Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Obama didn’t fold in today’s talks: “President Obama called on Republican leaders Friday to support his plan to let taxes rise on income over $250,000 a year or to offer a clear alternative for averting the year-end “fiscal cliff” that could win Democratic support.”
* The president is also set to give public remarks at 5:45 eastern from the White House. None of the participants in today’s talks spoke to reporters immediately upon leaving the West Wing today. I’ll update this post shortly with Obama’s remarks. [Update: See above.]
* Check out the huddle around Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) when he returned to the Senate floor this afternoon.
* House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D) said upon returning to Capitol Hill that Senate leaders will now try to work something out, since House Speaker John Boehner (R) has nothing more to contribute. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) added the next 24 hours should be “very instructive.”
* Another pending bill: “The top lawmakers on the Congressional Agriculture Committees are prepared with a plan to avert the dairy cliff, NBC News has learned. This is an agreement between Democrats and Republicans who run those committees and oversee the massive FARM bill that affects the entire food industry and 16 million agriculture related jobs.”
* Heartbreak in India: “A young woman who had been in critical condition since she was raped two weeks ago by several men who lured her onto a bus here died early Saturday, an official at the hospital in Singapore that is caring for her said.”
* Assad is still losing friends: “Russia, Syria’s longtime ally, urged the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, on Friday to negotiate with his opponents as further signs emerged that Moscow and other international parties to the conflict were coalescing around the idea of a transitional government as a key to solving the nearly two-year-old Syrian crisis.” * Watering down an already watered down reform effort: “Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Carl Levin (D-MI) on Friday unveiled a bipartisan proposal to change filibuster rules, a scaled back plan to prevent Democrats from using the so-called constitutional option to weaken the minority’s power.” * And Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona, in all seriousness, said he intends to send armed posses, made up of volunteers, to patrol public schools in his area. Try not to be surprised. Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
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