The Hill Articles: February 28, 2013

OVERNIGHT DEFENSE: Senate bills fail on sequester’s eve OVERNIGHT TECH: FCC preps for sequestration cuts OVERNIGHT MONEY: Sequester to hit Friday FBI Director: Private sector help ‘essential’ to combating cyberattacks OVERNIGHT ENERGY: White House to meet with EU climate chief The Republican suicide caucus Homeowners set to get compensation for bad foreclosure practices Rockefeller introduces bill to limit online tracking White House debating actions to retaliate against foreign cyberattacks Sally Jewell is right for Interior job DAY’S END ROUNDUP FAA investigating mid-flight ‘Harlem Shake’ video Vulnerable Democrats vote against party’s sequester replacement Brown, Vitter to introduce bill addressing ‘too big to fail’ banks U.S. nuclear regulators on hot seat over post-Fukushima rules Breaking the status quo on the tax code The sequester is not an abstraction Biden praises Cantor for allowing vote on domestic violence bill French claim to have killed top militant leader in Mali Senate panel delays gun bill markup for 1 week Sequester cuts will be long-lasting Kids of Springsteen drummer to rock DC charity event Five candidates qualify for Massachusetts Senate primaries White House offers sequester guidance Irked lawmakers say Kerry left them in the dark on Syria aid TSA, Amtrak concessions workers unions join AFL-CIO trades department Kazakhstan’s path can serve as model for other nations House welfare hearing gets personal for lawmakers Most potential GOP Senate candidates vote against VAWA Senate rejects rival bills to prevent $85B sequester spending cuts Model Christy Turlington talks healthcare on Capitol Hill Gore: Rubio was ‘pitiful’ choice to deliver State of the Union response Union to discuss sequester furloughs with IRS Senate plans joint hearing on Obama’s cybersecurity order F-35 fleet remains grounded as DOD tests continue ‘Top Chef’ star hopes no lawmaker is ‘pro-hunger’ Baucus objects to Hatch’s motion to recommit sequester bill Rising e-cigarette sales spur call for regulations IRS won’t furlough employees until after tax-filing season Obama adviser didn’t threaten Woodward, says White House Pelosi: Congress must avoid sequester ‘for the sake of America’s women’ GOP lawmaker likens Obama to Castro Nuclear weapons arm of DOE warns of furloughs Pelosi, female Dems warn of sequester’s effect on women Insurers: Nearly all seniors happy with Medicare Advantage IMF looks to lower US growth expectations on sequestration Secretary of State on defense after offering limited aid to Syrian opposition GOP senator: ‘Please don’t take self defense advice’ from Biden Senate Intel panel puts Brennan nomination on ice until next week Senate sets votes on sequester alternatives for Thursday afternoon Michelle Obama announces expansion of ‘Let’s Move!’ anti-obesity program Cantor: Obama ‘creating havoc’ GOP lawmaker: CPAC snub of Christie shows ‘narrow-minded bigotry’ Bills would halt health law’s employer mandate Sen. Grassley slams Holder and Mueller for jet-setting and hypocrisy White House threatens veto of Senate GOP sequester bill Feds ask financial industry to keep tabs on its social media GOP brings back bill to stop Obama welfare waivers Bret Baier celebrates ratings win with fruit feast Sacrificing energy is no way out of sequester Club for Growth accuses Rep. Schock of ‘pretending’ to be fiscally conservative Detention centers releases may have silver lining Manning offers guilty pleas in WikiLeaks case Iowa lieutenant governor looking at Senate race — but not if Steve King runs EU climate chief: Obama would send ‘strong signal’ by nixing Keystone Regulators assert new power to seize assets of fraudulent healthcare pools House easily passes Senate’s Violence Against Women bill Reforming patents for innovation AFL-CIO backing Senate Democrats’ sequester bill Mars to Earth: Cut the spending Obama picks Edith Ramirez to lead FTC Gulf oil exploration deal with Mexico headed to Congress, State Dept. says US oil production hits 20-year high No sequester furloughs for NRC staff LaHood: ‘Sequester is a dumb idea’ Reid, McConnell exchange fire ahead of dueling sequester votes in Senate GOP lawmakers press Napolitano over decision to release illegal immigrants Benefits of Keystone XL Pipeline are clear Sierra Nevada, Embraer win contract for Afghan planes Putting partisanship aside, Issa and Cummings to attend Lanny Davis book party Union ad: GOP ‘inflicting pain on millions’ with sequester Rep. Lewis endorses Colbert Busch College graduates are the new unskilled worker News bites: Healthcare law’s rules leading to decreased readmission rates GOP lawmaker: Obama practicing ‘Mayan politics’ with dire warnings on sequester Speaker Boehner’s right-hand man heads to K Street in blockbuster hire Thursday’s global agenda: Kerry meets with Syrian opposition, promises direct aid to rebels Club for Growth targets Mark Pryor with first ad of 2014 cycle News bites: Accentuate the positive News bites: Groupon shares plunge News bites: Hard hit News bites: Taking off more than flights Jobless benefits claims drop by 22,000 DCCC picks Jim Himes for finance chairman Economy shows anemic growth last quarter Report: Obama to name Edith Ramirez to be next FTC chairman Thursday: Sequester in the Senate, VAWA in the House News bites: BP oil spill trial update, US oil demand on the downswing, and more Sen. Manchin clashes with gun rights group Kerry announces direct US aid to Syrian rebels Unions target GOP with sequester ads MORNING READ Sequester cuts are here to stay Liberals call for $10.10 minimum wage – more than Obama requested K Street readies for tax reform fight Woodward claims White House threatened him Republicans settle on sequester alternative Supreme Court justices hint at striking Voting Rights Act provision White House says it didn’t approve release of illegal immigrants Key House conservatives say they can support measure to fund government Obama warns looming spending cuts are ‘going to take a big hit on our economy’ McConnell introduces GOP alternative to sequester cuts Kennedy in line for US envoy to Japan Bloomberg, buoyed by primary win, eager for 2014 fight vs. NRA on guns Under Contract Obama’s path for Mideast peace Sen. Murkowski maintains hold threat for Interior nominee OVERNIGHT ENERGY: European climate chief, nuke waste officials in focus Senate passes bill to strengthen emergency preparedness OVERNIGHT TECH: House to consider email privacy bill