Signs of hope in negotiations

House Speaker John Boehner has offered to push any fight over the federal debt limit off for a year, a concession that would deprive Republicans of leverage in the budget battle but is breathing new life into stalled talks over the year-end "fiscal cliff." The offer came Friday, according to people in both parties familiar with the talks, as part of the latest effort by Boehner to strike a deal with President Obama to replace more than $500 billion in painful deficit-reduction measures set to take effect in January. Boehner's offer signals that he expects a deal with sufficient savings to meet his demand that any debt limit increase be paired dollar-for-dollar with spending cuts. That could head off until next year a debt-limit fight.

NEW YORK TIMES