Today’s Times
- Describing it as a waste of taxpayer money that has had a damaging effect on American foreign policy, President Obama said on Tuesday that he would recommit himself to closing the Guantanamo Bay prison, a goal that he had all but abandoned in the face of Congressional opposition, Charlie Savage reports.
- Though the law represents one of the biggest changes in domestic policy in decades, President Obama played down concerns that his health care legislation would disrupt coverage or lead to higher premiums for people who already have health insurance, Robert Pear writes. In fact, the law is “working fine,†Mr. Obama said.
- Senator Kelly Ayotte, Republican of New Hampshire, has become a focus of advocates on both sides of the debate over firearms, Jeremy W. Peters reports. Â Gun control supporters focusing on a handful of Republican senators are pushing her hard to flip, and gun rights advocates are working to keep her where she is.
- Though grappling with the implications of their historic losses last fall, Charles and David Koch have no intention of backing down from electoral politics, Nicholas Confessore reports. The brothers, who organized conservative “super PACs†and spent heavily to defeat President Obama and the Democrats in 2012, are learning from their mistakes, testing new strategies and preparing for the 2014 elections, with control of Congress once again at stake.
Around the Web
- Those who were waiting for the weekend to see certain exhibits within the Smithsonian Institution have waited too long, Politico reports. The Smithsonian Castle’s Commons, National Museum of African Art’s “African Mosaic†and some Hirshhorn Museum galleries will be closed starting Wednesday because of the automatic budget cuts known as sequester.
Happenings in Washington
- Mr. Obama and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. will have back-to-back meetings with Secretary of State John Kerry and Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew.
