In Today’s Times
- Congressional Republicans have hatched a plan that they say could protect the most vital programs from the automatic budget cuts that take effect Friday, while shifting more of the political fallout to President Obama, Jonathan Weisman and Michael D. Shear report. Â Though the White House vigorously opposes their plan, it is dividing Democrats who are from the states facing the deepest cuts.
- The mandatory spending cuts scheduled to begin on Friday are already affecting operations at many of the nation’s national parks and wildlife refuges, John M. Broder reports. Dire predictions from Ken Salazar, the interior secretary, are part of a concerted administration effort to pressur Congress into canceling the automatic cuts.
- The Senate is scheduled to vote Tuesday on whether to consider the embattled nomination of Chuck Hagel as defense secretary, though it remained unclear just how many more obstacles Republicans were willing to throw in his path, Jeremy W. Peters reports.
- Barely moments after Michelle Obama announced the winner for best picture from the White House at Sunday night’s Academy Awards, the question of whether it was proper or dignified or awesome for the first lady of the United States to open the same envelopes as Hollywood stars disintegrated into a predictably partisan rhubarb, Jennifer Steinhauer reports.
- Dozens of prominent Republicans have signed a legal brief arguin! g that gay people have a constitutional right to marry, Sheryl Gay Stolberg reports. That position reflects the continuing civil war in the party since the November 2012 election.
Around the Web
- Representative Steve Stockman, Republican of Texas, is accusing the White House of creating a fraudulent gun control campaign after he suspected some Twitter messages he had received from constituents were actually from fake accounts, The Hill reports.
- One of the news agencies in Iran edited a picture of Michelle Obama announcing a winner at Sunday’s Academy Awards so that her dress was more modest, Radio ree Europe reports.
Happenings in Washington
- Mr. Obama on Tuesday will visit a shipbuilding company in Newport News, Va., that supplies equipment for the Navy. He is expected to highlight the impact automatic budget cuts will have on businesses like that one.
- Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. will meet with retired military officials in the White House to discuss the administration’s proposals to reduce gun violence.
