December 30, 2012 | Los Angeles Times

The lingering tax fight and the renewed debate on gun control may push the immigration effort into the spring. Some advocates say lawmakers need to multitask. The window to pass immigration laws next year is narrowing as the effort competes with a renewed debate over gun laws and the lingering fight over taxes and the budget, according to congressional staffers and outside advocates.

December 30, 2012 | Chicago Tribune

Pressure mounts to fix crisis as cuts squeeze education, threaten to hit other state services. With obligations starting to crowd out spending for education and public safety, problem's urgency is matched only by its intractability

December 27, 2012 | New York Times

When the Jobs Act became law in April, supporters proclaimed a new era for small businesses seeking to raise money. The “game changer,” as President Obama put it in the Rose Garden as he signed the bill, was a provision to allow small companies to “crowdfund” — that is, to sell stock and other securities over the Internet directly to the general public. “For the first time,” the president said, “ordinary Americans will be able to go online and invest in entrepreneurs that they believe in.” But it now seems that dawn will break late on this new age of democratic investing.

December 28, 2012 | Forbes

For many startups, raising a round of funding is a day of celebration. It’s exhilarating knowing that someone believes enough in your idea to put money behind it. Raising a round, though, doesn’t mean that a startup has “made it” or that the entrepreneurs behind the venture are on their way to tech stardom. It isn’t always, though, the best route for every startup.