Wall Street Journal (02/15/12) Naftali Bendavid; Kristina Peterson

Congressional negotiators reached a tentative a deal Tuesday night on extending the current payroll-tax cut through Dec. 31, as well as continuing longer unemployment benefits and avoiding a steep cut in Medicare doctors’ fees. The agreement followed a significant concession from House Republicans earlier in the week when they acquiesced to extend the payroll-tax break without paying for spending cuts. The deal could be formalized as early as today.