Obama talks about 'worst day of my presidency,' goals for next term

President Barack Obama appeared on NBC's "Meet The Press" on Sunday, talking about the "fiscal cliff" negotiations and priorities for his administration in his second term.

The president told host David Gregory that he was optimistic something will be worked out to keep tax rates from rising on Tuesday, but if not, his first piece of legislation for the next Congress will be a bill to reduce tax rates on most Americans.

The president also spoke about his second term and what he wants to accomplish. Here are highlights of what he said:

"Something fundamental in America has to change," said Obama, who visited on December 16 with families of victims of the Newtown, Connecticut, school shootings.

The president said Sunday he will put forth a proposal next year to change firearm laws. Among the things the legislation will address are assault-style rifles, high-capacity ammunition magazines and background checks on all firearm sales.

His comments echoed those made five days after the shootings in Newtown, where a gunman killed his mother at home, then 20 children and six adults at an elementary school.

Obama said he hopes that the Newtown killings spur Americans to take action and not let the shootings feel like "one of those routine episodes," the emotions of which fade with memory.

""It certainly won't feel like that to me. This is something that, you know, that was the worst day of my presidency," he said.

The president said he wanted to listen to all the parties involved in the gun control debate but was skeptical about the National Rifle Association's call to put armed guards in every school as the only solution.

The FBI also has some "very good leads" into who carried out the September attack that killed U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three others, Obama said.

Among the recommendations in the report sent to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were strengthening security, adding fire-safety precautions and improving intelligence collection in high-threat areas.

"But we'll try to do more than that," Obama said.