Inside Politics Archive: March 2013
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President tours Petra, wraps up trip to Jordan
President Obama ended his 24-hour trip to Jordan with a leisurely tour of Petra, a visually stunning ancient city made of stone-cut red rock that was inhabited by the Nabataeans more than 2000 years ago. Published March 23 2013
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Paul, Rubio join GOP push on school-choice bill
A coalition of Republican senators, including rising stars such as Rand Paul of Kentucky and Marco Rubio of Florida, have joined forces to push a school voucher bill that's sure to draw fierce opposition from the White House and congressional Democrats. Published March 22 2013
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Senate backs change to Obamacare funding quirk
The Senate approved a budget amendment on Friday to eliminate a provision in President Obama's health care law that shifts money from some states to places like Massachusetts because of a quirk in how Medicare reimbursements are calculated. Published March 22 2013
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Obama arrives in Jordan, meets with King Abdullah II and his son
President Obama arrived in Amman, Jordan, Friday evening where he was greeted by King Abdullah II and his son, Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah. Published March 22 2013
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Obama gives up on U.S. appeals court pick
President Obama Friday withdrew the nomination of Caitlin Halligan, two weeks after Senate Republicans used a filibuster to block her from becoming a federal appeals court judge. Published March 22 2013
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Sandstorm in Israel forces Obama to scurry back to motorcade
A violent sandstorm that kicked up in Jerusalem on the last day of Mr. Obama's trip grounded President Obama's helicopter Friday, making it unsafe for Mr. Obama to fly to Palestinian-controlled Bethlehem. Published March 22 2013
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Rep. Levin: GOP 'extremism' halting budget process
The top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee blames the budget impasse on a "radicalized" Republican Party that refuses to compromise. Published March 22 2013
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Obama helps broker Israel-Turkey exchange over flotilla deaths
In a phone call arranged with help from President Obama, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized to Turkey Friday for the deaths of its citizens during a 2010 raid on a Gaza flotilla. Published March 22 2013
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Sequester cuts snuff out Air Force Academy's July 4th fireworks
The sequester has caused the Air Force Academy's July 4th fireworks show to go boom — and not in a good way. Published March 21 2013
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Rep. Peter King calls Obama's trip to Israel 'successful'
Republican Rep. Peter King said Thursday that President Obama's trip to Israel has been "very successful" and applauded his outreach to the Middle East country. Published March 21 2013
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3,100 lobbyists working on immigration, study shows
The Sunlight Foundation says that over the last five years more than 3,100 lobbyists registered to work members of Congress on immigration — a figure that underscores the big stakes involved both ideologically and economically. Published March 21 2013
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HHS Secretary Sebelius: 'Obamacare' is lowering health care costs
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has pushed back at Republican claims that President Obama's health care reforms are draining the economy, saying "Obamacare" has lowered Medicare and private insurance costs significantly. Published March 21 2013
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House's GOP doctors slam 'Obamacare' on third birthday
Members of the House GOP Doctors Caucus on Thursday marked the three-year anniversary of President Obama's health care law with a renewed call for a full repeal while acknowledging that a piecemeal effort to "chip away" at the reforms is more politically feasible. Published March 21 2013
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Obama heckled during speech to Israelis
President Obama was heckled Thursday during a speech to an audience that included scores of university students in Jerusalem. Published March 21 2013
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Peres gives Obama top Israeli civilian medal
Israeli President Shimon Peres gave President Obama Israel's highest civilian award, the Medal of Distinction, during a ceremonial dinner held in Mr. Obama's honor Thursday evening at the Israeli president's residence. Published March 21 2013
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Biden misspeaks again: Gabby Giffords was 'mortally wounded'
Vice President Joseph R. Biden added to his long list of verbal flubs Thursday when he said former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords had been "shot and mortally wounded." Published March 21 2013
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Levin joins McCain, Graham in push for more action on Syria
A top Senate Democrat on Thursday joined Republican Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham in pressuring the Obama administration to get the United States more aggressively and deeply involved in Syria's civil war. Published March 21 2013
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U.S. bishops slam Obama's contraception exception as a 'gerrymander'
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has formally lambasted the contraception mandate in President Obama's health care law as a violation of American freedoms that employs a "religious gerrymander" to avoid the objections of faith-based nonprofits and business owners. Published March 21 2013
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Hillary Clinton tops Bush, Rubio in Florida 2016 White House poll
Florida voters overwhelmingly would chose former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton for president in 2016 over the state's two highest profile Republicans, former Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio, a new poll shows. Published March 21 2013
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Lawmakers seek tougher rules on addictive painkillers
A bipartisan group of lawmakers on Capitol Hill want to reclassify hydrocodone drugs such as Vicodin to reflect their high potential for addiction amid a nationwide "epidemic" of painkiller abuse. Published March 20 2013
