Cliffhanger: Vice President Joe Biden and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell continued urgent talks today over a deal to avoid the “fiscal cliff” after Democrats offered several significant concessions on taxes, including a proposal to raise rates only on earnings over $450,000 a year. With a New Year’s Eve deadline hours away, Democrats abandoned their earlier demand to raise tax rates on household income over $250,000 a year. To read more, click here.
A weak bet: Clemson has bowl issues. The Tigers were humiliated, 70-33, by West Virginia in last season’s Orange Bowl and are 1-6 against the spread in their last seven bowls, including a 1-3 against-the-spread mark under Dabo Swinney. All that, combined with other big-game struggles, have created a perception that Swinney’s Tigers (10-2, 8-4 ATS) are still a notch or two below college football’s elite teams, like LSU. To read more, click here.
Loggerheads: As a new year starts, the political battles and debates remain largely the same at Louisiana’s Capitol, with the state’s financial woes stretching into their sixth year and influencing most decision making. Lawmakers will haggle again about whether to raise taxes, fees and college tuition to fill budget gaps. Gov. Bobby Jindal will continue to butt heads with conservative Republicans who criticize his spending decisions and with Democrats who believe the GOP governor is less interested in the budgetary needs of Louisiana than in how his decisions position him on the national political scene. To read more, click here.
Today’s poll: How will you be celebrating New Year’s Eve?
Editor’s note: In observance of New Year’s Day, Daily Report will not be published on Tuesday.
