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Senate Democrats Say Deficit Package Must Include Stimulus. Senate Democrats, feeling confident from their net gain of two seats in last week's election, say any deficit-reduction package negotiated in the coming weeks must include stimulus measures.They have yet to decide which prime-the-pump measures to push, but are mulling options such as new infrastructure spending and an extension of the payroll tax holiday. The Hill

Reid Tries to Shut Down Fiscal Cliff Dissent. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., tried to discourage a group of Senate Democrats from sending a letter to President Barack Obama this week, concerned that its suggestions for solutions to the fiscal cliff would make Democrats appear divided. Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia told fellow Democrats at a caucus lunch Wednesday that he was working on the letter and seeking signatures, sources said. Congressional Quarterly

Farm Bill Still Has a Shot. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas said Thursday that he had been assured by Speaker John Boehner that the farm bill remains part of the year-end "big picture" for Republicans and the promise of $35 billion in 10-year savings "has gotten somebody's attention." The Oklahoma Republican underscored that the fate of his bill -first reported from his committee in July-remains unclear still even to him. But he said he had talked with Boehner directly on the question Tuesday after the House returned from the November elections. Politico

Procedural Tussle Delays Final Vote on Sportsmen Bill. Senate leaders on Thursday reached agreement to vote on final passage of a bill to expand access to federal lands for hunting and fishing enthusiasts after the Thanksgiving recess. The bill (S 3525) became ensnared in procedural obstacles when Alabama Republican Jeff Sessions said he would raise a budgetary point of order on the measure. Congressional Quarterly

Arctic: Chess Board of Global Game. Russia is facing tough competition from the international community in maintaining its sway over the Arctic but the biggest challenge comes from China. The Arctic is the new chess board of international strategic rivalries with Russia being on course to further beefing up its robust military presence in the region. Despite a rapidly dwindling population in past quarter century, the Russian Arctic still boasts of 80 percent of the four million population in the Arctic region. But the Russians are facing a stiff challenge from China. Much to the consternation and anxiety of Russia and other Arctic powers, MV Xue Long, China's lone icebreaker, sailed the Northwest Passage in August 2012. It was an event fraught with deep political symbolism that conveyed that China will not be on the fringe - even if it were to be a race for an obscure region. Russia & India Report

Canada Concerned Over Russian Suspension of Arctic Aboriginal Group. Canada's term as head of the Arctic Council could get interesting before it even begins after Russia shut down a group that represents its northern aboriginals at international meetings. Federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq, who sits on the council and is an Inuk herself, says Canada is concerned about the move and has joined other members in "expressing their concern." Windsor Star

Indigenous Russians May Lose Arctic Council Association. The Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East (RAIPON), Russia's largest indigenous rights group and one of six indigenous Permanent Participants on the world's Arctic Council, is in serious danger of being permanently dissolved. The non-governmental organization has received an official six-month "activities suspension order" from Russia's Ministry of Justice restricting the group from protesting or gathering. Alaska Dispatch

On Thin Ice in the Arctic. The United States is woefully unprepared to patrol and secure this vital region. In the final presidential debate, when explaining why the Navy has fewer ships than in 1916, President Obama famously quipped that the United States also has "fewer horses and bayonets," setting off a debate over quality versus quantity. In the Arctic - an increasingly important part of the world - the situation is simpler. When it comes to patrolling and securing the Arctic, the United States has neither quality nor quantity. Los Angeles Times

Fortymile Caribou Hunt Could be Modified. With the winter hunting season for the Fortymile Caribou Herd two weeks away, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game is working on options to avoid an over-harvest in case thousands of caribou are near the Steese Highway. The winter Fortymile registration permit hunt is scheduled to open Dec. 1 along both the Steese and Taylor highways, but spokeswoman Cathie Harms said the department will make a decision no later than Nov. 26 on whether the Steese Highway hunt will be modified. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

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