Spending fight: Back to the bargaining table

WASHINGTON (AP) — After dispensing with their opening gambits, lawmakers are renewing budget-cutting bargaining, as voters demanded in the last election and will scrutinize in the next one. It’s a delicate balancing act for members of Congress, particularly senators facing re-election next year. Some lawmakers, mainly Democrats, bucked their parties in a pair of votes Wednesday that both rejected the House’s deep spending cut plan and killed a Senate alternative.