WASHINGTON (AP) - As Congress hammers out a deal on extending
the Bush-era tax cuts, it's also moving to keep benefits flowing to
the unemployed.
      Both Democrats and Republicans appear to be uniting behind a
plan to continue jobless benefits for millions of Americans whose
checks have either run out or soon will.
      Friday's jump in the unemployment rate to 9.8 percent has put
pressure on Republicans to agree to the president's demand that
Congress extend unemployment insurance for another year.
      The GOP point man in the talks with the White House, Senator Jon
Kyl, now appears to link the unemployment benefits with the tax cut
extension. He tells CBS that the recipe would likely include an
extension of unemployment benefits and an extension of tax cuts for
all Americans for some period of time.