Unemployment benefits are set to expire for many today and 2 million people are expected to lose unemployment benefits by Christmas without another extension by Congress, says the U.S. Labor Department. KTLA reports, "the pending loss of benefits will affect up to 450,000 jobless in CA alone," who receive on average $300 per week. Republicans contend unemployment benefits encourage the jobless to stay jobless while Democrats argue that with 9% of the population out of work, there are not enough jobs available. more ›

Although it was highly anticlimactic and awfully frustrating for all parties involved, this week signified a historic move on the health care reform bill. So what exactly happened? Well, the US Senate voted 60-40 -- not in favor of passing a specific bill --- but in favor of ending debate and stopping further filibustering on a specific set of amendments to the health care reform bill known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act [full bill and amendments can be found here (.pdf)] more ›

Via Think Progress and Bob Geiger, it looks as though we may finally be seeing Democrats grow a spine: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) announced a few hours ago that he intends on forcing Republican obstructionists to stay in the Senate, over night if necessary, if they want to filibuster the Iraq withdrawal legislation. Here are a few key excerpts (for the whole schlemiel, head over here): more ›