Tuesday morning headlines

Stocks are wobbly: Dow is down a few points, but so far there's not been much direction.

Bernanke: No double-dip recession: But the Fed chairman admits that the recovery "won't feel terrific." (AP)

L.A. job prospects not great: About 11 percent of area companies plan to hire in the July-September quarter and 13 percent plan trim staff, according to Manpower. That's net employment of -2 percent, down from +6 percent from the previous three months. (LAT)

Small biz more encouraged: The optimism index was up a little in May, not a strong sign of recovery but at least better than it has been. Small business owners have been notably discouraged. (National Federation of Independent Business)

Waters accuses Comcast: The L.A. representative says she got a call from "somebody at Comcast" who supposedly tried buying her support of the $30-billion takeover of NBC Universal. But she wouldn't provide any details of the conversation. From the LAT:

A Comcast spokeswoman denied Waters' suggestion that any of the company's conversations with her were improper. "Any implication that anyone ever inquired about what Congresswoman Waters would want personally is completely untrue," said Sena Fitzmaurice. "We meet and discuss the proposed joint venture with many members of Congress and other leaders. We have repeatedly tried to understand Congresswoman Waters' concerns so that we can address them."

Might BP go under?: There's more talk on Wall Street that the spill will force a takeover or bankruptcy filing. From NYT columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin:

Given that Shell and Exxon have billions in cash on hand and market values that easily exceed BP -- Exxon is twice the size -- bankers say now is the time to make a deal, as long as an acquirer can find a way to separate the legal exposure. That, of course, is a big 'if.' There are many people -- besides BP -- who think even discussing the possibility of a bankruptcy or takeover is silly. But looking out a few years, that may be BP's best, last hope.

Carpinteria votes on oil drilling: The question is whether an oil company can slant drill from an onshore rig to an existing reservoir two miles offshore. If approved today, the Paredon Oil and Gas Development Initiative would still have to go before the state Coastal Commission. (AP)

Gas prices back up: The average price of regular in the L.A. area rose 6 cents from a week ago, to $3.101, according to the government survey. Analysts had expected a pickup in prices.

Facebook traffic is up: Site racked up 130.3 million unique U.S. visitors in May, up 8.6 million from April. (LAT)

Lacter on radio: This morning's biz chat with KPCC's Steve Julian looks at the battle over extending jobless benefits, and why UC is raising some salaries at a time of layoffs and tuition hikes. Also at kpcc.org and on podcast (Business Update with Mark Lacter)