Monday, January 06, 2014    Published Weekday Mornings   To see the full version of today's cartoon, click on the preview graphic of the cartoon (below the Commentary) to be taken to the full version in your favorite web browser. **Special Notice** Technical issues prevented Friday's expanded edition from going out. We apologize for any confusion that may have created. Welcome Back, Congress   Congress returns with hefty to-do list for 2014 Senate Majority Leader Reid says jobless aid vote coming Monday Sen. Maj. Leader Harry Reid: Let's not just extend unemployment insurance. Let's expand it. Greg Sargent: Unemployment insurance extension hangs in the balance this week Surprisingly, House Speaker Boehner says he's open to extending unemployment benefits Vote against Obamacare tops House GOP's post-holiday agenda on Monday House G.O.P. Trims Agenda Before They Even Start, Looking to Hide From Election-Year Issues Jerry Hagstrom: GOP May Also Have To Pass Farm & Food Bill For Political Survival The War Against Inequality   Fifty-Year 'War on Poverty' Brings Progress, But Still Not Victory Alec Macgillis: The War Against Income Inequality Loses One in Seattle Michael Tomasky: Marco Rubio Is Wrong - The War on Poverty Worked Dan Balz: What voter turnout means for efforts to remedy income inequality Data: Poverty Rate In America Would Be Nearly Twice As High Without Government Programs Economists agree: Raising the minimum wage reduces poverty With benefits cut off, long-term unemployed brace for a grim new year Glenn Grothman, Wisconsin GOP Senator, Fights For A Seven-Day Workweek Jesse Myerson: Five Economic Reforms Millennials Should Be Fighting For In 2014 Looking Ahead  Benjy Sarlin: The political stories to watch in 2014 For President Obama, a full 2014 agenda: Income inequality, NSA reforms, health care Zeke Miller: Obama's Three Challenges For January Battle over jobless benefits will consume start of 2014 Democrats Turn to Minimum Wage as 2014 Strategy Harold Meyerson: Wage boost could pay Democrats dividends in 2014 elections and beyond Brian Beutler: GOP's 2014 horror strategy - Exploit Americans' misfortune, drum up fake outrage Strategists 2014 advice for GOP: Restrain yourselves on debt ceiling House Republicans must choose ambition or caution in 2014 Immigration: Reform Needed Speaker Boehner signals support for 'limited' immigration plan John Stanton: Why 2014 Won't Be The Year For Immigration Laws The Spying Game NSA Doesn't Deny That It's Spying On Congress Senator Rand Paul wants light punishment of Snowden for NSA leaks Energy, Climate & Environment Solar Power Craze on Wall St. Propels Start-Ups Growing number of states confirm water pollution from fracking Colorado River Drought Forces a Painful Reckoning for States Nations In Turmoil Power Vacuum in Middle East Lifting Militants Rebels battle al-Qaeda-affiliated fighters across northern Syria After Syrian rebel infighting, Al-Qaeda affiliate cedes ground Iraqi air force strikes city to try to oust al Qaeda Bangladesh ruling party wins election marred by violence, boycott The War Over There Sec. of State Kerry: U.S. Troops Not Going Back to Iraq Jason Lyall: How hard is it to win hearts and minds in Afghanistan? Very hard. International News U.S. Vessel to Aid Ships Stranded in Antarctica German Chancellor Merkel in skiing accident, cancels visits Dennis Rodman's ex-NBA team in North Korea for exhibition game Midwest Roundup Reports agree: Nebraska economy likely to slow in 2014 Nebraska Unicameral preps for 60-day session, opening Wednesday Extremist conservative Sasse kicks off 2014 Senate TV ad war in Neb. Nebraska's GOP Senate candidates have big bucks in the bank 2013 Iowa forecast: "Quite a bit wetter" than 2012, temps "consistently cool" Iowa Reserve unit to guard prisoners in Guantánamo Let's Try This Again Between the insanely cold weather, and the unusually long holiday break, we know we're not the only ones struggling to get back to the normal grind today. We'd be willing to bet more than a few members of Congress don't make it back to Capitol Hill today - though we'd also bet that's not just because of the weather. As 2014 begins, Congress is also returning to a mountain of work they never finished in 2013. From the 'Farm and Food' bill they never passed, to the immigration reform legislation still languishing in the Republican-controlled House, to the new Fed Chairwoman, the list of priorities waiting to be taken care of by Congress would barely fit on a thousand-sheet roll of toilet paper. In short, the legislative blockage caused by Republican extremists in Congress is still causing a massive mess. Thankfully, President Obama seems ready to re-launch his second term, with a full 2014 agenda - even if he is still facing the mess Republicans in Congress created, but won't touch. One of the first items President Obama wants to focus on this year - and really for the remainder of his second term - is one he tackled in one of his last addresses in 2013: economic inequality. Thankfully, Democrats in Congress, like Majority Leader Harry Reid, seem to be in step with the President on this issue. Senator Reid has already stated that extending long-term unemployment insurance for more than a million Americans is the first item on the Senate's agenda today, their first day back to work this year. As Greg Sargent noted on Friday, if it were up to Reid, he'd even expand the unemployment insurance program... To continue reading... click here. And now, for your Daily Felltoon preview for January 06, 2014 (Click the preview cartoon above to see the full version of the cartoon) The Big Chill 'Polar Vortex' Brings Coldest Temperatures in Decades Arctic Blast Hits U.S., As Low Temperatures Shatter Records | Cold weather snap fuels misinformation over climate change Harsh Winters Do Not Disprove Global Warming Jobs & The Economy Sperling: U.S. economy has 'momentum', but jobless benefits still needed Reddy: Is The Economy Set to Take Off? Five Factors To Watch | Auto sales soar even as the rest of the economy struggles Brian Beutler: Is the GOP's ulterior motive on keeping unemployment high economic sabotage? Wall Street Watch JPMorgan Chase Nears a $2 Billion Deal in a Case Tied to Madoff | Senate Set To Confirm Janet Yellen Today As Fed Chair Health Care Checkup Fact Check: The GOP claim that more Americans have lost insurance than gained it under Obamacare? Is false. Ezra Klein: Let's Celebrate Obamacare's Success With Medicaid Jonathan Cohn: Eight Experts Predict How Obamacare Will Fare in 2014 | Chait: Obamacare, No Longer Doomed, Will Soon Become A 'Scandal' For The Right GOP Sen. Johnson Suing To Cut Health Care Subsidies For Congress States now looking to crack down on those who try to keep kids unvaccinated War on Women Access to Abortion Falling as States Pass Restrictions Irin Carmon: Federal appeals court to review Texas abortion restrictions The Pope Of Hope The Most Popular Voice in the U.S. Capitol? Right Now, It's the Pope's. Jon Favreau: Hope and Change in the Vatican Communications Breakdown T-Mobile to buy spectrum licenses from Verizon Wireless Ethics & The Media Rachel Maddow To Koch Brothers: 'I Do Not Play Requests' Media Matters Print Finally Starts to Settle Into Its Niches | Atlantic's Garance Franke-Ruta Joining Yahoo News  Here It Is! Your HuskerNutz Preview for January 06, 2014 (Click the preview cartoon above to see the full version of the cartoon) White House Update President Obama looks to re-launch his second term this week White House unemployment benefits push kicks into high gear Money in Politics Koch-backed political network, built to shield donors, raised $400 million in 2012 elections The players in the Koch-backed $400 million political donor network News From Capitol Hill Budget battle nears finish line in Congress Senate poised to confirm Janet Yellen today as new Fed chair - and first woman in the chair | Reid won't rule out total filibuster elimination, if Republicans obstruct Bernanke takes parting shot at Congress, calls their restrictionist fiscal policies 'counterproductive' SCOTUS Brief Supreme Court Puts Same-Sex Marriage on Hold In Utah | Josh Eidelson: Scalia's golden chance to kill unions is coming   On The Left Robert Reich: 2013, The Year of the Great Income Redistribution E.J. Dionne: Americans agree more than not on economic justice issues. So why are we still arguing? On The Right David Weigel: Liz Cheney Quits Senate Race in Wyoming Mitt Romney, On Fox Sunday Show, Admits He Wishes He Could 'Turn Back The Clock' We hope you enjoy "The Daily Felltoon" every business day. Thanks for continuing to be a member! Paul Fell Shawn "Smith" Peirce Paul Fell Cartoons, Inc.