A bill to restore federal benefits for the long-term unemployed advanced this week when six Republican senators voted with Democrats to prevent a GOP filibuster. Unemployment insurance expired Dec. 28, leaving nearly 1.3 million Americans who have been out of work for 27 or more weeks without a weekly support check of about $300. President Obama and congressional Democrats argue that the payments are needed to keep as many as 5 million people from becoming destitute in the coming year. But Republicans are resisting, saying that long-term unemployment benefits discourage people from hunting for work.
Now the full Senate will debate and vote on the proposed legislation, which if passed will be sent to the GOP-dominated House. Speaker John Boehner said he would not accept an extension unless the $6.5 billion price tag is offset by other budget cuts.
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Putin’s threat to fracture Ukrainefeature Fears that Russia was building a pretext for an invasion of eastern Ukraine grew, as pro-Kremlin protesters occupied government buildings in three cities.
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Curbing NSA surveillance
feature The White House said it will propose a broad overhaul of the National Security Agency’s domestic surveillance program.
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Downsizing the military
feature A new budget plan for the Pentagon would save hundreds of billions of dollars by taking the military off its post-9/11 war footing.
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Putin ratchets up pressure on Ukraine
feature Russian President Vladimir Putin put 150,000 troops at the Ukraine border on high alert and cut off $15 billion in financial aid.
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Ukraine on the brink of civil war
feature Ukraine’s capital was engulfed in flames and violence when hundreds of riot police launched an assault on an anti-government protest camp.
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Ukraine at the breaking point
feature An alliance of opposition groups vowed protests would continue until President Viktor Yanukovych is removed from power.
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Dim prospects for Syrian talks
feature A long-awaited Syrian peace conference in Montreux, Switzerland, quickly degenerated into a cross fire of bitter accusations.
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Al Qaida’s resurgence in Iraq
feature The Iraqi government was engaged in a ferocious battle with al Qaida–affiliated militants in the western province of Anbar.