Democrats want to cut payments, extend benefits.

To rein in the cost of continuing extensions, Senate Democrats have proposed cutting weekly benefits by $25. The measure will undergo a "test vote" on Wednesday and should be voted on for real by the end of the week.

New York State averts state government shutdown -- for now

In the eleventh hour before the state government was to shut down, the New York State legislature voted on an emergency appropriations bill extending operations for a week. This will keep state government offices running and continue unemployment benefits. The state faces an $8.5 billion deficit and has been operating without a budget since April.

More states report temporary rises in employment thanks to census jobs

Missouri and Washington state both reported drops in their May unemployment rate. Jobs were added thanks to temporary census positions.

Economists predict bad job market for the foreseeable future in Nevada

UNLV's Center for Business and Economic Research released a report predicting a poor job market in Nevada through at least 2011 as new resort development has ground to a halt in the state. The group does not expect construction to pick up until at least 2015 and advocates a shift to renewable energy as a means of boosting Nevada's economy.

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And that's the way it was on the unemployment beat today.