Washington Day Ahead: Obama Said to Consider Daley for Top Job

President Barack Obama considers William Daley for White House post; debt a focus of debate over Republican Party chairmanship; Obama to sign food-safety law.

TOP GOVERNMENT STORIES

Obama Said to Consider JPMorgan’s Daley for White House Post

President Barack Obama is considering naming William Daley, a JPMorgan Chase & Co. executive and former U.S. Commerce secretary, to a high-level administration post, possibly White House chief of staff, people familiar with the matter said.

Republican Party’s $20 Million Debt Is Focus of Chairman Debate

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele defended his record against criticism from four challengers that he ran up $20 million in debt and neglected major donors during his two-year term.

Obama Will Sign Food-Safety Law Today as Funding Battle Looms

President Barack Obama will sign a $1.4 billion food-safety bill today that marks the biggest change to oversight of the food industry since 1938 and sets up a funding fight with Republicans poised to take over the House.

Warren Plans Information-Sharing With States on Non-Bank Lenders

Elizabeth Warren, the White House adviser assigned to set up a U.S. consumer financial-protection bureau, is planning to share information with state regulators to streamline oversight of nonbank firms such as payday lenders.

House Republicans to Push New Tax-Cut Plan for Small Businesses

U.S. House Republican leaders will push to create a tax break for companies with 500 or fewer employees that would allow a 20 percent deduction from their federal tax liability over the next two years.

TODAY ON BLOOMBERG TV: David Cole of the Center for Automotive Research appears at 12:30 p.m. to talk about the U.S. auto industry; and former Federal Reserve Governor Randall Kroszner appears at 3:10 p.m. to discuss federal economic policy.

WHITE HOUSE President Barack Obama returns from his Hawaiian vacation today.

REPORTS The Commerce Department will report November factory orders at 10 a.m. The Federal Reserve at 2 p.m. will release minutes of its Dec. 14 policy meeting.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM NEWSPAPERS

U.S. Envoy in Seoul for Korean Peninsula Talks, Xinhua Reports

U.S. special envoy on North Korea, Stephen Bosworth, has arrived in Seoul to discuss “next steps” on the Korean peninsula, Xinhua News Agency reported today in a flash headline.