November 2012
Nov 28, 2012
Cliff notes: Would House Republicans actually vote for a "fiscal cliff" deal that would raise tax rates?
By John Dickerson, Slate MagazinePresident Obama is adamant that he will only agree to a “fiscal cliff” solution that raises tax rates on those making over $250,000. The Republicans in the majority in the House of Representatives are adamant that they will not vote for those tax increases—Speaker John Boehner chief among them. I asked a senior House leadership aide the what chances were that Boehner would be able to get a majority of Republicans to vote for a tax increase of any kind: “pretty close to zero.”
Read moreNow touring, the debt duo, Simpson-Bowles
By Jackie Calmes, The New York TimesTheirs is an improbable buddy act that is making for unlikely entertainment from campuses to corporations on a most serious subject: the federal debt. The proof of their appeal: some business groups pay them $40,000 each per appearance. Really. To discuss budgets and baselines.
Read moreTo strike fiscal deal, Obama turns to the public
By Alexis Simendinger, Real Clear Politics
President Obama isn’t anchored to a chair in the White House with House and Senate leaders, sweating out a budget deal before Dec. 31 -- not yet anyway. Instead, he’s spending the week meeting with business representatives and other stakeholders before flying Friday to a Pennsylvania toy factory for a photo op to champion middle-class tax breaks.
Read moreNov 27, 2012
'Zero Dark Thirty': Bin Laden manhunt film based on controversial firsthand accounts: 'Nightline' exclusive
With Martha Raddatz, ABC NewsIt was the greatest manhunt of all time, the stealthy nighttime raid by the elite SEAL Team Six on Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan, which led to the death of the world's most wanted terrorist leader.
Read moreEgypt’s President Morsi emerges victorious from confrontation with country’s judges
By Nancy A. Youssef, McClatchy NewspapersAfter days of protests, Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi announced Monday that a sweeping decree issued last week that exempted his decisions from challenges in court will remain in effect on issues pertaining to “sovereign matters,” a result that some were calling a compromise but that appeared to be a sweeping victory for the Islamist president.
Read moreOn ‘fiscal cliff,’ both sides lay groundwork for debate’s next phase
By Lori Montgomery and Zachary A. Goldfarb, The Washington PostPrivate talks between President Obama and top congressional leaders in search of a deal to avoid the year-end “fiscal cliff” are accelerating, officials said Monday, even as the president began ramping up pressure on Republicans to extend tax cuts for the middle class.
Read moreWhat do Americans want from a Fiscal-Cliff deal?
By Molly Ball, The Atlantic
Congress is back in session and working on a solution for the looming fiscal cliff crisis [Photo: CNN]
With lawmakers getting down to business on a fiscal-cliff deal, interest groups are working overtime to tell the politicians what voters want them to do.
This matters a lot, obviously; all else being equal, politicians are much more likely to take stands they believe to be political winners. But when it comes to concocting the perfect blend of tax hikes and spending cuts, what the people want is not perfectly clear.
Read moreWhat happened to spending cuts?
With John Harwood, CNBCAre we any closer to a tax and fiscal cliff fix? CNBC's own Chief Washington Correspondent John Harwood joins us now with all the details.
Watch moreNov 26, 2012
Petraeus, the comeback general
By Doyle McManus, Los Angeles TimesGen. David H. Petraeus, long the most famous overachiever in the U.S. Army, is already on his way to a new career distinction: breaking the land speed record for rehabilitation from a scandal.
Read more‘Fiscal cliff’: Consensus on increasing tax revenue, a wide gulf on how to do it
By Lori Montgomery, The Washington PostFor the first time in decades, a bipartisan consensus has emerged in Washington to raise taxes. But negotiators working to avert the year-end “fiscal cliff” remain far apart on crucial details, including how taxes should go up and who should pay more.
Read moreINFLUENCE GAME: Tax them, not us, groups say
By Charles Babington, Associated PressA big coalition of business groups says there must be give-and-take in the negotiations to avoid the "fiscal cliff" of massive tax increases and spending cuts. But raising tax rates — a White House priority — is out of the question, the group adds.
Read moreAutomatic tax increases could stunt economy's growth in 2013
By Peter Baker, The New York Times
Americans could spend nearly $200 billion less next year on cars, clothes, furniture and other consumer products than they would otherwise if automatic tax increases take effect as currently scheduled, the White House warned in a report issued Monday morning.
Read more
