June 21, 2013 | Washington Post

A broad five-year farm bill went down to a surprise defeat in the House on Thursday when Republican conservatives revolted against the legislation, arguing that it would cost too much, while Democrats defected, saying it would not spend enough on their priorities. The 234 to 195 vote was the latest rebuke to House GOP leaders, who have struggled to muster enough control of the chamber to pass major legislation.

June 23, 2013 | BusinessWeek

As recently as this week, politicians from both parties were predicting that the $500 billion five-year farm bill had a good chance of passing. The final vote tally—234-195—came in as a blistering defeat for the farm bill and a rebuke to the Republican leadership. This doesn’t bode well for immigration reform.

June 21, 2013 | Detroit News

Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr launched a probe of the city’s pension funds Thursday amid concerns about corruption, spending and management while union officials signaled they would fight proposed benefit cuts in bankruptcy court. The developments set up a showdown among Orr, pension officials and union leaders, all of whom can influence how quickly the city restructures as much as $20 billion in debt or files the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history.

June 21, 2013 | San Jose Mercury News/Oakland Tribune

The Bay Area job market is still growing but the pace is slowing, which raises a sobering question: Is the current slowdown a soft patch or a harbinger of job losses ahead? No one knows for certain, of course, but most experts remain upbeat about the Bay Area economy and some say it should be expected that job growth here would slow after a prolonged period of far better job gains than seen in the state or the nation