Daily Political Wire

George Wenschhof

Obama Urges Republicans in Congress To Act on Sequester - "With less than two weeks before these cuts hit, Obama challenged Republicans to make a very simple choice: do they protect investments in education, healthcare and national defense, or do they continue to prioritize and protect tax loopholes that benefit the very few at the expense of middle- and working-class Americans?"
 
Speaking from the White House this morning, Obama said "Thousands of teachers and educators will be laid off,". "Tens of thousands of parents will have to scramble to find child care for their kids. Hundreds of thousands of Americans will lose access to primary care and preventive care, like flu vaccinations and cancer screenings."

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Simpson-Bowles To Offer New Deficit Reduction Plan - Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles, the co-chairmen of President Obama’s deficit-reduction commission, unveiled a new framework on Tuesday that would cut deficits by $2.4 trillion over the next decade.  TheHill.com has more here.

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Colorado Passes Gun Violence Legislation -  The Democratic-led state House of Representatives in Colorado made it four-for-four Monday, passing the final two gun measures brought to a vote in the chamber.
 
After already passing measures limiting gun magazines to 15-rounds and requiring universal background checks on private firearms purchases, the House approved two more pieces of legislation: a ban on concealed weapons on public college campuses and a bill requiring gun buyers to pay the cost of their state background checks.

The bills will now go to the state Senate, which is also controlled by the Democrats.  The Denver Post has more here.
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Supreme Court to Hear Challenge on Campaign Donation Limits - The court today agreed to take up a challenge brought by an Alabama man who claims it's unconstitutional to prevent him from giving more than $46,200 to candidates and $70,800 to PACs and political committees. He does not challenge the limit on contributions to an individual candidate, but he does claim it's unconstitutional to prevent him from contributing to as many candidates as he wishes.

The court previously, in a 5-4 "Citizens United" decision, allowed for unlimited contributions by corporations.

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Chinese Army Tied To Hacking Against U.S. - On the outskirts of Shanghai, in a run-down neighborhood dominated by a 12-story white office tower, sits a People’s Liberation Army base for China's growing corps of cyberwarriors.

The building off Datong Road, surrounded by restaurants, massage parlors and a wine importer, is the headquarters of P.L.A. Unit 61398. A growing body of digital forensic evidence — confirmed by American intelligence officials who say they have tapped into the activity of the army unit for years — leaves little doubt that an overwhelming percentage of the attacks on American corporations, organizations and government agencies originate in and around the white tower. The NY Times has more here.

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Axelrod Joins NBC/MSNBC - David Axelrod, the former White House senior advisor and senior strategist for President Obama’s 2008 and 2012 campaigns, has joined NBC News and MSNBC as a senior political analyst, the networks announced today.

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