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| Obamacare back before Supreme Court today |
| The Supreme Court on Wednesday considers the most serious challenge to the Affordable Care Act since the justices upheld it as constitutional almost three years ago. At issue is whether millions of Americans who receive tax subsidies to buy health insurance are doing so illegally. If the justices rule that the payments are not allowed, the entire health-care law could be in jeopardy. Read full article » |
| House passes bill fully funding the Department of Homeland Security |
| House Speaker John A. Boehner surrendered Tuesday to Democratic demands to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security, ending a tense three-month showdown over immigration. But the move could further strain relations between the speaker and hard-line conservatives, whose growing dissent threatens the future of the unified Republican majority. Read full article » |
| In defiant ruling, Alabama Supreme Court stops same-sex marriage in state |
| The Alabama Supreme Court ordered a halt Tuesday to same-sex marriages in the state despite a U.S. Supreme Court order allowing them to proceed. The ruling capped a wild month of confusion and resistance in Alabama following a January decision by a U.S. district court invalidating Alabama’s ban on gay marriage. Read full article » |
| Ferguson police routinely violate blacks’ rights, federal review finds |
| The Justice Department will issue findings Wednesday that accuse the police department in Ferguson, Mo., of racial bias and routinely violating the constitutional rights of black citizens by stopping drivers without reasonable suspicion, making arrests without probable cause and using excessive force, officials said. Read full article » |
| Tomorrow could be the beginning of the end of Obamacare: Everything you need to know |
| The fate of the Affordable Care Act, the president's signature domestic policy achievement, is once again in the hands of the Supreme Court on Wednesday. The justices will hear oral arguments in King v. Burwell, a challenge to the financial assistance that millions of Americans are receiving to purchase health insurance. The case is considered the greatest threat to Obamacare's future since the court considered a challenge to the law's individual mandate three years ago. Read full article » |
| A woodworking plagiarism scandal on ‘Ellen’s Design Challenge’? HGTV handling of finale sparks controversy. |
| There’s no doubt that the first season finale of Ellen DeGeneres’s reality competition show was bizarre. But the questions it raises are even stranger, along with the weird and frustrating way the network chose to handle a controversial situation. Read full article » |
| Sweet Briar College to close because of financial challenges |
| This story has been updated.For more than a century, Sweet Briar College has offered women a liberal arts education in a pastoral setting near Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Equestrian programs, a tight-knit residential community and, lately, an engineering science degree, have been its hallmarks. Read full article » |
| What the 2015 NCAA tournament bubble really looks like |
| Selection Sunday looms and teams are polishing their resumes as the regular season winds down and conference tournaments begin. But the critical number to watch? The RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) — one of the best historical predictors of who gets into the bracket. Here’s how the 2015 bubble shapes up based on the RPI through the games of Monday, March 2. Click a team and press play to see how they’ve arrived at this point: Read full article » |
| POLITICS |
| Two sides enter the ring for another Supreme Court battle over health care |
| Washington lawyer Michael A. Carvin will be back at the Supreme Court on Wednesday for the second great battle over the Affordable Care Act, once again facing off against a familiar adversary in Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli Jr. Read full article » |
| VA illegally shifted funds to pay for new IT system — in Frank Underwood fashion |
| In a case of art imitating life, officials at the Department of Veterans Affairs illegally steered agency funding from its intended purpose to pay for an unrelated program.A review by the VA inspector general’s office found that two former heads of the department’s Chief Business Office shifted $92.5 million in medical-support money toward the development of a new claims-processing system, violating federal appropriations laws. The officials wanted to avoid asking Congress for funding, according to a report on the findings released this week. Read full article » |
| Awash in cash, Bush asks donors to limit gifts to $1 million – for now |
| An unusual request has gone out to wealthy donors writing large checks to support former Florida governor Jeb Bush: Please don’t give more than $1 million right away.The requested limit, confirmed by multiple people familiar with the amount, may mark the first time that a presidential hopeful has sought to hold off supporters from contributing too much money. Read full article » |
| OPINIONS |
| Why Netanyahu’s speech didn’t do his American allies any favors |
| Today’s speech to Congress by Benjamin Netanyahu may have been about theater (it isn’t like there was some confusion about his position on Iran that he had to come here to clarify), but it did put before the American public a forceful statement of the Likud/Republican position on the negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program. Read full article » |
| Obama needs to provide real answers to Netanyahu’s arguments |
| THE CONCERNS about a prospective nuclear agreement with Iran raised by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a speech to Congress on Tuesday are not — as the White House was quick to point out — new. They had, for example, been spelled out in Senate hearings, as an editorial we published last month recounted. Mr. Netanyahu’s decision to repeat this case before a joint meeting of Congress in defiance of the White House and leading Democrats risked turning what should be a substantive debate into a partisan scrimmage. Read full article » |
| Congress declares war at Netanyahu’s request |
| Nancy Pelosi looked as if she might charge the well of the House and confront Benjamin Netanyahu personally.When the Israeli prime minister, in his controversial address to Congress on Tuesday, suggested that the deal the Obama administration is negotiating with Iran only seeks to “delay the inevitable” of a nuclear-armed Iran, the House Democratic leader shook her index finger, balled her hand into a fist and spoke angrily to her neighbor, Democratic whip Steny Hoyer (Md.). Read full article » |
| Netanyahu’s zero-sum game on Iran |
| Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lobbied powerfully against a nuclear agreement with Iran in a well-crafted speech to Congress on Tuesday. The problem is that he has now created a zero-sum game with the Obama administration, in which either the president or the prime minister seems likely to come out a loser. Read full article » |
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| LOCAL |
| Think spring: Cherry blossoms expected to hit peak bloom April 11-14 |
| With yet another winter storm probably headed toward the region and some snow and ice still on the ground, the National Park Service gave area residents a glimpse of spring Tuesday, announcing that the peak bloom time for Washington’s famed cherry blossom trees is expected to be between April 11 and April 14. Read full article » |
| Be here now. No, really, just be here. Why you shouldn’t bash yourself while you meditate |
| Sometimes in the crazy swirl of life, it feels like there’s no time to stop. But that’s just what Sharon Salzberg teaches people to do. Salzberg is a New York Times best selling author, a teacher of meditation and mindfulness and one of the co-founders of the Insight Meditation Society at Barre, Massachusetts. She explains how best to practice mindfulness here: Read full article » |
| Testing ‘disaster’ in Florida prompts call for statewide suspension |
| How much of a mess is unfolding this week in Florida as public school students take a new computer-administered standardized test called the Florida Standards Assessment? So far, numerous school districts have been forced to delay testing because of major technological problems, two state senators have called for Gov. Rick Scott to suspend testing across the state, and the superintendent of the largest school district in the state and one of the largest in the country, Alberto Carvalho of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, is slamming the test on his Facebook page. Read full article » |
| D.C. area forecast: Rain increasingly likely into tonight, becoming moderate to heavy snow early Thursday |
| More rain showers will fall today before changing to snow overnight. Read full article » |
| SPORTS |
| Wizards fall to Bulls after Nene nearly starts melee in fourth quarter |
| CHICAGO — The Washington Wizards arrived at United Center, their safe haven away from the District, with a rekindled swagger Tuesday evening. They had finally claimed the elusive victory to snap a six-game losing skid Saturday and on deck were the Chicago Bulls, the one team near the top of the Eastern Conference standings they have handled, the team that evokes an intensity and contempt unlike any other. Read full article » |
| Yes, Prince really did play high school basketball, and we have a tremendous photo to prove it |
| By now, you should have seen the hilarious “Chappelle Show” skit in which Charlie Murphy recalls a night when Prince surprisingly schooled him in basketball (if not, drop everything and check it out). And there has been some corroboration that the diminutive pop star/strange person really does have game. Read full article » |
| Familiar problems arise for Wizards in loss to Bulls |
| CHICAGO — The Washington Wizards, Coach Randy Wittman explained Monday, have been more successful against the Bulls than other Eastern Conference contenders over the last couple seasons because they match up better opposite Chicago. Read full article » |
| Otto Porter kinda sorta lost his man on defense |
| It’s hard to know what was more embarrassing: That the Wizards lost to a Bulls team missing three of its top four scorers, or that, with seconds left, Otto Porter let his man run to the other side of the floor while he just stood there, leading to a game-sealing offensive rebound by Chicago. Oh, wait, it’s not hard at all. Read full article » |
| FEDERAL GOVERNMENT |
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| The time Sheldon Adelson’s wife dropped her purse on a congressman |
| (This post has been updated.)Republican mega donor Sheldon Adelson is used to throwing money at politicians. But purses?The casino magnate and his wife Miriam were in the House gallery for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress Tuesday when her bag fell and almost clocked Rep. Brad Ashford (D-Neb.). Read full article » |
| From one ship to another: Andy Lack leaving BBG to go back to NBC? |
| Former NBC news president and former Bloomberg Media chairman Andy Lack, who was brought in to fix the perennially troubled U.S. international media operations, is leaving after just six weeks on the job. Read full article » |
| NATIONAL |
| Is House of Cards crueler to wonks or operatives? |
| [SPOILER ALERT: THE FOLLOWING REVEALS MAJOR PLOT DETAILS FROM SEASON THREE OF HOUSE OF CARDS, BUT DON'T WORRY, IT DOES NOT MENTION THE BIG REVEAL THAT FRANK UNDERWOOD IS ACTUALLY A DEEP COVER SOVIET-TRAINED SPY. WE DON'T TALK ABOUT THAT AT ALL.] Read full article » |
| I met a blind priest at the airport. Father Ted taught me to take a leap of faith. |
| Father Theodore Hesburgh, who died Thursday at 97, was no longer Notre Dame’s president by the time I enrolled in 1994, yet he remained a campus legend, instantly recognizable in his crisp black shirt and clerical collar and with his shock of white hair. I knew he’d done important things — advised six presidents, chaired the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights under Nixon until his policy disagreements got him demoted, and transformed Notre Dame into an academic powerhouse, independent from Rome. Read full article » |
| How men use the word ‘drama’ to win fights against women |
| If you’ve ever dated online, you’ve surely noticed how many people are on the lookout for drama. “Not into playing games or drama,” is a classic cliche, a boogeymen of dating.But drama is one of those words whose meaning shifts depending on who’s using it. The specter of “being dramatic” or “causing drama” is often used by people who want to minimize their partner’s legitimate concerns or who are uncomfortable with expressions of emotion. The term “drama” can quickly become a substitute for calling the other person “crazy” or “irrational.” Read full article » |
| WORLD |
| Top U.S. general says it is time to consider arming Ukrainian forces |
| The top U.S. military officer expressed openness Tuesday to providing U.S. weapons to Ukrainian forces, joining a growing number of senior American officials who say greater U.S. involvement may be needed in Kiev’s fight against Russian-backed separatists. Read full article » |
| Echoes of Stalin in the murder of a Putin foe in Moscow |
| On Dec. 1, 1934, a lone gunman walked into the offices of Sergei Kirov, the top figure of the Communist Party in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) and a member of the Politburo. Not long thereafter, Kirov was dead, with a bullet hole in his neck. Read full article » |
| The sad story of Africa’s most prestigious prize |
| This week, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation named outgoing Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba as winner of the prestigious 2014 Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership. “During the decade of his Presidential mandate, he demonstrated sound and wise leadership," Salim Ahmed Salim, the chairman of the prize committee, said at a Nairobi, Kenya, press conference. "At the same time, he maintained his humility throughout his Presidency.” Read full article » |
| Natalia Revuelta, comrade and paramour of Fidel Castro, dies at 89 |
| Natalia Revuelta, a Cuban socialite who became a paramour of the young revolutionary Fidel Castro, a liaison that produced a daughter who decades later defected to the United States and denounced her father as a “tyrant,” died Feb. 27 in Havana. She was 89. Read full article » |
| BUSINESS |
| Taking stock of pension funds and the trouble they’re in |
| If you want to understand why so many pension funds are in so much trouble, I’ve got two sets of numbers to offer you. They’re numbers that I came across while working on a project that I hope you will get to read someday. But I found the numbers so compelling that I want to show them to you now. Read full article » |
| Knowing your “energy personality” can save you a lot of money |
| For much of humanity today, getting out of bed is followed, very closely, by turning on a bunch of stuff. We crank up the heat. We start the coffee. We click on the morning news.Some of us then go to work — and turn the stuff off again before we leave. Some of us don’t (either work, or turn our stuff off). Some of us get home from work and crash — but some of us stay up late, with lots of lights on, watching television, listening to music, working on the computer. Read full article » |
| Why it’s nearly impossible for you to sue your credit card company |
| The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is expected to issue a major report next week on what consumer advocates say is one of the leading but most misunderstood ways that companies limit a customer’s rights, people familiar with the matter said. Read full article » |
| TECHNOLOGY |
| Obama is upset that China wants tech companies to undermine their own security |
| President Obama came out against back doors in encrypted communications -- if the Chinese government can access them. But the president has avoided taking a position on whether tech companies should build in ways for U.S. law enforcement to access secure communications, a policy endorsed by some high-ranking administration figures. Read full article » |
| ‘FREAK’ flaw undermines security for Apple and Google users, researchers discover |
| Technology companies are scrambling to fix a major security flaw that for more than a decade left users of Apple and Google devices vulnerable to hacking when they visited millions of supposedly secure Web sites, including Whitehouse.gov, NSA.gov and FBI.gov. Read full article » |
| BlackBerry offers new phones but turns focus to software |
| BARCELONA, Spain — BlackBerry may be launching four new smartphones over the coming year, but the struggling company is staking its future on becoming a giant in software.CEO John Chen said at the Mobile World Congress wireless show in Barcelona on Tuesday that since he took over a year and a half ago BlackBerry has undergone a “philosophical” shift away from merely making handsets. Read full article » |
| U.S. millennials post ‘abysmal’ scores in tech skills test, lag behind foreign peers |
| There was this test. And it was daunting. It was like the SAT or ACT -- which many American millennials are no doubt familiar with, as they are on track to be the best educated generation in history -- except this test was not about getting into college. This exam, given in 23 countries, assessed the thinking abilities and workplace skills of adults. It focused on literacy, math and technological problem-solving. The goal was to figure out how prepared people are to work in a complex, modern society. Read full article » |
| LIFESTYLE |
| The French ambassador’s house has reopened? Now that’s a gala event. |
| When Gérard Araud arrived in Washington last September, he heard one question over and over, usually in the first five minutes of any conversation: “When are you moving back into your residence?”The French ambassador was living temporarily in a $6 million house on Foxhall Road that everyone agreed was lovely. But it paled in comparison with the official ambassadorial digs, a 1910 Tudor Revival mansion in Kalorama that was closed for a two-year renovation. The loss of the iconic house and its elegant parties had deprived Washington of one of its most glamorous social settings, and the city’s elite wanted it back — tout de suite, s’il vous plaît. Read full article » |
| 2015 Armory Show fair puts focus on Middle Eastern artists |
| NEW YORK — The golden Saddam Hussein statues hadn’t arrived, but Wafaa Bilal decided it was time to come up with a price tag. The 2015 edition of the Armory Show fair would open Thursday to the public. Read full article » |
| Carolyn Hax: One separating couple, two different ways of dealing with it |
| Dear Carolyn:I’ve been separated from my husband, who wants to reconcile. However, he doesn’t want to go to counseling (and I’m in counseling myself), so I’m increasingly frustrated. He has substance-abuse issues and is in denial. I’m feeling trapped and sad right now because I love him, but he needs help. How to get on with life when you hit a wall? Read full article » |
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