Year's first partisan showdown: extending jobless benefits

When they return to Washington on Monday, Democratic and Republican lawmakers will charge right into the first partisan showdown of the year: extending jobless benefits for 1.3 million long-term unemployed.
The message from the White House: Bring it on.
In his weekly address over the weekend, President Barack Obama blasted Republicans in Congress who "went home for the holidays and let that lifeline expire."
"That's my New Year's resolution -- to do everything I can, every single day, to help make 2014 a year in which more...