1. White House explains why its visareforms are a big deal for the U.S.
economy
11.10.14 –CNN Money
by Penny Prtizker andJeffrey Zients
People naturallythink of boostingexportsasshippingmore productstofarawaylands,but
whentravelerscome fromafarto spendmoneyhere,thatgenerateseconomicactivityin
Americatoo.
TourismisAmerica'slargestservicesexport,andgrowthininternationalvisitorshas created
roughly260,000 Americanjobsoverthe pastfive years.In2013, the State Departmentissued
9.2 millionvisas,a42% increase since 2010.
The Administrationhashelpedaccelerate thisgrowth.Thankstoreformsinvisaprocessing,
average waitingperiodsforvisasinimportantmarketslike Brazil andChinahave droppedfrom
as highas several monthstolessthanfive days,all while maintainingthe same rigorinlegal and
securityreviews.
On Mondayin Beijing,PresidentObamaannouncedanagreementwithChinathatbuildsonthat
progressbyextendingthe validityof touristandbusinessvisasto10 yearsand studentvisasto
five years -- bothfor Chinese citizenstravelingtothe UnitedStatesandfor Americanstraveling
to China.
OptimismRebounds Among Small-Business OwnersinOctober
11.11.14 –Wall Street Journal
by KathleenMadigan
Small-businessownerswere more upbeatabouthiring, capital spendingandsalesexpectations
inOctober,liftingoverallbusinessconfidence,accordingtoa reportreleasedTuesday.
The National Federationof IndependentBusiness’ssmall-businessoptimismindex increased0.8
pointto 96.1 inOctober.It was one of the highestreadingssofarinthisexpansion,althoughthe
level remainsbelow thatusuallyseeninanexpansion.EconomistssurveyedbyThe Wall Street
Journal expectedthe latestindextoedge upto 95.5 from95.3 inSeptember.
Many of the componentsof the index reverseddeclinespostedinSeptember.
Most importantly,the subindex coveringreal salesexpectationsincreased4percentage points
to 9% last month.
Fewer Small Businesses inU.S. Plan toRaise Wages, NFIB Says
11.11.14 –Bloomberg Businessweek
by Ken Kohn

2. FewerU.S.small-businessownerssaidinOctoberthattheyplanto raise wagesincoming
monthsafter19 percentsaidtheyrecentlyboostedcompensationfortheirworkers.
A total of 13 percentof managerssaidthat theyanticipate increasingpay,accordingtothe
seasonallyadjustednetresultsof 1,502 respondentstoasurveybythe National Federation of
IndependentBusinesses.That’sdowntwopointsfromSeptember,when15percentsaidthey
expectedhighersalariesand18 percentsaidtheyhadrecentlyincreasedpay.
The surveyby the NFIB,a lobbyinggroupthatsaysit has 350,000 small and independent
businessownersasmembers,wasaleadingindicatorof national wage growthuntil 2012, when
the correlationbroke down.
The U.S.-China climate deal is historic, but it will still take more tosave
the planet
11.12.14 –WashingtonPost
by Chris Mooney
Despite the burstof activity,however,climateexpertswarnthateventhese ambitiousefforts
are unlikely -- withoutconcertedfurtheraction -- tosolve the world'sclimate challenges.On
Wednesday,forexample,agrimreportreleasedbythe International EnergyAgencysuggested
that the worldison track to pumpso much carbon dioxide intothe atmosphereby2040 that it
will cause irreparable harmtothe planet'secosystems.
The IEA says that humanscan onlyemitabout1,000 additional gigatonnesof carbondioxide
(one gigatonne isequal toa billionmetrictons) intothe atmospherebefore passingadangerous
threshold.
Climate scientistswarnthatpumpingmore carbondioxide thanthatintothe atmosphere would
likelycause amore-than-2degree Celsiusrise inglobal temperaturesoverlevelsthatexisted
before the rise of industryinthe 19th century.
GOP congressional leaders denounce U.S.-Chinadeal on climate change
11.12.14 –WashingtonPost
by Ed O’Keefe, DavidNakamura, and StevenMufson
Anyhope for Congresstoreconvene withasense of bipartisanshipwasquicklyerased
WednesdaymorningasSenate MinorityLeaderMitchMcConnell (R-Ky.) andHouse Speaker
JohnA. Boehner(R-Ohio) sharplycriticizedthe announcementof a new climate deal between
the UnitedStatesand China.
McConnell made hiscommentsduringamorningcoffee with10newlyelectedRepublican
senatorsinhisoffice off the Senate floor.Ashisnew colleaguesstoodbeaming,McConnellwas

3. askedbyreporterswhetherhe plannedtoshiftthe Senate tothe politicalmiddle inhopesof
reachingaccord withPresidentObamaandDemocrats.
“The presidentcontinuestosenda signal thathe has no intentionof movingtowardthe
middle,”saidMcConnell,whoisinline tobecome the new Senate majorityleaderinJanuary.“I
was particularlydistressedbythe deal he’sreachedwiththe Chinese onhiscurrenttrip,which,
as I read the agreement,itrequiresthe Chinese todonothingatall for 16 years,while these
carbon emissionregulationsare creatinghavocinmystate andotherstatesacross the country.”
ElevatedLevel of Part-Time Employment:Post-RecessionNorm?
11.12.14 –Wall Street Journal
by Nick Timiraos
The situationof these so-calledinvoluntarypart-time workers—those whowouldprefertowork
more than 34 hoursa week—haseconomistspuzzlingoverwhetherahigherlevel of part-time
employmentmightbe apermanentlegacyof the greatrecession.If so,itcouldforce more
workersto choose betweenunderemploymentorworkingmultiple jobstomake endsmeet,
leadingtolessincome growthandweakerdiscretionaryspending.
Employersaddedsome 3.3millionfull-timeworkersoverthe pastyear,but the numberof full-
time workersinthe U.S. isstill around2 millionshyof the level before the recessionbeganin
2007. Meanwhile,the ranksof workerswhoare part time foreconomicreasonshasfallenby
740,000 thisyearto around4.5% of the civilianworkforce.Thatisdownfroma highof 5.9% in
2010 but remainswell above the 2.7% average inthe decade precedingthe recession.
Tax rates are finally on the rise for the top 1 percent, CBO says
11.12.14 –WashingtonPost
by Lori Montgomery
The rich are still gettingricher,andincome inequalityisstillonthe rise.ButPresidentObama
appearsto have achievedatleastone of hisgoalsfor the nation'spocketbook:The veryrichest
Americansare finallyshellingoutabitmore in federal taxes.
Accordingto a newreportfromthe nonpartisanCongressionalBudgetOffice,the top1percent
of earnerspaidanaverage tax rate of about33 percentlastyear -- up sharplyfroman average
of 29 percentin2011.
The report documentsaturningpointinfederal tax policy -- andnotjust forwealthyAmericans.
Afterfallingsteadilysince the late 1990s, federal tax ratesare on the rise for people atall
income levels,due primarilytochangesintax law made duringthe 2012 showdownoverthe so-
called"fiscal cliff."

4. Currentand ProspectiveMember Companies –
Comcast Pushing Ahead on Time Warner Cable Deal
11.12.14 –Wall Street Journal
by Alistair Barr
ComcastCorp. ispushingaheadwithitsacquisitionof Time WarnerCable Inc.,despitehiccupsin
the regulatoryreviewprocessandloomingregulationof the broadbandindustrythatthe
companyworriescoulddiscourage future investmentinInternetupgrades,Chief ExecutiveBrian
RobertssaidWednesday.
Comcasthas expectedthe Time WarnerCable deal tobe completed“sometimeinthe first
quarterand we still believethattoday,”Mr. Robertssaidduringan eventwithreportersinSan
Francisco.
He saidtalkof tighterregulationonbroadbandproviders,embracingthe conceptknownasnet
neutrality,hasn't dentedhisinterestinthe acquisition.