The Daily Banter Headline Grab. From the WaPo: The unemployment rate dipped and job creation remained steady in November, as the U.S. economy shrugged off any major impact from Hurricane Sandy and showed surprising resilience in the run-up to the fiscal cliff. The November ...read more

California Gov. Jerry Brown called on state lawmakers to embrace austere cuts and urged voters to approve tax hikes in outlining a revised budget Monday. Brown proposed $8.3 billion in cuts across education, health care and welfare programs in laying out a plan to address the ...read more