Monday in politics: Obama talks ‘fiscal cliff’ in Michigan, and more

Washington remains focused on the "fiscal cliff."

There is certain to be buzz around town Monday about whether President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner made progress toward a deal when they met face-to-face Sunday at the White House — their first such meeting in three weeks.

Obama is headed to the Daimler Detroit Diesel plant in Redford, Mich., on Monday where he will speak to workers about the economy and the immediate threat of the fiscal cliff.

The fiscal cliff is a combination of tax increases and spending cuts scheduled to automatically go into effect the first two days of 2013. Economists warn that a deal is necessary to avoid another recession.

What to watch for Monday? Will there be any softening in the stalemate over raising taxes on the richest Americans? Or any other signal that a deal is taking shape? Obama's every utterance will be monitored closely, so will Boehner's if he meets with the press on Monday.

And then there is this: Monday marks the 3rd anniversary of Obama receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, and the 10th anniversary of former President Jimmy Carter accepting the peace prize.

And this: Former President George H.W. Bush remains in stable condition in his third week of hospitalization at Methodist Hospital in Houston. The 41^st president is being treated for a bronchitis-related cough.

Sources: Yahoo! News' The Ticket, ABC News, Associated Press