From NPR News in Washington, I'm Barbara Klein.It may be a day closer to the "fiscal cliff", but lawmakers don't appear to be making any steps away from it.They continue to stand their ground.House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi says raising the age from medicare eligibility is a line in the sand.As I have said, don't even think about raising the medicare age.We are not throwing America's seniors over the cliff to give a tax cut to the wealthiest people in America.House Speaker John Boehner continues to charge the White House with being fixated on taxes and refusing to take a balanced approach.That's clear that the President is just not serious about cutting and spending. But spending is the problem.But White House Spokesman Jay Carney says the problem is Republicans are making no movement on raising taxes on high incomes.Meanwhile, some positive news on the economy, jobless claims fell sharply last week for the fourth week in a row.The Labor Department reports jobless claims were down by 29,000. And retail sales in November were up slightly.NPR's Wendy Kaufman reports that thanks to the start of the holiday season and some post Sandy spending.The modest 0.3% rise in overall retail sales jumps to a solid 0.8% increase when you factor in the lower price of gas at the pump.The November numbers released by the Commerce Department send a mixed signal for holiday spending.Online shopping rose 3%, the largest gain in over a year. But sales at department stores and places like Wal-Mart and Target were down.
