The Hill Articles: March 1, 2013

Ashley Judd speaks in DC, is mum on possible Senate run from Kentucky Rice dampens rumors about 2016 run Afghanistan, nuclear weapons tops DOD sequestration priority list Regulators expected to approve horse slaughter houses Senate GOP pushes HHS for sequester details DAY’S END ROUNDUP Ex-Sen. Ben Nelson starts new lobby firm Republicans just can’t get along A closer look at next week… Keystone XL pipeline clears hurdle as State report downplays climate impact Issa presses agencies to detail sequestration alternatives Obama pardons 17, including man with firearms charges Senators: Justice Department ‘aggressively evasive’ on ‘too big to jail’ FDA revisits rule on cow intestines in food, cosmetics House Intelligence chairman aims for cybersecurity bill markup in April White House takes ‘Jedi Mind Meld’ to Twitter Hagel: Budget cuts will ’cause pain’ Broun takes a shot at Gingrey over guns in Georgia Senate race Senate panel readies budget markup for week of March 11 Lawmaker says members’ wages should be garnished if they owe back taxes Career colleges promise transparency, accuracy to veterans Let the CFPB do its job New staff director appointed for Senate Appropriations Committee Graham resolution urges military aid to Israel if the country attacks Iran Conservative poll: Republicans increasingly want electability to trump ideology Karzai tightens grip on local Afghan militias The right trade pact could deliver jobs and growth Club for Growth says spending bills must defund health law FTC to talk regulations on Twitter Court ruling keeps polar bear as threatened species Pelosi: No budget deal without new revenues Former Sen. Scott Brown hosting fundraiser for Chris Christie President’s budget coming in late March Senate to hold hearing on surge in gas prices House bill would cut budgets of agencies that hold ‘ridiculous’ conferences Air traffic controller union running ads on sequester Obama: $85 billion sequester cuts ‘not going to be an apocalypse’ White House calls for renewal of fast-track authority Atlas mugged: Ayn Rand, Paul Ryan and the GOP sequester debacle Senate Judiciary Committee to markup gun-control bills More than 700 pages of healthcare rules released Report: Green jobs survey a sequester casualty ‘I am not a dictator,’ Obama says Farmers rely on crop insurance when nature turns on them Kentucky House Speaker encouraging Ashley Judd to run for Senate Iowa Agriculture secretary considering Senate run Armed Services Republicans make last-minute plea to stop sequester Sequestration impacts real people’s lives Dems propose one-sentence bill eliminating the sequester Cheney: Condoleezza Rice ‘on the wrong side of all those issues’ IRS moves to collect billions in fees from healthcare law Boehner says no new taxes after sequester meeting in White House Administration to issue more mortgage protection rules DOD grants flight status back to F-35 Romney blasts Obama for ‘blaming and pointing’ on sequester Most states see unemployment drop in 2012 Kerry to criticize Turkey’s leader, who called Zionism ‘crime against humanity’ Manufacturing growth hits fastest pace since 2011 Dems to introduce bill docking lawmakers’ pay, citing furloughed workers Poll: Ohio voters favor universal background checks Moshe Feiglin and Naftali Bennett: Israel’s new generation Public’s health at risk from sequester, advocates warn Michelle Obama defends Oscar appearance News bites: Groupon fires CEO Mason House to probe ‘threats from space’ News bites: Finally here News bites: An unhappy on-time arrival News bites: Regulators announce terms of major foreclosure settlement Chocola: Rove only cares about GOP ‘brand’ Woodward on White House email: ‘I never said it was a threat’ News bites: It’s here News bites: BP trial update, paper bolsters CO2’s role in warming, and more Senate GOP sees smoother ride for Brennan nomination Sequester begins, with no end in sight for across-the-board spending cuts Republicans warn Obama has ‘poisoned’ relations with campaign-style attacks Napolitano: Timing of illegal immigrants’ release could’ve been better Obama urges Supreme Court to overturn Calif. gay marriage ban OVERNIGHT HEALTH: Pressure rising over Medicare Advantage cuts