Today's Times
- David H. Petraeus, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency and one of America's most decorated four-star generals, resigned on Friday, admitting that he had shown “extremely poor judgment†after an F.B.I. investigation uncovered evidence that he was carrying on an extramarital affair, Michael D. Shear reports.
- President Obama believes that he has the people's support on his call for a tax increase on the wealthy and that Tuesday's election serves as proof. Though “open to compromise,†he said he would insist that tax increases be part of any agreement to avoid a year-end fiscal crisis, Helene Cooper and Jonathan Weisman report.
- Christian conservatives are grappling with Election Day results that repudiated their influence in American politics and suggested that the cultural tide - especially on gay issues - has shifted against them, Laurie Goodstein writes. They lost fights against same-sex marriage in all four states where it was on the ballot, and saw anti-abortion-rights Senate candidates defeated and two states vote to legalize marijuana for recreational use.
- Wisconsin voted against a gay marriage initiative, but the state had no problem electing Representative Tammy Baldwin to be the country's first openly gay senator, Michael M. Grynbaum reports.
- It did not take much time or cable news analysis for Republicans to begin to weigh the prospects of overhauling immigration policy after Latinos favored President Obama with 71 percent of their votes, Julia Preston reports.
- The nation's largest state is now the bluest, Norimitsu Onishi reports. Voters in California handed Democrats a supermajority that has not been seen in the State Legislature since 1933.
- The outcome of several races in Arizona remained a mystery as more than 500,000 ballots remained uncounted, with voting- and immigrant-rights advocate s raising accusations of disenfranchisement, Fernanda Santos reports.
- George P. Bush, a nephew of former President George W. Bush and a son of former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida, took his first steps toward political office, Manny Fernandez reports.
Weekly Addresses
- President Obama evoked the legacy of the nation's last Democratic president in this week's address, saying that combining spending cuts with tax increases on the wealthy was the way “we did it when Bill Clinton was president.†He said that his top priority was jobs and growth, “and that's the only way we can afford to invest in education and job training and manufacturing â€" all the ingredients of a strong middle class and a strong economy.†To start doing that, he asked Congress to extend the middle-class tax cuts. “You want cooperation. You want action,†he said. “That's what I plan to deliver in my second term, and I expect to find leaders from parties willing to join me.â€
- Speaker John A. Boehner renewed calls for averting the so-called fiscal cliff in this week's Republican address, encouraging the Senate to solve the nation's debt through closing some tax loopholes and taking other steps that would not raise taxes on the wealthy. Striking a conciliatory note, he referred to his brief conversation with President Obama this week and said, “If there was a mandate in this election, it was a mandate to work together to do what's in the best interest of our country.â€
Happenings in Washington
- President Obama and Michelle Obama are scheduled to host a breakfast with veterans at the White House, along with Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Dr. Jill Biden. Afterward, Mr. Obama is to visit Arlington National Cemetery to participate in a wreath-laying ceremony and to deliver remarks.
