One month, no benefits, no progress

On tonight's 6pm newscast, WRAL turned a spotlight on the month-long political impasse over extended federal unemployment benefits, and what it's costing more than 37,000 jobless North Carolinians.  

And David Crabtree and I talked about the bigger political implications of this fight.  If state lawmakers and the governor can't reach a deal to allow federal money to flow to tens of thousands of jobless folks, it's hard to imagine how bitterly they'll fight over a budget the state would actually have to pay for. Watch that segment at right. 

On a related note, House and Senate Democrats are holding a joint press conference tomorrow at 1:30pm to talk about the benefits impasse. We'll be streaming it live here at WRAL.com - tune in, and let us know what you think.