1 of 3. U.S. President Barack Obama speaks about the fiscal cliff at the White House in Washington December 21, 2012.

WASHINGTON | Fri Dec 21, 2012 11:43pm EST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Friday tried to rescue stalled talks on a fiscal crisis after a Republican plan imploded in Congress, but there was little headway as lawmakers and President Barack Obama abandoned Washington for Christmas.

In remarks before flying to Hawaii for a break, Obama suggested reaching a short-term deal on taxes and extending unemployment insurance to avoid the worst effects of the "fiscal cliff" on ordinary Americans at the start of the New Year.

"We've only got 10 days to do it. So I hope that every member of Congress is thinking about that. Nobody can get 100 percent of what they want," said Obama.

Obama said he wanted to sign legislation extending Bush-era tax cuts for 98 percent of Americans in the coming days.

The Democrat appeared to be offering bickering lawmakers a way to fix the most pressing challenge - tax cuts that expire soon - while leaving thorny topics such as automatic spending cuts or extending the debt ceiling for later.

Obama called on lawmakers to use the holiday break to cool off frayed nerves, "drink some eggnog, have some Christmas cookies, sing some Christmas carols," and come back next week ready to make a deal.

Negotiations were thrown into disarray on Thursday when House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner failed to convince his fellow Republicans to accept tax cuts for even the wealthiest of Americans as part of a possible agreement with Obama.

"How we get there, God only knows," Boehner told reporters on Friday when asked about a possible comprehensive fiscal cliff solution.

If there is no agreement, taxes would go up on all Americans and hundreds of billions of dollars in automatic government spending cuts would kick in next month - actions that could plunge the U.S. economy back into recession.

Obama spoke to Boehner on Friday and held a face-to-face White House meeting with the top Democrat in Congress, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Before his defeat in Congress, Boehner had extracted a compromise from Obama to raise taxes on Americans making more than $400,000 a year, instead of the president's preference of those with income of $250,000 a year.

But with talks stalled on the level of spending cuts to which Obama would agree, Boehner attempted a backup plan to raise taxes only on those making more than $1 million a year - amounting to just 0.18 percent of Americans.

BAD DEFEAT FOR BOEHNER

Boehner's reverse in the House was worse than first thought. A key Republican lawmaker said Boehner scrapped the vote when he realized that between 40 and 50 of the 241 Republicans in the House would not back him.

Obama and his fellow Democrats in Congress are insisting that the wealthiest Americans pay more in taxes in order to help reduce federal budget deficits and avoid deep spending cuts. Republicans control the House and Democrats control the Senate.

Stocks dropped sharply early Friday on fears that the United States could go fall back into recession if politicians do not prevent it.

But major indexes lost less than 1 percent, suggesting investors still held out hope that an agreement will be brokered in Washington.

"I think if you get into mid-January and (the talks) keep going like this, you get worried, but I don't think we're going to get there," said Mark Lehmann, president of JMP Securities, in San Francisco.

Boehner, joined by his No. 2, Eric Cantor, at a Capitol Hill news conference, said the ultimate fault rests with Obama for refusing to agree to more spending reductions that would bring down America's $1 trillion annual deficit and rising $16 trillion debt.

"What the president has proposed so far simply won't do anything to solve our spending problem. He wants more spending and more tax hikes that will hurt our economy," Boehner said.

Democrats responded with incredulity.

House members, heading to their home states for the holidays, were instructed to be available on 48 hours notice if necessary.

"They went from 'Plan B' to 'plan see-you-later,'" Obama adviser David Axelrod said on MSNBC on Friday morning.

The crumbling of Boehner's plan highlights his struggle to lead some House Republicans who flatly reject any deal that would increase taxes on anyone.

Republican Representative Tim Huelskamp criticized Boehner's handling of the negotiations, saying the speaker had "caved" to Obama opening the door to tax hikes. Huelskamp, a dissident first-term congressman from Kansas, said he was not willing to compromise on taxes even if they are coupled with cuts to government spending sought by conservatives.

Fiscal conservatives "are so frustrated that the leader in the House right now, the speaker, has been talking about tax increases. That's all he's been talking about," Huelskamp said on MSNBC on Friday morning.

(Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton, Richard Cowan, Rachelle Younglai, Thomas Ferraro and Matt Spetalnick; Writing by Steve Holland; Editing by Alistair Bell and Lisa Shumaker)

View the original article here

1 of 3. U.S. President Barack Obama speaks about the fiscal cliff at the White House in Washington December 21, 2012.

WASHINGTON | Fri Dec 21, 2012 11:43pm EST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Friday tried to rescue stalled talks on a fiscal crisis after a Republican plan imploded in Congress, but there was little headway as lawmakers and President Barack Obama abandoned Washington for Christmas.

In remarks before flying to Hawaii for a break, Obama suggested reaching a short-term deal on taxes and extending unemployment insurance to avoid the worst effects of the "fiscal cliff" on ordinary Americans at the start of the New Year.

"We've only got 10 days to do it. So I hope that every member of Congress is thinking about that. Nobody can get 100 percent of what they want," said Obama.

Obama said he wanted to sign legislation extending Bush-era tax cuts for 98 percent of Americans in the coming days.

The Democrat appeared to be offering bickering lawmakers a way to fix the most pressing challenge - tax cuts that expire soon - while leaving thorny topics such as automatic spending cuts or extending the debt ceiling for later.

Obama called on lawmakers to use the holiday break to cool off frayed nerves, "drink some eggnog, have some Christmas cookies, sing some Christmas carols," and come back next week ready to make a deal.

Negotiations were thrown into disarray on Thursday when House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner failed to convince his fellow Republicans to accept tax cuts for even the wealthiest of Americans as part of a possible agreement with Obama.

"How we get there, God only knows," Boehner told reporters on Friday when asked about a possible comprehensive fiscal cliff solution.

If there is no agreement, taxes would go up on all Americans and hundreds of billions of dollars in automatic government spending cuts would kick in next month - actions that could plunge the U.S. economy back into recession.

Obama spoke to Boehner on Friday and held a face-to-face White House meeting with the top Democrat in Congress, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Before his defeat in Congress, Boehner had extracted a compromise from Obama to raise taxes on Americans making more than $400,000 a year, instead of the president's preference of those with income of $250,000 a year.

But with talks stalled on the level of spending cuts to which Obama would agree, Boehner attempted a backup plan to raise taxes only on those making more than $1 million a year - amounting to just 0.18 percent of Americans.

BAD DEFEAT FOR BOEHNER

Boehner's reverse in the House was worse than first thought. A key Republican lawmaker said Boehner scrapped the vote when he realized that between 40 and 50 of the 241 Republicans in the House would not back him.

Obama and his fellow Democrats in Congress are insisting that the wealthiest Americans pay more in taxes in order to help reduce federal budget deficits and avoid deep spending cuts. Republicans control the House and Democrats control the Senate.

Stocks dropped sharply early Friday on fears that the United States could go fall back into recession if politicians do not prevent it.

But major indexes lost less than 1 percent, suggesting investors still held out hope that an agreement will be brokered in Washington.

"I think if you get into mid-January and (the talks) keep going like this, you get worried, but I don't think we're going to get there," said Mark Lehmann, president of JMP Securities, in San Francisco.

Boehner, joined by his No. 2, Eric Cantor, at a Capitol Hill news conference, said the ultimate fault rests with Obama for refusing to agree to more spending reductions that would bring down America's $1 trillion annual deficit and rising $16 trillion debt.

"What the president has proposed so far simply won't do anything to solve our spending problem. He wants more spending and more tax hikes that will hurt our economy," Boehner said.

Democrats responded with incredulity.

House members, heading to their home states for the holidays, were instructed to be available on 48 hours notice if necessary.

"They went from 'Plan B' to 'plan see-you-later,'" Obama adviser David Axelrod said on MSNBC on Friday morning.

The crumbling of Boehner's plan highlights his struggle to lead some House Republicans who flatly reject any deal that would increase taxes on anyone.

Republican Representative Tim Huelskamp criticized Boehner's handling of the negotiations, saying the speaker had "caved" to Obama opening the door to tax hikes. Huelskamp, a dissident first-term congressman from Kansas, said he was not willing to compromise on taxes even if they are coupled with cuts to government spending sought by conservatives.

Fiscal conservatives "are so frustrated that the leader in the House right now, the speaker, has been talking about tax increases. That's all he's been talking about," Huelskamp said on MSNBC on Friday morning.

(Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton, Richard Cowan, Rachelle Younglai, Thomas Ferraro and Matt Spetalnick; Writing by Steve Holland; Editing by Alistair Bell and Lisa Shumaker)

View the original article here

1 of 5. Money market pioneer Bruce Bent (R) leaves the Manhattan Federal Court behind his son Bruce Bent II in New York October 11, 2012. Bent took a swipe at the U.S. government's response to the 2008 financial crisis when he testified at his own trial on Thursday, describing the desperate situation that led to the death of his conservative fund. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission sued Bent, his son Bruce Bent II and their family-run Reserve Management firm in 2009, saying they lied to investors about the safety of their money after Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy on September 15, 2008, intensifying a global financial crisis.

NEW YORK | Thu Oct 11, 2012 8:47pm EDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Money market pioneer Bruce Bent took a swipe at the U.S. government's response to the 2008 financial crisis when he testified at his own trial on Thursday, describing the desperate situation that led to the death of his conservative fund.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission sued Bent, his son Bruce Bent II and their family-run Reserve Management firm in 2009, saying they lied to investors about the safety of their money after Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy on September 15, 2008, intensifying a global financial crisis.

Reserve held $785 million in Lehman debt, or 1.2 percent of the $62 billion it had invested in its funds. There was a run on Reserve funds and sources of liquidity dried up in the market turmoil, making it impossible to keep up with demand for redemptions.

Bent, answering a question on the Manhattan federal court witness stand about the government helping troubled financial institutions after the historic Lehman collapse, responded sharply: "Two days later everybody got it, except Reserve."

Part of the defense strategy is to shift the blame onto the SEC, which sued the Bents. Bruce Bent's testimony implies that the government should have made Reserve part of the bailout of financial institutions in an unprecedented crisis.

The white-haired, flush-faced Bent, 75, at times appeared irritated with the pointed questioning of SEC lawyer Nancy Brown, saying "no, no, no," before correcting her. His son Bruce Bent II, 46, is also expected to testify at the trial.

Brown's questioning over more than three hours took Bent and the jury through three Reserve board meetings and phone calls between the Bents, senior fund executives and lawyers during two hectic days of September 15 and September 16, 2008. The eight jurors heard that Reserve approached the New York Federal Reserve Bank and told the SEC itself about its dire straits.

Bent testified they were in a "desperation situation" and "we're throwing it at the wall, we're hoping something sticks."

The Reserve "broke the buck" - an almost unheard of event for money market funds when their net asset value falls below $1 a share. By January 2010, Reserve said it had distributed nearly all of the $50.5 billion left in its Reserve Primary fund after Lehman's bankruptcy.

Investors recovered about 99 cents on the dollar.

The regulators and the Bents failed to reach a settlement and the case went to trial on Tuesday. The trial is expected to last three weeks before U.S. District Judge Paul Gardephe.

The jury is being asked to decide whether or not the Bents played by the rules of the securities markets. The SEC seeks unspecified gains the Bents might have made and a fine.

Reserve was the first money-market fund in the United States when Bruce Bent started it in 1970. Its collapse was a driver of the credit market seizure following Lehman's bankruptcy. New regulations have since reduced the credit and maturity risks that money funds may take.

The case is SEC v. Reserve Management Co et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 09-04346

(Reporting By Grant McCool; Editing by Richard Chang)

View the original article here