By MICHAEL FALCONE ( @michaelpfalcone )

NOTABLES

• OHIO BARTENDER CHARGED WITH THREATENING TO MURDER JOHN BOEHNER: An Ohio man has been indicted on charges of threatening to murder House Speaker John Boehner. ABC's JACK DATE, JOHN PARKINSON, MIKE LEVINE and JON GARCIA report, Michael Robert Hoyt was indicted Jan. 7 on charges of threatening to murder Boehner last October shortly after he was dismissed from his job as a bartender, according to an affidavit in support of a criminal complaint and arrest warrant. According to the complaint, Hoyt had previously been "treated for a psychotic episode" and was prescribed medication, which he "voluntarily stopped taking." http://abcn.ws/1CgSKBk

• ACCORDING TO THE COMPLAINT, Hoyt, 44, was dismissed from his job as a bartender at Wetherington Country Club in West Chester, Ohio. He allegedly told police that he was fired before he was able to have an opportunity to "put something in John Boehner's drink." Hoyt told officers that he often poured drinks for Boehner and could have put something in his drink, because nobody ever checked the drinks. http://abcn.ws/1CgSKBk

THE ROUNDTABLE

ABC's SHUSHANNAH WALSHE: Tuesday was a big day for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, giving a State of the State speech that didn't hide his national aspirations or shy away from addressing state issues, but national topics, as well. He even hit the Obama administration for a "pattern of indecision and inconsistency" and said when it comes to Washington their "culture of divisiveness and distrust has seeped into our communities and our neighborhoods." But, a new poll seems to back up what the Democrats in the chamber were saying yesterday. Democratic State Senate President Steve Sweeney said of Christie, "He's running for President - that's what it sounds like to me. And that's fine but he's still the governor of the state of New Jersey and our issues have to be addressed." In a Fairleigh Dickinson PublicMind survey 53% of voters believe Christie is more concerned with a potential run for president than the 32% who say acting as governor of the Garden State is his first priority. And 72% say Christie's moves are influenced by possible White House ambitions "most of some of the time."

ABC's RICK KLEIN: The 2016 field is getting a wild flurry of activity, with Mitt Romney and Chris Christie making moves, Rand Paul throwing elbows, and even the quiet Democratic side starting to move. Among Republicans, the action has reordered expectations and possibilities. The establishment bracket is suddenly crowded, with Romney poised to join Christie and Jeb Bush as fundraising juggernauts who would be fighting for a moderate/business-oriented segment of voters. The tea party/conservative tier has already had plenty of company, with Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Bobby Jindal, Ben Carson, Mike Huckabee, and Rick Santorum all vying for different pieces of the action. And yet Republican insiders see even more space - perhaps in between those two categories. That real estate, more open with the no-go of Paul Ryan, could be where a Marco Rubio finds his oxygen, if he's able to breathe Bush-free air. It's where a Carly Fiorina could find a voice, or a Jindal could try to migrate toward. Perhaps the biggest beneficiary of the recent headlines and maneuverings? Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker - and not just because his Packers beat Christie's Cowboys. He's operating in quiet for now, which is a more comfortable pace for someone with just a taste of national exposure and without an obvious pizazz factor.

ABC's JEFF ZELENY: House Republicans will take another crack today at trying to overturn President Obama's executive action on immigration. The bill is poised to easily pass, but will almost certainly go nowhere in the Senate. While Republicans on both sides of the Capitol are eager to strike back at the administration's immigration move, there's a growing realization the fight is being played out on the wrong battlefield. Only weeks ago, Republicans insisted the best way to demonstrate their anger over the immigration action was through a debate on the $40 billion Homeland Security spending bill. But that's increasingly fraught with peril, particularly in light of the new video released overnight from the Al Qaeda branch in Yemen, which took credit for the Paris attack and made clear the terror threat to the West remains very real. Republican leaders concede there's no question the Department of Homeland Security will be fully funded, taking the steam out of the immigration fight.

THE BUZZ

with ABC's VERONICA STRACQUALURSI

SPLIT ON MITT: CAPITOL HILL REPUBLICANS CAN'T DECIDE ON A ROMNEY RERUN. There's a lot of division on Capitol Hill, and Mitt Romney's latest presidential tease is no exception. Some lawmakers are clamoring for a third Romney run while others are taking more of a wait-and-see approach. And there's an additional twist with a few sitting senators considering 2016 bids of their own. ABC's ARLETTE SAENZ breaks down the emerging factions. http://abcn.ws/1AXV6Ii

IRS WARNS OF SLOWER TAX REFUNDS, MORE IDENTITY THEFT RISK. Coming soon from the IRS: Slower tax refunds, fewer identity-theft protections and worse customer service. That's the word in an alarming email obtained by ABC News and sent to IRS employees Tuesday by IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. The only possible silver lining (especially for tax cheats): fewer audits, notes ABC's JONATHAN KARL. To be specific: 46,000 fewer audits this year and 1,800 fewer IRS enforcement officers. That's because the IRS budget has been slashed so deeply - the lowest inflation-adjusted budget in nearly two decades - that Koskinen says "we have no choice but to do less with less." The Commissioner writes that the budget cuts will mean a slower and less helpful IRS. http://abcn.ws/1AczceO

CONGRESSMAN RANDY WEBER APOLOGIZES FOR TWEET COMPARING PRESIDENT OBAMA TO HITLER. A U.S. representative from Texas issued an apology Tuesday, less than 24 hours after posting a tweet that criticized President Barack Obama for his absence at a major anti-terror march in Paris this past Sunday in reaction to the recent terrorist attack there. ABC's STEPHANIE EBBS writes, the tweet - sent by Rep. Randy Weber, R-Texas - referenced Adolf Hitler's visit to Paris after German troops invaded France during World War II. "Even Adolph Hitler thought it more important than Obama to get to Paris. (For all the wrong reasons.) Obama couldn't do it for right reasons," the tweet read, which has since been deleted. "I need to first apologize to all those offended by my tweet," Weber said in a statement. "It was not my intention to trivialize the Holocaust nor to compare the President to Adolf Hitler." http://abcn.ws/1y8BWPn

CHRIS CHRISTIE INCHES CLOSER TO 2016 WITH STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS, CALLS FOR AN 'AMERICAN RENEWAL.' Inching closer to a 2016 presidential run, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie delivered his fifth State of the State address Tuesday calling for a "New Jersey renewal and an American renewal," writes ABC's SHUSHANNAH WALSHE. "America's leadership in the world is called into question because of a pattern of indecision and inconsistency," he said. "During this time of uncertainty it seems our leaders in Washington would rather stoke division for their own political gain." Christie detailed successes he said happened on his watch, themes he would likely reprise if he does run for president, but he also used the annual address to the state's lawmakers to hit the Obama administration, making the speech sound at times like the campaign had already begun. http://abcn.ws/1ycarmk