Audio for this story from Morning Edition will be available at approximately 9:00 a.m. ET.
December 21, 2012
House Speaker John Boehner was dealt a major defeat Thursday night. After spending most of the week trying to round up votes for his "Plan B" to extend tax cuts for virtually everyone, he pulled the measure without a vote and sent the House home for Christmas. The clock keeps ticking toward the end of the year when automatic tax increases and spending cuts are set to hit.
