'Fiscal cliff' talks faltering as deadline approaches

Brief Mon 31 Dec, AT 08:07

Pentagon ready to send lay-off notices to 800,000 workers if politicians cannot reach a compromise

US Congress

'Fiscal cliff' exposes muddle at the centre of American culture

Mon 31 Dec, AT 07:16 Charles Laurence

We tend to forget that the US Constitution was designed to create weak government – it's how Americans like it