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The Kissinger primary You’re a Republican thinking of running for president. It’s a dangerous world, and your foreign policy credentials are a little thin. Time to see Henry Kissinger. Story Continued Below Scott Walker did it. So did Marco Rubio and Chris Christie. Rick Perry paid a visit in September — he even tweeted a photo to prove it. “It was an honor to speak with Dr. Kissinger today and hear his thoughts on America’s foreign policy challenges,” tweeted the then-Texas governor. Rubio has “met with Kissinger a couple of times in the past, and always appreciates his insights,” says a spokesman for the Florida senator, adding that Rubio has been reading Kissinger’s latest book, “World Order.” At 91 years old, the former secretary of state, national security adviser and intellectual-cum-celebrity has come to occupy a unique place in the foreign policy firmament. Though some historians blame him for countless deaths in places like Vietnam, Cambodia and Bangladesh, Kissinger is more revered than ever in Washington. He has become a Yoda-like figure, bestowing credibility and a statesman’s aura to politicians of both parties, including ones who may not actually share his worldview. They may want more than a message: A Kissinger endorsement could be a major boost in a crowded GOP field. Though he often sits out primary contests, Kissinger backed John McCain in December 2007 when the Arizona Republican was still fending off other challengers. (He even granted a much-needed private audience to McCain’s running mate, Sarah Palin, the next year.) “People treat him as an oracle,” says James Mann, a resident fellow at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and author of several books on foreign policy. “Candidates running for president like to be seen with or described as having talked to Kissinger, because they think it sends a message that they themselves are serious about foreign policy — when in fact they may not even know much about what Henry Kissinger believes or what he has done.” Kissinger’s many admirers call him brilliant, with an unmatched grasp of history. They revere him for diplomatic feats like masterminding Richard Nixon’s history-altering 1972 opening to China. But the GOP’s Kissinger crush is also surprising in some ways. The man who largely guided American foreign policy for a decade under Nixon and then Gerald Ford is a longtime proponent of the “realist” school of foreign policy. Realists prioritize order and stability above human rights, democracy and other internal affairs in foreign countries. Many of Kissinger’s GOP admirers, including McCain, champion democracy promotion and military action to prevent atrocities. And Kissinger disciples like Walker, Rubio and Perry may not share their tutor’s support for diplomacy with Iran and engagement with China, nor his caution against “posturing” against Russian President Vladimir Putin. Even more surprising, however, is Kissinger’s embrace by Democrats, including providing private counsel to Barack Obama. A batch of White House visitor records released on Jan. 31 show that Kissinger visited the president in the Oval Office on Oct. 22. Unlike the Republicans who brag about their proximity to Kissinger, the White House did not publicize this meeting and would not characterize its substance. Kissinger’s office did not comment for this story. But other Democrats haven’t been shy about their admiration for a man who was long reviled by the left, who regularly counseled George W. Bush and Dick Cheney during the 2000s, who endorsed John McCain in 2008 and Mitt Romney in 2012 — and whom credible historians say has not been held accountable for reprehensible actions during his Nixon administration tenure. During his confirmation hearing to be secretary of state, John Kerry cited Kissinger’s book “Diplomacy” as a “superb” guide to the modern world and met with him privately as the Obama administration built its later-aborted case for bombing Syria in September 2013. Last fall, Hillary Clinton wrote a glowing Washington Post review of Kissinger’s late-2014 tome, “World Order,” which she called “vintage Kissinger, with his singular combination of breadth and acuity along with his knack for connecting headlines to trend lines.” Most unlikely of all, perhaps, is the kinship between Obama’s close adviser and United Nations Ambassador Samantha Power, with the Cold War-era diplomat five decades her elder. Last April ESPN tagged along with Power, a die-hard Red Sox fan, and Kissinger, a Yankees lover, for a trip to the ballpark in which the two likened their sports rivalry to their divergent worldviews. The two hold nearly polar opposite views of the role human rights should play in foreign policy, making Power what some call an idealist to Kissinger’s realist. At Yankee Stadium, those differences were papered over with banter: “Wait until Samantha says ‘realpolitik,’” Kissinger joked. “It means: He’s a German and watch out for him.” But the partnership between Kissinger and Obama officials can be serious business. Still connected around the globe by dint of his reputation and business activities as the founder of Kissinger Associates, a lucrative Manhattan-based international consulting firm, Kissinger is a constant traveler and source of valuable information from abroad. For instance, Kissinger has been an important — if informal — conduit of information about Putin. The former U.S. diplomat is among a small handful of Americans granted audiences with the Russian leader. Kissinger has reported back to Washington on his contacts, including at least once directly to Obama’s national security adviser, according to Michael McFaul, who served as the U.S. ambassador to Moscow until last year. Before his occasional meetings with Putin, Kissinger would first visit McFaul in Spaso house, the U.S. ambassador’s residence in Moscow, where photos of Kissinger visiting the same building in the early 1970s adorn the walls. He would “find out what the pulse of the [current U.S.] policy was” before seeing the Russian leader. Then, after seeing Putin, Kissinger would report on his contact back to officials in Washington. “I was totally amazed at Henry’s vigor, both intellectually and politically,” McFaul added. He has sometimes undertaken more specific assignments, as when, in August 2011 Hillary Clinton turned to Kissinger amid an international crisis following a bloody Israeli assault on a Gaza-bound Turkish aid flotilla. Clinton enlisted Kissinger to urge Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to apologize to Turkey in the name of preserving an important regional relationship. (The account, described in Clinton’s memoir “Hard Choices,” does not say how the message was received, but Netanyahu did not apologize until much later.) The cross-partisan relationship between Clinton and Kissinger is particularly notable. Soon after Clinton’s review of his book appeared, Kissinger told USA Today that Clinton “ran the State Department in the most effective way that I’ve ever seen.” He soon followed up by telling NPR that Clinton would be “a good president,” adding that he planned to vote Republican. Foreign policy analysts say the friendliness illustrates the extent to which Obama, for all the idealism he once represented, has pursued a cold-eyed policy of realism in the classic Kissinger style — for instance, through his unwillingness to intervene more aggressively to prevent atrocities in Syria’s civil war. Modern foreign policy debates are less about partisanship and more “between people who focus primarily on states and people who focus on people,” says Anne-Marie Slaughter, a former top official in Clinton’s State Department who now heads the New America Foundation. “He sees the world as a chessboard.” Some historians are harsher, questioning whether Kissinger should be accepted in polite company at all, citing actions and statements he made in the Nixon and Ford administrations that stretched the concept of realism to cruel callousness. In 1975, for instance, Kissinger said that the U.S. “will be friends with” the Cambodian Khmer Rouge, adding: “They are murderous thugs, but we won’t let that stand in our way.” A Nixon Oval Office tape from 1973 recorded him expressing little sympathy for Jews trying to flee oppression in the former Soviet Union. “If they put Jews into gas chambers in the Soviet Union, it is not an American concern. Maybe a humanitarian concern,” Kissinger said. “People in Washington have a remarkable ability not to ask questions about what their guest of honor actually did in Cambodia or Bangladesh,” says Gary J. Bass, a Princeton professor of politics and international affairs and author of “The Blood Telegram,” which is harshly critical of Kissinger for allowing thousands of preventable deaths during the 1971 creation of Bangladesh. During his Jan. 28 testimony before McCain’s committee, Kissinger was partly encircled by a group of protesters with the anti-war group Code Pink, who held a banner and chanted slogans calling for his arrest as a “war criminal.” An outraged McCain threatened to have them arrested, calling one protester “low-life scum.” Republicans like McCain are totally unmoved by the charges against Kissinger, and recent GOP candidates have welcomed his support. Romney was grateful for Kissinger’s backing in 2012, though — like so many others — couldn’t resist an impersonation of his German-born advocate’s distinctive accent. “I saw Dr. Kissinger” in New York, Romney said at a surreptitiously recorded 2012 fundraiser. “I said to him, ‘How are we perceived around the world?’ And he said one word: ‘Veak!’” As the 2016 campaign kicks off, a competition is already underway to gain Kissinger’s favor. One early favorite could be Chris Christie. As the former New Jersey governor later told The Washington Post’s Dan Balz for his book “Collision 2012,” Kissinger summoned him to his midtown Manhattan office in mid-2011 and urged him to run for president, saying he had a rare connection with voters. When Christie replied that he knew little about world affairs, his host told him not to worry. “We can work with you on that. Foreign policy is instinct, it’s character,” Christie recalled Kissinger saying. But Kissinger — whom Bob Woodward once described as having “a powerful, largely invisible influence” over George W. Bush’s foreign policy — is also friendly with Bush’s brother Jeb. Last spring Kissinger told the Post that he would be “delighted” to see Jeb Bush run, calling the former Florida governor “experienced, moderate and thoughtful.” Since Bush began signaling his intention to run for president in 2016 this winter, the two have not yet had a publicized meeting. If recent history is any guide, that tweet should be coming soon.

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Mitch McConnell: ‘I’m a big fan of vaccinations’ Polio survivor Mitch McConnell declared himself a “big fan” of vaccinations Tuesday but declined to endorse mandating the practice, as several prominent Republicans face controversy over their positions on child vaccines. Broad vaccination efforts helped the United States eradicate polio more than 30 years ago, though McConnell was afflicted with the disease when he was a toddler. He said, given that experience, that parents should vaccinate their children against infectious diseases, a hot-button issue given the spread of diseases in California theme parks that has been blamed on parents opting against vaccinations. Story Continued Below “As a victim of polio myself I’m a big fan of vaccinations. And if I were a parent who had a child who might be subject to getting any particular disease I would come down on the side of vaccinations,” McConnell told reporters. But he was careful not to argue that the practice should be required by the government, and said he was speaking only for himself and what he would do as a parent today. “I can tell you what I would do if I was a parent and I had a child in this situation,” McConnell said when asked if vaccines should be mandatory. McConnell’s close ally and presidential hopeful Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) drew major criticism on Monday for saying vaccines should be “voluntary,” going so far as to posit that vaccinations could lead to mental problems.

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Barack Obama to seek defense boost to battle terrorism The Pentagon plans to propose a fiscal 2016 budget of $585 billion, according to draft budget documents, a significant boost by the administration after a host of cuts to weapons programs and personnel benefits were proposed last year to meet spending caps under sequestration. Congress ignored most of those cuts. And now that Republicans control both the House and the Senate, there’ll be pressure for more defense spending as the U.S. battle against terrorism refocuses from the dwindling combat operations in Afghanistan to the campaign against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Story Continued Below The defense budget request, set to be unveiled on Monday, includes $534.3 billion for the base budget and $50.9 billion in supplemental funding for the war in Afghanistan and other counterterrorism operations, according to draft Pentagon comptroller briefing highlights obtained by POLITICO. The base budget request represents a $38 billion increase from current year’s base defense budget — extra dollars that largely won’t materialize unless members of Congress can agree to a deal to avert sequestration, set to return next fiscal year following a two-year reprieve. If approved, the $535 billion budget topline would mark the first time that base budget has jumped back above the $530 billion fiscal 2012 level, the last before sequestration was put into motion. The war funding budget, which is not subject to sequestration, did drop slightly from $64 billion in fiscal 2014. But the proposed $51 billion is still sizable given that U.S. combat operations are phasing out in Afghanistan and U.S. troop numbers will continue drawing down over the next two years. The higher budget topline has been expected from the administration, which is likely to propose doing away with the sequestration caps in its budget request through new tax increases. And Republicans are also likely to propose a budget-cap-busting defense topline in their budget resolution through other spending cuts and potentially reductions in entitlement spending. But if nothing is done to stave off sequestration, defense spending would be subject to an across-the-board cut at whatever amount exceeds the spending caps. The Pentagon’s five-year budget plans call for ramping up base defense spending to $570 billion in 2020, as well as $27 billion in Overseas Contingency Operations, according to the draft documents. Pentagon spokesman Cmdr. Bill Urban declined to authenticate the briefing highlights but noted that draft documents can “change an awful lot.” According to the highlights, the Pentagon will request $209.8 billion in operations and maintenance funding in the base budget, an increase of $14.5 billion from this fiscal year. The proposal would also boost procurement spending by $14.1 billion to $107.7 billion and research and development funding by $6.3 billion to $69.8 billion, according to the draft documents. That includes three new Littoral Combat Ships, the same number Congress approved last year, as part of an $11.6 billion nine-ship procurement package that will also fund two Virginia-class attack submarines, according to the highlights. There’s also $55 million for LCS capabilities improvements. The other ships requested are two destroyers, one amphibious transport and one new oiler. The budget request seeks $678 million for the refueling of the USS George Washington aircraft carrier — funding that wasn’t in last year’s Pentagon request but was added by Congress — and $1.4 billion for the Ohio-class replacement nuclear submarine program. The budget proposal requests $3 billion for the KC-46A tanker program, $1.2 billion for the development of the new long-range bomber and $821 million for MQ-9 Reaper procurement. And it would request $10.6 billion to procure 57 F-35 fighter jets — a major ramp-up from the 38 F-35s authorized for this fiscal year. The budget will once again seek to save money by increasing Tricare health care fees and through cuts to housing benefits and commissaries. The highlights also show the budget would slow the growth of the basic housing allowance an additional 4 percent above the 1 percent Congress approved in December. The Pentagon will propose changes to the pharmacy co-pay structure to encourage the use of mail-order and generic drugs, which could save $2 billion over the next five years, according to the highlights. And it will seek what are called “modest annual fees” for Tricare-for-Life coverage that would generate savings of $100 million in fiscal 2016 and $400 million over the next five years. The budget proposal will include a potential savings of $300 million in fiscal 2016 and $4.4 billion over the next five years through changes to commissaries, which the draft documents say will be achieved through “efficiencies and revenue generating opportunities gained through legislative changes.” For war funding, known as Overseas Contingency Operations, the request of $50.9 billion is down from the $64 billion approved in this fiscal year, due to the drawdown in Afghanistan. The war budget includes $42.5 billion for Afghanistan operations and $5.3 billion for operations in and Syria against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, according to the highlights. It also contains $2.1 billion for the president’s counterterrorism partnership fund and $789 million for the European Reassurance Initiative. In the base budget, the Air Force is the biggest winner among the services, getting a topline increase of $16 billion from fiscal 2015 to $152.9 billion, according to the draft documents. The Navy would see an increase of $11.8 billion to $161 billion. And the Army would get a $7 billion boost to $126.5 billion. Addressing end strength numbers, the highlights say that increasing force structure “is too risky” unless the threat of sequestration is lifted. The budget proposal would cut active Army end strength to 475,000 next fiscal year, a reduction of 15,000 soldiers from authorized fiscal 2015 levels, before dropping to 450,000 in fiscal 2018. The Marine Corps would essentially stay the same in fiscal 2016 at 184,000, before slimming to 182,000 in fiscal 2017. The Navy, however, would see a boost of 5,600 to 329,200 in the fiscal 2016 request, while the Air Force end strength would increase by 4,000 to 317,000 in 2016, before dropping back down to 311,000 in fiscal 2019.

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Barack Obama’s budget strategy seeks a way out of the spending caps The great tension in Washington’s budget battles is how to operate the government in the here and now when so much political stalemate remains over the future and the seemingly intractable deficits down the road. For President Barack Obama, this has been doubly true because of the financial collapse he inherited and the scope of his ambitions. Now in his last years, he offered a new budget Monday that attempts to reset this history by investing again in basic appropriations for the core government. Story Continued Below Most simply, his $4 trillion plan is best understood as the opening bid in hostage negotiations with the Republican Congress. At issue is a set of strict appropriations caps that Obama agreed to during the 2011 debt ceiling crisis and which sharply tightened in March 2013 after he and Congress failed to agree on a deficit reduction plan. Under the caps, appropriations in 2016 would be effectively frozen for a second year at about $1.017 trillion. Obama would increase that to $1.091 trillion — a $74 billion increase that would be split evenly between defense and domestic spending. Many Republicans will be reluctant to give up the leverage the caps provide, but GOP priorities like defense spending are caught in the same squeeze. Each party could have an interest, then, in some compromise. But changing the law is a tall order, one that requires Obama’s signature on a Republican-backed bill that can get past a 60-vote point of order in the Senate. In nominal terms, the higher cap Obama requested is a level not seen since Democrats last controlled Congress in 2010. To borrow from a colorful image used by Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), asking this of the GOP is a little like “rubbing the necks of roosters together” before a cockfight. But when adjusted for inflation, the same number is closer to a midpoint in 2012 when Republicans held the House. And if no action is taken, the caps now in law would leave government agencies with fewer real dollars than in the last years of President George W. Bush’s presidency. Moreover, Obama has crafted his request so that two-thirds of the additional money would go to defense, veterans and international affairs — all priorities for key Republican players on the Senate Budget Committee. If new investments in cybersecurity and nondefense research and development are counted, the percentage grows even higher. Indeed, the president’s new populist rhetoric about “middle-class economics” seems to apply more to how he would pay for the new appropriations — not the spending itself. His budget calls for increasing taxes on capital gains, ending a loophole for inherited wealth and taxing corporate profits stashed abroad. But his appropriations requests are more down the middle. And Obama would argue that Republicans are only hurting themselves and the nation if they insist on keeping the low caps until he is gone in 2017. All this illustrates something of a turnaround for Obama himself. He arrived in the White House after the financial collapse of 2008 and felt compelled to spend heavily to try to keep the economy afloat and buy time for the Federal Reserve to stabilize the situation. But the president seemed to sour on the process and has been famously feckless toward the appropriations side of governing even as he has expanded Washington’s role with his health care and financial regulatory reforms. Now an 11 percent boost in revenues has seemed to embolden Obama, whose budget projects a lower deficit of $474 billion in 2016 — a fraction of what he faced in his early years. One longtime observer described the president’s new posture as “a sea change.” Last year at this time, Obama played with the concept of adding $55.4 billion in what was loosely billed as his Opportunity, Growth and Security Initiative. This round is much more real. It’s as if the president woke up in November to an epiphany: The gritty world of appropriations is one arena where he still has some leverage with a Republican-controlled Congress. The much-publicized White House rollout played to the latest headlines to try to make the new spending more relevant. The budget would offer more money to fight diseases in the wake of the Ebola crisis. An estimated $1 billion is requested in new aid for Central America, about half of which would be targeted to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, the three troubled countries from which thousands of children fled to the U.S. last year. The budget seeks an estimated $513.5 million — and the potential for new loan guarantees — for Ukraine, beset by Russia-backed rebels. And with foreign-based hackers in the news, it offers an 8 percent increase for cybersecurity together with the creation of a new centralized office to assess the U.S. response to threats. Obama’s choice to speak Monday at the Department of Homeland Security was itself symbolic. The DHS appropriations bill for the current year has been the casualty of a bitter fight over immigration policy. The president’s request of $41.2 billion for the coming year represents an estimated $3 billion increase, including more for border security agencies. For sure, Obama doesn’t forget his own climate change and education agenda. The Department of Housing and Urban Development, formerly led by the new budget director, Shaun Donovan, is promised $41 billion, a $6.2 billion increase that would help address homelessness and the cost of expiring housing vouchers for Section 8. But the $534.3 billion Obama is proposing for the Pentagon stands out most and reflects a two-part strategy for the administration. The first step is to pump up the base budget for the military. But second, Obama seeks to block the Republicans from going around the spending caps by adding off-budget dollars through the “overseas contingency operations” account. OCO began as a budgeting tool for overseas military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan, but it can also pad Pentagon spending at home — a favorite GOP tool for placating its hawks. Unless Obama can close this escape route, he will have a harder time bringing Republicans to the table. Thus, his core Pentagon appropriations request goes up by 8 percent, a $38.2 billion increase to improve readiness but also to begin long-term investments in modernizing submarine and nuclear forces. Total procurement and research and development funding would grow by $20.4 billion — accounting for more than half the increase, for example, with substantial new money for the Navy. At the same time, Obama’s OCO request for defense, which includes $5.3 billion for operations to counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, totals $50.9 billion, a $13.3 billion drop from what Congress approved in December for 2015. And the administration argues that it is time to transition back to funding the military more through the department’s base budget — subject to the same caps as domestic appropriations. The White House readily admits that the full $74 billion increase in the president’s budget is too rich for Republicans to swallow. But the bigger problem for Obama may be the offsets he proposes to cover the costs.

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House and Senate Republicans clash on immigration House and Senate Republicans have spent years training their ire on Sen. Harry Reid and President Barack Obama. But now they’re clashing with each other. Story Continued Below And that poses a challenge for GOP senators’ initial strategy for escaping their immigration dilemma, which involves convincing their House counterparts that their aggressive attacks on Obama’s policies stand no chance of becoming law. House Republicans so far aren’t buying it, saying Republican senators need to fight harder. “People are counting on them to deliver,” an angry Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas) said of the Senate. “We sent them a bill, and they need to pass it. They need to pass our bill.” With a hint of sarcasm, Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) shot back: “To pass a bill over here, it takes 60 votes. Unless we can figure out some way of multiplying, it seems to me that we have an issue that is very difficult to deal with.” The back-and-forth speaks to the growing tension between House and Senate Republicans over their attempts to push back against Obama’s executive actions deferring deportations for millions of undocumented immigrants. Even before this week, House GOP lawmakers were worried that Senate Republicans would move too slowly, give up on fights too easily and fail to stand up to Obama’s White House — even with the long-sought majority in their hands. The House went all-out against Obama’s immigration policies last month, passing a $39.7 billion Department of Homeland Security spending bill with riders nullifying years of the president’s unilateral actions. But twice this week, the House bill plan has failed to overcome Democratic filibusters in the Senate, and at least two more repeat votes are in the works. GOP senators believe that once House Republicans are convinced their plan cannot overcome a filibuster, the party can begin searching for a Plan B. House Republican leadership is in on the strategy and has made clear to top Senate Republicans that they need to fight for the legislation to make sure it’s “abundantly clear” it cannot pass. A fallback plan could mean anything from a watered-down attack on the president’s policies to a short-term funding bill or even the “clean” DHS funding bill that Democrats are demanding, which would leave the Obama immigration plan standing. House Republican leadership says it’s in a bind and doubts that more than a few dozen of their lawmakers would vote for a clean bill. They say the Senate must include some language to chip away at Obama’s immigration policies for a bill to clear the House — but Senate leaders are in a quandary because they can’t change the bill if Democrats block the floor debate from even occurring. “This is very frustrating, because this is a good bill,” said Rep. John Carter (R-Texas), who chairs the subcommittee that writes DHS’ budget. “It really does some things we really need.” He added: “Politically, [McConnell] needs to make a lot of noise. Because the constituency is very upset about” Obama’s changes to immigration policy. Once it’s clear the bill has stalled in the Senate, where Republicans hold 54 seats, GOP senators say that the House will have to take up a new bill because funding bills must originate in that chamber. “I think the House has to be convinced that the Senate is not going to be able to move what they sent us,” said South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the No. 3 GOP leader. “It’s a process, and it’s all what the traffic will bear. How do you get to 60 in the Senate and 218 in the House — how do you thread that needle?” No one knows the answer to that yet, and the wily Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), is giving little insight into his thinking both privately and publicly, though he is railing on Democrats for blocking the House bill from even coming to a debate. McConnell’s chief deputy, Texas Sen. John Cornyn, threw cold water Wednesday on passing a short-term funding bill if no agreement is reached — even though several top House Republicans privately suggest that could be the only solution. “I think there are a number of people who say we don’t need any more legislating by crisis and cliffs, and I agree with that 100 percent,” Cornyn said when asked about the possibility of a stopgap measure. What has caused the most consternation among top Republicans is a palpable fear that their party could incur a political backlash if the impasse causes a shutdown of an agency so essential to national security if no deal is reached before the Feb. 27 deadline. Even though virtually every GOP lawmaker blames Obama and Democrats for refusing to negotiate and spawning the impasse, a number of Republicans argue that they would lose the media and public relations war if a shutdown occurs. Such a funding crisis would come at an inopportune time, senior Republicans say, just weeks after they assumed power in the Senate for the first time in nearly a decade and with national security threats growing from abroad. Yet GOP leaders also persuaded their right flank to hold their fire on immigration during last winter’s lame-duck session, promising they would renew the fight immediately at the start of the new Congress. Anything less than a full-fledged battle would spark a revolt from the right. “The leadership could do a lot more aggressive job,” said Republican firebrand Rep. Steve King of Iowa, who also said he doesn’t mind blowing past the Feb. 27 deadline. “Sometimes a signal comes out that says we can’t do this. We sent the bill over there; that means they have a mountain to climb. You don’t look at the summit and think, ‘I can’t get there.’” House Republican leaders, meanwhile, are trying to figure out just what will satisfy their rank and file. They are mulling over legislation to join a number of states’ lawsuits against the Obama administration’s immigration policies, but there’s internal dissent on when that should come up. It’s unlikely to come up next week because Republicans want to concentrate on passing a bill to build the Keystone XL pipeline, which will prompt Obama’s first veto of the new Congress. Asked about the next legislative steps on the DHS bill, McConnell spokesman Don Stewart said Democrats will have a chance “to end their filibuster” when the Senate votes again to bring the House bill forward. “We can’t amend the bill (with their ideas or ours) until we get on the bill,” Stewart said. Tension between the House and the Senate is old as the history of Congress. With its rules that allow the majority party to govern with an iron fist, the party in power in the House can often quickly push through its agenda with little concern for the minority. The Senate, with its rules that allow any one senator to stop legislation in its tracks, gives the minority ample opportunities to derail legislation. The immigration fight is giving Washington its first taste of a House-Senate battle since Republicans took power last month. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said the criticism from House Republicans lacks any semblance of reality. “I’d like to hear their recipe, given the rules of the Senate, as to what they want us to do,” McCain said Wednesday. “[McConnell] has got it on the floor, we tried to get cloture. We can’t change the rules of the Senate. So I’m open to any suggestion that they may have that is workable — only I don’t believe we should shut down the Department of Homeland Security, given the threats that are obviously out there and the attacks on America.” McCain’s Arizona colleague, GOP Sen. Jeff Flake, pushed back against the House conservatives’ suggestion that Republican senators were not fighting hard enough, saying, “It’s not an issue of commitment, it’s a matter of math.” “The best response we can make is not to stick a finger in the president’s eye. Let’s put legislation on his desk,” Flake said. Asked about the current strategy of repeated procedural votes on the House bill, Flake said: “We can go through the motions, sure, but I don’t think we’re fooling anybody. Because we need [Democratic] support to get on the bill.” Despite pleas from more senior members to be cognizant of the challenges in the Senate, many House conservatives, such as Republican Study Committee Chairman Bill Flores of Texas, think the chamber should work harder to woo Democrats. “We should hold [Senate Republicans’] feet to the fire,” Flores said in an interview. “There’s no reason about a Plan B until they have exhausted Plan A. The Senate Republicans need to be talking to their Democratic friends and say how is it tolerable for you to not support the Constitution.” Told that Senate Republicans are questioning the House’s strategy, he said: “If that’s what they’re saying, that means they’re not standing up for the Constitution either — and I know most of them, when they took their oath of office, they meant it. If they want to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, they’ll hold Democrats’ feet to the fire.” Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, a West Virginia freshman Republican and former House member, said members on the other side of the Capitol often are unaware of the procedural challenges in the Senate. “I think there’s a tendency to forget that firmly held beliefs are on each side,” Capito said. “And to swing four, five or six people is not as easy as it must sound.” Rep. Marlin Stutzman, an Indiana Republican, said that this is the “first test in the Senate to see how they can get things done.” “We’ll wait and see what they can work through, and it’s a first impression, so I hope it’s a good one,” he said.

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Feinstein worries about Mideast turmoil Sen. Dianne Feinstein says she has ongoing concerns about the future of several Middle Eastern countries, including Afghanistan and Syria. The California Democrat, who is the ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said this is a very difficult time to have so many ongoing and potential conflicts in the same region, but it may be time for the U.S. to reassess its actions there. Story Continued Below “The president, to an extent, is in a difficult position. The American people don’t want another war. There have been two wars in Iraq, and there has been the Afghanistan war,” she said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “I do think we need to look more deeply and broadly into what we’re doing and how we’re doing it.” Afghanistan’s new president, she said, is off to a “good start,” but she has concerns about the ongoing actions of the Taliban and new moves Al Quida of Pakistan might make. “I’m one of the Democrats who doesn’t see a rapid pullout of American troops as being beneficial,” she said about Afghanistan. Feinstein also suggested U.S. military operations were not making a difference in Syria. “Initially, the point was to do this to the extent you got Iran and Russia to bring the Syrians to the table and have a political solution,” she said. “I think post people believe a political solution is necessary, but we aren’t there.”

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Report: Israel spied on nuclear talks with Iran Israel spied on nuclear negotiations between six world powers and Iran, as well as on the U.S., in order to learn details that could help undermine the emerging deal in the eyes of Congress, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Israelis not only eavesdropped on the talks, but were able to access information from confidential U.S. briefings and speak to informants and diplomatic contacts in Europe. The effort was tied to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's opposition to a nuclear deal, which culminated in a speech to the House and Senate earlier this month. In that speech, he lobbied Congress to block the Obama administration's current efforts. The Journal reports that it was not the actual spying that upset the White House - it's common for allies to spy on one another and Israel conducts some of the most aggressive espionage, alongside countries like China, Russia and France - but the fact that Israel was feeding the information to lawmakers to undermine the administration's attempts at nuclear talks."It is one thing for the U.S. and Israel to spy on each other. It is another thing for Israel to steal U.S. secrets and play them back to U.S. legislators to undermine U.S. diplomacy," a senior U.S. official told the paper. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, told reporters Tuesday that he was "baffled" by the story. "There was no information revealed to me whatsoever," Boehner said. "I was shocked by the fact that there were reports in this press article that information was being passed on from the Israelis to members of Congress. I'm not aware of that at all."Israeli officials have denied the espionage and said that the information came from surveillance of Iranian leaders and more transparent information about the talks from Israel. The White House apparently discovered Israel's spying when their own surveillance picked up on conversations between the country's leaders that included confidential information from the nuclear negotiations. A senior official in Netanyahu's office told the Journal: "These allegations are utterly false. The state of Israel does not conduct espionage against the United States or Israel's other allies. The false allegations are clearly intended to undermine the strong ties between the United States and Israel and the security and intelligence relationship we share." The administration appeared to anticipate Israel's reaction to the talks and did not inform Netanyahu that they were taking place until September 2013, a year after they began. Israeli officials say they knew, in spite of U.S. attempts to keep them secret. Netanyahu and Ron Dermer, the Israeli ambassador to the U.S., began briefing members of Congress about the deal and, according ot the White House, exaggerating the sanctions relief Iran would receive, the Journal reports.

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Bernie Sanders wants to take on ‘billionaire class’ If Bernie Sanders plans to takes shots at Hillary Clinton, he’s saving his ammo. The Vermont independent and self-proclaimed socialist said Thursday that he’ll continue to explore running in the Democratic primary with a trip to New Hampshire this weekend and a visit to Iowa shortly thereafter. But asked to critique the presumed Democratic nominee, Sanders wouldn’t go there, at least explicitly. Story Continued Below “All I know is if I run, I’m not running against Hillary Clinton,” Sanders said in an interview on C-SPAN’s “Newsmakers” that will air on Sunday. “What Hillary Clinton, or Mitt Romney, or anybody else has to say — that’s their business. And once we’re in a campaign, I can debate those issues.” Absent a change of heart by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sanders is seen as perhaps the Democratic Party’s best vessel to channel populist outrage and push Clinton to the left in the Democratic primary. But he insisted that if he were to run, it wouldn’t be for that reason. Sanders said his biggest causes on the campaign trail would be the “collapse of the middle class,” the rise of what he called the Koch brothers’ political “oligarchy” and the GOP’s position on climate change, which the senator called an “international embarrassment.” “These and other issues are looming in front of us. And we’re going to need bold leadership, we’re going to need people prepared to take on, frankly, the billionaire class,” he said. Still, Sanders is cautious about launching a quixotic campaign. He stressed that he won’t run if he “can’t do it well” and worries whether he can raise enough money to compete with the Clinton machine or deep-pocketed Republicans. “My God … if you run for president, you’re going to need a gazillion dollars,” Sanders said. “I will not run for president if I can’t do it well and if I can’t run to win.” POLITICO reported Thursday that Clinton may delay the launch of her campaign for several months. That could give Sanders space to begin pushing his message to a receptive political media itching for the Democratic race to crank up. But Sanders said he won’t be affected by Clinton’s timing, repeatedly deflecting questions about her during the interview. “She will make her own decisions,” he said, “and I will make my decisions.”

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At House retreat, Dems take message cue from Obama President Barack Obama will tell House Democrats on Thursday that his budget will call for an end to sequestration cuts and build on the “middle class economics” package he outlined in the State of the Union — setting up a clear contrast with Republicans in Congress who want to stick to the spending limits. In a speech at the House Democratic retreat in Philadelphia, Obama will “propose to end the across-the-board sequester cuts that threaten our economy and our military,” spelling out instead a more detailed package of proposals for “making paychecks go further, creating good jobs here in the United States, and preparing hardworking Americans to earn higher wages,” according to a White House official. Story Continued Below Obama will also call for a “clean funding bill” for the Department of Homeland Security “to ensure we are funding our national security priorities in the face of cybersecurity and security threats abroad,” the official said — a strong hint that he’d veto any appropriations bill that tries to rein in his executive actions on immigration, as Republicans want to do. It’s not exactly a surprise that Obama will propose an end to sequestration cuts in his budget. He’s been speaking out against them for years, calling them “a really bad idea.” And his budget last year proposed a separate $56 billion fund to show how spending could be increased on defense and economic initiatives. This time, Obama’s budget will call for an outright end to the next round of automatic spending cuts that are scheduled to take place in October. An earlier, bipartisan budget agreement between Democrat Patty Murray and Paul Ryan got rid of some of the spending cuts for fiscal years 2014 and 2015. But that agreement runs out in October, and the Congressional Budget Office estimates that another $91 billion in discretionary spending cuts —$54 billion for defense, $37 billion for non-defense programs — will start then unless Obama and Congress reach a deal to prevent them. “The President’s budget will fully reverse those cuts for domestic priorities, and match those investments dollar-for-dollar with the resources our troops need to keep America safe,” the White House official said. In a clear nod to liberal Democrats — who refer to the years of spending cuts as “austerity” — Obama will call on Republicans to “end the era of manufactured crises and mindless austerity,” and instead use the Ryan-Murray agreement as a model for cancelling future cuts, the official said. Republicans are dismissing the idea, saying Obama hasn’t shown any willingness to take on the nation’s long-term fiscal problems. “Republicans believe there are smarter ways to cut spending than the sequester and have passed legislation to replace it multiple times, only to see the president continue to demand tax hikes,” said Cory Fritz, a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner. “Until he gets serious about solving our long-term spending problem it’s hard to take him seriously.”

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Minority groups: Dems still falling short in consultants’ diversity Three months after a devastating loss that could put them deep in the political wilderness for years, House Democrats still haven’t fixed one of their members’ biggest complaints — the need to hire more minority consultants. For years, African-American and Latino members have protested that the party’s campaign arms don’t put nearly enough emphasis on hiring minority pollsters, consultants and strategists — an oversight that they argue hurt Democrats in the midterm election when people from those communities failed to vote. Story Continued Below “I think the lack of diversity in the contracting is quite clear. They can do better. Historically, the black caucus has been [taking] point on trying to highlight that issue,” said Mississippi Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson, a senior Congressional Black Caucus member. “Minorities, both black and brown, are the most loyal people to the party, and I think a recognition of that loyalty can come through the contracting.” The party has broad room for growth. PowerPac+, a Democratic group, released a report this year that found that less than 2 percent of the money the Democratic Party spent during the 2010 and 2012 election cycles went to firms owned by minorities — just $8.7 million of $514 million spent. The report examined expenditures from the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. The lack of minority representation has been a lingering issue for so long that some Hispanic and black political consultants have begun creating media companies to fill the void. On Wednesday, Democratic consultant Chuck Rocha, the president of Solidarity Strategies, announced that his firm would partner with Valiente to offer a Latino-owned media service. “I am happy to announce that you no longer have to hire white boys to create your Spanish-language TV ads. Nothing against traditional media firms, everyone knows I love white folks, I’m marrying one,” Rocha joked in an email announcing the partnership. “We just believe that if you’re going to communicate with the rising new American electorate, then you should hire a firm that does not just translate the words of an ad from English to Spanish.” Black lawmakers raised the issue of minority contractors with DCCC Chairman Ben Ray Luján on Wednesday during a closed-door meeting, and it is expected to be a topic during a Congressional Black Caucus members-only meeting Thursday with DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. More than a dozen lawmakers and political consultants interviewed said they’ve seen a noticeable difference at the DCCC since Luján was tapped to lead the House-focused campaign committee. The New Mexico Democrat railed against the lack of Latino consultants when he was in the rank and file. The DCCC hasn’t yet inked new contracts with 2016 vendors, but Luján told lawmakers during a private meeting in Philadelphia last week that increasing the number of minority-owned firms with contracts at the committee would be a top priority ahead of the next election. There are plans to model a program off the DNC’s 2012 national political convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, which made minority contracting a high priority. “Just beginning the second month of my first quarter here and I’m proud of the diverse staff we’re building this cycle,” Luján said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to continuing to work with my Democratic colleagues and our allies to put the majority in play in 2016 and do it with a team that truly represents the electorate.” The DCCC is close to implementing a new process for vendor hiring that’s designed to increase participation of minority-owned firms. For now, Thompson said he was “taking [Luján] at his word that we’ll be surprised at the involvement” of minority contractors in 2016. But after Democrats lost 13 seats in 2014, including a Nevada seat held by Rep. Steven Horsford, an African-American, lawmakers want wholesale change. Black lawmakers complained after Horsford’s loss that the DCCC and the DNC didn’t do enough to stave off a challenge from Republican Cresent Hardy, who went on to win the seat. The contracting issue has been a thorn between the campaign committees and minority lawmakers for decades. Last May, Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio), then the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, said she had been urging the DCCC to improve its contracting numbers but met with resistance. “We’ve met and repeatedly requested the DCCC’s diversity goals in writing and have yet to receive them. It is clear to me they have no desire to address this issue,” Fudge said at the time. The DCCC and DNC declined to share specific internal goals of how many minority-owned firms they hope to contract with for 2016 when contacted by POLITICO, but both committees stressed that growing a diverse base of contractors is a top priority. Rep. G.K. Butterfield, the current chairman of the CBC, praised Luján’s “vision of having a diverse DCCC.” The North Carolina Democrat added that the DCCC will build a database of minority vendors using data that the party had used in Charlotte. Meanwhile, the DNC launched a task force after 2014 to better understand the midterm losses. Wasserman Schultz created a “diversity plan” for 2016 that emphasizes the need for more minority hires at all levels of the campaign arm. “Ensuring that the party’s business practices live up to our commitment to diversity is a part of everything we do, from the consultants we partner with, to the staff we recruit, the candidates we work with and our programs to train the next generation of leaders from diverse background,” the Florida Democrat said. In 2012, 50 percent of convention expenditures were awarded to firms owned by people of color, women, veterans or members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. The committee arm also touts its network of internal committee heads and officers who are minorities. Rocha said the three campaign committees have been more aggressive with their outreach in 2015. By Monday, he’ll have met with the executive directors for each committee and a number of leading PACs to discuss ways to bring minority firms into the fold — a first, he said, during his decades of experience in Democratic politics. “We saw how badly the new American electorate preformed in the last cycle. When Latinos go from 73 percent to 67 percent — that 5 percentage point drop means something. We have to do a better job at everything we’re doing,” Rocha said. He added that Luján — whom he called “family” — is a major force for change on diversity hiring. The committees haven’t outlined hiring goals in his meetings, Rocha said, but there is a better understanding after the 2014 losses that outreach to minority communities must be created by strategists who intimately understand the concerns of Latinos or African-Americans. “If there is going to be work done in Latino districts, districts where the majority of the populace is Latino, they want Latinos doing the work,” he said, referring to informal goals the committees outlined. “We should have Latino operatives doing all of the work.” Both the Latino and African-American communities underperformed at the polls during the 2014 elections — mirroring a broader decrease in turnout among all voters. Despite nearly 10 million more Hispanic voters becoming eligible to vote in 2014 than 2006, the participation rate among Latino voters stayed flat at 8 percent. Part of the problem, consultants and lawmakers said during interviews, is that Democrats did not effectively reach minority communities with niche messages tailored to them. Both the DCCC and DNC brought in Hispanic-owned firms to message to Latino communities during 2014, but Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar said that is the minimum of what the committees should be doing. “We’ve been asking for this for a long time,” he said. Some consultants said they believe the party has massive work to do ahead of 2016. Cornell Belcher, with the boutique polling firm Brilliant Corners, said it is “malpractice” that the Democrats’ campaign committees have relied for so long on firms that boast one or two high-profile minority partners but are predominantly white. Angela Rye, a principal of IMPACT Strategies and former CBC staffer, said bureaucracy within the DCCC and the DNC make it hard to push real change — especially in a town where contracts are often awarded to the same firms cycle after cycle. ”There are qualified vendors and they need a way to interface with these vendors,” Rye said. “The same old tired practices won’t work anymore. You can’t just keep hiring friends over and over again.” Rye said she has been impressed by the attention Luján has given minority contracting but criticized the DNC for what she sees as a lack of diverse staff. “If diversity is your priority, then you need someone solely responsible for diversity and … they need to report directly to the chair,” Rye said. “If they don’t, then diversity isn’t a priority.” The DNC notes it has had a chief diversity officer, Greg Hinton, on staff since 2011. Correction: A previous version of this story included incorrect information on whether the Democratic National Committee has a full-time staff member focused on minority outreach.Â

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Supreme Court Obamacare case poses political peril for GOP The Supreme Court could be months away from blowing a huge hole in Obamacare — and Republicans on Capitol Hill are at odds over how they’ll respond if their side wins. It’s the latest example in a long-running quandary for Republicans: They don’t agree on what alternative, if any, their party should offer to President Barack Obama’s signature health care law. But the issue is taking on new urgency for the GOP congressional leaders as the court takes up a case that could leave more than 5 million people without Obamacare’s crucial subsidies. Story Continued Below If they simply “fix” Obamacare, they‘ll anger their right wing that wants the party to focus solely on repealing the law. If they do nothing, they invite blame for making health care unaffordable for millions of Americans — including some of their own constituents. The case, King v. Burwell, will be argued before the Supreme Court on March 4. At issue is whether the precise language of the law requires that subsidies should be available to people in all states — or only in those that chose to run their own health insurance exchanges. Many Democratic-led states chose to set up exchanges; most GOP-led states, in a demonstration of their opposition, did not and let the federal government do so instead. Now, if the court were to rule against the administration, it would cut off the financial assistance to about 5 million lower- and middle-class people in the 37 states that did not set up their own exchanges. Most GOP-led states would be affected. House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have told their party’s powerful committee chairmen to begin working on a roadmap for a Republican response if their side comes out victorious when the court rules, probably in late June. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), who is meeting weekly about the health law with Sens. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), wouldn’t say if the GOP has ruled out new legislation to aid those who would lose the subsidies. “We’ve got a number of Republican senators who are talking,” said Alexander, who chairs the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. “We are talking with Reps. [Paul] Ryan and [Fred] Upton in the House. We want to be responsible about repairing any damage that Obamacare does. If it creates a shock to the system by causing 5 million Americans suddenly to put their insurance and their subsidies at risk, then we need to think if there’s anything we need to do. Maybe there’s not.” Some conservatives say the party should do everything in its power to kill the law if the Supreme Court rules their way. If Republicans in Congress try to preserve a crucial element of the law, conservatives say, it will be an all-out war within the GOP. “If that’s the indication, that we are going to give up on a core promise [to block Obamacare] … that’s exactly what upsets grass-roots conservatives — it’s saying one thing and doing another,” said Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kansas). To channel that anger, the House plans to vote again on Tuesday on repealing Obamacare — and this time, a GOP-controlled Senate will likely take it up, as well, even though the Democrats have enough votes to block it through a filibuster. Some Republicans believe that having a plan — or the outlines of one — in place would send the Supreme Court the message that ruling against the White House won’t result in total chaos, particularly for those people who have already benefited from subsidies. If the court rules against the administration, low- and middle-income Americans would get little notice before the cost of their health insurance could increase by hundreds of dollars a month. “I don’t think anybody wants to stop people from getting basic health care,” said Hatch, the powerful Finance Committee chairman. “But if it is an opportunity to improve the Affordable Care Act, that opportunity should be seized.” Asked about the all-out push for a repeal, rather than simply fixing the law, Hatch said: “Whatever you do, the president is going to veto it. That’s a nice thing to say, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that that’s what’s going to happen.” If the court rules against the White House, several Republicans said the powerful tool known as budget reconciliation should be used to push a new health care proposal — an attractive vehicle since it means that a replacement law need only achieve a simple majority in the Senate, even though Obama could still veto it. Still, there is ample debate within the GOP over whether reconciliation legislation should be used to take aim at small pieces of the law or whether to go for full-scale repeal. Don Stewart, a McConnell spokesman, said the Republicans would respect a ruling that the subsidies are illegal. If the Supreme Court finds that the Obama administration “has been unlawfully implementing harmful mandates, Republicans will not work to reimpose those mandates.” Stewart added: “Remember, Republicans want to empower states and help Americans who have been hurt by Obamacare’s broken promises.” In the House, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy announced Friday that Ways and Means Chairman Ryan, Energy and Commerce Chairman Upton, and Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-Minn.) are leading a task force to figure out an Obamacare replacement plan. They will also examine how to respond to the Supreme Court ruling. So far, the three chairmen have met twice and staff members have met at least one additional time. Kline said that a lot of work on an Obamacare replacement plan was done in the last Congress. “So we’re not starting with a blank piece of paper,” he said. “On the other hand, we’re looking at this specifically at what to do as a result of that [Supreme Court] decision. We’re a little early.” A ruling that eliminates the subsidies could have huge political implications in states that will be pivotal to Republican efforts to win the White House and maintain control of the Senate in 2016. Subsidies could be eliminated in Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, to name a few — all are swing states in the 2016 presidential election with GOP-controlled Senate seats. With Obama and Democratic candidates pushing the issues of income inequality hard heading into next year, top Republicans say they need a robust response to the onslaught of attacks. Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), who could face a tough reelection next year, said that the onus will be on the White House if the law is derailed by the Supreme Court. “As far as I’m concerned, if King v. Burwell is struck down, the White House is the one responsible to say what they’re going to do next,” Burr said. “They’re the ones between a rock and a hard place because this is their plan.” The Justice Department has argued in its briefs to the court that a ruling against the administration would result in about 5 million people losing subsidies and immediately seeing higher insurance costs. That would lead to significant chaos in the state insurance markets, the administration said, which would likely be overrun by the most sick customers. The White House won’t talk publicly about any contingency plan of its own. Allied health care groups say they don’t see a quick fix if the court strikes the subsidies. Alexander stressed that even if the court rules against the administration, states that did not establish an exchange would still have the option to reverse their decision. Doing so would allow the subsidies to go to their residents once again. Plus, it could relieve Republicans on Capitol Hill from voting to put Obamacare back together. “There are 5 million people who could be affected by this, but everyone single one of them can keep the insurance and keep the subsidy if their state decides to create an exchange,” Alexander said. “What we’re talking about is if there’s any additional action to take here.” Still, many states may decide against implementing their own exchanges. And even if they did, the process could take months or years to complete. It’s extremely expensive and difficult, as a number of states whose exchanges failed learned last year. What Republicans on Capitol Hill would do in the interim remains an open question. “This is what we’re talking about — probably every week — as to what the Republican response should be,” said Sen. Dean Heller, a Republican from the swing state of Nevada. “I’d vote tomorrow to repeal the law, don’t get me wrong. But I also understand our limitations as a caucus with a sitting president and not having the votes necessary to override a veto. So you have to be pragmatic about this in your direction.”

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GOP chairmen to lead task force to develop Obamacare alternative Three powerful committee chairmen — including Rep. Paul Ryan — will lead a working group to develop an alternative to Obamacare, the House Republicans’ most serious attempt thus far to develop their health care reform package, according to GOP sources. Ryan of Wisconsin, chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, will work with Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton of Michigan and Education and Workforce Chairman John Kline of Minnesota to develop the health care plan. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California will unveil the task force this afternoon, GOP sources said. Story Continued Below The trio of GOP chairmen will also develop a strategy for Republicans if the Supreme Court strikes down the Obamacare subsidies as part of the King v. Burwell case. That decision is expected to come down this summer. Republicans have long been criticized for endless attempts to repeal the health care law without a plan to replace it. In fact, next week, the GOP will again pass a bill to repeal President Barack Obama’s signature legislative achievement, although this time it will include instructions to committees to develop a replacement. McCarthy has been talking for years with key lawmakers about what a Republican health care plan should look like. Republicans have always complained about what they call “top down” mandates outlined in Obamacare, especially provisions that impact small businesses. They have pitched “market driven” alternatives. Last Congress, then-Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) tried to push committee chairs to develop an alternative, but the committee leaders and key lawmaker clashed. But this year, McCarthy and Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) are keenly aware that the Supreme Court could undermine the Affordable Care Act, and they want to have an alternative in place. The House GOP is seriously split on almost every issue, and it’s an open question as to whether they’ll be able to coalesce around any plan. Ryan’s involvement in the group does give Republicans some home — he’s been able to persuade the GOP to follow his plans on numerous occasions. The King v. Burwell case centers on whether consumers in states with federally run health-care exchanges can receive subsidies for their plans. If the high court rules against the Obama administration, millions of consumers could lose tax credits, jeopardizing their health coverage.

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Democrats filibuster Department of Homeland Security bill As expected, Senate Democrats blocked a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday — protesting GOP-written provisions that would gut years of the Obama administration’s directives on immigration. The unanswered question remains: What comes next? Story Continued Below Top Republicans strongly indicated that they’ll try to bring up the House-passed DHS funding bill again after it failed to advance on a 51-48 vote Tuesday, but they offered little clarity on how the new GOP-led Congress will ultimately produce legislation that doesn’t prompt a veto threat from the White House. Indeed, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) re-filed cloture on the same bill Tuesday night — a rare procedural move that would effectively allow three more votes to advance the DHS measure and force Democrats to repeatedly block the legislation. House Republicans have been pushing McConnell to hold multiple votes, and he seems to recognize that he needs to show House conservatives that virtually no bill can pass the Senate if it hamstrings the president’s immigration policies. “I think we’ll give them an opportunity to vote on that more than one time,” John Thune of South Dakota, the third-ranking Senate Republican, said before the vote. “Just using the procedural rules to keep us from even debating it I think is just – I mean it’s just a disservice to people who care deeply about this issue on both sides.” During a weekly party lunch on Tuesday, Republicans engaged in a long and robust discussion about next options — but they reached no consensus on how to proceed. A number of senators argued that Democrats were in an untenable position by blocking Homeland Security funding — and would eventually cave. Others said it made little sense to push the matter to the brink when the GOP didn’t have the votes to overcome a filibuster, much less a veto. McConnell offered little information about his thinking, senators said. In the room, the two wings of the party seemed to agree on one fallback option: Limit the immigration rider so it targets only the post-election executive action that President Barack Obama took last fall. That would mean dropping the House’s attack on a 2012 directive that deferred deportations for people brought illegally to the country at a young age. Both moderate Maine Sen. Susan Collins and conservative Texas Sen. Ted Cruz seemed on board with that approach, several senators said. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, a New Hampshire Republican who could face a tough reelection bid, agreed with limiting the immigration rider to the 2014 policy. “It was far more narrow and thus I think arguably more consistent with the executive authority that the president has,” Collins said of the 2012 directive called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. “But the 2014 order is not even a close call.” But multiple senior Senate Democratic aides quickly panned that proposal. McConnell has to marshal at least half a dozen Democratic votes to clear legislation through his chamber — yet Democrats don’t plan to give McConnell any votes for a measure short of a so-called clean bill to fund DHS through the end of the fiscal year. To underscore that point, Senate Democrats held a news conference earlier Tuesday at Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters — flanked by Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and FEMA administrator Craig Fugate — to demand a funding bill for DHS with no riders that would override Obama’s actions on immigration. Johnson was also on the Hill on Tuesday, stopping by the Senate Democrats’ lunch to talk about funding for his department. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) dismissed Republican arguments that Democrats should take up the bill to change it, saying: “That’s like haggling over the price of ransom with hostage-takers.” GOP senators have said little publicly on what their fallback strategy would be when the House-passed DHS funding bill met an inevitable death in the Senate. The possibilities that have been mulled include short-term funding measures, a lawsuit challenging Obama’s actions and the passage of border-security legislation — although that last option has been panned by some conservatives who suspect that it would be a gateway to broader immigration legislation. The legislation that Democrats blocked Tuesday passed the GOP-controlled House in January. It would give $39.7 billion to DHS, whose funding is scheduled to run out Feb. 27 under a deadline that Congress set so that the new Republican majority could litigate Obama’s immigration actions through the must-pass bill. The parties have little disagreement on the funding levels for DHS, but Republicans are insisting on provisions that would effectively gut years of Obama’s actions on immigration — including a 2012 initiative that has shielded more than 600,000 young undocumented immigrants from deportation and given them work permits, and actions last fall that would expand the same protections to millions of more immigrants who are here illegally but have children who are U.S. citizens or green-card holders. The House plan would also override a series of immigration enforcement directives dating back to 2011. Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) broke with his party to filibuster the legislation, along with all Senate Democrats. “Instead of addressing the issue of immigration reform comprehensively, the bill before us today only includes language that complicates the process of finding a solution,” he said in a statement. Senate Republicans have also tried to pressure several moderate Democratic senators who have publicly criticized Obama’s immigration actions, but who have indicated they won’t vote with the GOP to overturn them. In the House, Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) singled out moderate Senate Democrats such as Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Joe Donnelly of Indiana who opposed the unilateral actions last year but are calling for a clean funding bill this year. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) said those moderate Democrats are the “part of the palace guard that protects the president and his unlawful act.” “That’s precisely what it amounts to,” Sessions added. “A palace guard circling around the White House to protect the president, even though members of this Senate have said he overreached and what he did was wrong.” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), who also criticized Obama’s actions last fall during her reelection bid, said those positions were not inconsistent. She said Congress shouldn’t have an immigration-focused battle tied to funding for a key department. “The issue that I’m arguing is not the president’s executive action,” Shaheen, who is now the top Democrat on the panel in charge of DHS funding, said Tuesday — a point underscored by McCaskill. “If you want to have a fight about that, let’s have an immigration debate.” One Republican said there was really no plan beyond having another vote to show the House that the bill won’t pass. “Don’t you love vision?” the senator said with a laugh.

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House GOP releases February agenda House Republicans will vote on repealing Obamacare next week, but this time the legislation will include “instructions” for committees to craft an GOP alternative. In a memo sent to Republicans on Thursday, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) laid out the agenda for the entire month of February, which will also include making permanent tax breaks for charitable giving and preventing the White House from “coercing states to adopt Common Core standards.” Story Continued Below Nowhere in the memo does it say that the House will take up the two pieces of legislation that it pulled in January: a border security bill and legislation to ban abortions after 20 weeks. Department of Homeland Security funding expires at the end of February, and McCarthy wrote that if the Senate passes a bill different from the House-passed measure — a near certainty — leadership will “be discussing with the Conference the best way to continue to challenge the President’s unconstitutional amnesty.” That debate is likely to dominate the entire month. Seizing on President Barack Obama’s abandoned plan to tax 529 college saving accounts, the House will vote on a Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-Kan.) bill to “unequivocally oppose any plan to tax 529s, which is an outright assault on families trying to save for their children’s education.” Next week, the GOP will also vote on a bill that attempts to “hold agencies accountable for the true cost of federal mandates” by imposing “stricter requirements for how and when federal agencies must disclose the cost of federal mandates and equips both Congress and the public with tools to determine the true costs of regulations.”

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Judiciary to Loretta Lynch: Expect a grilling Loretta Lynch will set off the first major confirmation battle of the new GOP-led Senate when she goes before the Judiciary Committee this week. But the attorney general nominee also presents Republicans with a challenge — finding a way to express their ire at the Obama administration without going too far. The 55-year-old federal prosecutor will face many potential minefields when she goes before the committee on Wednesday, with senators set to grill her on issues like immigration, terrorism, war, marijuana laws and the limits of executive power. Story Continued Below But she’s also a polished, experienced lawyer who would be the nation’s first black female attorney general. Top Republicans concede she’s likely to be confirmed — unless she messes up. “I don’t think senators have to approach it differently, but I think we have to always be courteous,” said Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), a senior member of the Judiciary Committee. He added: “I think tough questions are right and we ought to ask tough questions. … But I think we should always show respect and restraint with a nomination of any president, whether Republican or a Democrat.” Hatch, the most senior Republican in the chamber, added that he expects Lynch’s nomination to clear the committee and ultimately be confirmed by the full Senate. The two days of hearings will also be the first key test for the committee’s new Republican chairman, Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa — known for his deliberative and thorough style, along with his obsession with congressional oversight of the administration, which he plans to raise in his questions. He also wants to ensure all senators get every last question answered from Lynch. So he’s telling her: Come rested. “Before all the Republicans get done, and maybe even this would include some Democrats, we’re going to have practically everything covered that we want to cover,” the Iowa Republican said in an interview in his Capitol office. “So, except when she needs to take time to rest or eat lunch, you know, we’re going to keep going.” Lynch, who’s now the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, is well respected on both sides of the aisle, but her confirmation fight will almost certainly spiral into a larger war between Republican lawmakers and the White House, especially on the executive actions that President Barack Obama took in November to shield millions of undocumented immigrants from deportation without input from Congress. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) is sure to grill Lynch on whether she thinks Obama’s immigration moves are legally defensible. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) singled out the “abuse of power” at the Internal Revenue Service as a key issue in her confirmation hearing. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a defense hawk and former Air Force attorney, plans to question Lynch on matters of war. And Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) wants to ask about Operation Streamline, a Justice Department initiative that essentially fast-tracks prosecutions of illegal border crossings en masse. Flake and fellow Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain have credited Operation Streamline with helping to bolster security at the border in Yuma County, Arizona, but federal officials have recently scaled back some prosecutions under the program. Sessions echoed conservatives’ view that the Justice Department has become too politicized under outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder. And Grassley said he has questions about prosecutorial discretion — for instance, the Justice Department’s decision in 2013 to not challenge state laws that allow for marijuana use. “There’s got to be prosecutorial discretion, and you probably don’t have the resources to prosecute every crime,” Grassley said. “But you surely don’t tell your enemies what you’re going to prosecute or not prosecute.” Lynch is also up against the wildly diverse personalities on Judiciary, packed with longtime Senate institutionalists, firebrand tea party favorites, two new Republican freshmen and at least one senator — Cruz — who’s aggressively eyeing a much broader national stage. “The only way I can manage is to make sure they don’t exceed their time,” Grassley said of how he plans to oversee how the hearings are run. “And if they ask a question, be humane in … how you ask the question and give people a chance to respond, and if they’re responding, let them answer it.” Many of these issues have already surfaced in Lynch’s private sessions with senators — a meet-and-greet effort that began not long after she was announced by Obama as his attorney general pick in November. The prosecutor’s charm offensive has wound its way through all corridors of the Senate since she began the meetings early last month. Her courtesy visits have included conservative Senate Republicans such as Cruz and David Vitter of Louisiana — who proclaimed he would vote against Lynch even before he sat down with her — as well as liberals like Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and her home-state supporters, Democratic Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand. She was still doing those visits as late as Thursday, when she was on the Hill for meetings with Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Majority Whip John Cornyn of Texas — both members of the Judiciary Committee. Tillis said he was headed into the private discussion with an “open mind.” In advance of the hearings this week, Hatch, Graham and Flake were largely seen as potential votes in favor of Lynch’s confirmation, while Sessions, Cruz, Vitter, Cornyn and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) were being viewed as “no” votes, according to multiple Senate aides and a review of the senators’ public statements. Less clear were how Grassley, Tillis and Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) would ultimately vote, according to the aides. But Tillis could be inclined to vote in favor of Lynch, who hails from North Carolina. “I think she’s a good choice,” Graham said. “She seems to me to be a very qualified person. But you know, she’s got to perform well.” Added Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy, who chaired the committee when Democrats were in power: “She’ll be confirmed overwhelmingly.” Much of the drama on her nomination has played out separately from Lynch herself, as the administration and Grassley’s staff sparred over what White House officials saw as the Senate’s unnecessary delay in considering her. Earlier this month, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Lynch’s nomination merited prompt consideration, arguing that she “deserves a lot better treatment than she’s currently receiving.” He called on the Senate to confirm Lynch before Congress’ first recess of the year, which is the week of Feb. 16. That looks unlikely to happen. Grassley and his spokeswoman, Beth Levine, predicted that Lynch may not even see a committee vote before the mid-February break, due to multiple procedural hurdles. For instance, senators would need time to submit questions for the record, which means the earliest a vote on her nomination could appear on the committee’s agenda would presumably be Feb. 12. Then her nomination would almost certainly be delayed an additional week, since committee rules allow any one senator to ask for the vote to be held over. With the Senate’s current 51-vote threshold for most nominations, including hers, and expected unanimous support from Democrats, Lynch would need only a handful of Republicans to push her over the confirmation finish line once she gets to the floor. Other Senate Republicans not on Judiciary, such as McCain and Deb Fischer of Nebraska, have previously indicated they are inclined to support her, barring an unforeseen twist. “I’m one who believes the president should have his people unless they are unqualified and there’s some extenuating circumstance,” Flake said. “I haven’t seen that yet.” Vitter appears to be the only declared vote against Lynch so far, but other committee Republicans were strictly noncommittal when asked about her. Lee said only: “We’re going to have a look at her at the hearing.” Some Senate Republicans, who, like their House colleagues, have had an antagonistic relationship with the current attorney general, are particularly careful in considering how they will approach Lynch’s confirmation. “I supported Attorney General Holder,” Sessions said. “And I’m still getting complaints about it.”

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GOP senators block Ted Cruz move to hold up Loretta Lynch vote Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s strategy of blocking a vote on President Barack Obama’s attorney general nominee until the White House relents on immigration executive actions ran into a brick wall Wednesday: his own GOP colleagues. Republican senators dismissed Cruz’s proposal for denying Loretta Lynch a confirmation vote in the Judiciary Committee and on the Senate floor as part of the Texas firebrand’s strategy to use “every procedural tool” at the Senate’s disposal to override Obama’s actions, which could affect nearly 5 million undocumented immigrants. Story Continued Below Disagreement with Cruz’s latest tactic was voiced by Republicans who both support and oppose Lynch’s nomination to succeed Attorney General Eric Holder, and came despite the fact that other ways of expressing GOP opposition to the immigration moves have hit roadblocks. “Republicans have been complaining about Eric Holder for a long time; this is an opportunity to make that change,” said Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), who plans to vote for Lynch. “I don’t think we should delay it at all. I think we ought to get her over there and get her working.” Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, Cruz’s home-state colleague, announced Wednesday that he’ll oppose Lynch’s nomination based on her testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee supporting Obama’s sweeping immigration moves, as well as other Obama administration policies. But Lynch getting a vote should not hinge on Obama’s executive actions, Cornyn said: “I would not couple those two, personally.” And Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), asked about Cruz’s effort, responded: “That’s not my position.” Flake has also said that he will support Lynch. “The president ought to get his people as long as there’s no disqualifying substance there, and I don’t think there is with her.” Congressional Republicans upset with Obama’s unilateral immigration actions have looked for different venues to litigate that fight – including nominations and, currently, a high-stakes battle over funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which houses the agencies that will oversee the actions. Several Republicans have expressed opposition to Lynch based on her view that the immigration policies Obama issued last fall were legal and constitutional. Among the Senate Republicans set to oppose her are Cruz, Cornyn, Jeff Sessions of Alabama, David Vitter of Louisiana and Mike Lee of Utah. Still, Lynch should have enough votes to clear the committee. The committee vote on Lynch is not expected until after the mid-February congressional recess, which could bring her nomination to the Senate floor in early March. The Senate is locked in a stalemate over the DHS funding bill because Republicans are pushing to block Obama’s immigration actions through the must-pass legislation — a move vigorously opposed by Democrats. So Cruz on Tuesday laid out his proposal for Lynch as a way to offer another avenue for Republicans to express outrage over Obama’s unilateral actions, which would grant protections from deportations and work permits for millions who are here illegally. But it’s not going anywhere. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has said Lynch will “absolutely” get a vote in the Senate and declined to comment further Wednesday. A GOP aide said that Lynch’s confirmation track will proceed separately from the immigration battle, given the long history of the Senate granting votes on the president’s cabinet-level nominees. Some senators were noncommittal about Cruz’s plan. Sessions, who has allied with Cruz on several key immigration battles in the Senate, said he hadn’t thought through the Texas Republican’s idea and declined to endorse it one way or the other. “The nominee publicly supports and says she would defend actions by the president that I think is unlawful, so that raises real questions, and people can see it in different ways,” he said. “So I respect Senator Cruz; I think the Congress does have the power of confirmation, but it should weigh it carefully.” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), a member of the Judiciary Committee who said Wednesday he was still undecided on whether to back Lynch, indicated in a brief interview that he still wants to see the confirmation process move along for the federal prosecutor. “A part of what we’ve talked about here is getting back to moving things and having people have an opportunity to vote,” he said. “We should go through the process, regardless of how a member may feel about the confirmation.” Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was more blunt when asked about Cruz’s tactical suggestion: “I don’t think that works.” “I don’t think they’re connected,” McCain continued. “I think we have an advise and consent role, and she should be judged on her merits or demerits.”

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Main course at bipartisan Senate lunch: Good vibes Dozens of senators put a week of bitterly partisan votes behind them Wednesday — if only to spend a few minutes enjoying a plate of Maine lobster and the company of someone on the other side of the aisle. The Senate held a rare bipartisan lunch in between failed attempts to fund the Department of Homeland Security past Feb. 27. No progress was made on the issue at hand or any other legislation during the meal, but that wasn’t the point, organizers said. “This will produce some real results as we yearn — both parties — to work together for the better of the country,” said Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, who put on the lunch with Republican Sens. John Thune of South Dakota, Jeff Flake of Arizona and Susan Collins and Maine, and Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico. Story Continued Below “This is a step that doesn’t seem, maybe, as consequential as it will be in terms of bringing us together,” Schumer added. Inside the stately Kennedy Caucus Room, senators were required to sit next to a member of the opposite party as they dined on lobster, Virginia ham sandwiches and Maine blueberry pie for dessert. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) kicked things off, then turned things over to those who remember the Golden Age of the Senate: people raising their families together in Washington and making lifelong cross-party relationships that led to deal-making in a chamber that requires bipartisanship to pass legislation. “A lot of warm, fuzzy speechmaking,” deadpanned GOP Sen. Mike Crapo of Idaho after the lunch. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) spoke of working with Ted Kennedy. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) reminisced on the days when nominations weren’t a partisan exercise. The Senate’s rookie class of 2016 then spoke, represented by Sens. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), James Lankford (R-Okla.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.). Moore described first meeting Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) in the 1970s, when he showed up to install carpet at her new house. That’s precisely the kind of longtime relationship senators should have these days, said Heinrich and Flake, who hatched the bipartisan lunch while they spent time together on a deserted island for a reality TV show. “The point of these luncheons is that they really do lead people to figure out where they have common ground,” said Heinrich. “If you don’t have those relationships, if you don’t have that trust, you’ll never get there on that front.” All four organizers vowed to hold another lunch, perhaps as early as March, they told reporters in an upbeat news conference. Maybe then they will get into the substantive issues beyond the “getting to know you” stage, they said. “We did not get into these substantive issues, whether it’s [Benjamin] Netanyahu, DHS funding,” said Schumer. Indeed, one cheery lunch did little to ease the chamber’s tense week. Minutes later, Democrats blocked a hard-line GOP immigration proposal, leaving DHS funding in doubt.

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Obama says he wants presidential library in Chicago At an event in Washington last Saturday, President Obama told members of the Chicago Tribune editorial board that he hopes his presidential library is built in the city where his political career took off. "I hope it goes to Chicago," he said. The Barack Obama Foundation was slated to announce the location of the library by the end of the month, but the president told the Tribune that there have been "some entanglements." Mr. Obama did not elaborate, though the city is still debating the proposed library plans. On Wednesday, Chicago's city council will vote on a plan to transfer about 20 acres of public parkland to the city, should the University of Chicago win the bid to host Mr. Obama's library.The University of Chicago, where Mr. Obama used to teach, is considered the frontrunner for the bid. The school is competing against Columbia University in New York City and the University of Hawaii in Honolulu. The University of Illinois at Chicago has also bid for the library, though the two Chicago universities recently held a "unity breakfast" to show that they want the library to land in their city, regardless of which school hosts it. Meanwhile, the selection of the library's location has also likely been held up by Chicago's mayoral race, the Tribune noted. Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a close Obama ally, faces off against challenger Jesus "Chuy" Garcia in a runoff election on April 7. The Barack Obama Foundation is expected to announce the library's location after the race.

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Bickering continues on Benghazi panel Democrats and Republicans on the House committee investigating the 2012 terrorist attacks in Benghazi are continuing to clash over Chairman Trey Gowdy’s vision for the panel. The South Carolina Republican on Wednesday informed Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat on the panel, he plans to move forward with nearly two dozen subpoena requests for State Department witnesses, according to a letter released by Cummings’ office. Story Continued Below The subpoenas were quickly criticized by the the five Democrats as an “unnecessary and abusive plan.” Separately, Gowdy outlined the rules for the 10-month-old committee, taking a jab at Democrats over what Republicans have argued is an unwillingness to move forward with the investigation. “I am unwilling to let the minority party veto subpoenas when it is clear they have prejudged the outcome of the investigation,” said Gowdy. “The minority has repeatedly indicated it is unwilling to issue any subpoenas. If subpoenas are necessary for the committee to talk to relevant witnesses or access relevant documents, they will be issued.” The melee between Gowdy and Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat on the panel, follows a testy hearing Tuesday where both sides accused the other of needlessly politicizing the lethal attacks by Islamic extremists in Libya for political gain. Republicans argued that Democrats are not taking the investigation seriously enough while the five minority members have accused the GOP lawmakers on the panel of taking a page from the playbook of former Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa. “Exercising your unilateral subpoena authority in this manner is exactly the type of abuse Democrats warned about when the Select Committee was formed because it was exactly the type of abuse we witnessed repeatedly from Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa,” the Democrats wrote. Notice of the 22 impending subpoenas came the same day as the State Department told Gowdy they could meet “as soon as today” to schedule witnesses to appear before the panel. Republicans are requesting a broad swath of State Department employees, many who are involved in the Justice Department prosecution case or who are stationed abroad, making it a complex task to secure their appearances. The witness list request by Gowdy has not been made public but former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is expected to appear before the panel. Cummings said Tuesday she has verbally agreed to testify. The Democrats on the panel are asking for the committee to vote on the subpoenas before they are issued. With seven Republican members on the panel, the vote would certainly pass but would then be in the public record. In his notice on the rules of the committee, Gowdy also further clarified what he views as the scope of the select committee, including “security decisions and military posture prior to the attack,” the White House’s response to the attack, and the Justice Department case against the perpetrators.” The investigation has yielded nearly 40,000 documents from the Obama administration, but Republicans say they are awaiting thousands more.

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Keep immigration riders off DHS bill, all Senate Dems say All the Senate Democrats have a message for Republicans on funding for the Department of Homeland Security: Give us a clean bill. In a letter to be released later Tuesday, the Senate Democratic Caucus will press Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to put up a funding bill for DHS free of provisions rolling back President Barack Obama’s executive actions on immigration or other controversial riders. Story Continued Below The fact that all members of the Senate Democratic Caucus are endorsing a clean funding bill is critical, since McConnell will need the aid of at least half a dozen Democrats to advance any legislation. In the letter, Senate Democrats also ruled out other potential Plan B’s for the DHS bill, such as passing a series of short-term funding measures – also highly opposed by Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson. “While we agree our current immigration system needs comprehensive reform, including border security enhancements, this appropriations bill is not the place for this debate,” the Senate Democrats wrote in the letter to McConnell, provided to POLITICO in advance of its release. The Republican-led House passed a funding measure for DHS earlier this month that would override Obama’s executive actions. That legislation has prompted a veto threat from the White House and almost would certainly fail to advance in the Senate. “In light of recent events in Paris, Ottawa and Australia, the threat of ISIS and the proliferation of foreign fighters that return home radicalized, DHS funding should not be tied to divisive political issues that could jeopardize this critical funding,” Democrats said. McConnell told reporters Tuesday that the DHS funding bill will come to the Senate floor next week, after senators finish work on the Keystone XL pipeline legislation. “I think we should do everything we can to persuade at least a half a dozen Democrats that they should join us to get this done,” said Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), a member of McConnell’s leadership team. “Sometimes you don’t know how these legislative battles go if you don’t have them, and we intend to have this one.” The Democrats’ letter was spearheaded by New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the panel that oversees DHS funding, and Maryland Sen. Barbara Mikulski, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee. The only Senate Democrat not to formally sign on is Harry Reid, the caucus’ leader, who stressed again last week that lawmakers must pass a Homeland Security funding bill with no strings attached. Funding for DHS runs through Feb. 27. “The message we are sending today is clear: We should not play politics with critical homeland security resources that keep our country safe,” Shaheen said. Several Senate Democrats also took to the floor Tuesday morning to demand a clean funding bill for the department, which was the only agency slapped with short-term funding under the broader appropriations measure that Congress passed in December.

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John Boehner calls out Ted Cruz, Jeff Sessions on immigration feud The intraparty Republican warfare is beginning. In a sign of the tension between the Republican House and Senate, Speaker John Boehner challenged firebrand GOP Sens. Ted Cruz and Jeff Sessions on Tuesday to craft legislation to block President Barack Obama’s executive actions on immigration, the boldest sign of the otherwise below-the-surface friction between the two chambers. Story Continued Below After a closed House Republican meeting, Boehner (R-Ohio) said his chamber has “won this fight,” but he added that the “fight must be won in the United States Senate.” “It’s time for Sen. Cruz and Sen. Sessions and Senate Republicans and Senate Democrats to stand with the American people and to block the president’s actions,” Boehner said. Cruz later said he hadn’t seen Boehner’s remarks and wouldn’t comment on them. The tension has bubbled to the surface hours before the Senate takes its first set of votes on House-passed legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security while gutting Obama’s executive actions on immigration. The Senate is not expected to pass the bill, and the Senate will have to find a way to approve funding legislation before the Feb. 27 deadline. Some Republicans have expressed doubt about the deadline. Boehner’s comments reflect the closed-door feeling in House leadership about Cruz and Sessions. They have both blamed the House for bending in legislative debates, and Boehner’s leadership team now wants Cruz (R-Texas) and Sessions (R-Ala.) to find a way out of this pickle. Boehner also mentioned Democratic Sens. Joe Donnelly of Indiana and Claire McCaskill of Missouri, saying they have criticized Obama’s executive action and that he wondered whether it was “all talk.”

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3 Republicans say no as House again votes Obamacare repeal A trio of Republicans bucked their leadership Tuesday and voted against the GOP’s latest effort to fully repeal Obamacare — the first time any Republican in Congress has ever voted against total repeal. The measure passed 239-186, a margin that largely mirrored the outcome of House Republicans’ three previous bills. This time, however, the party hopes to offer a replacement within the next six months. Story Continued Below Yet it was the three dissenters who attracted the real attention late Tuesday afternoon: John Katko of New York, Bruce Poliquin of Maine and Robert Dold of Illinois. All are in seats held last term by Democrats and likely to be contested hard in 2016. Both Katko and Poliquin said in statements Tuesday that while they did not support the Affordable Care Act, they couldn’t support its repeal without something immediately ready to replace it. “Had Congress voted for the full repeal of Obamacare two years ago, families and small businesses would have been able to adjust to the change. Now, however, more than 60,000 Mainers have invested their time and energy in choosing health care plans that work for their families,” Poliquin said in a statement. He continued, “If Congress fully repeals Obamacare, it must be fully prepared to replace it with a free-market alternative.” The latest vote was the first time lawmakers have weighed in on full repeal since the GOP took control of both chambers of Congress, though the House has already approved several measures aimed at modifying the Affordable Care Act. Republicans have voted on dozens of bills to repeal pieces of the law since 2011. The action gives the House’s several dozen new members the chance to stake out their positions in the ongoing partisan fight over the future of the president’s health reform law. The bill also includes, for the first time, language that would delay repeal for six months to give Republicans an opportunity to offer an alternative package. Democrats cited past votes by Dold, who served in the House from 2011-2013, in favor of repealing the law, along with statements by the freshman Poliquin vowing to do the same. “Congressmen Dold and Poliquin appear to be hoping voters will forget their original pandering on health care,” said Josh Schwerin, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “As we get closer to Election Day, we will see more and more of these chameleon votes.” No Democrat crossed party lines to support Tuesday’s legislation. In the end, the latest vote will remain largely symbolic. Republicans in the Senate are expected to address Obamacare within the next several months, but a full-scale repeal bill has little chance of clearing that chamber’s 60-vote threshold. President Barack Obama has also made it clear he will veto any repeal or significant roll-back of his signature health legislation. “In addition to taking away Americans’ health care security, the bill would increase the deficit, [and] remove policies that have helped slow health care cost growth and improve the quality of care patients receive,” the administration said in a statement. “The last thing the Congress should do is refight old political battles and take a massive step backward by repealing basic protections that provide security for the middle class.” During an afternoon event at the White House, Obama also told supporters, “I don’t know if it’s the 55th or the 60th time that [the House is] taking this vote, but I’ve asked this question before: Why is it this would be at the top of their agenda?” Senate leadership has indicated it will kick off Obamacare debate with a noncontroversial bill aimed at exempting veterans from the law’s employer mandate counts, although Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Monday introduced legislation aimed at total repeal. On three other full-repeal votes, between two and five House Democrats crossed party lines to support the measures, but those moderates have since left office. The House last voted on full repeal in May 2013. Similar language was included in budget language put forth by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and passed by the House last April. “The Republicans [are] baying at the moon,” Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said on the House floor. “This is something that is not going to work and instead of proposing any, which we’d be welcome to hear, good suggestions they have to improve the Affordable Care Act, they’re baying at the moon [for the] 56th time.”

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Dems give Obama 2 months to reach Iran deal President Barack Obama’s exhaustive lobbying effort with Capitol Hill Democrats is paying off: The party is giving him major breathing room to finish nuclear negotiations with Iran. Senate Democrats, led by Iran hawk Robert Menendez of New Jersey, said Tuesday that they will give Obama two months to reach a deal on the country’s nuclear program before they vote for new sanctions. At the same time, House progressives are urging their colleagues to hold off on moving any legislation that would tighten economic penalties on Iran. Story Continued Below Menendez led a group of at least 10 Senate Democrats who told the president in a letter Tuesday morning that they will not support final passage of a sanctions bill until March 24. That will allow the U.S. and other Western powers time to reach a framework for a deal scaling down Iran’s nuclear program. Obama has said he will veto a sanctions bill if it comes to his desk while negotiators race to reach a deal, arguing that even the conditional sanctions bill being led by Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) would disrupt the fragile talks. In the letter, obtained by POLITICO, the Democrats defended the forthcoming sanctions legislation as “reasonable and pragmatic” given that the economic penalties would kick in only if negotiators fail to reach a final agreement by June 30. But in a major blow to Republicans itching to vote on sanctions perhaps as early as February, the Democrats said they are willing to defer to Obama as negotiators zero in on a March 24 deadline to reach a rough agreement, with hopes of finishing a pact by July. “In acknowledgement of your concern regarding congressional action on legislation at this moment, we will not vote for this legislation on the Senate floor before March 24,” the Democrats wrote. “After March 24, we will only vote for this legislation on the Senate floor if Iran fails to reach agreement on a political framework that addresses all parameters of a comprehensive agreement. This deadline is the critical test of Iranian intentions.” Menendez has been viewed as the key bellwether for Democratic support on new sanctions, and his position along with that of a number of other Democrats ensures that unless negotiations break down in the interim, Congress will not be able to produce veto-proof majorities for new sanctions. Their position could influence Republican leaders to turn to other matters on the Senate floor in the meantime, given that sanctions legislation is unlikely to even break a filibuster as long Democrats are paying Obama deference. Still, Menendez noted in the letter that there is deep skepticism in the president’s party over the ability to actually reach a deal that blunts Iran’s nuclear enrichment program in return for further loosening of some sanctions. “Considering Iran’s history in nuclear negotiations and after two extensions of the Joint Plan of Action, we are concerned that Iran is intentionally extending the negotiations to improve its leverage at the negotiating table,” Menendez and the other Democrats wrote. “We expect that your Administration will consult closely with Members of Congress in the coming months, and look forward to working with you to achieve our shared goal of reversing Iran’s ability to develop a nuclear weapon capability.” The New Jersey Democrat announced the letter in a Senate Banking hearing on Tuesday as the panel speeds toward a vote on Kirk’s sanctions bill on Thursday. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) has said repeatedly that it’s full speed ahead on a committee vote. Separately, House Democrats are also pushing their colleagues not to enact Iran sanctions. Reps. Keith Ellison of Minnesota, Raúl Grijalva of Arizona and Barbara Lee of California sent a letter Tuesday to the chairmen and ranking members of the Senate Banking Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee, arguing that new sanctions would derail the talks. “Enacting new sanctions legislation now undermines the efforts of the P5+1 and is contrary to a peaceful solution,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter obtained by POLITICO. “Given the sensitive timing, Congressional action should reflect support for a negotiated settlement over the Iranian nuclear dispute rather than pushing legislation that could take us off the negotiating track and escalate towards war.” The House progressives added that a “diplomatic solution to preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon is in the best interest of U.S. national security.” The comments from Lee, a leading anti-war advocate, and Grijalva and Ellison, the co-chairs of the House’s progressive caucus, put a marker down for House Democrats on a sanctions bill. The conference has been relatively quite on the merits of moving forward with sanctions during the negotiations. Ellison, Grijalva and Lee all voted against the 2013 Iran sanctions bill, which passed the House 400 to 20.

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What insiders expect from Ash Carter's hearing A candidate for Senate confirmation can have many advantages — familiarity with Congress, issue expertise and long service in the public arena — but that doesn’t mean Ash Carter’s confirmation hearing will be a walk in the park. Just ask Chuck Hagel. Story Continued Below For many in Washington, from the White House on down, the outgoing defense secretary never fully overcame a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing in which he struggled to describe the Obama administration’s positions, walked back some of his previous statements and explained his views on complex issues. At the time, some committee members said it was the worst confirmation hearing they’d ever seen. The man President Barack Obama has nominated to replace Hagel is a former deputy defense secretary who is deeply familiar with Congress and the complexity of myriad defense issues — and has worked both in the public and academic arenas. Although his aides are careful not to criticize Hagel or his hearing, they made clear Carter wants to be ready. “Dr. Carter has met and continues to meet with senators on the SASC prior to his confirmation hearing on Wednesday,” said one senior defense official involved with the confirmation. “Outside of his Hill meetings, Dr. Carter has met numerous current and former DOD officials related to a variety of issues relevant to the Pentagon.” Specific areas of preparation include the fiscal 2016 budget due out Monday — which Carter, and not Hagel, is set to formally present to the committee — as well as the war in Iraq and Syria against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Some of the defense veterans helping Carter with his transition include Arnold Punaro, a former Marine major general and Senate Armed Services Committee staff director who now heads the National Defense Industrial Association, and Army Maj. Gen. Ron Lewis, its chief of public affairs. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations Mike Lumpkin is heading up Carter’s transition team. One key strategy is Hill time. Carter has been methodically checking off Armed Services Committee members from Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) and ranking member Jack Reed (D-R.I.) to newcomers such as Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.). So far, the sessions appear to have been going well; several senators or their staff members have hailed Carter’s qualifications. “He’s a pro,” Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) told POLITICO. “He knows the building well.” And Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said there was no question Carter would fare better than Hagel. “The bar is low,” Graham said. McCain even gave Carter a special shoutout at a hearing on Wednesday to warn about the dangers of sequestration. The automatic, across-the-board budget restrictions due to return next fiscal year, unless Congress acts, are not because of an “emergency or a recession” or because they’re “the answer to our nation’s fiscal challenge,” as McCain quoted Carter saying at an earlier hearing. “It’s not because paths of revenue growth and entitlement spending have been explored and exhausted. It’s purely the collateral damage of political gridlock,” Carter had said. McCain seems certain to ask Carter to condemn sequestration again in those kinds of terms. And committee members will also be listening for at least two other key points, said Kathleen Hicks, a former principal deputy undersecretary of defense who’s now a senior vice president with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. First, “that [Carter] is committed to a real relationship with Congress and that he will do his part to try to overcome the partisanship that is dividing Washington,” Hicks said. He “will expect them to do the same, particularly in order to lift sequestration and get to sensible solutions for defense,” she said. Second, Hicks said, “that he will always provide his honest and unflinching counsel to the president and will advocate for the chiefs and the chairman to do the same.” Carter’s independence as secretary could be a major issue. Republicans have said they want the confirmation hearing to be less about the nominee and more about the president’s shortcomings, as critics call them, on national security crises around the world. Between those crises and the widely discussed “micromanagement” of the Pentagon by Obama and his White House national security team, conservatives have portrayed Hagel, and more recently Carter, as victims to be pitied. Panel members at the conservative Heritage Foundation recently called it “baffling” that Carter would even want the job. So Carter’s team has reason to be optimistic that he’ll get a better reception than Hagel did. “He’s clearly already gotten these endorsements from Sen. McCain and a bunch of other folks on SASC, and I expect he’ll basically breeze through,” said Shawn Brimley, a former top National Security Council staffer who’s now a vice president with the Center for a New American Security. But one challenge will be for Carter to signal to the committee, the Pentagon and the defense establishment where he wants to focus during the last two years of the Obama administration. “If he’s going to make a real impact on the defense budget, on procurement, on platforms, on priorities, he’s got to do it in the next 12 months — and he’s very well aware of that,” Brimley said. Carter must make decisions on the Air Force’s new Long-Range Strike Bomber, the Navy’s drone program and its replacement for the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines, Brimley said — so people will be listening closely to the nominee during his confirmation hearing for clues about how he might act on them or what other priorities he could set. Another reason for optimism by Carter’s team is the political climate. A quirk of the calendar meant Hagel’s nomination process took place just after Republicans scored a big political victory by blocking Obama’s choice of Susan Rice to replace Hillary Clinton as secretary of state. The atmosphere in Washington was even more poisonous than usual, and the White House wanted to show it was not cowed and pushed the guy it wanted. Republicans welcomed another knife fight and the chance to damage another nominee. That created a difficult climate for anyone, but Hagel did not do enough to help himself, as one former senior defense official told POLITICO. “I think he was expecting a cakewalk, and he actually walked into a bloodbath,” the former official said. The former official, who asked not to be identified, said Hagel was offered several opportunities to face a “murder board,” but he said, “‘I don’t need to do this — I’m a former senator. I won’t have a problem.’” Instead, as it happened, “Hagel was one misstep away from not getting confirmed. In the end he got confirmed, but it was a straight party-line vote — it was not a rousing endorsement. So he started on a difficult foot.” In the end, Hagel was confirmed by the Senate nearly two years ago, 58-41, with four Republicans supporting him. Hagel eventually won over some members of Congress with whom he first struggled. But he could not resist a joke about his dealings with Congress on Wednesday at a “farewell” ceremony attended by the president, Vice President Joe Biden and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey. “I’ve been very fortunate to have you as my partner in this job,” Hagel told Dempsey, “especially during those self-help and educational opportunities called congressional hearings.”

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Obama cranks up trade pitch to Dems President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and a phalanx of top administration officials are making the sales pitch to congressional Democrats for fast-track authority on trade deals. Obama and Biden each made that plea during their appearances at this week’s House Democratic retreat in Philadelphia, which ended Friday. Top White House economic adviser Jeffrey Zients, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker and Labor Secretary Tom Perez have also joined the effort to sway House and Senate Democrats, as well as some skeptical Republicans. Story Continued Below The administration hopes to secure the 30 to 50 Democratic yes votes in the House that might be needed to push a trade bill over the top. But sources have said the White House is still only informally counting votes, and Obama was careful to soften the hard sell during a closed-door meeting with lawmakers here Thursday night. He said the White House “will make [a] substantive case” for a trade deal but won’t “go after folks” or make the vote a “litmus test” for Democrats, according to sources in the room. “We share same values and are looking out for the same people,” Obama said in response to a question from Washington Rep. Derek Kilmer, who said he was still undecided despite his state’s dependence on trade. Obama also pledged to work with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) so that members have better access to the “substance of the agreements,” sources said. Biden also gave a forceful pitch for trade during his closed-door appearance at the retreat Friday. The legislation also has support from the New Democrat Coalition, an alliance of pro-business lawmakers. The group estimates that roughly 30 of its members will ultimately support the fast-track measure, according to a private memo obtained by POLITICO. The coalition isn’t creating a whip team to lobby on-the-fence Democrats, though the group’s chairman, Wisconsin Rep. Ron Kind, said he’s been discussing the merits of trade one-on-one. But a memo circulated by coalition staffers said the group has been urging freshman lawmakers to hold off on signing anti-trade letters from Democratic Reps. Ruben Gallego of Arizona and Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, two leading critics of the proposed deals. “Working with the White House and business community, we were able to keep about half of the Dems (including 4 out of the 5 New Dems) to commit to stay off the letter and give the President a chance to make his case,” the memo said. The “trade promotion authority” legislation would expedite the passage of trade deals by letting Obama submit the final agreements to Congress for an up-or-down vote, without amendments. That authority is viewed as key to wrapping up two giant agreements — the Trans-Pacific Partnership with 11 Asia-Pacific countries, and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership with the 28 nations of the European Union — because other nations would have the assurance that Congress won’t undo any concessions included in the deals. The trade pacts have drawn opposition from liberal groups concerned about their effect on U.S. jobs and wages, labor rights, the environment and intellectual property protections. And House Democrats are deeply divided on giving Obama — or any president — authority to negotiate trade packages without letting Congress amend the terms. Any legislation from Senate Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), top committee Democrat Ron Wyden of Oregon, and House Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) will probably be unveiled in late February. The Finance Committee is expected to first. Hatch said Friday that the fast-track legislation is the country’s “most important tool to open markets.” “The U.S. needs to lead on trade,” Hatch said in a speech to the American Enterprise Institute. “We need to establish rules that hold other nations accountable for their unfair trade practices. And we need to tear down barriers that block our goods from foreign markets. We can only do that if we renew TPA and do so soon.” Both opponents and supporters base much of their case on potential growth for the middle class — an issue central to the House Democrats’ de-facto messaging strategy. Supporters argue that the middle class can’t expand without the economic growth that comes with free trade, while opponents say wages will drop and jobs go overseas if trade deals don’t offer strong protections. “I’m not saying trade is the middle-class issue, but it’s one of the middle-class issues,” said Michigan Rep. Sander Levin, the top Democrat on Ways and Means. He added that members showed “a lot of interest” in fast-track authority during the retreat, following months of discussions in Washington. “This is now the main thing going on,” he said. The debate over trade started early during the retreat. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka railed against the proposals during his headline speech to members Wednesday, and lawmakers held an early-morning panel with DeLauro on trade Thursday. “[The trade proposals are] nothing but a license to continue the same failed trade policies that have emptied America of jobs,” Trumka said, according to sources in the room. “Trade can raise working people up or it can drive us down.” DeLauro’s closed-door panel brought nearly 30 members to debate currency, labor and environmental concerns. A source said the bulk of the lawmakers who spoke expressed support for the administration’s trade proposal. And lawmakers will be hearing more soon. Kind said Lew will head to the Capitol in coming weeks to brief members on trade, following the nearly two years of meetings they’ve had with Pritzker, Perez and U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman. Some lawmakers have complained that the administration’s outreach efforts have been superficial. Levin said administration officials have stopped congressional staff from taking notes on the trade proposals, and lawmakers have been barred from taking paperwork from briefings. Some members also criticized an administration email blast that went out after Obama’s State of the Union address, saying it was too low-key for such a controversial policy. “I wanted to be sure you … saw the latest from the White House — both the State of the Union excerpt and the fact sheet — on the importance of trade agreements to our global competitiveness and economic growth,” an administration official wrote in the email, which was shared with POLITICO. “The President sees these agreements as essential for the U.S. — not China — to set the rules of the road and lead the way by establishing strong environmental, workplace and labor standards.” Kind said Democrats have to make the case that without a strong U.S. presence in the global trade markets, the world economy could turn toward nations like China. “We only have one of three options,” Kind said. “Continue the status quo; have a global trading world with a China rule; or us being at the head of the table. That’s all we got.” He added that no country is willing to risk signing onto a trade deal that is subject to changes from 435 “independent contractors,” and that it’s in Democrats’ interest to keep Republicans from playing politics with Obama-forged deals. “You can complain about TPA all you want, but if you allow a Republican Congress to amend and change … you’re going to end up in a worse position than what you started with,” Kind said. “It doesn’t make sense for a Democratic member to oppose it.” But another Democratic lawmaker who is widely seen as pro-business said he hasn’t been convinced either way on trade. The member said it is hard to stomach accepting trade deals that might benefit large corporations that oppose Democratic priorities. “I try to keep an open mind, at least giving them a chance,” the lawmaker said. “[I’ve had] a few meetings at the White House, and labor has put a lot of pressure on folks, but the other part of it is, it’s tough when you have the Chamber of Commerce and these big companies who are perceived to be benefiting from it who won’t even raise the minimum wage.” The Democratic caucus’ anti-trade leaders are searching for moderates to peel away from the White House. DeLauro approaches New Democrat Coalition members each day Congress is in session to ask where they stand and lobby against the deals, multiple members said. DeLauro said the central argument against the deals is that giving U.S. employers easier access to cheap labor markets could drive down American wages. Speaking after her briefing during the retreat, DeLauro said the party’s focus on “middle-class economics” for the 2016 elections will make it hard to sell lawmakers on accepting trade packages that could hurt U.S. workers. “Congress can no longer give this administration — or any future one — the benefit of the doubt, especially given the scope of this particular deal,” DeLauro said in a statement with Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) earlier this week. “America’s trade policy has not improved the lives of the middle class and leading economists overwhelmingly agree that trade has contributed to the rise in income inequality.” House Democratic leaders say they’re keeping an opening mind but that lawmakers will pay close attention to how wage protections are included in any proposal. Pelosi said Friday that she is searching for a “path to yes.” “I don’t know if that possible,” she said. “[But] I think people are open to listening because we are a party of trade and we understand the global economy. … We will make a judgment based on what impact it has on wages.” The anti-trade caucus is bolstered by conservative Republicans who have no intention of handing Obama even more executive authority. Twenty-two Republicans previously signed a letter circulated by Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) that decried the fast-track option as unconstitutional, and while some have since left Congress, the number of GOP lawmakers skeptical of White House overreach has grown. Many Republican lawmakers have said they first need to see the proposal from the Senate and House committees.

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Barack Obama woos freshman Democrat on trade Democratic leaders in Congress haven’t been too receptive to President Barack Obama’s push for new trade deals — so he’s turning to a freshman. On Tuesday, Obama sent a letter directly to Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), arguing that reaching new trade agreements is the only way to stop China from dominating the global markets and letting its lax standards run the world. Story Continued Below “If they succeed, our competitors would be free to ignore basic environmental and labor standards, giving them an unfair advantage against American workers,” Obama wrote to Gallego, in a letter obtained by POLITICO. “We can’t let that happen. We should write the rules, and level the playing field for the middle class.” Obama’s looking for new fast-track authority to approve deals with Asia and Europe, and both sides say it’s a potential area of agreement between the president and the Republican Congress. But many Democrats on Capitol Hill, and among the president’s labor and progressive base, are already in open revolt. Obama’s trying to bring back at least a few into the fold, making the case in his State of the Union and to House Democrats at their retreat in Philadelphia last month. He’s still engaged with the leadership, but going after the rank-and-file now too in a search for whoever’s ready to work with him and engage in what he sees as a debate over the actual issues, not just politics. “Past trade deals haven’t always lived up to their promise,” Obama wrote to Gallego, , but arguing that he’s tried to improve that over the past six years of his administration. Though there’s reason to be skeptical about new trade deals, Obama wrote to Gallego, “it’s a chance we should take.” Gallego sent a letter to Obama last week that was also signed by fellow freshmen Democratic Reps. Brendan Boyle (Pa.), Mark DeSaulnier (Calif.), Debbie Dingell (Mich.), Brenda Lawrence (Mich.), Ted Lieu (Calif.), Kathleen Rice (N.Y.), Mark Takai (Hawaii) and Bonnie Watson Coleman (N.J.). Only Gallego got a direct response, though the White House sent copies to all the other co-signed. Gallego’s had an unusually Obama-centric entry into Congress. Last month, as part of the president’s State of the Union advance messaging tour, Obama visited a housing development in his district with Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro. On just his second day after being sworn in, Gallego then got a ride back to Washington on Air Force One.

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On first day back, Harry Reid blasts GOP immigration stance Harry Reid praised Mitch McConnell, gave a nod to a nice phone call he’d received from another Republican senator and then got down to business: Ripping apart the Republicans’ plan to take on President Barack Obama’s immigration policy. In his first appearance on the Senate floor since seriously injuring himself during a New Year’s Day workout, the Senate minority leader (D-Nev.) gave a trademark, pugnacious four-and-a-half minute performance on the Senate floor Tuesday. Story Continued Below The bandaged Democrat was “sorry to say” how unimpressed with how long it took Senate Majority Leader McConnell (R-Ky.) to pass a bill approving the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline, praised the “constructive” Democratic minority he now leads and then took aim at this week’s business: A bill that funds the Homeland Security Department but blocks Obama’s actions to shield millions of undocumented immigrants. “Why should we be dealing with issues that have nothing to do with Homeland Security? Nothing to do with Homeland Security?” Reid said. “If my Republican colleagues have some problems with something the president has done on immigration, for example, hit it head on. Don’t hide it in Homeland Security.” Working from home for several weeks since an exercise band snapped during his workout and catapulted him into cabinets, Reid already has his caucus set to block the DHS/immigration bill on Tuesday over opposition to the immigration language inserted by conservatives. As he blasted the proposal passed by the House and now under consideration in the Senate, Reid appeared to be reciting his remarks mostly from memory due to blindness in his right eye stemming from the injury And the message was a familiar one for Reid: There will be no negotiating with Republicans. “We should pass a Homeland Security bill with no strings attached to it. That’s where we’re going to wind up,” Reid said. “We need to get that done and send it to the president in a clean fashion.” Ahead of Reid’s first speech as minority leader in more than eight years, McConnell wished Reid “well in his recovery, which looks as if it’s coming along nicely.” But old habits proved hard to break: McConnell called Reid the “majority leader,” a title that was synonymous with Reid’s name for eight years.

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House Keystone vote likely next week House Republican leadership would like to vote next week on the Senate’s bill to jump-start construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline, which would send it to President Barack Obama’s desk before the Presidents Day recess, multiple senior aides say. Story Continued Below The strategy still has to be discussed with the broader House Republican Conference, and senior aides stress that no final decision has been made. But the emerging strategy is likely to give Obama his first opportunity to veto legislation from a Republican-controlled Capitol Hill — and may push his administration to reach a verdict on the pipeline itself more quickly than expected. There’s a chance House Republicans will want to go to a formal negotiation with the Senate to resolve the differences in their Keystone bills, but top aides worry about a prolonged negotiation. Eight federal agencies must offer their comments on the State Department’s review of the $8 billion Alberta-to-Texas pipeline proposal by Monday, nudging Obama ever closer to a final decision that could come as soon as this month. After other agencies weigh in on Keystone, “it’s in our hands for me to make a recommendation to send to the president, the president to make a decision at some point in the future,” Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters at a Saturday appearance in Boston with his Canadian and Mexican counterparts. The president has no binding deadline to rule on a border-crossing permit for Keystone, a top priority of Republicans and the business lobby that environmentalists have spent copious political capital opposing. The White House has vowed to veto Congress’ attempt to green-light the pipeline without Obama, writing last month that it “conflicts with longstanding executive branch procedures regarding the authority of the president.” But if House Republicans can send Keystone to Obama’s desk by mid-month, the White House is likely to get even more pressure to define its time frame for a decision — especially since Congress is poised to push the pipeline back across the capital later this year, attached to must-pass legislation such as spending bills.

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Adviser to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker resigns after bashing Iowa Liz Mair, an adviser to Gov. Scott Walker's political action committee (PAC), resigned late Tuesday after coming under fire for writing disparaging things about Iowa on Twitter. It was a quick road to ruin: Mair only told CNN on Monday that she was hired to handle online communication for Walker's PAC. Mair has a history of punchy commentary on social media. But when she fixed her sights on Iowa, the site of the first presidential nominating contest, she quickly became a liability for Walker, who's likely to mount a 2016 bid. During a forum for 2016 hopefuls hosted by Iowa Rep. Steve King, an ardent opponent of immigration reform, Mair tweeted her dismay about the event and criticized Iowa's leading role in the primary process. "In other news, I see Iowa is once again embarrassing itself, and the GOP, this morning," She wrote. "Thanks, guys."She quickly added, "The sooner we remove Iowa's frontrunning status, the better off American politics and policy will be." Several days earlier, Mair weighed in on agricultural subsidies - a hot-button issue that divides many Iowa Republicans from national conservatives. The subsidies are opposed by fiscal hawks who see them as a form of corporate welfare, but they're hotly defended by the Iowan farmers who benefit from them. "Morons across America are astounded to learn that people from *IOWA* grow up rather government-dependent. #agsubsidies #ethanol #brainless," Mair wrote.The criticism didn't sit well with state GOP officials. "It's obvious she doesn't have a clue what Iowa's all about," state Republican chairman Jeff Kaufmann said, according to the New York Times. "I find her to be shallow and ignorant...and I'll tell you, if I was Governor Walker, I'd send her her walking papers." "We play nice in Iowa," added Sherill Whisenand, a co-chairwoman of the Polk County GOP. "That's like slapping someone down who's in your home." Cody Hoefert, the co-chairman of the state party, said he found Mair's criticism to be "disgusting and repulsive." After the deluge of criticism, Mair submitted her resignation."The tone of some of my tweets concerning Iowa was at odds with that which Gov. Walker has always encouraged in political discourse," Mair said in a statement, according to the Associated Press. "I wish Gov. Walker and his team all the best." Before too long, though, Mair was back on Twitter, offering an extended explanation that was equal parts contrition and defiance. "Now that I'm off payroll, there are a couple things I'd like to say," she began ominously. Mair insisted she wasn't calling Iowa Republicans "morons" in her post about agricultural subsidies, but rather, the Democrats "who were feigning surprise at an Iowa family having benefited from farm subsidies." She also said she finds some of the anti-immigration rhetoric voiced by Rep. King "embarrassing and factually dubious," and said the fact that King is "held out as the only real force in Iowa and representative of what Iowans think is embarassing [sic] for Iowa." "I was however wrong to implicitly buy into that notion with a couple of quick-fire, snarky tweets," she added. "For my part, yes, I'll try to rein in the snark. I suspect, tho, that for some, that won't be enough bc some don't want to discuss policy." Though it's early in the process, Mair was not the first adviser forced out of a 2016 operation due to past statements on social media. In February, tech consultant Ethan Czahor resigned from former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's super PAC after a series of reports on sexist, racist, and homophobic remarks he'd made over the last several years.

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EPA: Cheap oil raises Keystone’s climate impact The Environmental Protection Agency gave President Barack Obama a road map for rejecting the Keystone XL on Tuesday, warning that the pipeline could drive up production from Canada’s oil sands and worsen climate change. Obama, who is set to veto a bill that would take the decision over the Canada-to-Texas oil link away from the White House, has not indicated whether he’ll ultimately give a green light to the project after six years of study. Story Continued Below But his recent comments on Keystone have shown him to be skeptical of the benefits that its backers say the pipeline would offer the U.S., and the EPA statements could provide him with a policy rationale to deny it the needed permits. In its long-awaited comments on the State Department’s environmental review of Keystone, EPA said State should give “additional weight” to whether the sharp drop in oil prices would increase the pipeline’s environmental impact and stimulate production in the carbon-rich Canadian oil sands. Green groups hailed the EPA comments, which they said provided the White House with enough doubt to deny the project a permit, while pipeline supporters dismissed them as a bid to provide political cover to the president. State had outlined a low oil price scenario in its Keystone review last year — a possibility deemed unlikely until crude prices began their steep swoon last June — saying the rejection of the pipeline could make a notable difference in the production of Alberta’s heavy crude as well as greenhouse gas emissions. “While the overall effect of the project on oil sands production will be driven by long-term movements in the price of oil and not short-term volatility, recent large declines in oil prices (oil was trading at below $50 a barrel last week) highlight the variability of oil prices,” EPA wrote in its comments to State. State had said in its report that the high crude oil prices meant Canada’s oil producers had sufficient market incentive to produce oil and ship it to customers by rail or truck — transportation alternatives that have a higher greenhouse gas impact than a pipeline. Perhaps most important for environmental groups, EPA used four variations on the same word Obama uttered in June 2013 to describe his benchmark for judging the pipeline’s climate impact: “significant.” “Until ongoing efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production of oil sands are more successful and widespread,” EPA wrote in its letter to State, the administration’s environmental review shows that “development of oil sands crude represents a significant increase in greenhouse gas emissions.” Bill McKibben, co-founder of the green group 350.org, welcomed the EPA letter. “It’s always a rare and interesting day when someone from Washington says something accurate and straightforward,” he told reporters on a conference call. The House plans to vote on the Senate version of the Keystone bill next week, senior aides told POLITICO on Monday, which could see the measure that would approve the pipeline reach Obama’s desk by Presidents Day. The White House has said Obama will veto the bill. The EPA letter also praised State for having “strengthened the analysis of oil spill prevention” and responses in its yearold environmental review of Keystone, as well as its inclusion of new measures from pipeline backer TransCanada to alleviate the negative effects of potential leaks. “We have a deep care for the environment and all of the unique habitats and resources along all of our energy infrastructure corridors, and we work tirelessly to minimize the impact of our operations on all of them,” TransCanada spokesman Shawn Howard said in a statement on the EPA letter, noting that “many parts of it are positive.” “No single entity or group has a monopoly on caring for the environment, and our track record speaks for itself,” he added. Anthony Swift, an attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council, acknowledged that EPA did point to areas “where State has improved,” but he said the comments generally depict Keystone’s environmental impact as ample and negative. The oil industry did not disagree. Louis Finkel, executive vice president for government affairs at the American Petroleum Institute,slammed the EPA letter in a statement as “politics as usual” and “just another attempt to prolong the KXL review.” API’s Cindy Schild said in an interview that Obama has “got his political cover here if he wants it” to reject Keystone on global warming grounds. But she also noted that the administration’s estimate that Canada’s oil sands have a 17 percent higher carbon footprint compared to other crude oil sources had been contested by other, industry-backed studies. And she pointed to EPA praise for other aspects of the State Department review. “Kudos to finally seeing some acknowledgment in that arena,” Schild said. Heightening the political stakes for API and congressional backers of Keystone is the likelihood that the EPA letter will be the only comment on the pipeline that’s been made public before the White House makes its final decision. State said on Monday that it would not publicly release broader comments on whether the pipeline was in the national interest that were submitted by EPA, the departments of Energy and Interior and perhaps five other federal agencies. Interior had commented in 2013 on a draft environmental review by State but this year chose to focus its comments on the national interest process, a spokeswoman confirmed on Tuesday. In its comments, the spokeswoman said, Interior “encouraged the State Department to give appropriate consideration to comments previously submitted during the Keystone XL permit review process as well as concerns expressed by some tribes in Indian Country about the project.”

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SCOTUS filibuster trial balloon goes bust Senate Republicans’ trial balloon calling for abolishing filibusters for Supreme Court nominees is already plummeting back to earth. Democrats are worried about a Republican Senate and president installing anti-abortion justices if the GOP takes the White House in 2017. Veteran Republicans loathe the plan, arguing it further fillets the minority party’s rights beyond current rules that eliminated the filibuster for most presidential nominees. Republicans also face the possibility of losing the Senate in 2016 and they fret about voters giving the confirmation keys to a President Hillary Clinton, who they fear would install liberal judges. Story Continued Below Given Republicans’ insistence that any changes to the Senate’s byzantine rules require the support of 67 senators, it’s impossible to envision the filibuster disappearing anytime soon on Supreme Court nominees. Indeed, senators were much quicker to pan the proposal than praise it. “I certainly would not support further limiting the rights of senators,” said moderate GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine. “It’d be a serious mistake,” said Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.). “We chose not to do that because it was the highest court in the land.” Asked if Democrats’ opposition centered solely around abortion rights, Stabenow said her concern goes even further around a court that routinely makes big decisions on everything from health care to gay marriage to voting rights. “Lots of worries. Lots of worries,” she said, shaking her head. The idea of ending the filibuster on all presidential nominees is rooted in the institution of the Senate, where since 2003 the practice of requiring 60 votes on nominees became an increasingly popular tool used by the minority party to stop or slow the president’s nominees. But if the filibuster were further gutted, the prizes at stake in 2016 would increase beyond the comfort level of senators in both parties: If one party wins both the White House and the Senate, the minority would lose any sway over the Supreme Court process and could be forced to swallow ideological nominees if any vacancies arise. That might be too much for either Democrats or Republicans to bear. Members of both parties this week argued that eliminating the filibuster on Supreme Court nominees would only boost the prospects for rigidly partisan nominees from the left or the right, depending on which party comes out the winner in next year’s elections. “You’re going to ruin the judiciary over time,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who wants all nominees subject to a 60-vote threshold. “I like the idea of having to reach across the aisle. ’Cause what you’re doing is you’re turning judicial appointments over to the hardest of the hard within each caucus.” Facing staunch opposition to confirmation of several high-level judges to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, Senate Democrats changed the filibuster rules in 2013 to allow unilateral confirmation of almost all presidential nominees via the “nuclear option” — a simple majority of Democrats. But Democrats left the filibuster untouched for the Supreme Court, mostly because of their worries about anti-abortion justices winning future confirmation. Some Republicans are hoping to start fresh this year and simply end the filibuster on all nominees for good, eliminating the possibility of either party changing the rules to their liking whenever they have the majority. GOP Sens. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and Mike Lee of Utah have developed a proposal they say does just that and their plan is, for now, moving forward. Senate Rules Committee Chairman Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) said on Tuesday that his panel will vote later this year on the filibuster reforms suggested by Alexander and Lee and allow it to be amended by other senators on the Rules Committee. The proposal could make it through committee, though some Democrats suggested it would do so on a party-line vote given queasiness in their party over the Supreme Court provision. Alexander privately shared his plan with Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the top Democrat on the Rules Committee and No. 3 in his party leadership. The two men have consistently worked as back-channel negotiators between their two bitterly divided caucuses, but Schumer was not enthused about the Tennessean’s suggested changes. “It’s a nonstarter for most Democrats,” Schumer said. “I love Lamar, but when he first showed it to me, I said: ‘How can we do this for Supreme Court?’” Alexander did not seem dissuaded by the bipartisan opposition to his plan. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained,” he said with a shrug. The argument from Blunt and Alexander is they are simply trying to finalize what had been tradition since the birth of the Senate: not using filibusters on nominations. They say they are doing nothing radical, simply codifying the “up or down” majority vote that thousands of nominees had experienced before the two caucuses’ use of obstructionist tactics accelerated over the past two decades. Filibustering a Supreme Court nominee is exceedingly rare, though Obama was among those who unsuccessfully tried to do so against Justice Samuel Alito. “Clarence Thomas was a very controversial nominee — 52-48. So the real tradition of the Senate is that these confirmations were done by a majority,” Blunt said. “You could argue there’s a reason [not to do it]. But the tradition of the Senate isn’t one of them.” Complicating things further, senators’ positions don’t neatly divide by political party. Liberal Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland and conservative Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas both believe the final abolition of the filibuster on nominations has merit. The Democrats who led the charge for the 2013 filibuster changes can’t get on the same page: Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico said he’s open to hearing more from Alexander while Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon said he’s firmly opposed. And within the Republican caucus there are several different camps: Some want the Senate to restore the 60-vote filibuster threshold for all nominees — some would keep things as they are now with the Supreme Court exception and still others want to follow Alexander, Blunt and Lee, getting rid of the filibuster for all nominations. “We just don’t have a consensus in the caucus right now,” said Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), a member of leadership. The GOP is reluctant to change the rules by a simple majority — the “nuclear option” used by Democrats in 2013 — and no proposal enjoys broad support, so inertia may be the best bet. If nothing is done, the Senate will continue to require a simple majority for all nominees except to the Supreme Court, pointing to easy confirmations over the next few weeks for Attorney General nominee Loretta Lynch and Defense Secretary nominee Ashton Carter. Meanwhile, Alexander, McCain and everyone in between will continue making their case about which is more important: the minority’s sway over the Senate or the Senate’s tradition of deference to presidential nominees. “The last advocate I talked to, I think they’re correct,” said Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.). “And then I talk to another one and I think they’re correct.”

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After Senate climate votes, Dems see rift in GOP Senate Republicans fended off Democrats’ climate change campaign in the Senate last week, but their strategy exposed cracks in the majority party. Republicans managed to neutralize a Democratic amendment on climate change in favor of a watered-down statement that left deliberately vague how much human activity is to blame for global warming. Story Continued Below But the move proved almost too successful: Fifteen Republicans agreed with Democrats that humans played at least some role in the changing climate, enough to put the amendment within one vote of passage, to the dismay of the Senate majority. The nearly successful Republican language came as a surprise and was welcomed by liberal stalwart Sen. Barbara Boxer of California. “What a breath of fresh air. … I urge an ‘aye’ vote,” she told the Senate ahead of the roll call. The amendment authored by Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.), one of dozens proposed to the bill to approve the Keystone XL pipeline, came up in a whirlwind session that saw both parties angling to outmaneuver the other in a messaging battle over the first bill to hit the floor in the new Republican-controlled Senate. In the end, only a modest measure stating that climate change is real and not a hoax passed the chamber, winning even the backing of Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, the author of a book that denounces the idea that climate change is man-made. But the 15 Republicans — including seven from red states as well as one likely presidential contender, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky —went further, agreeing climate change was affected by human activity. GOP energy lobbyist and consultant Mike McKenna cheered the demise of Hoeven’s climate amendment, which left Democrats only a muddled campaign-trail message to use against vulnerable Republicans. Still, he warned that the number of Republican senators backing Hoeven’s amendment set a “really troubling” precedent, especially since Senate Minority leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) missed the vote while recuperating from his accident. “If Harry Reid’s well, that passes,” McKenna said in an interview. As for Democrats, he added: “Next time they’re going to come back much smarter, much tougher. … If we’re losing Republicans on votes like that, we need to construct better votes.” The GOP’s trick play on the climate amendment had the party first propose language that stayed on message, praising “abundant, affordable, clean, diverse and secure” energy, its mantra that includes fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas. But an edit emerged in the hours ahead of the vote that borrowed the Democratic language on human-caused climate change but omitted the word “significant” to describe the impact. Hoeven later told reporters that the change to include the climate language was made “because our members felt they needed something they could vote for,” though he was ultimately forced to vote against it to prevent it from reaching the 60-vote threshold. Some greens hailed the division among the Republicans and their leadership. Environmental Defense Fund senior director Jeremy Symons, a former Boxer aide, wrote Friday that the Hoeven vote “exposes [a] GOP rift on climate.” But several GOP senators who backed the Hoeven amendment sought to play down the importance of the vote, including Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), who dismissed it as no “big deal.” And he noted that President George W. Bush’s top environmental adviser had acknowledged global warming and was “trying to push technologies to deal with” its effects. For Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.), voting in favor of the measure was easy. “There always has been [climate change], there always will be,” he said, but the impact from humans is “up for debate.” “Climate change is real — humans probably have some part of it,” said another Republican who backed Hoeven’s language, Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona. “How significant? I don’t know.” Republicans’ omission of the word “significantly,” he added, “reflects, I guess, some modesty about how little or as much as we know.” Still, the Democratic minority watched with interest as Hoeven was forced to vote against his own amendment to prevent it from passing. “Their confusion was evident from our perspective,” one Senate Democratic aide recalled. Another Senate Democratic aide described the near-passage of Hoeven’s language as “hopefully a sign of progress to come, but only time will tell.” But greens were split on why Paul, who’s weighing a White House bid in 2016, would take a vote that fellow conservatives could use against him. “Being a denier isn’t politically viable anymore,” Democratic political consultant David DiMartino wrote via email, citing polls that show Iowa and New Hampshire voters aligning with climate science and Mitt Romney’s recent turn back to public acknowledgement of global warming. “Rand must be seeing the same numbers Mitt is seeing.” Paul’s spokesman, Brian Darling, declined to comment on the vote. As recently as last April, Paul downplayed the threat of climate change and humans’ contribution to it, and he slammed potential presidential foe Hillary Clinton in September for saying global warming is among “the most consequential” dangers to America. But Republican strategist McKenna said Paul voted yes on last week’s climate proposal “on purpose,” since agreeing that humans play some role “is a pretty cheap way to hedge your bet.” “In a crowded field, everyone is trying to be the standout,” Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund chief Heather Taylor-Miesle wrote in an email. “Paul’s vote could represent that thinking, but I just like to believe that he is coming around on the science and reading the tea leaves on the politics.” Sierra Club legislative director Melinda Pierce took a dimmer view of Paul’s vote for the GOP climate language, saying in an interview that it “opens a conversation” for the future but doesn’t mark the Kentuckian as a pro-environment maverick. “Maybe he put his toe in the water, but he didn’t go swimming.” Scientists at the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and many other government bodies have for years raised the alarm about rising sea levels and higher temperature. The changes will threaten coastal populations and food supplies, while weather disasters become ever more destructive — unless humans quickly act to stem the growth of greenhouse gas emissions. The offices of several other Republican senators who agreed last week that humans are changing climate did not return requests for comment by press time, including Sens. Orrin Hatch of Utah, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Mike Rounds of South Dakota. And even if Paul or the Republicans take heat for last week’s vote, the oil industry remains confident that economic growth and jobs will turn out more voters than threats to the planet. “Even with Tom Steyer’s epic defeat at the ballot box last fall, some Democrats are still holding on to the hope that climate change is their winning ticket,” one industry source wrote via email, addressing the GOP’s climate stance on condition of anonymity. “The American people made it very clear where they stood in the last election. The Steyer wing of the party should be put on notice.”

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Senate's swing-state Republicans break ranks It didn’t take long for vulnerable Republican senators to start bucking their new majority’s party line. Just three weeks into Mitch McConnell’s reign as Senate majority leader, he’s already confronting the challenges of running a caucus filled with blue-state Republicans who face reelection next year. They’ve begun departing from the GOP stance on issues like energy and climate change — a move that lets them espouse independence back home, but also exposes divisions that are bound to intensify as 2016 draws nearer. Story Continued Below The Senate’s dynamic was on display in a series of amendment votes over the last week on the Keystone XL oil pipeline: New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte, one of the Democrats’ top targets in 2016, repeatedly broke with her party, including by opposing efforts to hamper Obama’s international climate negotiations. Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk was the lone Republican to back regulations on petroleum coke, a byproduct from oil refining. And conservative Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey was one of 15 Republicans to endorse a statement that humans contribute to climate change. Another defector, North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr, was the only Republican to vote for a Democrat-backed mandate that the pipeline be built with U.S. steel. “It’s real simple,” he said proudly. “I’ve been for ‘Buy America’ every time it’s come up in the Senate.” Democrats lost most of those amendment battles, and the Senate is expected to eventually pass the pro-Keystone bill with support from all of the chamber’s 54 Republicans. The pipeline also has Democratic supporters such as Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet — himself vulnerable in 2016 — who opposed a Democrat-led filibuster that stalled the measure Monday night. But the early test on Keystone shows one of the major juggling acts McConnell must handle as he begins to chart an aggressive course for his majority, with more tough votes looming on the budget, taxes, trade and foreign policy. If McConnell goes too far to the right, he could lose swing-state GOP senators who need to moderate on issues that resonate in their backyards, especially during a presidential election year that’s expected to bring a surge of Democratic turnout. But if McConnell tries to move to the center on issues that play well in Ohio or Wisconsin — where GOP Sens. Rob Portman and Ron Johnson face reelection, respectively — he could have a hard time reconciling the Senate’s legislation with what comes out of the conservative House. One bright spot: The defections will help GOP senators rebut Democratic accusations that they’re mere foot soldiers for their party’s leaders in an unpopular Congress. Republican leaders hope their endangered senators will defect on less controversial issues but ultimately fall in line for the bulk of the party’s agenda, starting with Keystone and continuing into this spring’s budget fight. “Not everyone is going to vote like a red-state senator from Texas,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), the chief vote-counter for his conference. “That’s just part of our diversity and regional differences. But I’d say we’re pretty darn unified and making good progress.” Indeed, the Senate GOP Conference’s ideological spectrum includes a conservative wing marked by the likes of Ted Cruz of Texas and freshman James Lankford of Oklahoma, along with a handful of moderates like Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. In the middle is McConnell, who has 54 votes if he can keep his caucus united, six shy of breaking a Democratic filibuster and 13 short of overriding a veto. What makes this class of Republican senators particularly vulnerable is the expectation that they will be running in a far different climate in 2016. When they won their elections in 2010, the political environment heavily favored Republicans, as the rise of the tea party and fears over Obamacare drove GOP turnout in the midterm elections. But with the presidential race driving a larger number of voters in 2016, and Democrats hopeful that Hillary Clinton will draw women to the polls, Republicans could face a daunting path to holding the majority. The GOP has 24 Senate seats in contention, compared with the Democrats’ 10. The dynamics put blue-state Republicans like Kirk in a tricky spot. To pull off a victory, the former 10-year House veteran will have to show he can work with Democrats and espouse moderate credentials, without leaving himself vulnerable to a primary challenge. So far this year, he has balked at his party’s efforts to derail Obama’s executive actions on immigration through the Homeland Security spending bill. He joined Democrats on a number of early votes, including siding with fellow Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin in favor of regulating petroleum coke, an issue of importance on Chicago’s South Side. And he broke with Republicans by backing an amendment offered by his close friend, West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin, calling on the Senate to invest in so-called clean coal technology. In an interview, Manchin indicated he may endorse Kirk’s reelection bid. “He’s my friend, and I will do whatever my friend thinks I could do to help him,” Manchin said. While allowing Republican senators to showcase their independence, the uptick in action on politically charged amendments also puts them at risk for seeing their votes turned into 30-second attack ads. Blue-state Republicans are also bound to face attacks if they vote against populist-tinged issues — such as when the GOP united to block an amendment by Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) that would have required Keystone’s oil to be used in the U.S. “It’s clear there are any number of Republican senators who will be spending lots of time desperately trying to distort their irresponsible records,” said Justin Barasky, spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. The politically charged nature of Senate debate was a big reason why now-Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) shielded vulnerable Democrats from sensitive votes in the last Congress. A number of Democrats privately argued that casting politically toxic votes on issues like Obamacare and taxes could hurt their reelection efforts. But others, like former Sen. Mark Begich of Alaska, who lost his reelection bid last fall, said having more votes would have allowed red-state Democrats to distinguish themselves from an unpopular White House. In the new Senate, McConnell’s caucus appears to be taking Begich’s advice. Ayotte, who won her 2010 Senate primary with an endorsement from Sarah Palin, cast a series of votes in the opening month of the new Congress that broke sharply from her caucus. The former New Hampshire attorney general opposed a Toomey proposal that would have exempted power plants that burn waste coal from certain federal emission limits. She opposed an effort by Utah Sen. Mike Lee to make it easier to drill for oil and gas on public lands. And she opposed a proposal by a member of her party’s leadership, Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt, to hamstring international climate agreements reached by the Obama administration, including a recent pact with China. Ayotte spokeswoman Liz Johnson said the senator’s votes “are consistent” with her “long record” of “standing up for clean air and crossing party lines to protect New Hampshire’s environment.” Other GOP defections took Senate insiders by surprise, particularly on climate change. In a vote last week, 15 Republicans joined with Democrats to state that climate change is “real” and that human activity “contributes” to the phenomenon. In that group were a number of Republicans facing voters in 2016, including Ayotte, Kirk, Portman, Murkowski and Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Rand Paul of Kentucky — along with Toomey. The Pennsylvania Republican, who narrowly won his first term in 2010 on the strength of his staunch conservative fiscal record, isn’t a recent convert on the science of global warming, his spokeswoman said. “Sen. Toomey has always said that human activity contributes to climate change,” said his spokeswoman, Elizabeth Anderson. “The degree to which we play a role is clearly up for debate.”

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Senate set for Thursday Keystone vote The Senate is set to greenlight its Keystone XL bill on Thursday, just 48 hours after Democrats forced Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to postpone victory on the oil pipeline he has made the GOP’s first priority for 2015. The final Keystone vote comes after a Wednesday voting marathon and brings Republicans to the edge of success on their first bill of the year. But it’s only an incremental step in their yearslong battle with President Barack Obama over the $8 billion pipeline. Story Continued Below The GOP still lacks the votes to override an imminent veto of its Keystone plan, and House leaders are undecided on whether to take a vote on the Senate version of the bill or to pursue the first bicameral conference talks of the new Congress. McConnell urged Obama to reconsider his threat to veto the Keystone bill, touting the new Senate’s weekslong debate — which saw more amendment votes than in all of 2014 under Democratic control — as a sign that gridlock in the Capital can ebb. “We want to get Washington functioning again,” the Kentucky Republican said on the floor. “And we want to pass common-sense ideas. The Keystone debate is showing how we can do both.” The Senate churned through a dozen amendments from both parties on Wednesday and will weigh several more on Thursday before taking a final vote on legislation that would override Obama’s authority to decide on a permit for Keystone. Only one of those amendments got attached to the bill, but the few changes already made to the Senate’s pipeline measure require the House to make the next move before it goes to Obama’s desk. The House has not yet settled on whether to vote to approve the Senate’s Keystone bill or go to a conference committee, a House GOP leadership aide wrote by email, speaking candidly on condition of anonymity. The Senate’s Keystone debate showed a sharp contrast between the collaboration of the bill’s two managers, Energy and Natural Resources Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski and her Democratic counterpart, Sen. Maria Cantwell, and the acrimony fueled by both parties’ leaders after Democrats accused McConnell of shutting down debate during a rare late-night session last week. From Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer to Republican Sen. John Hoeven, praise for Murkowski and Cantwell’s work abounded as the chamber shrugged off its late night fight. “This is the way the Senate should be moving,” Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) said on the floor after Murkowski announced a deal to finish up the Keystone debate, adding that “all of us are really appreciative.” Among the controversial issues the Senate rejected on Wednesday were Murkowski’s amendment to block Obama’s plan to protect part of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as wilderness, Sen. Ted Cruz’s bid to fast-track new natural gas exports and a measure on the government’s role in preparing for the effects of climate change. Even as the GOP Congress moves ever closer to sending its Keystone plan to the White House, Obama’s administration is making progress of its own toward a final decision on whether the pipeline is in the national interest. The Environmental Protection Agency, the Interior Department and other federal agencies have until Monday to give the State Department comments on a yearold analysis that found Keystone is unlikely to have a significant environmental impact.

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​Charles Spencer on Diana, Althorp and the death of kings "Minding his manor" is where you're most likely to find Charles, the Earl of Spencer. Many Americans still remember him for the eulogy he delivered years ago for his sister, Diana, Princess of Wales. His stately home has seen a great deal of history, as Tracy Smith now shows us:55PhotosPrincess Diana: A photo albumCharismatic and big-hearted, she was a superstar in a royal family, and a tabloid fixture whose life ended tragically shortTwo hours north of London, the Althorp estate is 13,000 acres of English farmland and forest: a spread roughly the size of Manhattan, and upon which sits one very grand house.At 506 years old, Althorp House is truly magnificent. But oh, the upkeep.Charles, the 9th Earl Spencer, is the owner and current caretaker."I've been in charge for about 20-odd years, and I've done a new roof, new exterior, new plumbing, new heating," said Charles Spencer. Althorp House in Northampton, EnglandCBS NewsIt's been the Spencer family home since it went up in 1508. It hasn't changed all that much. "I'm very conscious always that I'm just passing through," he said. But it's a pretty nice place to "pass through." Each and every room is ridiculously beautiful, with furniture that often pre-dates the American colonies.But even in this living museum, there are clues that a real family lives here."What strikes me is that you have all these beautiful formal portraits," said Smith, "and then family photos like any of us would have in our house."Charles pointed to one family shot: "This is last month with my seven children, which is not bad for a Protestant!"And sometimes those kids run the house: "I've still got little children 'cause I've got quite a range of kids. But they go down the main staircase on trays, you know, like breakfast trays, really fast. And I just think that's great. You gotta enjoy the place!""They sled down the main staircase on trays?""I did it, my father did it," said Charles. "I think it's a bit of a family tradition." Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, with correspondent Tracy Smith at Althorp House.CBS NewsHistory is in the walls here, and ON them. Charles is an historian by trade, and found inspiration very close to home.Consider his distant relative King Charles I. "Well, Charles I was a disastrous king," he said. "He sort of brought to the surface a war that, rather like your American Civil War, remains the bloodiest conflict this country's ever been involved in. So that was a big surprise to me how hopeless he was."The king was found guilty of high treason, and in 1649 he was beheaded.

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"Cinderella" opens big at box office "Let It Go" may be Walt Disney's anthem these days, but "Everything's Coming Up Roses" might be the more accurate theme song for the Disney juggernaut.Disney's recent streak continued over the weekend with the $70.1 million North American debut of its traditional, sumptuously costumed fairy tale adaptation "Cinderella," according to studio estimates Sunday. Interest in the film, directed by Kenneth Branagh and starring Lily James of "Downton Abbey," was boosted by a "Frozen" short, "Frozen Fever," that played before the feature.Disney's box-office surge has been propelled partly by the so-called "halo effect" of "Frozen," a sequel to which Disney announced last week. But it's also been driven by the appeal of seeing Disney cartoon classics turned into live-action fantasies. "Cinderella" follows previous live-action hits like "Maleficent" (whose May 2014 debut of $69.4 million "Cinderella" narrowly bested) and "Alice in Wonderland."The holiday release "Into the Woods," from the Stephen Sondheim musical, added to the live-action trend, and many more are on the way. "The Jungle Book," "Beauty and the Beast" and "Dumbo" are all coming in live action, as is a sequel to "Alice in Wonderland."Disney has also found big profits in capitalizing on female moviegoers, who made up the largest chunk of "Frozen" and "Maleficent" fans. The audience for "Cinderella" was 66 percent female, Disney said.PlayVideoCBSNNo need to let it go: “Frozen” sequel is confirmedDisney has confirmed that the much-anticipated sequel to the blockbuster animated film “Frozen” is officially in the works."There is seemingly a lot of appetite for these stories to be told, I think, in part because many of them have a female protagonist and we've seen there's significant box-office success that can come by featuring female-driven stories," said Dave Hollis, head of distribution at Disney."'Frozen Fever" was certainly part of why we're seeing the kind of success that we did this weekend," Hollis said. "In and of itself, 'Cinderella' is absolutely a great stand-alone experience. But it ends up being a one-plus-one-equals-three thing for the consumer."The success of "Cinderella," which cost about $95 million to make, was international. It made $62.4 million overseas, including $25 million in China. James, who portrays Lady Rose on "Downton Abbey," steps into Cinderella's glass slippers for the film."Seeing her grow up you get the sense of why she is how she is and how she manages to be so kind and courageous," said the 25-year-old James.9PhotosShoe designers sketch Cinderella's glass slipperDisney and Saks Fifth Avenue asked nine top designers to create their own vision for the fairy tale heroine's famous footwearDisney could also celebrate "Big Hero 6" becoming the top-grossing worldwide animated release of 2014; the Oscar-winner has made $633 million globally.With Disney's high-priced but lucrative ownership of Marvel, Lucasfilm and Pixar, the studio will be flexing its strength throughout 2015 with releases like "The Avengers: Age of Ultron," "Inside Out" and "Star Wars: The Force Awakens.""Disney is just a well-oiled machine that is firing on all cylinders right now," says Paul Dergarbedian, senior media analyst for box-office data firm Rentrak. "It's about this Disney umbrella which encompasses these incredible crown jewel brands they have. 'Cinderella' is just the latest example."While Disney was flexing its might, the powers of another box-office force, Liam Neeson, were checked. Neeson's latest thriller, "Run All Night," a New York crime saga co-starring Ed Harris, opened with $11 million for Warner Bros.PlayVideoEntertainmentHugh Jackman stars in new sci-fi film "Chappie"The team behind the Oscar-nominated movie "District 9” is back with another philosophical science-fiction thriller. Susanne Marques takes us behi...The film's poor performance marks the weakest debut for the "Taken" star as an action film lead. Dergarbedian noted Neeson's appeal is strongest in PG-13 rated films (all three "Taken" films, "Non-Stop"), while weaker in R-rated releases like "Run All Night" and last year's "A Walk Among the Tombstones."Last week's top film, the sci-fi thriller "Chappie," from "District 9" director Neill Blomkamp, slid to fifth with $5.8 million for Sony Pictures.In limited release, the critically acclaimed independent horror film "It Follows" earned a robust $163,000 on just four screens.Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

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"Jeopardy" player lands in final round all alone And then there was one.The final round of "Jeopardy" typically features three contenders ready to take one last shot at a chance to win some big cash in the long-running TV game show. But one Wednesday night, one lone contender remained ready to answer the Final Jeopardy round. The other two contestants ended up in the negative, which meant they got the boot, leaving Kristin Sausville -- a 34-year-old stay-at-home mom -- to compete with -- well, no one. "This was not one of our greatest days," host Alex Trebek said as the final scores were announced. "Kristin, I think you're going to win."Sausville got the question wrong, but she still managed to walk away with $6,800, bringing her two-day totally to $31,601."It was more nerve-wracking to be the only person on stage," Sausville told People. "On the one hand, it was nice not to have to worry about what anyone else was wagering, but at the same time, it meant that all of the contestant coordinators, compliance people, and stage crew were standing around me."

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Madonna weighs in on Dolce & Gabbana conversation Madonna is one of the latest celebrities to join the Dolce & Gabbana conversation.The 56-year-old pop star, who was featured in a Dolce & Gabbana ads in 2009 and 2010, took to Instagram to slam the Italian fashion house.This comes after designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana spoke to Panorama magazine about their skepticism over in vitro fertilization, surrogate mothers and gay adoption.Madonna posted a picture on Instagram of her former ad campaign for Dolce & Gabbana , holding a baby, along with the caption: "All babies contain a soul however they come to this earth and their families. There is nothing synthetic about a soul!! So how can we dismiss IVF and surrogacy? Every soul comes to us to teach us a lesson. God has his hand in everything even technology! We are arrogant to think Man does anything on his own. As above so below! Think before you speak.,,,,,,,,,,,❤️#livingforlove"Elton John, Ricky Martin and more stars have already spoken up about Dolce and Gabbana's comments. Dolce and Gabbana, who had been a a couple at one point, later clarified their remarks, saying, "It was never our intention to judge other people's choices."

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Ryan Gosling on Robert Durst: "He's a complicated guy" As the press and fans alike react to the surprise ending to the HBO documentary, "The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst," in which Durst himself mumbles "he killed them all" in the privacy of a bathroom, RyanGosling reflects on playing a fictionalized version of the real estate heir.News: Robert Durst says "he killed them all" in final moments of HBO docAt SXSW promoting "Lost River", Gosling was asked about portraying Durst in the 2010 film, "All Good Things," which was directed by Andrew Jarecki -- the same filmmaker behind "The Jinx." "He's a very complicated guy," he told the Los Angeles Times.50PhotosScenes from South By Southwest 2015Celebrities take to the stage at the Austin festival devoted to music, films and interactive media"Oh, boy. How can you know? You can't," he said when asked if he thought Durst was responsible for the disappearance of his wife Kathleen and the murders of Susan Berman and Morris Black. "He either did or he didn't. And even if all of it or none of it or some of it might be true, there's just no way to really know. Maybe there's more being revealed in this documentary than we knew at the time that we made the film."News: Why "Serial" fans will want to watch "The Jinx"In the same interview, Gosling revealed that he had not actually seen the documentary yet, waiting for it all to air before binge-watching the entire thing. But he did commend Jarecki for producing both projects.News: Robert Durst arrested on murder warrant"I thought Andrew did such a great job with 'Capturing the Friedmans' of doing that in a way I hadn't really seen. And we tried that with [All Good Things]," he said. "But I think it's great he's making this. He's the only person that could tell Robert's story."

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Most surveillance tapes of Secret Service misconduct may have been erased It is possible that the Secret Service erased most of the surveillance videos that could have shed light on the latest incident of Secret Service misconduct, Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, tells CBS News. Chaffetz, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said he was able to watch two videos from around the White House, offering limited views of the incident. However, in a closed-door discussion Tuesday, Secret Service Director Joseph Clancy told Chaffetz that it's the regular policy to destroy surveillance tapes from around the White House after 72 hours. "I don't think anyone in that room could believe it," Chaffetz told CBS. "That's just a stunning revelation that 72 hours after they make a tape they destroy it? That doesn't make any sense to us." He added, "If it's regular policy to destroy them after 72 hours, why did they have two of the tapes, and where are the rest of the tapes? And so far the Secret Service has not been able to answer the question."There are two remaining surveillance tapes from the night of March 4, when two Secret Service agents were allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol and crashed near the White House. One of the videos, however, was shot at a poor angle. Neither video shows the agents getting out of the agency car or getting into their own vehicles to drive away."In terms of were they drunkor inebriated, can't tell," Chaffetz said. "We want to see other tapes to understand that." The two agents were returning from a retirement party for outgoing Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan when they allegedly drove through a line of yellow plastic security tape placed around the scene of a suspicious package investigation near the White House. The car managed to hit a barrier as the agents allegedly drove slowly through the plastic tape.According to Chaffetz, the two existing security tapes show that the agents came within just a few feet of hitting the suspicious package under investigation, which turned out to be harmless. Chaffetz said it's still unclear to him whether there's any remaining surveillance footage from that night. "At this hour we are calling on the Secret Service to provide those tapes so we can see a more full and complete picture," he said. This article has been updated to clarify Rep. Jason Chaffetz's characterization of his conversation with Secret Service Director Joseph Clancy.

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"Empire" season finale draws 17.6 million viewers With a standard-setting finale to its first season reaching 17.6 million viewers, Fox's music business drama "Empire" has proven that it's still possible for broadcast television to create big hits.PlayVideoCBSNWhat’s behind the success of “Empire?”Jamilah Lemieux, senior editor of Ebony.com, and Los Angeles Times music writer Gerrick Kennedy join CBSN to discuss the breakthrough success of ...The Nielsen company said that's how many people watched the second of two "Empire" episodes to air Wednesday night. The first hour was seen by 15.8 million people.It represented the most popular finale for a television drama's first season since ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" in 2005.The series achieved the almost unheard-of feat of gaining viewers with each episode following a January debut seen by 9.9 million people on its first night.

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Steve Buscemi shines spotlight on inner city gay gang in "Check It" Steve Buscemi was struck when he first saw the footage that will be turned into the upcoming feature-length documentary, "Check It.""I thought, 'I'd never seen anything like this. I didn't know that this existed,'" he said. "Check It" centers on a gay African-American gang struggling to survive in one of Washington D.C.'s most violent neighborhoods. It follows five childhood friends as they claw themselves out of gang-life through an unlikely path: fashion.The doc's filmmakers Dana Flor and Toby Oppenheimer (HBO's "The Nine Lives of Marion Barry") recently launched an Indiegogo campaign to help bring the film to a nationwide audience, while Buscemi's Olive Productions -- the company he heads up with Stanley Tucci and Wren Arthur -- has signed on to help produce the project, alongside Flor and Oppenheimer's Macro Pictures, and RadicalMedia (Justin Wilkes, Dave O'Connor)."Every once and a while a documentary idea comes our way," Buscemi told CBS News. "We didn't start the company to produce documentaries. I've been involved with a documentary about the fire department that I was in ['A Good Job: Stories of the FDNY']. And an associate of ours, she produced a documentary on a basketball team in the Midwest...But they [Flor and Oppenheimer] told me that they had this footage."And as soon as he saw it, Buscemi, 57, said he knew "Check It" was something he wanted to get behind."I saw how close they [the filmmakers] were to these kids. I can see how much they really cared and that they were in it for the long haul. And we came on board to help it get made," Buscemi said. The gang, called The Check It, was formed in 2005 by a group of bullied ninth graders in D.C. Imagine boys wearing lipstick and mascara -- even stiletto heels. They carry Louis Vuitton bags, but they also carry knives, brass knuckles and mace, according to the filmmakers. Some have been shot. Others stabbed or raped. A few did jail time. "Check It" tells their stories -- from their time on the streets to their goal to escape gang life."These were kids that banded together and were really unafraid of being who they are in public," said Buscemi. "I grew up in an era where it was strictly not cool to be gay. And even now, I forget because I live in New York and we are a much more tolerant city by and large -- although there's still a ways to go before we're totally tolerant -- I forget that in other areas of the country, it's still a big problem if you are gay. And if you act a certain way, it's just looked down upon. And more than that, it's quite dangerous especially in the neighborhood where they live. It's really rough.""I was really intrigued that these kids were proud of who they were and that they were willing to fight back. And I in no way condone violence," Buscemi continued. "I just thought that it was interesting that their first impulse was to not shrink away but to fight back and I'm more interested in the story of how they can overcome their situation." Aside from highlighting the world inside an inner city gang, "Check It" showcases how some of these boys have started to turn things around through their love of fashion. "I'm really interested in the fashion part of the story -- that a lot of these kids are so creative -- if they can come together and form their own fashion line, which they've already been doing. They need support. They need help. And I think it needs to be recognized that this is going on. I think part of the problem is that they don't come from well-to-neighborhoods. And I think that's a problem in any poor neighborhood."In 2012, for example, in Washington's Ward 8 area -- where many of The Check It live -- had the highest unemployment rate in the country at more than 25 percent. The southeast section of Washington is about four miles from the White House.Buscemi says the filmmakers want to help these kids (ranging from ages 14-22) get out of their situation and integrate more into the community."For some reason, it just does not get coverage," he said. "These problems almost become invisible."Proceeds from the Indiegogo campaign, which runs through April 4, will pay for the film's post-production costs and resources for the Check It's up-and-coming fashion line. Go here for more on how to donate and to find out how to get into the "Check It" red carpet premiere.

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Justin Bieber gets roasted, apologizes for behavior Justin Bieber really wants you to like him again. After being the butt of the joke for hours during the taping of his Comedy Central roast, the 21-year-old singer gave a contrition speech."I turned a lot of people off over the past few years, but I know I can still turn out good music and turn everything all around," said Bieber, whose music has been overshadowed by his offstage antics, which include reckless driving, public urination and throwing eggs at a neighbor's home.24PhotosJustin BieberThe Canadian teen is the latest music sensation"I've lost some of my best qualities. For that, I am sorry," he said. "I'm looking forward to being someone who you guys can all look at and be proud of."It was a sweet ending to a night of sharp barbs aimed as much at Bieber as the rest of the roasters. Hosted by Kevin Hart, the "Comedy Central Roast of Justin Bieber," taped Saturday at Sony Studios, also features Snoop Dogg, Shaquille O'Neal, Martha Stewart and Ludacris. It's set to premiere March 30."This is like suicide. Why would you do it?" Hart asked the singer, whom he described as a "huge success that confuses everybody over 14.""The name Bieber has become so offensive, the Washington Redskins think you should change it," quipped comic Jeffrey Ross.The roasters - including a surprise appearance by Will Ferrell's character Ron Burgundy - jabbed at Bieber's bad behavior, his relationship with Selena Gomez, his music and his appearance.Perhaps the harshest remarks came from comedian Chris D'Elia."You have it all," he said, "except love, friends, good parents and a Grammy."Justin Bieber speaks at the Comedy Central Roast of Justin Bieber at Sony Pictures Studios on Saturday, March 14, 2015, in Culver City, California.Chris Pizzello/Invision/APStewart offered Bieber tips for his eventual trip to prison. Snoop Dogg appeared to smoke a joint onstage after telling the singer his next album should be called "Straight Outta Talent."Bieber, who was lowered from the ceiling to the stage wearing white angel wings, gently swiped back."What happens when you give a teenager $200 million?" he asked. "You get a bunch of has-beens calling you a lesbian for two hours."Bieber tweeted after the roast: Tonight was one of the best nights ever. Thank you to everyone involved. Thank you— Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) March 15, 2015

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​Could "Game of Thrones" go on for 10 seasons? Could "Game of Thrones" go on for 10 seasons? If HBO programming president Michael Lombardo had his way, it would.The hit series, which premiered in 2011, is about to launch season 5 -- and showrunners David Benioff have previously said they planned to wrap with season 7. "We see the light at the end of the tunnel," Benioff recently said. "We still have a long way to go and things to figure out, but we definitely know where we're heading and the major end-beats."But now Entertainment Weekly reports that Lombardo is hoping for more. He told EW, "This is the hard part of what we do. We started this journey with David and Dan. It's their vision. Would I love the show to go 10 years as both a fan and a network executive? Absolutely."One thing we know for sure is the new season will begin on April 10. Meanwhile, fans are still awaiting a new book from George R.R. Martin, author of "A Song of Ice and Fire" -- the book series on which "Game of Thrones" is based. Earlier this year, Jane Johnson of his publisher HarperCollins, said, "I have no information on likely delivery. These are increasingly complex books and require immense amounts of concentration to write. Fans really ought to appreciate that the length of these monsters is equivalent to two or three novels by other writers."

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Wilmer Valderrama applauds Demi Lovato's sobriety Wilmer Valderrama applauded his girlfriend, singer Demi Lovato, on Sunday with an Instagram post honoring her three-year anniversary of her sobriety."Today, we lay another stone together," the "From Dusk Til Dawn" star wrote. "It is now 3 years since you said: I am more important than any past, demon, disorder or addiction..Where you decided that YOUR life was worth living while loving yourself. And I'm sure glad you did."Today, we lay another stone together.. It is now 3 years since you said: I am more important then any past, demon, disorder or addiction.. Where you decided that YOUR life was worth living while loving yourself.. And I'm sure glad you did... I knew then the woman you've become now.. I am proud and honor to be front row to see the world you are about to change. I love you Demi. A photo posted by Wilmer Valderrama (@wilmervalderrama) on Mar 15, 2015 at 12:59pm PDTIn the past, Lovato battled battled bulimia, cutting and bi-polar disorder. Last month, she took to Twitter about the her sobriety milestone: "3 years sober next month... Hell yeah!!! God is so good. My best friend created the universe and still takes time to love me. #soblessed"Valderrama isn't shy about his affection for Lovato. In an interview last fall with CBS News, the actor gushed over his gal pal, saying, "She's one of the best vocalists in the industry. She's soon to become an icon."

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Nathan Fillion and Alan Tudyk on "Con Man": We can't wait to get started Now that they've smashed a couple of crowdfunding records, Nathan Fillion and Alan Tudyk say they will most likely expand their "Con Man" plans -- think spaceships, comic books and maybe even William Shatner (if he's available, of course).The former stars of the TV series "Firefly" turned to crowdfunding last week to raise money for "Con Man," a Web series, which would follow the post-TV show life of Wray Nerely (Tudyk), the pilot and co-star of "Spectrum," a short-lived sci-fi show-turned cult classic (sound familiar "Firefly" fans?). Wray's good friend, Jack Moore (Fillion), who co-starred on the TV series, goes on to become a big celebrity, while Wray continues to struggle to find his big break. "Con Man" will take a cue from the convention circuit, highlighting the personalities and characters that thrive in the sci-fi community.What shocked Fillion and Tudyk the most was how quickly they raised money for the project. Two days after last week's Indiegogo launch, the campaign broke records for the highest amount crowdfunded by a Web series in 24 hours and for the all-time highest crowdfunded Web series across all platforms. At last check, the campaign raised more than $2 million -- and there are still 25 days left. Nathan Fillion, Alan Tudyk - "Con Man""Con Man""We're surprised that the fans have been so immediate in their response -- so fast," Fillion told CBS News. In the years since Fox canceled their space sci-fi drama "Firefly," Fillion and Tudyk have become quite acclimated to the comic book convention circuit. The sci-fi duo soon realized the passion fans had for their short-lived TV series, which premiered in 2002 and was scrapped after just 11 of the 14 episodes had aired. "Nathan and I have been going to conventions for years now and we've seen the enthusiasm from fans...They are actual people that you've met, hugged, taken pictures with -- answered questions and talked to," said Tudyk. "When I go to conventions, fans are excitable, they are happy to see me. When Alan goes to conventions it's very much the same reaction -- if not, just a little less probably," Fillion joked. "That's fair," Tudyk chimed in. "But when we're together, the excitement is exponential. And I think this Indiegogo campaign is perhaps a reflection of that...Together we are strong, and that is now our new motto," Fillion, 43, said laughing. "I think people are excited to see us together because 'together' is how most of them know us -- through 'Firefly.'"What people may not know, though, is that these two actually hang out together in "real life." "We're together more than people realize," said Fillion, also star of the TV series, "Castle.""We haven't been able to work together a lot since 'Firefly.' So this is our opportunity to do that and not only that -- it's within the convention world," said Tudyk, who's writing, producing and starring in "Con Man." A lot is in store for the Web series, they say. Alan Tudyk"Con Man""We're going to end up on a spaceship now," Tudyk said. "We are going to do all 12 episodes that I wrote and you're going to be able to see us on a spaceship in space." And now with the extra money raised (their goal was just $425,000), Tudyk and Fillion may be able to spend another day shooting on the spaceship. Each episode will last about 10-12 minutes. Filming will get underway in June, and they hope to have something to "show people" by July. "Now that we're going to be doing those [spaceship] episodes there's going to be some special effects that are going to take a little bit of work....Now that people are still pledging money and we've gone beyond our goals there are things that were cut out that we can shoot now." Tudyk, 44, says the idea for "Spectrum" -- the sci-fi show within "Con Man" -- is based on a book currently being written by novelist PJ Haarsma -- who also serves as their co-producer."He's written four other novels called 'The Soft Wire.' And the idea of 'Spectrum' was a prequel to those other novels," said Tudyk. With that, they plan to enhance that story-within-a-story "universe." "Because of that [the book] we have a whole universe that is already laid out there. One chapter is written and with this extra money, we can make comic books to tell that story. There's a lot of ways it can go. It's a big world and if the fans are into it, it can just keep growing," he said. They plan to incorporate the convention spirit into the series, too. "A lot of conventions -- they're parties. You have celebrities that you don't see, then you see them as the super-people they were. When you have actors in the green room and you see The Hulk, 'I Dream of Jeannie' and a wrestler and someone from 'Grim'...you cock your head to the side just trying to understand it," Tudyk said. Some of the celebrity Comic-Con regulars, for example, are going to make their way into the Web series, including Sean Maher, Gina Torres, James Gunn, Seth Green, Felicia Day and Amy Acker. Nathan Fillion"Con Man""We have a lot of friends in the sci-fi world who have so much success -- who are gracious enough to help us out with this project. We're thinking with all of the attention the project is getting now and the incredible success of the Indiegogo campaign, we might even be able to get to some people we don't know," said Fillion. Like Shatner perhaps? There's been a bit of a Twitter movement to get the "Star Trek" actor to come on board. "I don't know his schedule, but I thought that was a great idea that those fans had," Tudyk said."I would love to see any cast of any 'Star Trek,'" added Fillion. Or maybe even actors from "The Walking Dead," Fillion pointed out, before realizing the cast's shooting schedule will probably conflict with "Con Man." "We'll just take all their dead guys," joked Tudyk. "They're dropping like flies!" Regardless of who joins the upcoming series, Tudyk and Fillion are just excited to climb aboard the spaceship. "I can't wait to get to making them," said Tudyk.

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Us Weekly apologizes for Kendall Jenner story Us Weekly has issued a retraction for a story it published this week boasting the headline: "Kendall Jenner Breaks Silence on Bruce Jenner's Transition: 'I Will Always Love My Dad.'"The article featured an alleged interview with Kendall Jenner in which she opens up about her father -- saying she will love him whether he's a man or a woman.Shortly after the piece surfaced, Kendall Jenner, 19, took to Twitter slamming the story:how is it legal for someone to "quote" someone and publish it if in fact you never said what was quoted.— Kendall Jenner (@KendallJenner) March 18, 2015Shame on US Weekly for making up quotes. I NEVER said those things. I never spoke to them.— Kendall Jenner (@KendallJenner) March 18, 2015The article no longer appears on UsMagazine.com, but a retraction and apology do.22PhotosBruce JennerA look at the Olympian and television personality since his rise to fame in the 1970s"The interview was allegedly conducted by an independent freelance journalist at the Saturday, March 14, taping of Comedy Central's roast of Justin Bieber in Los Angeles. When Ms. Jenner denied, via Twitter, that the interview took place, Us Weekly immediately reached out to the freelance reporter," a statement explains. "He stood by the interview, and continues to maintain that the quotes are accurate. However, after attempting to reconfirm his account, editors of Us have concerns about the veracity of this interview and the circumstances under which it was obtained. We would like to retract the story entirely and have removed it from our website. We sincerely apologize to Ms. Jenner and her family."Bruce Jenner's mom, Esther Jenner, recently spoke to The Associated Press about her son, saying, "He said, 'I want to be honest about my identity and I know this is coming out in the press.' He started by saying, 'We need to have a long, serious talk.' I am at peace with what he is and what he's doing.According to reports last month, Bruce Jenner, 65, will sit down with Diane Sawyer to discuss transitioning from male to female.In more recent news, Bruce Jenner's plans to chronicle his transition from male to female in an E! docuseries have been put on hold, according to multiple sources.

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One Direction's Zayn Malik leaves tour, citing stress One-fifth of One Direction is stepping away from the band's world tour.The boy band's publicist says a stressed Zayn Malik is flying home to Britain.Publicist Simon Jones said Thursday that "Zayn has been signed off with stress and is flying back to the U.K. to recuperate. Jones added that the band will continue with upcoming performances in Manila, Philippines and Jakarta, Indonesia as part of the "On the Road Again" tour.Malik's departure comes a day after he hit back on Twitter at rumors of trouble in his relationship with fiancee Perrie Edwards of the band Little Mix."I'm 22 years old...I love a girl named Perrie Edwards. And there's a lot of jealous f---s in this world I'm sorry for what it looks like x," he tweeted Wednesday.This week, authorities in the Philippines said they were imposing a $5,000 "weed bond" on Malik and fellow band member Louis Tomlinson, with the money to be forfeited if they used illegal drugs. That move followed a request by the local Anti-Drugs Advocate group asking the country's Bureau of Immigration to strictly scrutinize the band's concert permit following a video that circulated online last year of Malik and Tomlinson purportedly smoking marijuana.

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​"Fashion Police" taking a break "Fashion Police" is taking a break after losing co-hosts Kelly Osbourne and Kathy Griffin and plans to slip into something new for fall, the E! channel said.Co-hosts Giuliana Rancic and Brad Goreski and executive producer Melissa Rivers will be back in September with the series, which will "evolve" into its next chapter, E! said in a statement Tuesday.Previously, E! said the celebrity critique fest would air as scheduled March 30 despite the exits of Osbourne and Griffin.The hiatus announcement came a day after Griffin went on "The View" and discussed why she chose to quit March 12 after just seven episodes. The comedian, who replaced the late Joan Rivers, her friend and mentor, already had tweeted about leaving because she was uneasy being part of the show.Griffin told "The View" Monday that the E! series didn't suit her improvisational style and that she felt forced to "comment about pictures of beautiful women in perfect dresses and say kind of bad things."As a feminist and a comic, she said, it didn't feel right.During a visit to Howard Stern's SiriusXM show on Monday, the 54-year-old comedian said, "Well, I probably shouldn't have taken the gig. By the way, [Joan] just passed away six months ago."Osbourne left the show in late February, after complaining about Rancic's red-carpet criticism of African-American singer-actress Zendaya's dreadlocks. Rancic said they suggested the smell of marijuana.Zendaya went online to slam the remarks as "outrageously offensive" and Rancic later apologized, saying the experience taught her not to perpetuate cliches and stereotypes.E! did not detail how "Fashion Police" would change or who its new co-hosts will be. The show has faltered since losing the wily, tart-tongued Joan Rivers, Melissa's mother.

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Justin Bieber and Madonna play "Never Have I Ever" on "Ellen" Never have I ever....smiled so much while watching a segment on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."OK, maybe that's not 100 percent true, but this clip is definitely up there on the smile-worthy chart.In a new segment, Madonna, Justin Bieber and DeGeneres play a game of "Never Have I Ever" -- and needless to say, we learn a bit about their lives...mainly their sex lives, actually.They answer whether they've hooked up with siblings, for instance. Guess which of them have?Madonna, 56, has been doing promotion for her new album, "Rebel Heart," while Bieber, 21, was the subject of a Comedy Central roast over the weekend. The special will premiere on March 30.

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Will grassroots support be enough for Sen. Ted Cruz in 2016? Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, doesn't have a lot of friends in Washington, and he's proud of it. "Politics, it ain't beanbag," the freshman firebrand told ABC in 2013, after sustaining heavy criticism from fellow Republicans for his starring role in that year's government shutdown. "I'm not serving in office because I desperately needed 99 new friends in the U.S. Senate." The shutdown episode, which saw Cruz successfully urge conservatives in both chambers to defy GOP leadership by refusing to back any government spending bill that funded Obamacare, became emblematic of Cruz's time on Capitol Hill. From the moment the conservative firebrand arrived in Washington in 2013, he's feuded with Democrats and Republicans alike, championing a pugnacious brand of conservatism - and a make-no-concessions legislative strategy - that's made him as revered among right-wing activists as he is reviled by parts of the party establishment.As he eyes a 2016 presidential bid, Cruz is prepared to bring that defiant posture on the campaign trail. He's stepped up his travel to early voting states, visiting both Iowa and New Hampshire within the last two weeks. During public appearances, he's championed an uncompromising stance on every issue animating the conservative base.Cruz's down-the-line appeal to the GOP base may prove to be his calling card in the primary battle to come, but it's also led him to pick fights with the party brass that could ultimately undermine his candidacy. His ability to raise money, secure endorsements, and build the kind of infrastructure necessary to win a national primary may be hampered by his lack of support among the establishment. And his ideological rigidity has sown doubts among some Republicans about how competitive Cruz would be in a general election. Thus far, he's aggressively scorned questions about electability,turning them back on the GOP "graybeards" who pose them rather than defending his own approach to governance. Pointing to losses by 2008 nominee Sen. John McCain and 2012 nominee Mitt Romney, Cruz has urged the GOP to nominate a strong conservative or risk defeat for the third consecutive time. "If we nominate a candidate in that mold, the same people who stayed home in 2008 and 2012 will stay home in 2016 and the Democrats will win again," Cruz told a South Carolina tea party convention in January. The implicit message was clear: Don't settle for another losing squish -- nominate me, and I can win. The unresolved question is whether Republican voters will buy it. If he runs, he'll have to hope "the grassroots is stronger than the party infrastructure," Texas-based GOP strategist Matt Mackowiak told CBS News. "That's going to be the issue." Rafael Edward (Ted) Cruz was born December 22, 1970 in Calgary, Canada. Though some have raised questions about whether his foreign birth would preclude him from running for president, most analysts believe he's eligible -- he was a U.S. citizen at the time of his birth because his mom was born in the U.S. In a curious twist, his birthplace also made him a natural-born Canadian citizen, but Cruz renounced his Canadian citizenship last year. While Cruz's mother Eleanor grew up in Delaware, Cruz's father Rafael is a naturalized Cuban-American who fled Cuba in 1957 during the rise of communism under Fidel Castro. Cruz is the first Latino to represent Texas in the Senate, and one of three Latinos currently serving in the upper chamber. His family moved in 1974 to Texas, where Cruz spent the rest of his childhood. He graduated valedictorian of his high school in 1988, attended Princeton University for his undergraduate studies, and received his law degree from Harvard University. After Harvard, he clerked for federal judge Michael Luttig and then-Chief Justice of the Supreme Court William Rehnquist.After a stint in private practice, Cruz began advising then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush on domestic policy during the 2000 presidential campaign. He met his wife Heidi on the campaign, and the two married before the race was over. They have two daughters. When Bush was elected, Cruz joined the Justice Department. In 2003, he was appointed the solicitor general of Texas. During the five years he held that post, he argued nine cases before the Supreme Court.In 2012, Cruz ran for the U.S. Senate, taking on Texas's then-Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in a primary. Cruz began the race as a longshot, but he forced Dewhurst into runoff, painting the frontrunner as insufficiently conservative. He ultimately rode a tea party wave to win the Republican nomination, becoming a sensation among the conservative grassroots virtually overnight. "He caught lightning in a bottle, but I don't think it was luck, I think he worked tirelessly," Mackowiak said of Cruz's primary victory, which was described by some observers as the biggest primary upset of the cycle. He easily won the general election in November. If Cruz's victory in 2010 put him in the good graces of the tea party, his record in the Senate has kept him there. He's adopted a firmly conservative line on every hot-button issue that's come before Congress in his few years in Washington.Cruz has said he wants to repeal "every word" of President Obama's health care reform law, and he's played a vocal role in congressional attempts to dismantle the law. In September 2013, he spoke for 21 hours on the floor of the Senate in opposition to Obamacare, staging an informal filibuster to urge Republicans not to support a government funding bill that included money for the health care law. Cruz's intervention was blamed, in part, for the 16-day government shutdown that resulted after the dispute over Obamacare temporarily blocked a spending agreement.In 2013, Cruz voted against a comprehensive immigration reform bill that included a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, criticizing the plan as "amnesty" for lawbreakers and dinging the Senate Republicans who supported it. (Some of those senators, like Florida's Marco Rubio and South Carolina's Lindsey Graham, are also eyeing presidential bids in 2016.) Cruz has aggressively criticized President Obama's executive action to offer deportation relief to millions of immigrants by offering them work permits, labeling it unconstitutional. He also played a high-profile role in the successful fight against a 2013 proposal that would have strengthened the background check system for gun buyers by extending it to guns purchased online or at a gun show. That plan, proposed in the aftermath of the massacre at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, enjoyed a degree of bipartisan support, but it was ultimately felled by conservative opposition. On those issues and many more, Cruz's strategy has been to preach to the choir. And thus far, at least, the choir is eating it up. "He has in very short order built a passionate national fanbase, and impressed a lot of conservatives nationwide as a smart and principled advocate for their causes," said Ramesh Ponnuru, a conservative analyst and visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute who's been friends with Cruz since college. "He has a strong potential appeal, particularly to the very conservative voters who are disproportionately active in the republican presidential primaries." "He hasn't really moved to the middle on any major issues," said Mackowiak. "He probably is the favorite among the grassroots, because he is a really solid conservative on all three legs of the stool - social, fiscal, and national security. No one speaks to the concerns of the grassroots with greater effect than Ted Cruz. He's the whole package." Cruz's success may be due not only to what he says, but how he says it. While some of his potential rivals have struggled with the theatrics and presentation of political stagecraft, Cruz, a former champion debater at Princeton, carries himself with the ease and fluency of a natural political animal. At conservative summits and campaign events, Cruz paces the stage like a televangelist, telling seemingly spontaneous jokes and speaking emphatically while other Republicans grip the podium and recite nervously from a teleprompter. "If you look at raw political skills and talent, Cruz is as talented as anyone -- off the charts brilliant, he's able to fire up a crowd, he has a loyal army of supporters, volunteers, and activists," Mackowiak said. "I think he's a bit of an undervalued stock right now." "What has been appealing to a lot of conservatives about Ted is the combination of uncompromising conservative principle with intelligence and articulacy," added Ponnuru. "Because conservatives often feel as though Republicans lack one or the other of those qualities -- and sometimes both -- and therefore, that there's nobody out there who is making the case for conservatism in a compelling way." Cruz often dismisses his critics within the GOP by saying he didn't enter politics to schmooze with the Washington political class. "He's just never believed that going along to get along is the way to get ahead," explained Mackowiak. "I don't think Cruz sees himself as a long-term United States senator, and if you don't care about climbing the ladder, then it frees you up. He doesn't see winning the affection of his colleagues as the measure of whether he's successful or not."But it's not just a superficial popularity contest Cruz is spurning -- it's also the money, endorsements, and visibility that come with it. Cruz's lack of friends in Washington may be a point of pride he's eager to tout on the campaign trail, but it will undoubtedly make the mechanics of mounting a competitive bid more difficult. "There are questions about how much money he can raise, and about the breadth of his appeal, since he also has no shortage of opponents inside the party," said Ponnuru. "Will Cruz have the endorsement of a large number of U.S. senators? Probably not," said Mackowiak. "Typically, if you're a senator running for president, you want the help of colleagues who can help you raise money nationally and raise your visibility."Mackowiak argued that Cruz is in better standing with his Republican colleagues than he was in the wake of the 2013 shutdown, and Ponnuru echoed that point. "It's probably true that as the memories of the shutdown have receded, some of the immediate bitterness has gone away too," he said. "But he has said many times that he did not come to Washington DC to make friends." But Mackowiak said Cruz can still count on "significant pushback" from the establishment if he runs for president, and he predicted that the Texas senator will receive more "friendly fire" than anyone else in the GOP lineup."I think that's a product of two things," he explained. "One, the lack of strong relationships inside the party based on his conduct in the Senate, and second, an honest and deep fear among some that he cannot win." In an age of democratized fundraising, though, it's not clear the opposition of the establishment is the dispositive force in Republican primaries that it once was. Cruz may be counting on a grassroots influx of small-dollar donations to offset weaker support among the GOP's donor class."Cruz is clearly acting on the theory that politics has changed, and the importance of establishment gatekeepers has waned, and so he can raise small donations over the internet and the endorsements of the political establishment just don't matter," Ponnuru argued. But the biggest threat to his Cruz's bid may ultimately come not from an establishment favorite like former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who's locked down many of the GOP's big moneymen, but from conservative rivals who won't readily cede the mantle of grassroots favorite. "There are others who can compete - Rand Paul, Bobby Jindal, Ben Carson, Scott Walker," said Mackowiak. "The question for Cruz is whether he'll be the first choice of voters in those early states." If another conservative steals Cruz's thunder among the activist set, or if the grassroots vote splinters among several conservative candidates, allowing an establishment candidate to squeak by, it's game over for Cruz's 2016 bid. "Since 1984, nobody on the right end of the party has won the GOP presidential nomination. A large part of that reason is it is very hard to unite the rightward half or two-thirds of the GOP behind one candidate," said Ponnuru. "I think that Senator Cruz has to unite the right at some point to win the nomination."

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"Paper Towns" debuts first trailer, with Cara Delevingne and Nat Wolff If you loved (and likely cried) over the book and movie versions of John Green's "The Fault in Our Stars," then you'll want to sit down and hit play on the new trailer for "Paper Towns," adapted from his bestselling book of the same name.The first look at the film, starring Nat Wolff and Cara Delevingne, arrived online Thursday. The story centers around Q (Wolff), who falls for the girl next door, Margo (Delevingne). They grew up together, but by their senior year of high school they barely speak -- until one night when Margo appears at his bedroom window and enlists him in a campaign to get revenge on those who've hurt her. The next day, she disappears and he must to decipher clues to try and find her."Paper Towns" marks Delevingne's first major film role (though she's had small parts in "Anna Karenina," "The Face of an Angel" and the upcoming "Pan"). Green told USA Today he was initially hesitant to cast the 22-year-old British model. "When I heard she was auditioning, it was like, 'No.' Of course I thought that was crazy," he revealed. "But then I saw the audition. She understood Margo in ways that no one I have ever met understands Margo."Wolff, meanwhile, appeared alongside Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort last year in "The Fault in Our Stars" as Augustus' best friend, Isaac.Directed by Jake Schreier, "Paper Towns" will arrive in theaters July 24.

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6 music acts to catch at SXSW Preparing for the South by Southwest music festival is like shopping without a budget: there are just too many options.50PhotosScenes from South By Southwest 2015Celebrities take to the stage at the Austin festival devoted to music, films and interactive mediaThe annual SXSW is jam-packed with thousands of performers and events - ranging from official showcases by Pandora and Spotify to unofficial ones, such as Raptor House and Roc Nation's weekend event that featured Spike Lee, Nick Jonas and Big Sean - kicking off the music portion of SXSW, which officially begins Tuesday.The Associated Press breaks down six must-see acts in Austin, Texas.---MADISEN WARD AND THE MAMA BEARWho's bringing their mom to SXSW? Madisen Ward.The singer is part of a duo with the woman who gave birth to him and they're called Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear.The Kansas City-based group, whose sound is a mix of folk and roots, perform sitting still next to each other playing instruments, while Madisen Ward takes lead with vocals and Ruth Ward softly steps in (like a gentle mother).They will release their debut album, "Skelton Crew," on May 19. It was recorded in Nashville and produced by Jim Abbiss, who worked on Adele's colossal "21" album and was the main producer behind her 2008 debut, "19."----STROMAEBefore Stromae performs at the famed Madison Square Garden this fall, you can see him in a smaller setting at SXSW.The Belgian singer-producer, a major success in Europe, is steadily growing in America, thanks to his blend of hip-hop, electronic and rhythmic sounds.The slick, fashion-forward performer has also gotten a boost thanks to new friends: Kanye West collaborated with him on the remix of his hit, "Alors On Danse," and Stromae also appeared on the on "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1" soundtrack, alongside Lorde, Pusha T, Q-Tip and HAIM on the track, "Meltdown."----SISTER SPARROW AND THE DIRTY BIRDSMadisen Ward and the Mama Bear aren't the only family group heading to SXSW.Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds is led by fiery vocalist Arleigh Kincheloe, while her brother, Jackson Kincheloe, plays harmonica.The band, who have been on the New York concert scene for years, performs tightly onstage - dressed alike - while Kincheloe belts soulful vocals like a veteran.They will play seven times during SXSW and their new album, "The Weather Below," will be released on May 19.The Dirty Birds also includes Sasha Brown (guitar), Josh Myers (bass), Phil Rodriguez (trumpet) Brian Graham (saxophones), and Dan Boyden (drums).----JACK GARRATTAdd the bearded-Jack Garratt to the list of British performers taking over music.The multi-instrumentalist, who grew up in Little Chalfont, a village in Buckinghamshire, produces his own music - even though heavyweights like Rick Rubin have been watching the 23-year-old.Garratt will release third EP, "Synesthesiac," on April 13 and a full-length album in the fall. His sound blends the singer-songwriter vibe with alternative rock and R&B, and his songs range from eerie to danceable.----ANDRA DAYWho can get away with mashing up the Notorious B.I.G.'s "Big Poppa" and "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye?New songbird Andra Day.The San Diego-based performer, who also blends Amy Winehouse and Lauryn Hill in another YouTube post racking thousands of views, is top-notch vocalist: Her voice, scratchy at times, sounds good over any beat.At first glance, she may look like Rihanna, but her sound is unique.---THE BROS. LANDRETHThe Bros. Landreth just released their debut album and they are already winning awards.The Canadian duo won roots and traditional album of the year: group at the Juno Awards last weekend for "Let It Lie."The brothers - Joey and David - recorded the album in a straw bale house in southern Manitoba.The Bros. Landreth will continue to stretch to new heights with nine performances during SXSW, which wraps its musical portion on Sunday.

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Elton John seen carrying Dolce & Gabbana bag after calling for boycott Elton John has found himself in hot water after he was photographed carrying a Dolce & Gabbana bag just days after initiating a boycott of the fashion line.The iconic musician was seen carrying what appeared to be a D&G shopping bag while walking into a Los Angeles recording studio Monday morning.John's London-based publicist told ET in a statement, "Yes he was carrying the bag but he hadn't been shopping and it should not detract from their original message or the boycott."Ricky Martin, Ryan Murphy and others show support for Elton John's Dolce & Gabbana boycottJohn called for the boycott after D&G designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana made negative comments about babies born by in vitro fertilization and non-traditional families.When Domenico Dolce and Stefanio Gabbana spoke with the Italian publication Panorama magazine, Dolce said, "You are born and you have a father and mother. At least it should be like that. That's why I'm not convinced by what I call children of chemistry, synthetic children. Rented wombs, semen chosen from a catalog."John took to Instagram to slam the designers, saying, "How dare you refer to my beautiful children as "synthetic"... Your archaic thinking is out of step with the times, just like your fashions. I shall never wear Dolce and Gabbana ever again. #BoycottDolceGabbana"Ryan Murphy responds to Dolce & Gabbanais ignorant, ugly comments: "This is not just a gay issue"A number of stars soon joined in one the boycott, including singer Ricky Martin and Glee creator Ryan Murphy.It's unclear if John's choice to carry the Dolce & Gabbana bag will impact his newly created cause.Check out the video here for more on the fallout from the feud between the "Rocket Man" singer and the Italian fashion house.

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"The Breakfast Club" cast members reunite at SXSW Ensuring film-lovers won't forget about them, actresses Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy reminisced about making "The Breakfast Club" at a screening of the fully-restored 1985 film on Monday.16Photos"The Breakfast Club": Where are they now?It's been 30 years since "The Breakfast Club" premiered on Feb. 15, 1985To kick-off the South by Southwest film festival screening, which commemorated the film's 30th anniversary, the Barton Hills Choir serenaded attendees with their own rendition of the movie's theme song, the Simple Minds' "Don't You (Forget About Me)."The audience at the Paramount Theatre -- which was greeted with a table stacked with glazed doughnuts -- sang along with the children's choir, then enthusiastically welcomed Ringwald and Sheedy to the stage for a question-and-answer session.Sheedy, who now volunteers as a teacher at LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts, said the movie's message was a loving one."You do matter, we are interested in you, and we're going to tell your story," she said, adding that she was a bit lonely after production wrapped.The film chronicles five teens subjected to spend Saturday in detention at the fictional Shermer High School in Illinois. Played by Ringwald, Sheedy, Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall and Judd Nelson, the students aren't all initially friends, but become close by day's end.A blonde Ringwald said she recently saw the movie with her teenage daughter and was surprised to find that her daughter most related to Hall's character, Brian Johnson. Nicknamed "the Brain," Johnson was a straight-A student who attempted suicide after flunking an assignment in shop class.50PhotosScenes from South By Southwest 2015Celebrities take to the stage at the Austin festival devoted to music, films and interactive media"She felt that I had too many expectations on her," Ringwald said. "It was this incredible moment where I realized I was the parent."Ringwald and Sheedy spoke of their admiration for the film's writer and director, John Hughes, who died in 2009.Hughes fan Beth Gleason, 60, took the day off of work as a pastor at an Austin church to volunteer at the theater for the screening. She said she watches the flick at least once a year and "absolutely" wanted to be there Monday."It took me back," she said as she exited the auditorium, grinning.Mike Firoved, of Irvine, California, said the screening was his favorite event of the film festival, which ends Friday. Also a frequent viewer, Firoved said the movie "can't help but remind you of your high school days."The re-mastered film is already available on Blu-ray Disc and DVD and will hit theaters March 26.

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Alleged Bill Cosby victim testifies before Nevada Legislature A woman who says Bill Cosby victimized her decades ago asked Nevada lawmakers on Friday to support a bill removing the state's statute of limitations on sexual assault - a provision that prevented her from pursuing a criminal case against the comedian.Lise-Lotte Lublin, 48, fought through tears while telling lawmakers she passed out in the Las Vegas Hilton in 1989 after Cosby gave her two alcoholic drinks. The former model said she remembers Cosby stroking her hair, and then she woke up at home.It was only after hearing similar allegations from other women that she concluded something happened to her while she was unconscious. She said she filed a police report on the incident in January, but was told Cosby couldn't be charged because too much time had passed. So she and her husband went to the bill's sponsor and urged her to draft the legislation."I want to empower victims, period," Lublin said, "regardless of what happens for me."Cosby's publicist, David Brokaw, did not immediately respond to an email message seeking comment on Friday. More than 20 women have stepped forward in recent months to level various accusations against Cosby, ranging from unwanted advances to sexual assault and rape. Cosby has not been charged with a crime and has denied some of the allegations through his attorneys.Nevada law dictates that sexual assault charges cannot be filed more than four years after the alleged incident. The bill would remove that restriction and bring sexual assault in line with murder and terrorism as crimes without a statute of limitations.PlayVideoEntertainmentBill Cosby maintains silence over rape allegationsThe well-known comic has remained silent over rape allegations that have recently resurfaced. In an awkward exchange during an NPR interview, the...Democratic Assemblywoman Irene Bustamante Adams, who is sponsoring the bill, said the legislation would help sexual assault victims who often face severe emotional and social trauma and can take years to feel comfortable before filing a report with police.Vanessa Spinazola, a lobbyist for the ACLU of Nevada, said statutes of limitations help ensure cases are reviewed before witnesses die and memories fade."They permit both the prosecution and the defense to try the case before evidence is stale," Spinazola said. "As more time lapses, it becomes increasingly difficult for the accused to prepare a meaningful defense."Attorney Lisa Rasmussen said there's an unlimited statute of limitations for prosecuting a sexual assault when a police report is filed within four years of the incident."You also have to think about whether or not you would want to be in a position where someone is saying '35 years ago, someone did this to me,'" Rasmussen said.The bill wouldn't apply retroactively due to constitutional concerns.The Associated Press does not identify victims of sexual assault as a matter of policy, but Lublin went public with her allegations. Despite Lublin identifying Cosby as her attacker, committee chair Ira Hansen asked that witnesses not use names during their public testimony and refer to him as "the perpetrator."

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"Insurgent" stars on "complex" sequel to "Divergent" Shailene Woodley is on the run again in the latest "Divergent" film, "Insurgent."Based on the popular book series, the sequel is set in a dystopian society that's divided into five (often rival) factions. Woodley, 23, plays the young heroine, Tris.PlayVideoEntertainment"Divergent" comes to the big screen"Divergent" is the latest best-selling fantasy book series to be adapted for the big screen. The stars, Shailene Woodley and Theo James, discuss ..."She doesn't run away or cower away from discomfort. She approaches it with a strong sense of being bold, and I think that is really empowering and inspiring," she said. Theo James, 30, reprises his role as Four, Tris' boyfriend who fights by her side."I think everyone was very keen that if there was a second movie we were going to make it more complex and more lush and richer than the first one," said James. One way "Insurgent" expands the "Divergent" universe is by introducing us to the peace-loving agricultural faction, Amity. Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer joins the cast as Amity's leader, Johanna. "It is a respite from the burned out buildings and rubble," Spencer said. "It's very inviting. I'm glad that that's the way Amity is portrayed and that I got to be a part of it."The first "Divergent" film scored big at the box office. Two more movies based on the final book of the trilogy are in the works.Meanwhile, "Divergent" author Veronica Roth is working on a new two-book series, with the first one expected in 2017 and the next in 2018. "Insurgent" opens in theaters Friday.

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Kathy Griffin abruptly quits "Fashion Police" The "Fashion Police" force is dwindling, with Kathy Griffin following Kelly Osbourne out the door.Griffin announced her departure Thursday, after just seven episodes, in a posting on her Twitter account. The tweet was verified by her office.Griffin said her style didn't mesh with the E! channel show's "creative direction," but her lengthy tweet also veered off into apparent criticism of how "Fashion Police" critiques celebrity looks."There is plenty to make fun of in pop culture without bringing people's bodies into it. ... I do not want to use my comedy to contribute to a culture of unattainable perfectionism and intolerance towards difference," she posted.Griffin tweeted that her goal is to help "women, gay kids, people of color" and anyone who feels underrepresented to have a voice and a laugh.pic.twitter.com/XL12skIPK4— Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) March 13, 2015Osbourne exited "Fashion Police" two weeks ago after complaining about co-host Giuliana Rancic's red-carpet criticism of African-American singer-actress Zendaya's dreadlocks. Rancic said they suggested the smell of marijuana.Zendaya went online to slam the remarks as "outrageously offensive." Rancic later apologized, saying the experience taught her not to perpetuate cliches and stereotypes.Griffin came to "Fashion Police" as a replacement for her friend and mentor, the late Joan Rivers.When she signed on in December, Griffin said, "I get it! These are some big shoes I'm going to fill. Joan was truly one of a kind. Now I hope you will accept me for me."In a statement, the channel said the next episode will air as scheduled March 30 with remaining co-hosts Rancic and Brad Goreski, and with Melissa Rivers, Joan's daughter, as executive producer.There was no word on who will permanently replace Griffin, whom the channel thanked for her work, or Osbourne.

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Jimmy Greenspoon, keyboardist of Three Dog Night, dies at 67 Jimmy Greenspoon, the keyboardist for rock band Three Dog Night, has died. He was 67.Greenspoon's agent, Chris Burke, said he died Wednesday of cancer at his home in North Potomac, Maryland, surrounded by his family.The keyboardist joined the rock band in 1968 and had been working with them until last October, when he took a medical leave of absence to pursue treatment for metastatic melanoma."He was like a brother to me," Three Dog Night co-founder and vocalist Danny Hutton said in a statement. "I knew him since he was just a teenager, and he was my oldest friend in the band. Also, Jimmy was a critical part of our early history, bringing a sound to the band that helped develop our style; he left an indelible mark."The group is best known for its 1960s and 1970s hits "Joy to the World," "Mama Told Me (Not to Come)" and "Black and White." Throughout his career, Greenspoon also performed with artists like Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and the Beach Boys."I will be forever shattered by his death," band co-founder and vocalist Cory Wells said. "Jimmy cared so much about excellence in the music and always made sure we had what we needed on stage and in the recording studio. I was amazed by his photographic memory, his love for music."Greenspoon is survived by his wife, Susie, daughter, Heather Miller, and two granddaughters.

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Sam Smith: I lost 14 pounds in 2 weeks Sam Smith is excited to show off his new slimmed-down figure. The Grammy-winning singer took to Instagram to reveal that he dropped 14 pounds in just two weeks. He's crediting the weight loss to nutritionist Amelia Freer. "Three weeks ago I met a woman who has completely changed my life. Amelia Freer has helped me lose over a stone in 2 weeks and has completely transformed my relationship with food," he wrote on Instagram. "Everyone go check out her incredible book, and start to live healthy. It's not even about weight loss it's about feeling happy in yourself. Love you Amelia & thank you for making me feel so happy inside and out @ameliafreer #eatnourishglow"Smith, 22, also posted a couple of photos of his latest look. And it appears the "Stay With Me" singer has also been hitting the gym:

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Vin Diesel gives emotional Paul Walker tribute at "Furious 7" screening Vin Diesel choked up while discussing his late friend and co-star Paul Walker at a screening of their latest "Fast & Furious" film. Walker died in a car crash in November 2013. Production was already underway on "Furious 7," which hits theaters April 3, and Walker's brothers stepped in to help finish his scenes for the film.17PhotosPaul Walker 1973-2013The star of the "Fast & Furious" film franchise has died in a car crash at the age of 40At an advance screening of "Furious 7" in Los Angeles, the new dad of three got emotional while paying tribute to Walker. "This was a labor of love. It was in some ways the hardest movie I ever had to do," he said. "Because the relationships that you see on film are so real. When the tragedy happened, I lost my best friend. I lost my brother. Tonight..."At that point Diesel stopped speaking, apparently overcome with emotion - but then fans in the audience can be heard clapping and shouting words of support.When he continued speaking, he told the crowd, "What can I say, guys. Thanks for being my family. Thanks for always taking care of us. Thanks for believing in us. ... Please know that we made this movie from our hearts, and know that this is our gift to you. And more importantly, it's for my brother there. Let it be the legacy we know he deserves."

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Does Ted Cruz have a Canada problem? Ted Cruz was born in Calgary, Canada in 1970 to a Cuban father and an American mother. For the past couple of years, and even now, on the day he formalized his run for the presidency, some have been raising questions about whether his foreign birth would preclude him from running for president. The Constitution says that only "natural-born citizens" can be president, but it does not clearly define the term. Most legal scholars argue that a natural-born citizen is one who does not have to be naturalized -- that is, someone born outside the U.S. who fulfills the requirements in the Immigration and Nationality Act in order to attain U.S. citizenship. Still, it's a legal question that has never been answered because the Supreme Court has never ruled on the issue.This question came up in 2008 for both presidential candidates. Barack Obama's citizenship was called into question by conspiracy theorists who insisted he was born in Kenya. Mr. Obama was, in fact, born in Hawaii.Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, however, was born in Panama, while his father was serving in the U.S. Navy. But he was born on a U.S. military base, and both of his parents were U.S. citizens. That didn't stop the lawsuits -- there were, the Washington Post noted at the time, three cases against McCain's candidacy based on questions about his status as a natural-born citizen. In order to settle the matter, noted Politifact, two other contenders for the presidency, Mr. Obama and Hillary Clinton, who were both senators at the time, co-sponsored a resolution which stated, "John Sidney McCain, III, is a 'natural born Citizen' under Article II, Section 1, of the Constitution of the United States." It's a question Cruz himself anticipated, enough so that in 2013 he released his birth certificate. CBS News' Stephanie Condon wrote about it here: Ted Cruz releases his birth certificate: a harbinger of debates to come? There is no question about Cruz's citizenship. He was a U.S. citizen at the time of his birth because his mother was born in Delaware. Because he was born in Canada, he was also a natural-born Canadian citizen, but Cruz renounced his Canadian citizenship last year. But there is still one potential candidate who might raise the issue, should Cruz run. Donald Trump, who was (is) one who was one of the biggest purveyors of the Obama "birther" myth,was asked about Cruz's eligibility on ABC's "This Week," after Cruz released his birth certificate in 2013. "If he was born in Canada, perhaps not." Trump said. "I don't know the circumstances. I heard somebody told me he was born in Canada. That's really his thing."

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Who is GOP presidential candidate Ted Cruz? Freshman Senator Ted Cruz of Texas is trying to move to the top tier of a very large Republican pack. On Monday, he became the first officially declared candidate of either major party. Cruz is already known as an uncompromising conservative and today he cemented that reputation before an adoring audience at Virginia's Liberty University, which calls itself the largest christian school in the world."Imagine in 2017 a new president signinglegislation repealing every word of Obamacare," said Cruz to huge ovation from the listening crowd. "Imagine abolishing the IRS!"Cruz first stole the national political spotlight in 2013 -- his first year in the Senate -- when he held the floor for 21 hours. "I intend to speak in support of defunding Obamacare until I am no longer able to stand," he said on the Senate floor.It contributed to a 16-day partial government shutdown that angered leading members of his own party -- including Senator John McCain, who called Cruz a wacko-bird. "Ifstanding for the Constitution, makes you a wacko bird, then I am a very, very proud wacko bird." The son of a Cuban dissident and an American mother, Cruz graduated from Princeton University and Harvard Law School before serving in the George W. Bush administration and as solicitor general of Texas. A Southern Baptist, Cruz is deeply religious."These rights don't come from man they come from God almighty!" And his speech today was tailored to his audience."He doesn't try to hide it he just comes out and says what he thinks," said one Liberty student. "I believe in the power of millions of courageous conservatives rising up to reignite the promise of America," he told his audience. Cruz's uncompromising conservatism is expected to help him in some early contests including the Iowa caucuses.But it will make for rough sledding if he survives to the point where he has to ask mainstream Republicans for support.

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​Andy Fraser, Free bassist, dies at 62 Andy Fraser, who co-wrote the rousing rock anthem "All Right Now" when he was the teenage bassist for the British rock band Free, has died in California at age 62.Fraser had been living in the Southern California desert community of Temecula, where he died Monday, the Riverside County coroner said in a statement. The cause of death is not yet known and remains under investigation.At age 15, the London-born Fraser briefly became a member of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers. The group functioned as a training ground for young British rockers including Eric Clapton and Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor.Within a year, Fraser became a founding member of Free. The band's most prominent member was singer and guitarist Paul Rodgers, who would also go on to front Bad Company and The Firm.The band's biggest hit by far was 1970's "All Right Now," which remains one of the defining hits of classic rock radio. Fraser also produced the track and plays a bass solo on it.The song is also a staple of football stadiums. The Stanford University and University of Southern California marching bands each play it at virtually every game.Fraser kept playing music for most of his life, but he would never equal the success he had as a teen with Free, which broke up in 1972.He and Rodgers took the stage together to play "All Right Now" at Woodstock '94, the reboot of the classic music festival.

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Will Jamie Foxx play Mike Tyson in Martin Scorsese film? Is Jamie Foxx going to portray Mike Tyson in a film directed by Martin Scorsese?49PhotosThe films of Martin ScorseseThe Oscar-winning filmmaker has challenged audiences with stories of crime, isolation, ambition and faithApparently so, according to the actor. Although nothing has officially been announced, Foxx recently talked about being cast as the boxer during a radio interview with Power 106's The Breakfast Club."I just went in with Paramount with Mike Tyson," Foxx said. "So I'm going to do the Mike Tyson story. Listen, to be in the same room pitching Mike Tyson to Paramount, Mike Tyson is on one side, I'm on the other side and doing Mike Tyson at the same time. And Martin Scorsese at the helm. This will be the first boxing movie that Martin Scorsese has done since 'Raging Bull.'"Scorcese more recently directed "The Wolf of Wall Street" and "Hugo," while Foxx graced the big screen last year in "Annie."

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Bradley Cooper and Suki Waterhouse split It's over between Bradley Cooper and Suki Waterhouse.The "American Sniper" actor, 40, and British model, 23, have called it quits after two years of dating, multiple reports said Thursday.30PhotosSplitsBreaking up is hard to do, especially when you're in the public eyeAccording to People, the pair split in January but remained friends and attended the Oscars together (where Cooper was nominated) the following month. A source also told Us Weekly that Cooper and Waterhouse decided to "take a break" because of their busy schedules. Cooper and Waterhouse were first linked in March 2013 and have mainly kept their romance under wraps."I don't talk about my boyfriend because it's boring," she told ELLE U.K. last year. "At least, that's what I decided to tell you when you asked. ... Maybe it's best for me to say, 'I'm not one of those girls who goes on about their boyfriends.' I do think whatever I say will sound weird. But the truth is, if I start talking about him, I probably won't be able to stop. And I don't really want to talk about him, you know?"E! News, which was first to report the split, adds that Waterhouse's rep declined to comment, while Cooper's rep didn't respond to a request for comment.

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​Bristol Palin engaged to Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer Bristol Palin says she is engaged to Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer.The daughter of former Alaska governor and former GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin said in a blog post Saturday that Meyer came to Alaska to film the "Amazing America" reality show with her mother last year."He's wonderful with [Palin's son] Tripp and I'm so proud to be marrying him," she said of Meyer, adding that the proposal happened at a Rascal Flatts concert. Palin also posted a photo of herself and Meyer on Instagram to announce the news. Meyer was awarded the Medal of Honor in 2011. The Kentucky native is credited with saving the lives of 36 Marines, Army soldiers and Afghan soldiers while providing cover for them to find their way out of a firefight with the Taliban.PlayVideoWashington UnpluggedFormer Marine Dakota Meyer awarded Medal of HonorFull ceremony: President Obama awarded the Medal of Honor to former Marine, Dakota Meyer Thursday. Meyer is only the third living recipient of th...Sarah Palin posted a link to her daughter's blog post from her verified Facebook account and said she was "honored to welcome Dakota into our family.""Coming back from Afghanistan there were days I thought I may never be happy again, and I know there's a lot of you out there who know that feeling," Meyer wrote Saturday on his Facebook account. "We only have one life to live and we have to do our best to live it the right way, and Bristol makes me a better man."Palin family attorney John Tiemessen didn't return an email or voicemail message from the Associated Press seeking comment.

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"Spectre": First look at new James Bond film Want your first look at the new James Bond film? Now you have it.On Tuesday, Sony unveiled the first poster for "Spectre," featuring Daniel Craig sans his familiar tuxedo: RT @007: Here is the official #SPECTRE teaser poster pic.twitter.com/D4IHMV8cO1— Sony (@Sony) March 17, 2015Craig will play Bond for a fourth time in the upcoming film, directed by Sam Mendes. He first starred in 2006's "Casino Royale," followed by 2008's "Quantum of Solace" and 2012's "Skyfall." "Spectre" also stars Monica Bellucci, Christoph Waltz, Ralph Fiennes and Ben Whishaw. Mexican actress Stephanie Sigman was recently cast to play Estrella, a mysterious new lady entering Bond's life.OK, thanks for the tease. Now bring on the trailer! "Spectre" hits theaters on Nov. 6.

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​Marvin Gaye's family wants to stop "Blurred Lines" distribution, performance Marvin Gaye's family wants to put a stop to "Blurred Lines." Gaye's children filed an injunction in court Tuesday to prevent the copying, distributing and performing of the hit song featuring Pharrell, Robin Thicke and T.I. Pharrell and Thicke were ordered to pay nearly $7.4 million to three of Gaye's children after a jury determined last week that the performers copied elements of the R&B icon's 1977 hit "Got to Give It Up." Gaye's family also sought Tuesday to amend the verdict to include rapper T.I., whose real name is Clifford Joseph Harris Jr., as well as labels Universal Music, Interscope Records and Star Trak Entertainment. The injunction against "Blurred Lines" could give Gaye's family leverage to negotiate for royalties and other concessions, such as songwriting credits. "With the digital age upon us, the threat of greater infringement looms for every artist," the family said in a statement released Wednesday. "It is our wish that our dad's legacy, and all great music, past, present, and future, be enjoyed and protected, with the knowledge that adhering to copyright standards assures our musical treasures will always be valued." "Blurred Lines" was the biggest hit of 2013. It sold more than 7 million tracks in the United States, topped the pop charts for months and earned two Grammy Award nominations.

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​Are Jamie Foxx and Katie Holmes an item? Are Jamie Foxx and Katie Holmes an item?30PhotosKnotsSee which stars have popped the question and said "I do"Romantic rumors started swirling between these two back in the fall of 2013, but now speculation is popping up again with reports from both Us Weekly and People that Foxx, 47, and Holmes, 36, are more than friends. There's no confirmation from the stars themselves, but an insider tells People they've been hanging out for about a year -- but it's nothing serious. A source says Holmes has been spotted visiting Foxx in Los Angeles, noting that "they spend hours together" at a time.Us Weekly, meanwhile, has a photo -- albeit a fuzzy one -- of the two holding hands. Perhaps just good pals? It's been almost three years since Holmes and Cruise announced their divorce. They have one child together, Suri. Foxx has two daughters.

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Here's your St. Patrick's Day music playlist In the mood for some music from some Irish singers? Well, just in time for St. Patrick's Day, Spotify has tailled the top 20 most streamed tracks by acts originating from Ireland. Singer Hozier, who hails from County Wicklow, takes the top spot with the soulful "Take Me to Church," with Dublin rockers The Script come second with their 2012 hit, "Hall of Fame."The Script. meanwhile, is the most streamed Irish group of all time on Spotify with seven tracks featuring in the top 20. Check out the list below and listen to Spotify's St. Patrick's Day playlist as you get in the spirit:1. "Take Me to Church" - Hozier2. "Hall of Fame" - The Script3. "Superheroes" - The Script4. "Chasing Cars" - Snow Patrol5. "With Or Without You" - U26. "Breakeven" - The Script7. "Brown Eyed Girl" - Van Morrison8. "Beautiful Day" - U29. "The Man Who Can't Be Moved" - The Script10. "Zombie" - The Cranberries11. "For the First Time" - The Script12. "9 Crimes" - Damien Rice13. "If You Could See Me Now" - The Script14. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"- U215. "Only Time - Original Version" - Enya16. "One" - U217. "The Blower's Daughter" - Damien Rice18. "Nothing" - The Script19. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" - U220. "Nothing Compares 2 U" - Sinead O'Connor

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Iggy Azalea: I may never return to social media Missing Iggy Azalea on social media? You may have to get used to it.The rapper, who has spent the last week off of Twitter and Instagram, said she may not return to the popular networks."Yeah, so nice not to be on social media so I'm kind of going to continue that until, maybe forever," she said in an interview with The Associated Press early Thursday.Azalea's management has been posting on her social media accounts since she announced she was taking a break. In her last Instagram post, she wrote about paparazzo invading her privacy by taking photos of her outside her home.50PhotosScenes from South By Southwest 2015Celebrities take to the stage at the Austin festival devoted to music, films and interactive media"I think it's disgusting," Azalea said backstage at the Samsung Milk Music Lounge during South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, where she was the headline act. "I don't think it's nice to stick your camera through somebody's fence and hedge and take a picture of them in their yard and think that's OK at all."Though the "Fancy" performer is off social media, she's keeping busy with new music and her upcoming tour, which was rescheduled to happen in the fall instead of the spring due to "production delays.""The whole point was to make no compromises, but nothing's changed in terms of my creative vision," she said. "It's very kind of like Patrick Nagel, powerful '80s androgynous women vibe."Azalea said she didn't want to wait until September to launch the tour, "but because the arenas are so far in advanced book, it was kind of their next slot." She said she'll take advantage of the free time by recording her sophomore album."I didn't anticipate having any time to completely finish it, but now that I have kind of the time," she said. "I'd love to have an album at the end of 2015."Azalea said her first single will be the Britney Spears-assisted "Pretty Girls.""I love Britney. She's super sweet and I just want to hang out with her all the time," she said. "I saw her at Toys "R'' Us randomly; she lives right down the street from me. ...Since I've met her now we keep bumping into each other in the street.""I don't know if I needed re-inspiring, but it's just made me extra excited to want to put out new music," she added about the song.Azalea's new album will be the follow-up to last year's "The New Classic," which was nominated for best rap album at this year's Grammy Awards and launched the hits, "Fancy" and "Black Widow.""My first album got pushed back so many times and it was really, probably like two years of recording on and off, not the entire time, but it was a real struggle and I think that was something that really like reflected in my album a lot -- I talk about trying to make it, trying to breakthrough," she said. "So my second album, now I don't have this problem. So I hope it's a little bit more up-tempo and just really fun. I just want to have something so summer and so girly, so loud and obnoxious and braggadocios."

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Philippines imposes "weed bond" on One Direction The Philippines is imposing a "weed bond" on One Direction.The Bureau of Immigration has asked Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson to post bonds worth nearly $5,000 each, which will be forfeited if they are caught using or impliedly promoting illegal drugs during a concert in Manila this weekend.It follows a request by the local Anti-Drugs Advocate group to the bureau to strictly scrutinize the band's concert permit following a video that circulated on the Internet of Malik and Tomlinson purportedly smoking marijuana.Malik and Tomlinson are required to post 200,000 pesos ($4,470) bond and 20,000 pesos ($447) processing fee each through their producer, bureau spokeswoman Elaine Tan said Thursday.The five-member band will perform at the seaside Mall of Asia Concert Grounds as part of their "On The Road Again" tour."The condition is intended to protect the public interest should the band members commit any violation during their stay in the Philippines," Tan said. She said the band will be prevented from performing if the producer fails to post the bond before the concert.The producer went to the Immigration Bureau Thursday afternoon to post the bond and fee, said Christine Ching, a spokeswoman of Anti-Drugs Advocate.The Filipino group is also awaiting a response to their petition asking a local court to direct government agencies to ensure that the band members are drug-free. It also urged the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency to send officers to monitor the band.The group is concerned about the popular band's influence on Filipino youth, Ching added."We want to see their pure, raw, untainted talent," without need for them to take drugs, she said.She said the concert producers, during a meeting with her group, expressed willingness to cooperate and give drug enforcers and Anti-Drugs Advocate access passes to allow them to monitor the band members.A fan, Ella Samson, was unfazed."To be honest, there are a lot of videos that are coming out showing people doing drugs. ... If this group is coming here to perform, will they take drugs while they are performing? Of course not," the college freshman said.Following the leak of the video last year, One Direction's Liam Payne tweeted an apology, saying "I love my boys and maybe things have gone a little sideways. I apologize for that."He said: "We are only in our 20's and we all do stupid things at this age."After Manila, One Direction is scheduled to perform in Jakarta, Indonesia, March 25.

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Saudi Arabia stops issuing Swedish visas The kingdom will no longer issue business visas to Swedes or renew the current visas of Swedish nationals living in the country, a senior Saudi official told the Associated Press. The official said the move is in response to Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom's recent criticism of human rights and women's rights in Saudi Arabia. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information. Wallstrom has refused to back down from her comments. Indeed, last week, she was about to deliver a lecture on human rights and women's rights at the Arab League meeting in Cairo, and it was abruptly canceled hours before the speech was scheduled. In a radio interview, Wallstrom said her speech was canceled because of Saudi protests. A day later Sweden's new left-wing government opted not to renew a 10-year-old weapons deal with the Saudis. Saudi Arabia pulled its ambassador from Stockholm last week, and its regional ally the United Arab Emirates followed suit Wednesday. Saudi Arabia says it considers Wallstrom's remarks as "blatant interference it its internal affairs."Sweden, one of Europe's most egalitarian and secular countries, has little in common with deeply religious Saudi Arabia. Yet the countries have previously had friendly relations and Saudi Arabia has been one of the Middle East's biggest buyers of Swedish arms exports. What's not clear, CBS State Department Correspondent Margaret Brennan says, is whether Sweden's actions against the kingdom were intended to be a statement itself or to quiet political upset at home. The Nordic country wants to be known as human rights defender and has been vocal on the subject, but at the same time, it is also relies heavily on arms exports. Sweden's companies are unhappy about the termination of the contract, and thirty Swedish business leaders wrote an open letter calling for the contract to be renewed. The arms deal with Saudi Arabia was worth $40 million to Sweden last year.

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Watch Michelle Obama bring the funk to "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" Michelle Obama shows off her funky dance moves in an upcoming segment set to air Monday on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." On Friday, producers released a fun preview clip, which finds the first lady taking on a not-so-simple routine with DeGeneres and dancers from the "So You Think You Can Dance" All Stars. They all get down to "Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars -- and it's definitely worth a viewing. At one point near the start of the dance Mrs. Obama stops everything when her mic's battery pack falls off. "There is some hip thrusting," she says. "There's a lot of it." She wasn't lying. The first lady didn't appear on DeGeneres' show just to dance. She paid a visit to the set to talk about the fifth anniversary of her anti-childhood obesity initiative. Mrs. Obama previously displayed her push-up skills on the show.

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"Empire" season finale: The 9 most shocking moments Empire capped its stellar first season of in a big way Wednesday, with more twists and shockers than Cookie's got ways to diss Boo Boo Kitty. The season ended where it began, with a member of the Lyon family behind bars and drama surrounding who's going to take control of Empire Entertainment."Empire" episode 10 recap: Into the Lyons' den Here's a look at the nine most jaw-dropping moments from 'Die But Once' and 'Who I Am.' 1. Lucious Doesn't Have ALS The whole season has been built on Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard) preparing to leave Empire Entertainment behind when he succumbs to his ALS. Turns out, it was a misdiagnosis. The range of emotions that play across Howard's face when his character finds out that he isn't dying show just how much this news complicates nearly every part of the Empire. 2. Cookie's (Almost) a Killer A round of new meds for his (far more treatable) disease leaves Lucious is high and hallucinating when Cookie comes in comes into the bedroom. She hears him confess to Bunkie's murder and learns that he doesn't have ALS after all. So, Cookie decides to take matter into her own hands, nearly smothering her ex with a pillow. Turns out, Lucious wasn't totally out of it, however. When he's handing out apology gifts to his family the next day, Cookie receives a gift-wrapped pillow as a warning. What a nice token of death for your ex-wife. 🎁#EmpireFinale #empire pic.twitter.com/Z7CSOaNUOc— Empire (@EmpireFOX) March 19, 2015Video: "Empire's" Taraji P. Henson on battling Madonna for No. 1 album: "I need a Grammy"' 3. Hakeem's Boo Boo After slamming his father publicly in a freestyle rap, Hakeem got the business end of Lucious' fist when the two came to blows. After falling out of his father's favor, the youngest Lyon decides to get payback by courting rival record label Creedmore and sleeping with Lucious' scorned ex-fiancee Anika. OH $H*&! 😱😁🙊#EmpireFinale #empire pic.twitter.com/EV78AK6WFY— Empire (@EmpireFOX) March 19, 2015 4. Jamal's a Monster Jamal and his father really bonded for perhaps the first time in the finale, going back to their roots as songwriters (and their old house) to create a track together. The song is fire, but Lucious maintains that Jamal still has to prove himself to become the successor to Empire Entertainment. Jamal fulfills this request...by dangling Billy Beretti out of a window until the rival record exec agrees to sign over Lucious' original demos to Empire.Video: "Empire" stars on the show's music: "It's the air we breathe" 5. Cookie Crumbles The Empire matriarch should have smothered her ex when she had the chance. Lucious not only cuts her out of the company due to his jealousy over her relationship with Malcolm, but turns Jamal against her when he reveals the security footage of Cookie holding a pillow over him. She doesn't even get to see her name on the marquee at the tribute concert. "Sometimes you gotta be willing to sacrifice your queen in order to win the game," Lucious tells Jamal coldly as security escorts his ex-wife from the building. 6. Unlikely Bedfellows DAMN COOKIE! 🍸#EmpireFinale #empire https://t.co/w21f5a9Wct— Empire (@EmpireFOX) March 19, 2015Hakeem and Andre join forces to seize Empire back from Lucious and Jamal, and recruit Cookie and Anika, to help them do so. After a cat fight for the ages, the two women finally agree to work together to take back the company they believe is rightfully theirs.Cat Fight!! 🙀 #EmpireFOX— #YTG ™ (@YazzTheGreatest) March 19, 2015 "I will work with Boo Boo Kitty this time," Cookie concedes, getting in one last jab.Watch: Why "Empire's" Cookie Lyon is the queen of primetime 7. RIP Vernon Lucious' right-hand man is out of rehab and ready to help take control of the company back, but he isn't received as warmly as he might have hoped when he shows up on Andre's doorstep. The two come to blows, and when Vernon's got Andre pinned to the ground, Rhonda comes up from behind and bashes him in the head with a candlestick. Andre scrambles to call the police when he realizes Vernon is dead, but Rhonda stops him because, in yet another shocker, she's pregnant. 8. Dwight Walker Goes to Jail Lucious and Jamal share a sweet moment before Lucious hits the stage at his tribute concert, when the Empire patriarch finally tells his son that he loves him and reveals his real name, something "Cookie don't even know." The moment is short-lived however, when police bust through the dressing room door to arrest Lucious for Bunkie's murder. Lucious accuses Cookie on his way out, but as he walks past stone-faced Andre and Hakeem, it becomes clear to him who sold him out. 9. The Stars Came Out Snoop Dogg stopped by to fresstyle and perform "Peaches and Cream" and promote his real-life new album, Rita Ora and Patti Labelle were onstage for the Lucious Lyon tribute concert, and church mouse Jennifer Hudson is preparing to hit the big time. The star-studded cameos weren't exactly shocking, but they were certainly impressive.Watch: Everything you need to know about "Empire," TV's most-talked-about new show! The episode and season end with Lucious Lyon sitting in a jail cell, but the drama is far from over. "You may think you've gotten away with it, but don't fool yourself this is only the beginning," the Empire patriarch fumes in voiceover. "The day will come when Lucious Lyon will return. Game time, bitches.""So y'all think you all got a plan, huh? Well think again." –Lucious#EmpireFinale #empire— Empire (@EmpireFOX) March 19, 2015 We can't wait for season two! Exlusive: Inside the star-studded "Empire" season finale

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Stars praise Kathy Griffin's "Fashion Police" exit Last Updated Mar 13, 2015 5:13 PM EDTStars are praising Kathy Griffin for parting ways with "Fashion Police" after just seven episodes. In a tweet, Griffin said her style didn't match up with the E! show's "creative direction." "There is plenty to make fun of in pop culture without bringing people's bodies into it. ... I do not want to use my comedy to contribute to a culture of unattainable perfectionism and intolerance towards difference," she wrote. Her move comes on the heels of controversy surrounding co-host Giuliana Rancic's red-carpet criticism of singer-actress Zendaya's dreadlocks. Now celebrities, including former "Fashion Police" star Kelly Osbourne, are chiming in on her departure:Tell us: What do you think about Griffin's exit?

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Watch the first teaser for "Lip Sync Battle" Watching celebrities attempt their best lip-syncing on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon" just didn't happen often enough. Soon we'll have an entire show dedicated to the art form.Spike TV unveiled the first trailer for the upcoming series, which finds "Pitch Perfect" star Anna Kendrick taking on Jennifer Lopez's "Booty" -- only to be joined by the "Booty" singer herself. That battle is on!There's also John Krasinski channeling Tina Turner -- short silver dress with sparkly fringe included. And Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson shakes it off for the cameras. That alone is worth a viewing.Hosted by LL Cool J, "Lip Sync Battle" premieres Thursday, April 2 on Spike at 10 p.m. ET.

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​Kerry Washington to play Anita Hill in new HBO film Kerry Washington is handling a new situation.The "Scandal" star has signed on to play Anita Hill in a new HBO film about Clarence Thomas' 1991 Supreme Court confirmation hearings.Called "Confirmation," the movie also finds Washington serving as an executive producer. Hill's sexual harassment allegations against Thomas put the issue at the center of a fierce national debate. Hill became a hero and a target, while Thomas was confirmed as an associate justice.Law professor Anita Hill takes oath, Oct. 12, 1991, before the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington D.C.JENNIFER LAW/AFP/Getty ImagesLast year saw the release of "Anita," a documentary by the Oscar-winning filmmaker Freida Mock about the Brandeis University law professor.HBO didn't give other casting details or an airdate for "Confirmation" in its announcement Thursday.In a recent interview with Marie Claire, Washington spoke about privacy and her personal life: "Earlier in my career, I was much more super-sharey. There were moments when I wanted to process things that were happening to me more privately, and I didn't have the space to do it, because once you let people in, they're in and you don't get to say, "Oh, I want this for myself.""

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Former "Survivor" producer Bruce Beresford-Redman convicted in wife's murder Last Updated Mar 13, 2015 8:11 AM EDTCBS will broadcast a special "48 Hours" Saturday night on the verdict. It airs at 9/8c.CANCUN, Mexico -- Former "Survivor" producer Bruce Beresford-Redmond has been convicted on murder charges in the 2010 killing of his wife during a vacation in Mexico, his attorney told CBS News.Attorney Jaime Cancino said Beresford-Redman was sentenced Thursday to 12 years in prison. He plans to appeal the case, claiming his client was convicted on circumstantial evidence. Beresford-Redman, his family and defense lawyers maintain his innocence.PlayVideo48 Hours Segment ExtrasBruce Beresford-Redman's prison diaryIn a video diary made for "48 Hours," Beresford-Redman explains what he has to do to survive in Mexican prison from day to day.In November 2014, after being held at the Benito Juarez prison in Cancun for nearly three years, Beresford-Redman gave "48 Hours" his first sit-down interview about the case. The program included footage he shot from inside the prison.Mexican authorities claimed Beresford-Redman killed his wife, Monica, in their room at the Moon Palace resort in Cancun on the morning of April 5, 2010. He then allegedly hid her body in the hotel room until evening before leaving it in a cistern about 75 yards away. Monica Beresford-Redman's body was discovered three days later, naked and beaten.Beresford-Redman returned to the U.S. after his wife's death, but was extradited to Mexico in February 2012, where a judge ordered him to remain in custody until his trial.PlayVideo48 Hours Segment ExtrasBurgos sisters remember their murdered sisterIn a 2012 interview with "48 Hours," Jeanne and Carla Burgos spoke with Troy Roberts about their sister, Monica Beresford-Redman, and brother-in-...In 2012, Jeanne and Carla Burgos told "48 Hours" they believe Beresford-Redman killed their sister. Jeanne Burgos said she spoke with Monica the day before she was killed, and that her sister was upset that Beresford-Redman was having an affair. "I told her, 'Monica, don't worry. You know, come back here, just move on with your life,'" Jeanne Burgos said. "...You're just going to build up your life again and you're going to be happy again.""If he really killed my sister, which it looks like he did, I want him in jail," Carla Burgos said. "But it doesn't make me happy to see him in jail."Beresford-Redman's parents have custody of the couple's two children, Camilla and Alec. "48 Hours" will have an update on the Beresford-Redman murder case Saturday, March 14 at 9/8c.

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Sinead O'Connor to "cease" singing "Nothing Compares 2 U" Sinead O'Connor is over "Nothing Compares 2 U."16PhotosSinead O'Connor through the yearsThe once-controversial Irish singer is now sporting a new lookThe Irish singer took to Facebook Monday to announce she will "cease" singing the 1990 hit that catapulted her to fame. "After twenty-five years of singing it, nine months or so ago I finally ran out of anything I could use in order to bring some emotion to it. I don't want audiences to be disappointed coming along to a show and then not hearing it, so am letting you know here that you won't. If I were to sing it just to please people, I wouldn't be doing my job right, because my job is to be emotionally available. I'd be lying. You'd be getting a lie. My job is to give you honesty. I'm trained in honesty. I can't act. It just isn't in my training. I have ceased singing other songs over the years for the same reason," wrote the 48-year-old singer. Post by Sinead O'Connor."Nothing Compares 2 U," which was written by Prince for one of his side projects, appeared on O'Connor's sophomore release, "I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got."Guess we'll have to settle for a live recording of it.

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​Paul McCartney to induct Ringo Starr into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Paul McCartney has agreed to induct his former Beatles mate, Ringo Starr, into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next month.Stevie Wonder, Patti Smith and John Mayer will also usher in new members, the hall announced on Wednesday. The 30th annual induction ceremony is scheduled for Cleveland's Public Hall on April 18. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is located in Cleveland.38PhotosThe Beatles: Backstage at "The Ed Sullivan Show"Get a glimpse behind the scenes when the Fab Four made their landmark appearance on American TV on February 9, 1964The Beatles are in the rock hall already, and so are McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison as solo artists. Drummer Starr is the last to be honored individually, and Eagle Joe Walsh will perform some of his friend's music.Wonder will induct Bill Withers, a fellow songwriter who had his biggest impact in the 1970s. John Legend will perform Withers' music, and it's still a mystery whether Withers, who quit the music business more than 30 years ago, will sing. Rock hall spokeswoman Shauna Wilson said it's still to be determined which inductees will perform.Smith will induct another artist indelibly tied to New York, the late Lou Reed, and Beck will perform his music.Mayer is speaking in honor of another blues guitarist, the late Stevie Ray Vaughan. Vaughan's brother Jimmie will perform with members of his brother's old band, Double Trouble.Dave Grohl has committed to performing inductee Joan Jett's music, although the hall hasn't announced who will give the speech for the "I Love Rock and Roll" singer.Peter Wolf will induct the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, with Tom Morello performing the band's music. Fall Out Boy will induct Green Day and guitarist Steve Cropper is scheduled to honor the "5" Royales.HBO is taping the ceremony and concert for a May 30 television premiere.The rock hall will open an exhibit on April 11 honoring this year's new class, and also has a special exhibit on photographer Herb Ritts' work with musicians.

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Actor ​Robert Carradine involved in car crash Robert Carradine has been cited with careless driving in a crash that injured the "Revenge of the Nerds" actor and his wife in Colorado.The wreck happened March 5 near Dolores, in the state's southwestern corner.The Colorado State Patrol says the 60-year-old actor crossed into the oncoming lane on Colorado Highway 145, crashing into a tractor-trailer.Carradine and his wife, Edith, were both hurt, but the state patrol says their injuries weren't life-threatening. The truck driver wasn't injured.As of Thursday, neither Carradine nor his wife was listed as being at the hospital where they were taken. It's unclear how long they were there.Sgt. James Saunders tells The Durango Herald that neither alcohol nor speeding was a factor in the crash. Carradine and his wife were wearing seatbelts.Carradine -- son of actor John Carradine -- had roles in "Lizzie McGuire," "Django Unchained" and "The Big Red One."

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​Live-streaming apps dominate buzz at SXSW A live-streaming app called Meerkat, calls to online activism and pedicabs with a "Game of Thrones" iron throne seat were the top topics of conversation at South by Southwest over the weekend, as 33,000-plus members of the technology, marketing and media industries poured into Austin, Texas.PlayVideoSaturdaySXSW previews future of music, film and techWhat once started as a funky little Texas music festival more than 25 years ago, "South by Southwest" has grown. About 150,000 people gathered in..."You never know what's around the corner at South By Southwest, it could be a small thing or it could be life-changing," said David Rubin, Pinterest's head of brand, at the social media company's annual barbecue on Saturday. He said the festival is a good place to schmooze with clients and do some recruiting."Pinterest is about creativity and the employee base is quirky and interesting, so it's a good place to meet potential employees," he said.The five-day festival is not yet half over, but buzz-worthy trends are already emerging. Here's a look at top topics so far at the annual gathering of the Technorati.Live-Streaming AppsAn app called Meerkat is dominating conversations. The simple app allows people to live stream anything at the touch of a button. The app used to let users automatically Tweet live streams too, but that came to a stop after Twitter confirmed Friday it acquired Periscope, a Meerkat rival, for undisclosed terms and limited Meerkat's access to Twitter.50PhotosScenes from South By Southwest 2015Celebrities take to the stage at the Austin festival devoted to music, films and interactive mediaAt a panel Friday about government patents, U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker had used Meerkat to stream her official swearing in of the new chief of the U.S. Patent and Trademark office Michelle Lee on Twitter. "Being the first cabinet official to share key events on this exciting new platform," she tweeted. Countless others streamed other panels and events.Meanwhile, rival live-streaming app Stre.am is a finalist for SXSW's innovation awards.Online ActivismSome major political figures are using the festival to call for online activism. Former Vice President Al Gore gave a rousing talk about the need for urgent action on climate change on Friday. Gore called upon SXSW attendees to get involved in supporting climate change legislation ahead of environmental talks in Paris in December."We are at a fork in the road, we can win this, but it requires passion," he said.In a keynote on Saturday, Princess Reema Bint Bandar Al Saud of Saudi Arabia discussed her efforts to bring women into the workplace and announced a new breast cancer awareness campaign that will rely on social and mobile media to spread the word in the Middle East, including the Twitter-ready hashtag #10ksa.Often in the Middle East, "a woman doesn't want to admit unhealthy status," she said. "There are larger cultural issues involved to talk about breast cancer."Corporate StuntsPromotions are everywhere. HBO's "Game of Thrones" is employing pedicabs with Iron-Throne seats and hosting "SXSWesteros," an event site that serves a "Game of Thrones" beer and allows fans a chance to sit on the show's Iron Throne.Meanwhile, smartphone battery pack maker Mophie created buzz with St. Bernard dogs that "rescue" festival-goers low on batteries when they tweet a plea for help to Mophie. The dogs, all locally owned by people in Austin, are part of the St. Bernard's Rescue Foundation, which was created to raise awareness about rescue dogs."People don't get exposure to St. Bernard's ever," said Mophie spokesman Kevin Malinowski. "People get them as puppies when they're so cute, but once they grow up they can't handle them, so this is almost an education."Russell Brand's No-ShowA documentary about actor Russell Brand, called "Brand, a Second Coming," was a headliner for the film portion of the festival. Brand was set to appear at the Friday premiere and give a talk as well as discuss his daily YouTube show "Trews," in which he talks about news topics. But that day Brand announced on his blog that he wouldn't appear at the festival, saying he was uncomfortable with how the documentary turned out, and backed out of the talk."I apologise sincerely to the organisers of SXSW for my non-attendance, especially Janet Pierson, Brian Solis and Rynda Laurel from the interactive festival who were responsible for the keynote talk that I was due to do," he wrote in the blog post.

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Obama roots for Princeton niece at NCAA tourney President Obama spent his Saturday on the University of Maryland campus, watching a tense NCAA women's basketball tournament game between eighth-seeded Princeton University and ninth-seeded Green Bay. According to White House pool reports, the president attended to cheer on his niece, Leslie Robinson, who plays for Princeton's team. Though Robinson, a Princeton forward, remained on the bench, the Ivy League team pulled off a win after a halftime score that had the two teams neck and neck at 35-34. Princeton advanced on to the next round, with a final score of 80-70 over Green Bay.Mr. Obama opted out of luxury box viewing and instead sat in a third row seat with an entourage that included daughter Malia, brother-in-law and former University of Oregon basketball coach Craig Robinson and Education Secretary Arne Duncan. Duncan, a Harvard basketball team alumnus and frequent basketball companion to the president, had also participated in three NBA All-Star Weekend Celebrity games.Though the game turned political at one point, with Princeton fans chanting "four more years," Mr. Obama waved them off.Though the president wasn't seen in Princeton's signature "Tiger Pride" orange -- Mr. Obama was sporting a brown sweater -- his recently released March Madness bracket puts the Ivy League university in the Final Four.For the men's tournament -- in what some might call a "risk averse" bracket -- the president is betting on Kentucky winning the championship, with Duke, Villanova and Arizona rounding out the Final Four.

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Vin Diesel and girlfriend Paloma Jimenez welcome third child Vin Diesel had some big news to share this week -- he's become a father for the third time.The actor confirmed he and longtime girlfriend Paloma Jimenez welcomed baby No. 3 with a short (and sweet) message posted on Facebook.30PhotosThe stork clubTheir babies are born with silver spoons in their mouths and stars in their eyesDiesel captioned a photo of the newborn with lyrics from Louis Armstrong's classic song "What a Wonderful World," writing, "I hear babies crying, I watch them grow. They'll learn much more, Than I'll ever know. And I think to myself, What a wonderful world..."The birth comes a few weeks after news of Jimenez's pregnancy first surfaced. The couple are already parents to daughter Hania Riley, 6, and son Vincent Sinclair, 4.Last November, Diesel opened up on Facebook about his late "Fast & Furious" co-star Paul Walker's influence on his journey to parenthood."He took a certain pride in being uncle Pablo... after all, we were filming a scene in FF4 the day she was born, and he being the only one I told, encouraged me to go in and cut the umbilical cord," Diesel wrote, adding, "He was an important part of my transition into fatherhood."Diesel, 47, returns to the big screen next month with "Furious 7," which opens in theaters April 3.

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Elton John, others criticize Dolce & Gabbana on IVF views Singer Elton John and several other celebrities called for a boycott on the Dolce & Gabbana label after the designers comments in a magazine interview that apparently endorsed traditional families with a mother and father.Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, who had once been a couple themselves, expressed a skepticism to creating families using in vitro fertilization, surrogate mothers and gay adoption. In an interview with the Italian magazine Panorama, the duo iterated that "there are things that should not be changed."In the interview, Dolce told the magazine "I call children of chemistry, synthetic children. Rented wombs." Gabbana added "the family is not a fad."The comments drew the anger of many who have created families through non-traditional methods. Among the most vocal to call for a boycott of the Dolce & Gabbana brand was John who wrote in an Instagram post: "How dare you refer to my beautiful children as "synthetic." And shame on you for wagging your judgemental little fingers at IVF." John has two children with husband David Furnish, each born with the use of surrogates.Singer Ricky Martin, the father of twins born by a surrogate mother, called on the pair to "wake up" in a message on Twitter, admonishing the designers that their voices were too powerful to spread hate.Also, NBC News co-anchor Al Roker joined the backlash against Dolce & Gabbana by tweeting his disapproval of their remarks. Roker and his wife began a family with the help of IVF treatment in 1998.Gabbana said in a statement Sunday that "it was never our intention to judge other people's choices. We do believe in freedom and love."Dolce says he was expressing his view about family based on his experience growing up in a traditional Sicilian family "made up of a mother, a father and children. I am very well aware of the fact that there are other types of families and they are as legitimate as the one I've known."Dolce said he was expressing his personal views "without judging other people's choices."The designers have put the traditional family at the center of their last two collections, sending a pregnant model and models with their own children down the runway to celebrate motherhood for next winter's womenswear collection, while featuring grandmothers with their grandsons for menswear.

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Will Ferrell earns his place in baseball history Will Ferrell packed a whole season of spring training into just one day, traveling to five Arizona ballparks, wearing ten different uniforms and playing all nine field positions. He was filming a comedy special for HBO and raising money for cancer charities - finding a way to turn pre-season games into something entertaining and meaningful, reports CBS News correspondent Michelle Miller.The comedian is no stranger to sports. Ferrell has raced cars in "Talladega Nights," shot hoops in "Semi-Pro" and even skating his way to victory in "Blades of Glory." Now he's earned his place in baseball history. Ferrell dotted the Phoenix, Arizona, metro area Thursday with the help of a chopper, suiting up for 10 teams in five games.The "Saturday Night Live" alum showed off his arm in center field, but was abruptly traded mid-game to the Cubs. He was a natural third-base coach, glided effortlessly through grass playing the outfield, but his bat was no match for big-league pitching.In the night cap, the 47-year-old channeled his inner Sandy Koufax for the Dodgers. Ferrell finished in right field for the Padres in honor of Hall-of-Fame outfielder Tony Gwynn who died of cancer last year. His teammates lauded his effort and his physical tools. "I think he's a good clubhouse guy, he brings a lot to the table," said San Diego Padres' Cody Decker said. "I think he's got an above average chin, great hair, above-average hair, look at that thing, it's a wonderful mane."At the end of the day, Ferrell addressed the crowd."Ruth, Musial, Mantle, Will Ferrell. Who would have thought that one day, those names would be synonymous with each other. Show of hands? Scratch that, never mind," he said. "I will never forget today, unless I get hit in the head by a line drive attending a game, but I will never forget this day." Only four major leaguers have ever played all nine positions in a single game. Memorabilia from Ferrell's games will be auctioned off, with the proceeds going to Stand up to Cancer and College for Cancer. Ferrell hopes to raise $1 million for those charities.

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Michelle Obama arrives in Kenzo dress for Japan visit First lady Michelle Obama started her first visit to Japan on a stylish note Wednesday, touching down in Tokyo in a brightly-printed dress by Kenzo. Mrs. Obama paired the lime green, flared design with a metallic belt and black pumps, all donned as she stepped off the plane for her visit to the country, part of five-day trip to Japan and Cambodia promoting the White House's "Let Girls Learn" education initiative.Kenzo is a fitting choice for the first lady's visit -- the French fashion house was founded by Japanese designer Kenzo Takada, and is currently helmed by American design duo Humberto Leon and Carol Lim. So it symbolically brings together the U.S. and Japan, all in one outfit. In Tokyo, Mrs. Obama plans to announce, along with Japanese first lady Akie Abe, a partnership supporting girls' education. She will also visit historic sites in Kyoto before traveling to Cambodia -- one of 11 countries participating in the "Let Girls Learn" initiative.

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Aussie girls recreate "Bohemian Rhapsody" car scene, this week on The Feed! This week's most popular viral videos include a lion opening a car door, a female comedy trio performing "Bohemian Rhapsody," micropigs sharing an apple, a flight attendant dancing, wrestling moves in the pool and a magic door prank. First up, Joshua Sutherland shared this scary video of a lion that's smarter than your average bear -- assuming your average bear doesn't know how to open car doors. The "Bohemian Rhapsody" car scene in Wayne's World is one of the most iconic movie scenes of all time, making it prime fodder for Internet parody. In this video, the Australian comedy trio SketchShe put their own twist on it and struck viral gold. WARNING: NSFW content.This week, Apple shared all the details of their new Apple Watch with the world. Meanwhile, and perhaps way more important, the world also got to watch these baby micropigs share an apple, courtesy of petpiggies micro pigs.Flight attendant Caralee Savage feels the way most people feel when the hit song "Uptown Funk" comes on -- she just can't help but dance. However, this former high school dance teacher's moves give the aisle a little more style.High-flying YouTuber Joe Weller tries out some punishing WWE moves on girls in a pool. Though it may seem dangerous, the two girls -- who happen to be fellow YouTubers the Merrell Twins -- seem to survive the entertaining mess just fine.And, in his latest video, magician and prankster Rahat bewilders park goers, utilizing a remote control door to nowhere.Want more of The Feed? Check out this playlist of every Feed ever!

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Betty White to receive lifetime achievement honor at Daytime Emmys Showbiz sweetheart Betty White is about to get another dose of love, this time from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.The 93-year-old actress will be honored with this year's lifetime achievement award next month at the 42nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards.In the 1960s, White was a frequent contestant on "Password," where she met and subsequently wed its host, Allen Ludden. She also appeared on "The Match Game" and "The $25,000 Pyramid."She was the first woman to receive an Emmy Award for outstanding game show host for the show "Just Men." And she had a recurring role on "The Bold and the Beautiful" from 2006 to 2009.Previous honorees include Oprah Winfrey, Barbara Walters and Regis Philbin.The Daytime Emmys air April 26 on the Pop network.

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"GoodFellas" cast to reunite at Tribeca Film Festival The cast of Martin Scorsese's "GoodFellas" will reunite for the film's 25th anniversary at the Tribeca Film Festival.The festival announced Wednesday that a re-mastered version of the gangster film classic will close the 14th annual Tribeca Film Festival on April 25. Following the screening at New York's Beacon Theatre, Jon Stewart will host a conversation with Scorsese and the cast, including Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco, Ray Liotta and Paul Sorvino.66PhotosTribeca Film Festival 2014Scenes from the annual New York City film festival, running from April 16-27"I was so excited to learn that this picture, now 25 years old, would be closing this year's Tribeca Film Festival. Excited and moved. It was an adventure to get it on screen--we wanted to make a movie that was true to Nick Pileggi's book and to the life of Henry Hill and his friends, which means that we broke some rules and took some risks," Scorsese said in a statement. "So it's heartening to know that 'GoodFellas' has come to mean so much to so many people. It's wonderful to see one of your pictures revived and re-seen, but to see it closing Tribeca, a festival of new movies, means the world to me."De Niro, who co-founded the Tribeca Film Festival, added: "I was most proud of this film 25 years ago and equally proud of it now."The festival runs April 15-26. Go here for more information on this year's lineup.

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​Jessica Lange leaves "American Horror Story," new cast members announced Jessica Lange won't be staying on for another season of "American Horror Story."24Photos"American Horror Story" season 4 premiereStars of "American Horror Story: Freak Show" hit the red carpet for the premiere of their latest seasonThe 65-year-old Emmy-winner announced Sunday at PaleyFest LA that she's not returning for season 5, which will be dubbed "Hotel." "We've had a great run here," said Lange, who appeared in the first four seasons of the FX show. "I mean, I have absolutely loved doing these four characters that I've had the opportunity to play. And in all the madness, I've loved my writers and the actors and Ryan and the whole insanity of it...but yes, I'm done."19PhotosStars at 2015 PaleyFest LAActors from the TV world step out for the annual PaleyFest in Los Angeles"AHS" fans will be greeted this fall with some new faces. We already know Lady Gaga will appear on the series, and on Sunday it was announced that both Matt Bomer ("The Normal Heart," "White Collar") and Cheyenne Jackson ("Glee") are joining the "Hotel" cast. "American Horror Story: Hotel" will premiere in October.

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​Scott Disick checks into rehab Scott Disick has checked into rehab.The "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" star is seeking treatment at Rythmia Life Advancement Center in Costa Rica, according to the center, located in Lorena, Guanacaste.33PhotosStars in rehabCheck out some of the celebrities who've checked into rehab"I realize my issues are bigger than me and I'm ready to truly remedy this struggle I continue to battle. While I have been unconvinced in the past of treatment and therapy methods, Rythmia's rehab approach puts my worries at ease. The fact that there is a money back guarantee that has never been called upon gives me even more confidence. I am looking forward to starting my therapy and iboga treatment there," Disick, 31, said in a statement issued by the Rythmia Life Advancement Center. Part of the treatment includes life coaching, meditation training, therapy and nutritional catching. The rehabilitation center focuses on alternative therapy, which includes natural, plant-based methods. He will take part in boga treatment, which uses a special African plant to cure addiction, according to the statement. There are unconfirmed reports that Disick had a wild night out in Atlantic City, New Jersey, shortly before entering rehab. Disick has three children with Kourtney Kardashian: Mason, 5; Penelope, 2, and Reign Aston, born in December.

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​"An American in Paris" heads to New York Direct from Paris -- a musical is coming to New York set in happier days after that city's liberation during World War II. Call it old or new, or marvelous: It's Gershwin. Our Man in Paris, David Turecamo takes us backstage:In the center of Paris is the 150-year-old Theater Chatelet, and looking out her dressing room window Leanne Cope can see "this building here, [which] is where they held Marie Antoinette just before she was beheaded." Leanne is a member of London's Royal Ballet. "Generally I'm one of many swans or one of many snowflakes."But now she is the leading lady in a new musical debuting on Broadway. "If you mention 'Broadway' anywhere in the world, people would know what it is, and that does scare me a little bit," she told Turecamo. It's customary for Broadway shows to open out of town, but usually in cities like Philadelphia, New Haven, or Pittsburgh -- out-of-town try-outs to fine-tune a show before facing the New York critics. So why bring this show to Paris? Because this show is "An American in Paris."You probably know the movie: Gene Kelly, six Academy Awards (including Best Picture), on lots of 10-best lists. It's just a great movie. So you think these kids feel pressure? "Absolutely!" says director Christopher Wheeldon, one of the most respected choreographers in the world. His background includes the Royal Ballet of London and the New York City Ballet. But this is the first time he's ever directed a musical.And he's attempting something that very few people have ever done successfully, which is choreographing ballet for a Broadway musical "I guess I make dances that I think I would want to see if I was an audience member," said Wheeldon. George Gershwin originally wrote the musical composition "An American in Paris" in 1928 -- the impressions of an American while walking around the city. The movie reflected a different time. It was made in 1952, just seven years after the war. Paris was still rebuilding, and it was too soon to confront post-war realities, so the movie added romance. Gene Kelly falls in love with Leslie Caron (actually, I think a lot of us did). This Paris is light, colorful and carefree. Robert Fairchild, Brandon Uranowitz, and Max Von Essen, who who all fall in love with the same girl, in "An American in Paris."CBS NewsBut Wheeldon's version begins with the liberation of Paris, and so places the war front-and-center. "We were searching for a way to make the romance and the joy feel more potent coming from this place of darkness," he said. "Even the cast moving all of the pieces in and out, building scenes, gives you a sense of the people of Paris rebuilding their city. So then it was about, how do we do that but make it move seamlessly and beautifully and feel like the city itself is waltzing in and out, off the stage?" But make no mistake -- Gershwin is what this show is all about."It even starts like the beating of a heart," said Wheeldon. "That trumpet melody is liquid romance."

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Confederate flags on license plates? Supreme Court will weigh in The Supreme Court is weighing a free-speech challenge to Texas' refusal to issue a license plate bearing the Confederate battle flag. Specialty plates are big business in Texas, where drivers spent $17.6 million last year to choose from among more than 350 messages the state allows. The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles says nearly 877,000 vehicles among more than 19 million cars, pickup trucks and motorcycles registered in Texas carry a specialty plate. But a state motor vehicle board turned down a request by the Texas division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans for a license plate with its logo bearing the battle flag, similar to plates issued by eight other states that were members of the Confederacy, as well as Maryland. The justices heard arguments Monday over whether the state violated the group's First Amendment rights. Several justices peppered the court with hypothetical questions during oral arguments, according to the Supreme Court-focused SCOTUSblog.Justice Anthony Kennedy questioned whether the specialty license plates were "a new kind of public forum," under which speech would be protected. And Chief Justice John Roberts wondered if license plates actually constituted "government speech," which the state of Texas would be able to control."I'm not sure why it's government speech," Roberts said during the proceedings. "It is only doing it to get the money."Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg additionally believed the state used a "nebulous standard" for disapproving plate designs.Texas commemorates the Confederacy in many ways, but it says that putting the battle flag on license plates would offend many Texans who believe the flag is a racially charged symbol of repression. The same image is etched on a century-old Civil War monument on the grounds of the state Capitol in Austin. The First Amendment dispute has brought together some unlikely allies, including the American Civil Liberties Union, anti-abortion groups, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, civil libertarian Nat Hentoff and conservative satirist P.J. O'Rourke. "In a free society, offensive speech should not just be tolerated, its regular presence should be celebrated as a symbol of democratic health - however odorous the products of a democracy may be," Hentoff, O'Rourke and others said in a brief backing the group. The case could be important for how the Supreme Court determines whether the speech at issue belongs to private individuals or the government. Texas' main argument to the Supreme Court is that the license plate is not like a bumper sticker slapped on the car by its driver. Instead, the state said license plates are government property, and so what appears on them is not private individuals' speech but the government's. The First Amendment applies when governments try to regulate the speech of others, but not when governments are doing the talking. Even if the court disagrees that license plates are government speech, the state said its rejection of the Sons of Confederate Veterans license plate was not discriminatory. The motor vehicle board had not approved a plate denigrating the Confederacy or the battle flag so it could not be accused of giving voice to one viewpoint while suppressing another, the state said. The ACLU suggested the court view license plates as a mix of private and government speech. For example, drivers who seek a personal touch and buy the specialized plates know the government has approved their issuance. Eleven states are supporting Texas because they fear that a ruling against the state would call into question license plates that promote national and state pride and specific positions on such controversial issues as abortion. A decision in Walker v. Sons of Confederate Veterans, 14-144, is expected by late June.

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Did Sony score $20M from Mexico for new Bond film? Mexico has been dealing with an image problem after reports of drug-related violence in the nation's capital, but the country is reportedly trying to change its image by dictating how it's portrayed in the upcoming James Bond film. Hacked Sony emails indicate the studio agreed to the changes in exchange for incentives worth up to $20 million, reports CBS News correspondent Vladimir Duthiers.The first images released from the upcoming movie "Spectre" show breathtaking scenes shot atop snowy Austrian mountains, but halfway across the world in sunny Mexico, the film's latest twist is unfolding. "Movies are very influential. If the next James Bond film grosses $1 billion, that's a lot of people who will see a movie and could be influenced by the portrayal of particular towns, particular governments," Hollywood Reporter executive editor Matt Belloni said.Sony could use the cash. "Spectre," the 24th installment of the 007 franchise, is on track to become the most expensive Bond film yet. Its rumored budget -- a sky-high $300 million dollars. That's roughly $100 million more than the previous Bond film, "Skyfall."In exchange for the $20 million, Mexico wanted specific changes to the script that would make the country look better after years of violence and scandal -- atrocities like mass killings attributed to the government, as well as charges of corruption and a deadly drug war.Among the requests reported by taxanalysts.com, Mexico asked the filmmakers to showcase "modern Mexico city buildings." It also wanted the villain character to not be Mexican, but the actress playing Bond Girl "Estrella" should be a known Mexican actress.Just last week, Mexican actress Stephanie Sigman was hired for the role. The hacked emails appear to indicate that Sony agreed to all of Mexico's requests. One email quotes then-Sony chief Amy Pascal as saying: "We should insist they add whatever travelogue footage we need in Mexico to get the extra money." "I think this is embarrassing for Sony," Belloni said. "Movie studios make concessions to different countries and even different states in order to get tax incentives all the time. What is interesting here are the creative demands that the country was supposedly making on the studio and their willingness to play ball there."Sony declined to comment on whether concessions were made. Some reports say the Mexico City scenes will only account for four minutes of the final film.

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​A North Carolina sculptor branches out With sticks like these, we know an artist who's always BRANCHING OUT. With Anna Werner, let's go into the woods:33PhotosPatrick Dougherty's giant stick sculpturesThe North Carolina sculptor constructs elaborate and whimsical "stickworks" - art on a monumental scale comprised of wood, branches, saplings, tw...Deep in the North Carolina woods, a work crew looks like it's clearing underbrush, or gathering firewood. But they're actually collecting the raw materials to build something incredible: a forest king's castle, a hedge full of faces, a twisting maze -- all woven branch by branch, twig by twig.They are the grand designs of sculptor Patrick Dougherty, also known as the "Stickman." What feeling is he trying evoke in these passageways? "I want people to feel a sense of exploration," he said. "You know you're in another place and transported through the forest curtain back to the Garden of Eden." Paradise found, for fans of all ages.Kids love them ("Yesterday we were overwhelmed with children," he said), but so does the art world. Dougherty has won both the Henry Moore and National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships. He's even been the subject of a documentary, called "Bending Sticks." Cavorting inside Patrick Dougherty's "Boogie Woogie" (2014), at Hermann Park in Houston, Texas.Frank KonhouseIn the film, by Penelope Maunsell and Kenny Dalsheimer, Dougherty said it takes about a tractor-trailer load of sticks to make a big piece. "Maybe that's six tons of sticks, I don't know -- that's a lot of sticks!" His creations seem to have a universal appeal; they draw people in. "I don't really feel like Patrick needs an interpreter for his work," said Linda Johnson, chief curator at the North Carolina Museum of Art. "And I think that is really the power of it, is that you don't need someone to explain it to you. "A lot of people look at it and say things like, 'I don't like art, but I like this.'" Werner caught up with Dougherty as he built the 256th of his creations -- what he calls, his "stickworks." It generally takes 21 days to build one. He said this one, at the North Carolina Botanical Garden, "represents kind of three intersecting passageways that make a bit of a knot, in the tradition of a hedge knot garden. In this case, the hedges are big enough to walk through." Sculptor Patrick Dougherty with CBS News' Anna Werner, inside a stickwork sculpture being constructed at the North Carolina Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill.CBS NewsHere, as everywhere he goes, local volunteers come out of the woodwork to spend three intense weeks laboring by his side. Asked how volunteers know what to do, Dougherty replied, "We've all been children. We just know everything to know about about sticks. It was our first building material." It's like watching a barn-raising crossed with a giant game of pick-up sticks. "Everyone's had that childhood experience of playing with sticks. And it didn't take that long to reignite those ultimate urges," he said. At each installation, Dougherty acts not only as sculptor, but team coach for his volunteers ["Drop 'em back up underneath there. It doesn't work on the big ones, but on the little ones it'll work out pretty good"]. "Ain't Misbehavin'" (2010) by Patrick Dougherty, at Winthrop University, Rock Hill, S.C.Zan MaddoxWerner asked, "Wouldn't it be a lot easier to just do all this yourself?" "It would definitely not be as much fun," Dougherty laughed. "You know, we have people of every age. We could have the grandmother and the hippie and the biker chick and somebody all working together in a big crew. And that mix of people, it adds a lot to the energy of the sculpture." You can't help but want to pick up a stick, and give it a try. He makes it sound so easy. "This is the end you want to stick in the wall," he encourages. "There you go. That'll be good. Just push it on in there. Yep, twisting is good.""You know, I didn't work out today, but now I don't have to!" said Werner. "And you do this how many times a day?"

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Jude Law welcomes fifth child Jude Law has become a father for the fifth time.The actor and former girlfriend Catherine Harding have welcomed a daughter together, his rep confirmed Tuesday.30PhotosThe stork clubTheir babies are born with silver spoons in their mouths and stars in their eyes"I can confirm the arrival of Jude Law and Catherine Harding's daughter," the rep said in a statement obtained by People. "Both are delighted and continue to ask that their privacy and that of their child be respected."Law, 42, reportedly spent time with 23-year-old singer/songwriter Harding (who also goes by the tame as Cat Cavelli) last summer while he was on location in the Czech Republic. The pregnancy was first revealed last fall, with Law's rep adding that while the two were no longer in a relationship, "they are both wholeheartedly committed to raising their child."Law also has three children with ex-wife Sadie Frost (sons Rafferty, 18, and Rudy, 12, and daughter Iris, 14), and a 5-year-old daughter, Sophia, with model Samantha Burke.

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Duchess Kate reveals her due date Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, gave an update on when royal baby No. 2 will arrive -- and showed off her budget-friendly style skills -- while visiting a London children's center on Wednesday.The pregnant royal, 33, wore a polka-dot printed maternity dress from online retailer ASOS for the outing. The dress, which sells for $63, has (not surprisingly) already sold out.46PhotosDuchess Kate's maternity styleSee how Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, has dressed her baby bump during her first and second pregnanciesIt was previously revealed that Kate's due to give birth in April, but no exact date was given. During the visit to Brookhill Children's Centre in London's Woolwich neighborhood, however, Kate was asked about her impending due date and gave a little clue as to when Prince George will get a little brother or sister."I told her she is beautiful and that she's got a tiny little bump," said volunteer Christie Osborne, 49, according to Hello! magazine. "I asked when her baby is due and she said mid-to-end of April."The duchess was also reportedly overheard saying, "Not long to go now."This was the second outing in as many days for the soon-to-be mother of two. On Tuesday, she joined husband Prince William for the annual St. Patrick's Day parade in Aldershot, England. Last week, she paid a visit to the set of "Downton Abbey."

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