Thursday in politics: Senate expected to begin action on gun bill, and more

The Senate is expected Thursday to defeat efforts by some conservative members to block debate on legislation that would expand background checks to more gun buyers, toughen penalties against illicit sales and provide more money for school security.

The vote to proceed to debate comes a day after Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Patrick Toomey, R-Pa., unveiled a compromise to extend required federal background checks to gun shows and online transactions. Only noncommercial, personal transactions would be exempted.

[Obama welcomes senators’ deal on background check in gun bill]

Earlier in the day, Vice President Joe Biden will be on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” to join a roundtable discussion on reducing gun violence.

Also worth noting on Thursday: The bipartisan Senate “Gang of Eight” could release its immigration reform proposal as early as today; Cabinet secretaries, including Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, begin testifying on President Barack Obama’s 2014 budget proposal; and Obama meets with members of the Financial Services Forum.

And then there is this: Obama will posthumously award Chaplain Emil Kapaun with the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions in combat in Korea in 1950. Capt. Kapaun walked through enemy fire in order to provide comfort and medical aid to his comrades, and he stayed behind after the order to evacuate to make rounds as hand-to-hand combat ensued. In 1993, the Catholic Church formally initiated Capt. Kapaun's cause for sainthood.

Sources: Yahoo News’ The Ticket, ABC News, Associated Press and Reuters.