Shutdown likely averted as tax talks go on (AP)

WASHINGTON ? House Speaker John Boehner says Republicans will keep a controversial oil pipeline provision in a bill to extend a payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits.

Opposition by President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats to language that would speed work on the Keystone XL pipeline has been a major hurdle to reaching compromise on the payroll tax cut measure.

Senate leaders are negotiating the payroll tax cut bill. Boehner told reporters the House will keep the pipeline language in whatever bill the Senate produces.

The House plans to approve a $1 trillion spending bill Friday that will avert a weekend federal shutdown and keep government agencies running through next September. Then the House will send members home until the Senate produces a payroll tax cut bill they can vote on.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

Congress appears on track to avert a government shutdown this weekend, even as President Barack Obama's push to extend a payroll tax cut and jobless benefits for another year is encountering snags.

Those hiccups in finding spending cuts to pay for extending a 2 percentage point cut in Social Security payroll taxes and jobless benefits for millions have prompted Democratic leaders to suggest just a two-month, $40 billion extension of expiring tax breaks and jobless benefits might be needed.

But the first act in clearing away a pile of unfinished business for an unpopular Congress is for the GOP-controlled House to pass a massive, bipartisan, $1 trillion-plus spending measure funding 10 Cabinet departments and U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

That vote is on track for Friday afternoon, but a stopgap bill could be needed to fund the government into next week.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., told reporters Thursday night that he was still optimistic that bipartisan talks on yearlong extensions of the Social Security payroll tax cut and unemployment coverage would succeed. But as a "Plan B," he said, they were working on a two-month extension as well, which would also prevent cuts in Medicare reimbursements for doctors during that period.

"We're still working on the long-term" bill, Reid told reporters as he exited the Capitol after a day of talks over both the payroll tax and spending measures. As for the two-month version, he said, "We'll only do that if what we're working on doesn't work out."

Reid's remarks put a slight damper on a day on which for the first time, Democratic and Republican leaders expressed optimism at prospects for swift compromise on their payroll tax standoff and a spending battle that had threatened to shutter federal agencies beginning at midnight Friday.

A deal on the $1 trillion-plus spending bill was reached after Republicans agreed to drop language that would have blocked President Barack Obama's liberalized rules on people who visit and send money to relatives in Cuba. But a GOP provision will stay in the bill thwarting an Obama administration rule on energy efficiency standards that critics argued would make it hard for people to purchase inexpensive incandescent light bulbs.

A senior White House official said the administration supported the two-month plan.

Bargainers were considering the two-month extension of this year's payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits bill because so far, they haven't agreed how a yearlong extension would be paid for, said a Democratic aide who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private talks.

The two-month bill would cost $40 billion, according to the aide. It would be paid for from a list of around $120 billion in savings that bargainers are considering, including sales of the broadcast spectrum and raising fees that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac charge to back mortgages, the aide said.

The two-month extension would let lawmakers revisit the measure after returning to Washington after the holiday season. That could be risky because that work would come well into the 2012 presidential and congressional election year.

Without congressional action, the payroll taxes would rise and extra benefits for the long-term unemployed would expire on Jan. 1. Doctors' Medicare payments would be automatically reduced that day by 27 percent, a reduction that could prompt some to stop seeing Medicare patients.

"Right now, Congress needs to make sure that 160 million working Americans don't see their taxes go up on Jan. 1," said Obama, referring to the tax cut extension at the core of the jobs program he outlined in a nationally televised speech three months ago.

At Obama's insistence, Congress cut the 6.2 percent Social Security payroll tax to 4.2 percent this year in an effort to stimulate the economy with more consumer spending. The president has proposed deepening the cut to 3.1 percent next year, but Republicans have only shown a willingness to renew it at this year's level.

Obama also wants to leave in place a system that provides aid for up to 99 weeks for the long-term unemployed. The House-passed measure reduces the total by 20 weeks, a step that the administration says would cut off 3.3 million individuals and that Democrats are hoping to soften if not reverse.

Reid indicated that a number of expiring tax breaks were on the table, as well, a list that included a provision that benefits commuters who use mass transit.

The House-passed payroll tax cut measure relied on a pay freeze and increased pension contributions for federal workers, as well as higher Medicare premiums for seniors with incomes over $80,000, beginning in 2017. The bill would also raise a fee that is charged to banks whose mortgages are guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and cancel more than $40 billion from the year-old health care bill, Obama's signature domestic achievement.

The year-end, $1 trillion spending measure would lock in cuts that Republicans extracted from Democrats in negotiations conducted months ago against the deadline of a previous government shutdown threat. It funds 10 Cabinet departments, including the Pentagon and dozens of smaller agencies, awarding a slight increase to the military and veterans' programs while trimming most other domestic programs.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111216/ap_on_go_co/us_congress_rdp

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TJFsports: My record in NBA 2k12 is so ridiculous. I play way too much

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Urban Outfitters Wants $45 for an iPhone Case Glued to a Retro Handset [Cases]

This isn't the only way to recreate the feeling of talking on an old clunky landline handset with your iPhone, but this overpriced $45 creation from hipster factory Urban Outfitters is certainly the most ridiculous. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/SLXEHbwnZ5A/urban-outfitters-wants-45-for-an-iphone-case-glued-to-a-retro-handset

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This Is How You Rebuild One of the Nation's Busiest Bridges Without Interrupting Traffic [Image Cache]

The Bay Bridge connecting San Francisco and Oakland my not be as iconic as the Golden Gate but it's a vital traffic artery nonetheless. So how do you reconstruct the span without delaying its 280,000 daily commuters? Very carefully. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/YDYNDQpBGOg/this-is-how-you-rebuild-one-of-the-nations-busiest-bridges-without-interrupting-traffic

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ThinkGeek and Aperture Science do what they must, intro more Portal-themed goods because they can

Been yearning for more Portal 2-inspired goods from ThinkGeek? Fret not, dear test subject, the company's got some products ways that should satiate your desire for Cave Johnson-approved chachkas. Newly up for grabs are a $15 Aperture Science shower curtain, a $35 motion-sensing plush turret and a $40 Cave Johnson talking portrait -- think Billy Bass, but with a Portal twist. ThinkGeek's also announced a $30 Companion Cube cookie jar (the perfect companion for its Portal cookie cutters) and a $30 PotatOS Science Kit, complete with an insult-spewing "talking GLaDOS module." Sadly, the latter duo don't have an official release date just yet, and are merely listed as "coming soon." Of course, like the cake, they could just be lie. For the sake of science, portal past the break to find a press release with more details.

Continue reading ThinkGeek and Aperture Science do what they must, intro more Portal-themed goods because they can

ThinkGeek and Aperture Science do what they must, intro more Portal-themed goods because they can originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 04 Dec 2011 07:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Italian politicians weigh Monti's rescue plan (AP)

ROME ? Italian Premier Mario Monti's financial rescue plan is yet to be finished, but that hasn't stopped unions from denouncing it and some politicians expressing doubts as to whether they can back the anticipated harsh measures to save Italy from bankruptcy.

Unions seemed particularly galled that Monti, in his rush to reassure markets about Italy's ability to rein in its debt and spur growth, is doing away with the government's traditional negotiations with them over any change to labor regulations or pensions.

Monti told reporters Wednesday in Brussels that time constraints and the "extraordinary delicate situation" Italy is struggling through doesn't allow for "certain rituals that might be welcome by everyone, but perhaps aren't advantageous to the country."

He promised that his Cabinet on Monday would approve a package of spending cuts to slash towering debt and structural reforms to spur growth. He called for a "collective sense of urgency and responsibility" among lawmakers to facilitate passage in Parliament.

The new premier is under tremendous pressure to rein in Italy's euro1.9 trillion ($2.6 trillion) in debt load ? 20 percent larger than its annual economic output. The country, which is the eurozone's third-largest economy, is considered to be too big to be bailed out.

An Italian default would be disastrous for the 17-member eurozone and reverberate throughout the global economy.

Susanna Camusso, head of Italy's largest labor confederation, the left-leaning Cgil, has demanded a meeting with the government before the Cabinet clears the new measures.

Unions have attacked Monti's vow to overhaul Italy's generous pension system. News reports suggest his plan includes a proposal to add at least a year to the 40 years now required for contributions before being able to retire.

"The government must know that 40 is the magic, untouchable number," Camusso said.

The center-left Democratic Party is also skeptical about what might be proposed, arguing that flexibility must be built into the system to account for different types of labor and the age at which someone started working.

"Such a drastic intervention on this front seems like an error," said Democratic lawmaker Paolo Baretta in an interview with Rome daily Il Messaggero.

Silvio Berlusconi, who was forced to resign as premier because markets lost confidence in his ability to push through reforms, huddled with his allies into the early hours of Thursday to map strategy. His conservative allies fear a rumored special tax on wealth and the return of a home property tax.

"We're ready to do our part to support Monti's government to get out of the crisis," said Maria Stella Gelmini, Berlusconi's ex-education minister and a member of his People of Freedom Party. But she said the party had told Monti they were "perplexed" about the proposed taxes.

The unelected Monti, who was tapped by Italy's president to lead the country out of the crisis, needs lawmakers' support for his rescue plan. In an indication that he knows that too well, he congratulated the lower Chamber of Deputies on Thursday for having approved ? by a "vast margin" ? the first reading of a months-long legislative process to amend the nation's constitution to require a balanced state budget.

He said the support showed "the firm will of Parliament and the whole country to follow the path of structural health in public finance." In a statement, he said such political will, at the national and EU level, will be a "decisive element to overcome the current difficult financial crisis that has seized Europe."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/eurobiz/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111201/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_italy_financial_crisis

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Reporter: Tabloid agenda driven by sensationalism (AP)

LONDON ? A former reporter says the tabloid news agenda is driven by sensationalism rather than a desire to tell the truth.

Richard Peppiatt said "much of tabloid journalism is not truth-seeking primarily. It's ideologically driven and it's impact-driven."

Peppiatt worked for the downmarket Daily Star but has become a critic of underhanded tabloid practices.

Peppiatt and other journalists are giving evidence to the British media ethics inquiry Tuesday after a week in which celebrities and victims of crime described how their lives had been disrupted by media intrusion.

Prime Minister David Cameron set up the inquiry in response to the scandal that began with illegal eavesdropping by the News of the World tabloid.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/britain/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111129/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_britain_phone_hacking

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Inflation to fall sharply in next few months - PM (Reuters)

NEW DELHI (Reuters) ? Inflation rate will fall sharply over the next few months and the country's economy should hold up despite the global economic slowdown, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Tuesday.

India's headline inflation in October hovered above 9 percent for the 11th month despite a 20-month cycle of monetary tightening by the Reserve Bank of India.

"I am confident we will successfully face the global slowdown," Singh told a Congress party meeting. "I expect inflation will sharply decline in the next few months due to government measures."

(Reporting by Manoj Kumar; editing by Malini Menon)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/india/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111129/india_nm/india607829

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