President Obama held a news conference in the East Room of the White House. Among the topics he addressed were efforts to implement gun control measures following the school shooting tragedy in Newton, Connecticut, and the need to raise the debt ceiling in order for America to “pay its bills.” In his remarks he called congressional Republican refusals to raise the debt ceiling “irresponsible” and “absurd,” saying “they will not collect a ransom in exchange for not crashing the American economy.”