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The Fiscal Cliff, Susan Rice and Political Gamesmanship
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The Fiscal Cliff, Susan Rice and Political Gamesmanship

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The deadline for avoiding the "fiscal cliff" is just over a month away, and today there are new doubts about whether it's going to be met. We hear about political lines in the sand being drawn just weeks after the President's re-election. Also, in the wake of the British phone hacking scandal, the Leveson Report calls for a media regulator. On Reporter's Notebook, six years after they were convicted of conspiring to hide the health risks of smoking, tobacco companies have been ordered to admit that they lied to their customers.

Banner image: Speaker John Boehner speaks from the US Capitol on efforts to avert the fiscal cliff. Official Photo by Bryant Avondoglio

Making News

Leveson Report Calls for Media Regulator in UK Hacking Scandal ()

A 2000-page critique says British newspapers have shown a "significant and reckless disregard for accuracy" and calls for an independent regulator underpinned by the law. Ben Fenton is chief media correspondent for the Financial Times.

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Main Topic

The Fiscal Cliff, Susan Rice and Political Gamesmanship ()

Despite threats from Grover Norquist, Republicans are backing away from their pledge of "no new taxes." But after days of optimistic pronouncements about avoiding the "fiscal cliff," House Speaker John Boehner today effectively said, "Not so fast." He dismissed the President's very public campaign to raise tax rates on high earners as a "victory lap" designed to avoid laying out spending cuts. Meantime, Senate Republicans are escalating their opposition to UN Ambassador Susan Rice as the next Secretary of State. Is there a hidden agenda?

 

 

 

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Reporter's Notebook

Tobacco Companies Must Admit They Lied, Judge Rules ()

Six years ago, tobacco companies were convicted of racketeering because they conspired to hide the health risks of cigarette smoking. Now the judge in that case has ordered them to do more than warn potential smokers. They'll have to admit that they lied. "All cigarettes cause cancer, lung disease, heart attacks and premature death" is just one of the so-called "corrective statements" proposed by the Justice Department. US District Judge Gladys Kessler has ruled that this and others must be part of cigarette marketing. Tom Schoenberg is federal courts reporter for Bloomberg News.

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