offered several couples prizes after they switched partners. The tragedy has morning shows nationwide thinking twice. "Those of us in the media forget the impact we have on people's lives, both positive and negative," Kelly said. "Personally, I think anytime you publicly embarrass someone it doesn't sit well with me," said 31-year radio veteran Kevin Robinson, who programs 106-5 The Arch in St. Louis. Related story: Opinion: DJs broke 'no harm' rule Is there a line that should not be crossed? "The line is, don't do it if it endangers the public directly," Kelly said. The suicide dredges up memories of an American radio stunt that ended tragically: a 2007 contest that left 28-year-old Jennifer Strange dead from acute water intoxication. Strange entered the contest sponsored by Sacramento, California, station KDND. The contest promised a free Wii video game system to the person who could drink the most water without going to the bathroom or vomiting. Promoters dubbed the contest, "Hold Your Wee for a Wii." Strange's family was awarded $16.5 million in a wrongful death suit against the station owners. "Sacramento really seemed to validate what a lot of people already believe: that we are this dangerous medium," said Nienaber. But he also calls it the "intestinal gas, fart joke medium," because "a lot of the people are emotionally stuck in the eighth grade." People who own radio stations, he says, see DJs as "children playing with explosives." What's the payoff for radio pranks? In a word, buzz. Pressure from programmers often forces talent to go to extremes to "make noise" in the market, insiders say. Get listeners talking. What about ratings? Are pranks a direct result of trying to win a ratings war? Not necessarily. "I don't think there's a correlation," Nienaber said. DJs would devise pranks regardless, he says. "At the end of the day, it's just fun." But like every medium these days, radio is changing. Will the Aussie DJ's scandal leave a permanent mark? Will your favorite morning DJs change their tune in the aftermath of the tragedy? "I don't think radio pranks will ever go away as long as there are 'funny' morning shows," said Lee Abrams, an industry pioneer and consultant who's legendary in the business. "The Australian prank was a fluke ... though the hosts and their employers will probably think twice" in the future "and that's probably a good thing." Phone pranks like the one in Australia have become "old and boring" Kelly said. Much of radio's fun with pranks has roots in the 1950s with shows like "Candid Camera" and in the '80s with Scott Shannon's "Morning Zoo" at New York's Z100. "I think it was something that was happening more in the '80s and '90s," said Jim Denny, morning co-host at Indianapolis' WFMS. "I think you hear more mean stuff on the sports radio and news-talk stations, where they're beating up on the listeners sometimes." Pranks and stunts appear to be moving from radio to reality TV, Kelly said, leaving radio with a few basic formats that he calls "shut-up-and-play-the music"; "I-hate-Obama-I-love-Obama" aka talk radio; or an "ensemble of human interaction with Morning Zoo-like overtones, without the snarkyness." If radio ends up becoming more predictable as a result of the controversy, it will disappoint many broadcasters as well as listeners. It's radio's unpredictability, they say, that makes it great. "Anything can happen," Nienaber said. "But should this stop us from doing everything? No."

Michigan passes anti-union measures amid protests

NBC's Ron Mott reports on the latest from the labor protests in Lansing, Mich., and then, Msnbc's Tamron Hall talks with Rep. Sander Levin, D-Mich. By M. Alex Johnson, NBC News Updated at 3:03 p.m. ET: Michigan lawmakers gave final approval Tuesday to legislation that would sharply limit labor rights, passing the first of two measures over the objections of thousands of people packing the Capitol in protest, some of whom chanted "Shame on you!" at lawmakers from the House gallery. Follow M. Alex Johnson on Twitter and Facebook. By a 58-51 vote, the Republican-led House passed a bill that would ban workplace rules that make union membership a condition of employment for government workers. It then approved a second bill, covering private-sector workers, by a vote of 58-52. After final parliamentary maneuvering, the bills will head to Gov. Rick Snyder, who said Tuesday that he would sign them. The legislation would make Michigan — one of the most union-friendly states in the country — the 24th "right to work" state, making payment of union dues voluntary even though the union negotiates on a worker's behalf. Snyder told NBC News' Andrea Mitchell that he was "pro-collective bargaining," but he said right-to-work laws denied workers freedom of choice. "I think it's a good thing," he said of the legislation. "I think it's pro-worker." Michigan labor fight puts 'tough nerd' Snyder under partisan spotlight As the vote was taking place, as many as 10,000 people descended on the Capitol, State Police estimated, prompting authorities to restrict access to the building because it was at its capacity of 2,000. The overflow filled the lawn and stretched down East Michigan Avenue to the Lansing Center across the river several blocks away. About 200 onlookers filled the gallery overlooking the House floor Tuesday. As debate resumed on one of the bills, the session was interrupted with protesters yelling, "Shame on you," NBC News' Nadine Comerford reported. After the votes, protesters then moved to the building housing Snyder's office, chanting, "Governor Snyder, just say no!" Live developments on breakingnews.com Law enforcement officials said they wouldn't let Michigan become another Wisconsin, where demonstrators occupied the state Capitol around the clock for nearly three weeks last year to protest similar legislation. Armed with tear gas canisters, pepper spray and batons, State Police officers guarded the Capitol as protesters shouted "No justice, no peace!" and "Shut it down!" NBC station WILX of Lansing reported.  State Police officials confirmed that one of their troopers used pepper spray on one protester. Police spokesmen said the man was sprayed when he grabbed a trooper and tried to pull her into the crowd. The showdown in Michigan could cause a ripple effect across the country – with major implications for working class families. Democratic strategist Debbie Dingell and former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele discuss. The man wasn't arrested, but two other people were arrested after they tried to force their way into another building on the grounds where Snyder has offices, police said.  A tent set up by supporters of the measures also collapsed amid what authorities described as "pushing and shoving" among protesters. No one was hurt, police said. Elsewhere on the lawn, four large inflatable rats were set up to mock Snyder, House Speaker Jase Bolger, Senate Republican leader Randy Richardville, and Dick DeVos, a prominent conservative businessman who union leaders say is behind the bills. Obama decries right-to-work proposal during trip to Michigan Schools in at least three districts were closed because so many teachers and other staff were at the rally. Valerie Constance, a developmental reading instructor for the Wayne County Community College District and a member of the American Federation of Teachers, sat on the Capitol steps with a sign shaped like a tombstone. It read: "Here lies democracy." Scott Hagerstrom, director of the Michigan affiliate of the activist group Americans for Prosperity, said the new laws would be "a win-win for Michigan's economy, for individual freedom." "What a lot of these protesters may not realize is that after this bill passes, they can still belong to a union. It'll just be their choice. They just can't force their co-workers to give their hard-earned money to a private organization," he said. But Rep. Sander Levin of Michigan, the ranking Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee, called it "a terrible result." "Workers want a voice and ... they want to be sure when conditions are set that they're part of the process," he said in an interview on msnbc. Valerie Constance, a developmental reading instructor for the Wayne County Community College District and a member of the American Federation of Teachers, sat on the Capitol steps with a sign shaped like a tombstone. It read: "Here lies democracy." But Mark Mix, president of the National Right to Work Committee, hailed the votes, saying the made for "a great day for Michigan's workers and taxpayers," "I would like to congratulate Michigan's workers for their newly protected freedom to work without union affiliation as a condition of their employment," Mix said. Getty Images Union members from around the country streamed to the State Capitol to protest a vote on 'right-to-work' legislation Lansing, Mich., on Tuesday, Dec. 11 More content from NBCNews.com: More graves found at notorious Florida reform school for boys Marijuana sales? Lots of obstacles still to weed out in Washington, Colorado California exodus as thousands quit state for Texas, Ariz., elsewhere Banking giant HSBC to pay record $1.9 billion in money-laundering case New York Hasidic counselor found guilty of repeatedly sexually abusing girl Pentagon identifies SEAL killed during hostage rescue Fewer homeless vets expected; 'alarming' trend in young Aurora shooting suspect James Holmes' notebook at center of hearing Video:Troubling signs in paradise Follow US news from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

Michigan passes anti-union measure amid protests

Thousands of anti-union protesters march in freezing temperatures outside Michigan's Capitol in response to the "right to work" legislation being pushed through the House. MSNBC's Ron Mott reports from Lansing. By M. Alex Johnson, NBC News Updated at 12:18 p.m. ET: Michigan lawmakers gave final approval Tuesday to legislation that would sharply limit labor rights, passing the first of two measures over the objections of thousands of people packing the Capitol in protest. Follow M. Alex Johnson on Twitter and Facebook. By a 58-51 vote, the Republican-led House passed a bill that would ban workplace rules that make union membership a condition of employment for government workers. A second bill, covering private-sector workers, was expected to pass later in the day, and Gov. Rick Snyder was expected to sign the measures this week. The legislation would make Michigan — one of the most union-friendly states in the country — the 24th "right to work" state, making payment of union dues voluntary even though even though the union negotiates on a worker's behalf. As the vote was taking place, as many as 10,000 people descended on the Capitol, State Police estimated, prompting authorities to restrict access to the building because it was at its capacity of 2,000. The overflow filled the lawn and stretched down East Michigan Avenue to the Lansing Center across the river several blocks away. About 200 onlookers filled the gallery overlooking the House floor Tuesday. As debate resumed on one of the bills, the session was interrupted with protesters yelling, "Shame on you," NBC News' Nadine Comerford reported. Live developments on breakingnews.com Law enforcement officials said they wouldn't let Michigan become another Wisconsin, where demonstrators occupied the state Capitol around the clock for nearly three weeks last year to protest similar legislation. Armed with tear gas canisters, pepper spray and batons, State Police officers guarded the Capitol as protesters shouted "No justice, no peace!" and "Shut it down!" NBC station WILX of Lansing reported. On the lawn, four large inflatable rats were set up to mock Snyder, House Speaker Jase Bolger, Senate Republican leader Randy Richardville, and Dick DeVos, a prominent conservative businessman who union leaders say is behind the bills. Obama decries right-to-work proposal during trip to Michigan Schools in at least three districts were closed because so many teachers and other staff were at the rally. "The long-term effect is this is union-busting at its best," Robyn Price, a union representative with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal employees, told NBC station WDIV of Detroit. The Rev. D. Alexander Bullock, state coordinator for the Rev. Jesse Jackson's Rainbow PUSH Coalition, said he still held out hope that Snyder could be persuaded to veto the bills, saying, "This is an issue for the greater community." But that's unlikely. Snyder has said he supports the legislation, calling it "pro-worker," and is expected to sign the bills as soon as they reach his desk. Getty Images Union members from around the country streamed to the State Capitol to protest a vote on 'right-to-work' legislation Lansing, Mich., on Tuesday, Dec. 11 More content from NBCNews.com: More graves found at notorious Florida reform school for boys Marijuana sales? Lots of obstacles still to weed out in Washington, Colorado California exodus as thousands quit state for Texas, Ariz., elsewhere Banking giant HSBC to pay record $1.9 billion in money-laundering case New York Hasidic counselor found guilty of repeatedly sexually abusing girl Pentagon identifies SEAL killed during hostage rescue Fewer homeless vets expected; 'alarming' trend in young Aurora shooting suspect James Holmes' notebook at center of hearing Video:Troubling signs in paradise Follow US news from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

Thousands protest Michigan's 'right to work' bill

Thousands of anti-union protesters march in freezing temperatures outside Michigan's Capitol building in response to the "right to work" legislation being pushed through the state House. MSNBC's Ron Mott reports from Lansing. By M. Alex Johnson, NBC News Thousands of people packed the Michigan Capitol on Tuesday to protest the likely passage of legislation that would sharply limit labor rights. Follow M. Alex Johnson on Twitter and Facebook. Lawmakers are expected to approve measures that would make Michigan — one of the most union-friendly states in the country — the 24th "right to work" state, banning workplace rules that make union membership a condition of employment. As many as 10,000 people descended on the Capitol, State Police estimated, prompting authorities to restrict access to the building because it was at its capacity of 2,000. The overflow filled the lawn and stretched down East Michigan Avenue to the Lansing Center across the river several blocks away. Live developments on breakingnews.com Law enforcement officials said they wouldn't let Michigan become another Wisconsin, where demonstrators occupied the state Capitol around the clock for nearly three weeks last year to protest similar legislation. Armed with tear gas canisters, pepper spray and batons, State Police officers guarded the Capitol as protesters shouted "No justice, no peace!" and "Shut it down!" NBC station WILX of Lansing reported. On the lawn, four large inflatable rats were set up to mock Gov. Rick Snyder, House Speaker Jase Bolger, Senate Republican leader Randy Richardville, and Dick DeVos, a prominent conservative businessman who union leaders say is behind the bills. Live developments on breakingnews.com GOP set to deliver blow to labor in union-heavy Michigan Obama decries right-to-work proposal during trip to Michigan Schools in at least three districts were closed because so many teachers and other staff were at the rally. "The long-term effect is this is union-busting at its best," Robyn Price, a union representative with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal employees, told NBC station WDIV of Detroit. The Rev. D. Alexander Bullock, state coordinator for the Rev. Jesse Jackson's Rainbow PUSH Coalition, said he still held out hope that Snyder could be persuaded to veto the bills, saying, "This is an issue for the greater community." But that's unlikely. Snyder has said he supports the legislation, calling it "pro-worker," and is expected to sign the bills as soon as they reach his desk. Getty Images Union members from around the country streamed to the State Capitol to protest a vote on 'right-to-work' legislation Lansing, Mich., on Tuesday, Dec. 11 More content from NBCNews.com: More graves found at notorious Florida reform school for boys Marijuana sales? Lots of obstacles still to weed out in Washington, Colorado California exodus as thousands quit state for Texas, Ariz., elsewhere Banking giant HSBC to pay record $1.9 billion in money-laundering case New York Hasidic counselor found guilty of repeatedly sexually abusing girl Pentagon identifies SEAL killed during hostage rescue Fewer homeless vets expected; 'alarming' trend in young Aurora shooting suspect James Holmes' notebook at center of hearing Video:Troubling signs in paradise Follow US news from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

Gay student asks Scalia to defend 'bestiality' comment

Alex Wong / Getty Images file Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, seen in October 2012. By Elizabeth Chuck, NBC News Just days after the Supreme Court announced it would take its first serious look at gay marriage, Justice Antonin Scalia was asked to defend his legal writings on homosexuality. The Supreme Court justice was visiting Princeton University on Monday to discuss his latest book when a college freshman, who identifies as gay, asked Scalia about the comparison he has drawn between laws banning sodomy with those barring bestiality and murder, according to The Daily Princetonian. "If we cannot have moral feelings against or objections to homosexuality, can we have it against anything?" Scalia said in response to the question. "I don't think it's necessary, but I think it's effective." Scalia told Princeton student Duncan Hosie that he is not equating sodomy with bestiality or murder, but drawing parallels between the bans. Scalia added dryly, "I'm surprised you weren't persuaded,"  the student newspaper reported. Hosie's question for the longest-serving justice on the current court stemmed from a 2003 case, Lawrence v. Texas, which struck down a Texas anti-sodomy law. Scalia had dissented in the case; in his dissent, he makes a couple of comparisons to laws against bestiality and declares, "nowhere does the Court's opinion declare that homosexual sodomy is a 'fundamental right.'" Scalia was at Princeton to promote his new book, "Reading Law: The Interpretation of Legal Texts," and to talk about the interpretation of the Constitution. It was during a question-and-answer session that Hosie asked him about Lawrence v. Texas.  "It's a form of argument that I thought you would have known, which is called the 'reduction to the absurd,'" Scalia told Hosie, of San Francisco, The Associated Press reported. Reduction to the absurd, an English translation of the Latin term "reductio ad absurdum," is a form of logic in which one refutes an argument by showing that its inevitable consequences would be absurd. Hosie said later that Scalia's answer didn't persuade him, and that he believes Scalia's writings tend to "dehumanize" gays, according to The AP. The Supreme Court will be reviewing California's ban on same-sex marriage and a federal law that defines marriage as only the legal union of a man and a woman in March, with a decision expected by late June. Scalia has "not been opaque" about his feelings toward same-sex marriage in the past, and gay rights advocates do not expect him to change his mind when the Supreme Court hears the cases in the spring, said Fred Sainz, vice president of communications at Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay rights organization. "It's safe to say he is a vote in the 'no' column," Sainz said. "He is not a justice that has an open mind towards these issues that are coming his way."  Scalia didn't discuss any issues related to specific cases during the Princeton Q&A, but defended his view that divining the original meaning of the Constitution is the best way to interpret it. "The Constitution is not an organism; it's a legal text, for Pete's sake," he said, reported The Daily Princetonian. "Unless you give [the laws] the meaning of those who enacted them, you're destroying democracy." NBC News' Miranda Leitsinger contributed to this report. More content from NBCNews.com: More graves found at notorious Florida reform school for boys Marijuana sales? Lots of obstacles still to weed out in Washington, Colorado California exodus as thousands quit state for Texas, Ariz., elsewhere Banking giant HSBC to pay record $1.9 billion in money-laundering case New York Hasidic counselor found guilty of repeatedly sexually abusing girl Pentagon identifies SEAL killed during hostage rescue Fewer homeless vets expected; 'alarming' trend in young Aurora shooting suspect James Holmes' notebook at center of hearing Video:Troubling signs in paradise Follow US news from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

Serial killer a murder addict, police say

Israel Keyes confessed to killing Samantha Koenig in Alaska in February. Anchorage police release details on serial killer Israel Keyes Keyes was "addicted to the feel of the hunt and of killing," detective says Keyes took pride in being his own kind of serial killer, detective says Keyes confessed to eight killings; he committed suicide in his cell this month (CNN) -- Confessed serial killer Israel Keyes was a murder addict who found great enjoyment in taking people's lives, police say. "Israel Keyes didn't kidnap and kill people because he was crazy, he didn't kidnap and kill people because his deity told him to or because he had a bad childhood. Israel Keyes did this because he got an immense amount of enjoyment out of it, much like an addict gets an immense amount of enjoyment out of drugs," said Anchorage, Alaska, police Detective Monique Doll at a news briefing. "He was addicted to the feeling he got when he was doing this, addicted to the feel of the hunt and of killing," Doll said. Keyes killed the last of his known victims, Anchorage coffee stand barista Samantha Koenig, 18, in February. He has confessed to killing at least seven other people: two in Vermont, four in Washington state, and one somewhere on the East Coast. He committed suicide in his Alaska jail cell earlier this month by slitting his wrist and strangling himself with bedding. Anchorage police and the FBI gave more details about their interviews with Keyes on Monday in hopes of generating new tips about his crimes. Police said that while he admitted eight murders, there may be at least three more, and that they need the public's help in their investigations. "We want people to know what kind of person this fellow was so they can help us connect dots and maybe generate connections between missing person cases and Israel Keyes," Anchorage police Chief Mark Mew said. Authorities played a chilling tape Monday in which Keyes talked about how he lay in wait at an Alaska park with a sniper's rifle in hopes of killing a young couple who had parked there. He had his kill zone prepared, with drain cleaner and a shovel at the ready to dissolve and bury the body parts. "I was gonna do my thing in the parking lot," Keyes said, but an Anchorage patrol officer showed up and checked on the couple. Keyes said he was prepared to kill the officer, too, but aborted his plan when another officer showed up. "It could've got ugly, but fortunately for the cop guy," he said with a chuckle, "his backup showed up." "I almost got myself into a lot of trouble on that one," Keyes said. "As soon as his backup showed up I decided I better call it a night." The incident is indicative of the way Keyes saw himself. Doll described him as "very matter of fact" but comfortable with who he was. "Israel Keyes never expressed in any way, shape or form that he was ashamed of or regretted his actions," Doll said. "He knew what he was and he was fine with it." The Anchorage detective also said Keyes took pride "in living this Dr. Jekyll-Mr. Hyde lifestyle," with neither family nor friends suspecting him. Doll said Keyes researched and read about, but did not emulate, other serial killers, including Ted Bundy, who killed as many as 40 people between 1974 and 1978. "He was very careful to say he had not patterned himself after any other serial killer," she said. "His ideas were his own. ... That mattered a lot to him." Those ideas included careful planning and the ability to back off killing plans if variables changed the situation, such as a planned victim with a large dog, or a victim who didn't have a vehicle in which Keyes could evade authorities. Police said he broke his own rules in the abduction and killing of Koenig. He used her debit card to make an ATM withdrawal that eventually led police to him in Texas. Mew said Keyes started "to be a bit compulsive toward the end." Anchorage police Officer Jeff Bell said Keyes' end did not come as the killer thought it would. He envisioned being killed in a gun battle with police during a bank robbery, Bell said. Besides Koenig, whose body was found in a lake north of Anchorage, authorities have identified only two of Keyes' other victims, Bill and Lorraine Currier of Essex Junction, Vermont. More clues may come from an illegible, blood-soaked note that was found in Keyes' cell after his suicide. That is being analyzed at the FBI's lab in Quantico, Virginia, Mews said, in hopes of determining what Keyes wrote. Authorities are asking that anyone who may have information about Keyes get in contact with the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or call their local FBI office.

Angry with Obama, GOP regroups for next political war

Sen. Graham says President Obama is in for a "rude awakening" Graham: "We're not going to raise the debt ceiling" without deficit reduction Obama says the nation's credit standing shouldn't be a political issue Polls show most Americans back the president on raising taxes on the rich Washington (CNN) -- They are losing the battle over higher taxes on the wealthy, so now Republicans are threatening a political war next year when it comes time to raise the nation's debt ceiling. With cracks appearing in their anti-tax facade and polls showing most Americans favoring President Barack Obama's stance in fiscal cliff negotiations, GOP legislators are starting to advocate a tactical retreat to fight another day. Conservative Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, promised the newly re-elected Obama a "rude awakening" next year if the president forces through his plan for high-income earners to pay more taxes without agreeing to substantive steps to reduce the nation's chronic federal deficits and debt. "In February or March, you have to raise the debt ceiling," Graham noted Monday on Fox News. "And I can tell you this: there's a hardening on the Republican side. We're not going to raise the debt ceiling. We're not going to let Obama borrow any more money or any American Congress any more money until we fix this country from becoming Greece." Visualize the fiscal cliff Snowe: Fiscal cliff talks a good sign Mayor Cory Booker talks fiscal cliff Chu encouraged by Obama-Boehner meeting Another GOP senator, Bob Corker of Tennessee, said his side should give Obama the short-term tax plan he seeks and focus next year on spending cuts and reforming entitlement programs including Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, as well as broader tax reform. Survey: 70% want compromise Three weeks remain to cut a deal before the automatic tax hikes and spending cuts of the fiscal cliff go into effect on January 1. Without a deal during the current lame-duck session of Congress, everyone's taxes go up and economists warn the impact of the fiscal cliff could cause another recession. However, the administration has signaled it can delay some of the effects to allow time to work out an agreement when a new Congress convenes in January. Obama has held a campaign-style series of public events to back his call for extending Bush-era tax cuts for 98% of Americans while allowing rates to return to higher 1990s levels on income over $250,000. The issue was central to his re-election in November and Obama made clear on Monday that he intended to adhere to his belief that the wealthy must contribute more. "I'm willing to compromise a little bit," Obama said at a Michigan diesel engine plant. However, he said higher tax rates on the the top income brackets was "a principle I'm not going to compromise on." The president's public push appears to be working as polls show most Americans back the president's position. A new Politico/George Washington University survey on Monday said 60% of respondents supported Obama's proposal compared to 38% who opposed it, the latest of four surveys in the past two weeks showing public backing. On Tuesday, a Gallup poll showed that 70% of adult Americans want Congress and the White House to reach a compromise that would avoid the fiscal cliff. A similar Gallup poll last week said 62% wanted compromise. The deficit reduction debate hinges on the tax issue, with Republicans opposing any increase in tax rates in their quest to shrink government while Obama and Democrats want to secure more tax revenue as part of a broader package. Both sides call for eliminating tax deductions and loopholes to raise more revenue, but Obama also demands an end to the tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 for the top brackets. Republicans oppose the return to higher rates, saying it will inhibit job growth because small business owners declare their profits as personal income and therefore would face a tax increase. In response, Obama and Democrats note that their plan -- already approved by the Senate and needing only House approval to be signed into law by the president -- affects just 2% of taxpayers and 3% of small business owners. While Republicans argue those small business owners account for about half of all business income, Democrats say that's because they include law firms, hedge funds traders and other high-income operations. Obama and House Speaker John Boehner met face-to-face on Sunday for the first time since November 16. It also was their first one-on-one meeting in more than a year, when deficit talks broke down. The outline for a deal has become clear in recent weeks. Both sides agree that more revenue from taxes should be part of the equation, with Obama seeking $1.6 trillion and Republicans offering $800 billion. A source close to the talks said Tuesday that the White House had floated the idea of dropping the revenue target to $1.2 trillion, then went up to $1.4 trillion on Monday. Boehner's side wants additional revenue to come from tax reform, such as eliminating some deductions and loopholes, while Obama demands the higher rates on income over $250,000 for families as part of the equation. Boehner and Republicans also seek savings from entitlement programs totaling another $800 billion or so, while Obama has proposed $400 billion in reduced entitlement costs. Social Security would not be included in the president's plan. Another sticky issue -- whether the need to raise the federal debt ceiling early next year should be part of the discussion -- also remains unresolved. Obama says absolutely not, while Boehner says that any increase in the federal borrowing limit must be offset by spending cuts. Graham's comments Monday showed that Republicans plan to regroup around negotiations to raise the debt ceiling, which allows the government to borrow more money to pay its bills. He noted that Obama proposed making permanent a process originated by Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell that would allow the president to increase the debt ceiling and Congress to then try to block it -- an unlikely scenario given Democratic control of the Senate. "That's going nowhere," Graham said, adding: "He's not king. He's president." It remains unclear if a deal will happen before the end of the year or if the negotiations will carry over into 2013, after the fiscal cliff takes effect. Without action now on the fiscal cliff, the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center estimates that middle-class families would pay about $2,000 a year more in taxes. Even with a deal, revisions in the tax code and other changes would mean everyone pays a bit more starting next year. All signs point toward a two-step approach sought by Obama, with initial agreement now on some version of his tax plan with targets set for comprehensive negotiations on a broader deficit reduction deal in the new Congress next year. Such an outcome would put off the main worry of the fiscal cliff -- expiration of the Bush-era tax cuts that would result in higher rates for everyone. Obama and Democrats say they would then be ready to negotiate significant savings from entitlement programs, while Republicans say they need to first see commitment on entitlement reforms before accepting any higher tax rates. Some in Congress warn that the legislative process will need at least a week to work through potentially complex measures from any proposed deal, meaning a de facto deadline of Christmas Day at the very latest exists for negotiators. At the same time, voices from inside and outside the process say something must happen now. CNN's Dana Bash and Kevin Liptak contributed to this report.