In Today’s Times
- As the Supreme Court heard arguments in a challenge to the Voting Rights Act on Wednesday, some conservative justices appeared skeptical about whether a part of the law targeting discrimination practices in nine states should stand. Adam Liptak writes that the justices’ sharp questioning indicated that the provision might be in danger, especially after Congress did not act on the court’s earlier recommendation to update the formula for determining which states should be subject to that part of the act.
- With $85 billion in federal spending cuts set to start kicking in on Friday, some Republicans and Democrats are seeing the silver lining of the so-called sequester. Jonathan Weisman explains that Democrats are hppy to cut Pentagon spending and postpone dealing with entitlement programs, while President Obama sees an opportunity to focus on gun control and immigration. Republicans are pleased just to see the government shrinking.
- Anticipating bad news once the sequester reductions hit, President Obama and his aides have been trying to brace Americans for cutbacks and make sure that Republicans get the blame for them, Michael D. Shear reports.
- The House is poised to pass the Senate’s version of a bill to reauthorize and expand the Violence Against Women Act on Thursday, after Republican leaders bowed to pressure from within their party, Jonathan Weisman writes. The House is expected to reject its own version before considering the Senat! e legislation, which would broaden the domestic-violence law to address same-sex and tribal jurisdiction issues.
- Jacob J. Lew is set to be sworn in as the 76th secretary of the Treasury after the Senate confirmed his nomination on Wednesday. Jeremy W. Peters writes that the 71-to-26 vote was notable in that it “meant that for the moment at least, the Senate returned to its traditional role of affording the president deference in selecting his cabinet.â€
- On a campaign for tougher gun laws, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York met Wednesday with Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.; Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader; and a few Republican moderates. But Jackie Calmes and Jeremy W. Peters write that Mr. Bloomberg did not atted a Senate hearing where he would have seen the lawmakers’ resistance to stricter laws.
- Michelle Obama kicked off the third year of her “Let’s Move†healthy eating campaign on Wednesday, starting a three-city tour in Mississippi, where obesity rates are the highest in the nation, with the food celebrity Rachael Ray, Jennifer Steinhauer reports. On Thursday, the first lady will make stops in Chicago and Missouri.
Happenings in Washington
- Economic reports expected Thursday include revised fourth-quarter gross domestic product and weekly jobless claims at 8:30 a.m., followed by weekly mortgage rates at 10 a.m.
- At 9 a.m., a House Ways and Means! subcommi! ttee will hold a hearing on the proposed waiver of work requirements in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.
- At 9:30 a.m., Pfc. Bradley Manning is expected to take the stand at his hearing at Fort Meade, Md.
- At 10 a.m., the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee will hold its second hearing on the Federal Housing Administration’s financial condition and program challenges.
