House Fails to Pass Unemployment Benefits Extension

This looks like really bad news, but there's still hope:

UPDATE 2: The bill failed 258-154 (290 votes were needed under the rule). The Democrats can bring this up again for a vote under regular order (requiring only a simple majority for passage), but it will be subject to amendments and a Republican motion to recommit. Open Congress

If it doesn't pass in the lame duck session, it won't pass with the new stock of republicans. From CNN Money:

The legislation would have extended the deadline to file for federal unemployment benefits to Feb. 28, sparing 4 million people from falling off the rolls. The deadline is currently Nov. 30.
...
But it's also likely lawmakers won't meet the Nov. 30 deadline, meaning hundreds of thousands of people will start losing benefits. In the past, Congress has made the extension retroactive, so the jobless ultimately received all their checks.

The unemployment extension is likely to be hostage in the Bush tax cut extension bill--pass the tax cuts for the rich or no unemployment benefits:

Still, the bill was the opening salvo in what's likely to be a highly charged debate on extending the safety net for the nation's millions of unemployed. While the next step is unclear, it's possible the extension will resurface in a larger bill, such as one that would extend the Bush tax cuts. CNN