The Senate voted 51 to 49 to extend payroll tax cuts on Thursday, falling short of the 60 votes required for the measure to pass. Democrats had promoted these cuts as a means of stimulating the economy, easing the deficit, and directly benefiting the middle-class. A competing plan proposed by Republicans was also defeated, so the attempt for compromise now heads to the House.

After four years of economic downturns, there's finally some good news: in the past 3 months, 650,000 workers aged 16 to 24 have found jobs. This age group, dubbed by some as "the lost generation," have been hit hardest by these ongoing problems: in 2010, only 16.9 million of them were employed.

Neither Democrats' nor Republicans' plans for extending payroll tax cuts passed the Senate on Thursday. The former proposed to extend tax cuts on federal withholdings like Social Security and unemployment for employers and employees; the latter wanted to freeze federal worker's pay until 2015 and reduce that workforce by ten percent. While the respective failure of both measures is attributable to partisanship, some senator's refusals to vote along party lines reflect fierce internal debates about the best way to proceed.

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley has filed a suit against Bank of America, JP-Morgan Chase, Citigroup, Wells Fargo and GMAC Mortgage, accusing them of "unfair and deceptive business practices." She is seeking damages for borrowers who were hurt by these banks foreclosure practices, which range from filing fraudulent legal paperwork to the use of so-called "robo-signers" and refusing to follow lending laws.

Traditionally thought of as a Republican stronghold that most past Democratic candidates haven't even bothered with, the Obama campaign is actively courting Arizonans for 2012. The campaign has opened offices in Phoenix, Tucson and Flagstaff and recruited a Latino candidate for Senate. The state's booming Latino population, combined with the state legislature's crackdown on illegal immigration, has opened the possibility for a bluer Arizona.

As a candidate in 2008, Barack Obama promised to improve the relationship between Washington and American Indian tribes. This year's meeting between the President and tribal leaders is the third such meeting, and comes with many Native Americans approving of the President's outreach effort to their community.

This week, we've seen Newt Gingrich continue to climb in the Republican polls as Herman Cain has continued to falter. Also out of Washington, Rep. Barney Frank announced his intention to not seek re-election after his fiery 32-year career. And, a new study rejuvenates the perennial debate about legalizing marijuana.

The latest job numbers from November reveal that the number of jobs created last month won't be enough to bring down the country's nine-percent unemployment rate. 

In response to the coverage of Egypt's elections, the Takeaway has heard a lot from listeners about our use of the term "Islamist" to describe the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood and other parties in Egypt. One Takeaway listener wrote on our Web site, "Is there Christianists and Jewists? It is about time that sensitivity was built in the media discourse."

Since President Obama introduced the American Jobs Act in September of this year, he has spoken publicly about it more than 50 times. The jobs report for November comes out this morning and the consensus call is that 125,000 new jobs were created this month. Charlie Herman, economics editor for The Takeaway and WNYC, speaks about the latest jobs numbers as well as specific economic and educational reforms that are trying — with mixed success — to remedy the situation.

The American Southwest has seen their once thriving housing and construction industries decimated by the recession. Economists have suggested that the region may never fully rebound from the historic housing crisis it faced. Fronteras, a multimedia collaboration focusing on the Southwestern border between the United States and Mexico, led by KJZZ in Phoenix and KPBS in San Diego, has produced a week-long series that asks the question: How do we rebuild the Southwest?

Whether or not you recognize their surname, no other duo has so clearly shaped American independent cinema and its culture over the past 25 years like Harvey and Bob Weinstein. Among the films released by Miramax Films and the Weinstein Company, 261 have received Oscar nominations and 62 have won Academy Awards. Harvey Weinstein speaks to John and Celeste about his childhood, what got him into the movie business, and his expansive career.

Warren Weinstein is a veteran aid worker who was kidnapped by armed men in Lahore almost four months ago. Ayman al-Zawahiri and the Pakistan branch of al-Qaeda have claimed responsibility for this, and created a list of demands for his release. Among them are the end of U.S. airstrikes in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen, as well as the release of members of Osama bin Laden's family. However, it remains unclear if al-Qaeda actually has Weinstein in their custody.