The Hill Articles: March 11, 2013

Conservatives threaten run against incumbent Sen. Lindsey Graham Lynch meets setbacks in Mass. Senate bid Missing in action on climate change Player of the Week: Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) Beyond zero tolerance Power of a balanced budget Weyants World: March 12, 2013 Report: DSCC ‘re-evaluating’ Judd following Kentucky Senate polling Congressional style OVERNIGHT TECH: New cellphone unlocking bill ready to move Obama phones Sen. Kirk OVERNIGHT DEFENSE: Obama heads to Capitol Hill OVERNIGHT HEALTH: Both parties gird for fight over Ryan budget OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Obama to meet lawmakers with energy on agenda NMPA: Pandora’s CEO departure may mend fences with songwriters More lawmakers object to TSA’s knife policy GAO: Continued F-35 cost growth expected, despite DOD fixes Senate votes to confirm two judges OVERNIGHT MONEY: Budget time Transit group: Ridership topped 10 billion in 2012 Armed Services leaders join opposition to drone medal’s rank Pharmacies push back on call for regulations after ’60 Minutes’ report DOD, White House press detainee transfer deal with Afghans CBC leader concerned Obama has named no blacks to new Cabinet A short and long-term solution to America’s STEM crisis Congress has a blind spot when it comes to Pentagon spending DAY’S END ROUNDUP Understanding motives of recent cyber attacks against US US targets North Korean export bank, defense officials Rep. Pete King: My wife ‘thought I was nuts’ to get in the ring Jeb vs. Marco match-up in 2016 unlikely Sen. Wyden presses Energy Dept. for info on gas price surge Sen. Cruz, Perry to address NRA at convention Commerce officials call on Congress to pass cybersecurity legislation Prohibiting politics as public service McConnell says rising healthcare costs show GOP was right about ‘Obamacare’ ‘Star Trek’ star praises Hawaii senator Lobster, blueberry pie on menu for Obama’s GOP lunch Sen. McCaskill: Report raises red flags about DOE grant oversight Republicans demand access to Americans wounded in Benghazi attack Empowering our ambassadors and their embassies Three dead in Washington state Navy plane crash White House demands China stop hacking into US companies NY judge blocks Mayor Bloomberg’s ban on large sugary drinks Hatch: Tax reconciliation in the budget is ‘injecting partisanship’ Attorneys general push for tamper-resistant generic painkillers Juan Williams wrong to criticize Rand Paul’s drone filibuster SEC nominee vows ‘unrelenting’ Wall Street enforcement US offers fresh sanctions warning over Iran-Pakistan pipeline Getting down to business on the budget One Direction, Mumford and Sons make McCaskill Spotify list Donilon: US remains ‘all in’ on shift to Asia Carney: North Korea’s threats ‘achieve nothing’ Capitol Hill to host famed Cuban dissident blogger GOP suggests DHS using sequester to sap immigration laws Female senator tweets about ‘very uncomfortable’ screening by TSA Sen. McConnell touts support of Rand Paul filibuster in campaign email US investigating blood thinner Plavix Deadline for introducing immigration legislation looms Reid: Amendments to government funding bill will be allowed Sebelius joins Twitter Lieberman joins American Enterprise Institute Hagel orders review of sexual assault case When tax avoidance crosses the line Obama to seek ‘fiscally sustainable path,’ not balanced budget US expels two Venezuelan diplomats in tit-for-tat retaliation Broadcaster group worried FCC will limit auction proceeds Carney: ‘Absurd’ to imply OFA selling access to Obama Reg roundup: Last call for comments on Obama’s ‘individual mandate’ Heritage: Poor workers will pass up better jobs to keep ‘ObamaCare’ benefits Federal regulators charge Illinois with securities fraud White House troubled by North Korea’s ‘bellicose rhetoric’ Casey urges passage of his anti-bullying bill Hensarling demands answers on Holder’s big bank approach Scott Brown joins law and lobby firm Senate Democrats vow to run against Ryan budget in 2014 cycle Head of US Pacific command: Climate change biggest threat US troops killed in latest Afghan insider attack Michelle Obama talks workouts and recipes in Twitter chat Appellate vacancies must be filled by Senate Hagel tells senators the new drone medal is ‘properly ranked’ GOProud founder ‘seriously’ considering challenge to Lindsey Graham After Newtown, video game industry starts education campaign Report: Conn. stops implementing new healthcare regulations Trump says he would fund canceled White House tours Giving PE the respect it deserves Sen. Cruz: ‘I’m glad’ Obama is finally reaching out to Republicans Report: Senate group close to reaching deal on path to citizenship Papal contender joins fight against Obama birth control mandate US should support self-determination in Falkland Islands Ways and Means pushes for tax reform in House budget Adele, Beyonce reportedly performing at Michelle Obama 50th birthday bash Kan. lawmakers dive into Air Force contract dispute Weaponizing a nuclear device Financial groups: ‘Too big to fail’ is dead and buried Markey calls on TSA to reverse policy allowing knives on planes Report: Obama to tour Nativity church, missile-defense battery during Israel trip Democratic group calls Markey ‘only tried and true progressive’ in Mass. Senate primary Parliament leader David Usupashvili: Georgia, a democratic dream in the making This week in Transportation: FAA eyeing flight tower closures Monday’s global agenda: US launches joint drills with South Korea amid heightened tensions This Week in Tech: House panels to examine cybersecurity Sen. Johnson: Obama health law will ‘lead to rationing’ The week ahead: Obama shifting focus to energy with Chicago-area lab visit Week ahead: Senate tackles bill to fund government News bites: Apple CEO Cook may testify in e-book case Blumenthal sees ‘silver lining in the sequester’ Messina, Tester fundraise for Baucus in Montana Easy Monday: Judges, spending bill in the Senate News bites: Chopping block News bites: Two years after Fukushima, regulators say U.S. nuke plants are safer News bites: In retrospect Rep. Chaffetz: ‘Common ground’ exists for eliminating tax loopholes News bites: Nuke chief touts US plant safety, an ill wind for reactors, and more Obama to help his retooled campaign raise $50K per person Trump: GOP ‘got nothing’ from Paul filibuster Hagel: Taliban talks would be ‘led by the Afghans’ Rep. Peter King fights kickboxing champion in fundraiser Manufacturers’ optimism rises in the first quarter Week ahead: Ryan readies new Medicare plan This week: Budget wave set to hit House and Senate Hagel denies Karzai claims of secret talks between US, Taliban League of Conservation Voters canvassing for Markey in Mass. Senate race Senate Democrats strain to get budget over finish line by Easter recess Hill Poll: Voters see economy getting worse after sequester cuts Opinion: Too much talk of taxing Opinion: In taking drone stand, Paul showed use, abuse of filibuster Rep. Castro cites community, family for his appreciation of public service Possible McConnell challenger denies any role in trading scandal at former firm Balancing interests on a budget