Congress Approves Longer-Term Fix For Medicare Reimbursements

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Is Capitol Hill Ready To Rest Its Near-Annual 'Doc Fix' Exercise?

The Senate gave final passage Tuesday night to a lasting fix for a long-running problem with Medicare reimbursements for doctors, NPR's Giles Snyder reports. Doctors faced a 21 percent reduction in the fees.

Eight senators, all Republicans, voted against the bill because funding has not been fully allocated for its $214 billion cost. Accordign to the Congressional Budget Office, the bill will add $141 billion to the federal budget deficit in the next decade.

Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, two of the three GOP senators who officially have announced bids for the White House in 2016, were among the opponents.

Cruz told NPR's Juana Summers that, beyond being fully paid for, the bill should include structural reforms to Medicare that provided seniors more control over their health care.

President Obama has said he will sign the bill, and praised its passage in a statement late Tuesday.

"Nearly every year for the past 13 years, physicians have faced the possibility of an arbitrary cut in their payments from Medicare unless Congress passed a so-called 'doc fix.' In my budget, I called for putting a permanent end to this annual manufactured crisis to ensure that doctors will not face a sudden drop in their pay. This bill is consistent with that proposal."

Andrew Johnson's Presidency Highlighted Issues With Vice Presidential Selection

Audio for this story from All Things Considered will be available at approximately 7:00 p.m. ET.

NPR's Robert Siegel interviews University of Virginia historian Barbara Perry about the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Andrew Johnson presidency. Perry explains how he was chosen as vice president, and how he suddenly became president after President Abraham Lincoln's assassination.

Saudi Arabia backs Future, Hezbollah dialogue

BEIRUT: Hezbollah and the Future Movement discussed security measures to preserve stability during their 10th dialogue session Tuesday, as Speaker Nabih Berri said Saudi Arabia fully supported the talks between the rival parties.

A terse statement issued after the meeting held at Speaker Nabih Berri’s Ain al-Tineh residence said that Future and Hezbollah officials discussed “continuing security measures in all Lebanese areas in order to immunize the domestic scene.” Last week, the Internal Security Forces shot dead two militant jihadis in Tripoli and arrested a preacher wanted over killing Army soldiers.

The statement said that participants in the dialogue also tackled “other topics which interest the Lebanese and some issues related to Syrian refugees.”

Quoting dialogue participants, Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV said Future and Hezbollah officials discussed moving the tents of Syrian refugees in the northeastern town of Arsal to another place.

Interior Minister Nouhad Mahcnouk had made this proposal months ago, arguing that the presence of tens of thousands of Syrian refuges in and around the town was posing serious security threats, describing Arsal as an “occupied town.” Arsal was briefly invaded by jihadi militants last summer.

Like previous sessions, representing Hezbollah in the talks were MP Hasan Fadlallah, Industry Minister Hussein Hajj Hasan and Hussein Khalil, a political aide to Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah.

Attending on behalf of the Future Movement were Machnouk, MP Samir Jisr and Nader Hariri, the chief of former Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s office.

Also on hand was Finance Minister Ali Hasan Khalil, a political aide to Berri.

The new round of talks came amid soaring tensions between Hezbollah and Future, caused by the war of words between both groups over the Saudi-led military operation in Yemen which kicked off last month. Hezbollah has lashed out at the kingdom over its military intervention in Yemen, while Future has fully backed the step.

Berri told his visitors Tuesday evening that Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awad Asiri, who visited him the same day, had expressed his country’s support for the Hezbollah-Future dialogue. Asiri held talks with Prime Minister Tammam Salam as well.

Berri revealed that he had tasked Minister Khalil with urging Hezbollah and the Future Movement to refrain from escalatory stances.

“Why don’t they do like Iran and Saudi Arabia, which despite their differences, maintain a low rhetoric and voice their interest in dialogue?” Berri said.

The speaker said that both Hezbollah and the Future Movement still backed dialogue.

Berri also said that he would chair a meeting for Parliament’s Secretariat Thursday to put the agenda for an upcoming Parliament session which would engage in “necessary legislating.”

But in what reflected a continuation of the war of words over the crisis in Yemen, Machnouk expressed his opposition to insults against Saudi Arabia, saying the kingdom had always stood beside Lebanon.

Addressing a gathering of Beiruti families, Machnouk said that he who resorted to elimination, aggression and hijacking the wills [of people] would actually be humiliated.

The minister was indirectly responding to a speech made by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei last week in which he said that Saudi Arabia would be humiliated and would not emerge victorious in Yemen.

Meanwhile, the Future parliamentary bloc said that dialogue with its rival Hezbollah was necessary, despite the stagnation talks have reached.

“The bloc considers that ongoing dialogue with Hezbollah under the current circumstances is a necessity that should continue despite the big gap between ambitions and reality regarding its results, as it has reached stagnation and lack of progress in several issues,” the Future bloc said in a statement after its weekly meeting.

The bloc said also that deep disputes with Hezbollah persisted, but added that dialogue was still required in order to reduce tension and pave the way for national consensus leading to the election of a president.

Separately, Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun’s parliamentary bloc reiterated its objection to extending the term of senior security officials.

“The bloc insists that the Cabinet should immediately put an end to these dangerous violations, through the immediate appointment of Army and Internal Security Forces officials,” the bloc said after its weekly meeting in a statement read by former Minister Salim Jreissati.

Aoun argues that extending the terms of security officials violated the National Defense law and that regulating the ISF.

Amid a lack of consensus on a successor and in order to avoid vacuum in a security post when the country is going through a critical period, Defense Minister Samir Moqbel extended last month the term of Brig. Edmond Fadel, the director general of Army Intelligence.

The term of Brig. Ibrahim Basbous, the head of the Internal Security Forces, expires in June and that of Army Commander Gen. Jean Kahwagi in September. The terms of both could be extended.

Aoun dismisses claims by rivals that his opposition to extension aimed at paving the way for his son-in-law, Brig. Shamel Rukoz, to become the new Army commander. But he argues that Rukoz, like other senior Army officials, has the right to aspire for occupying the highest Army post.

Presidential Campaign Logos Reach New Level Of Sophistication

Audio for this story from All Things Considered will be available at approximately 7:00 p.m. ET.

From water bottles and bumper stickers, to fundraising emails and Twitter accounts, the logos of the 2016 presidential candidates will soon be plastered across the country. Graphic designer Armin Vit tells NPR about the designs so far.

Presidential Candidates Move Away From Public Financing

Audio for this story from All Things Considered will be available at approximately 7:00 p.m. ET.

You can still check the box on your 1040 federal income tax return and earmark $3 for presidential public financing. This Watergate-era reform was supposed to push big money out of presidential politics, but so far this cycle, not many people have checked it.

Senate Panel Backs Bill To Allow Congressional Review Of Iran Deal

Audio for this story from All Things Considered will be available at approximately 7:00 p.m. ET.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee unanimously voted Tuesday in support of a bill that would give Congress a role in approving the Iran nuclear agreement. The president previously said he will veto the bill introduced by Chairman Bob Corker, but there are indications Republicans and Democrats have reached a compromise that may be acceptable to the White House.

Immigrant-Rights Activists In Seattle Claim Victory In Child Deportation Case

A federal judge in Seattle has given immigrant advocates a victory. He is allowing a challenge to move forward dealing with the Obama Administration's effort to fast-track deportation hearings for immigrant children.

Five Facts About the Gender Pay Gap:

Over the past century, American women have made tremendous strides in increasing their labor market experience and their skills. On Equal Pay Day, however, we focus on a stubborn and troubling fact: Despite women’s gains, a large gender pay gap still exists. In 2013, the median woman working full-time all year earned 78 percent of what the median man working full-time all year earned. A new issue brief from the Council of Economic Advisers examines what we know about the pay gap.

1. The pay gap goes beyond wages and is even greater when we look at workers’ full compensation packages. Women are less likely to have an offer of health insurance from their employer, have retirement savings plans, or have access to paid leave, and perhaps as a result, they are more likely to take leave without pay.

These broader measures of compensation show that the pay gap is not just about differences in earnings or wages. But why do women earn less than men? Let’s break it apart so we can better understand what is driving the pay gap.

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Hillary Clinton Kicks Off Presidential Campaign With First Events In Iowa

Audio for this story from All Things Considered will be available at approximately 7:00 p.m. ET.

Hillary Clinton makes her first public appearances in Iowa Tuesday as a declared 2016 presidential candidate. Her campaign's strategy is to keep this first visit purposefully low key and play down any sense of inevitability.

Sen. Ben Cardin Moves Into Spotlight On Iran Nuclear Bill

Audio for this story from All Things Considered will be available at approximately 7:00 p.m. ET.

NPR profiles Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin, who has become the senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee just as it is crafting a role for Congress to weigh in on the Iran nuclear deal.

Obama Pledges Support To Iraqi Prime Minister In Fight Against Islamic State

Audio for this story from All Things Considered will be available at approximately 7:00 p.m. ET.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is on his first official visit to Washington, D.C., where he is meeting with President Obama to try to gain support in the fight against the self-proclaimed Islamic State. Abadi will also meet with leaders of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund to push for billions of dollars in loans. Iraq's economy, which is heavily dependent on oil exports, has been hit hard by the drop in global crude prices.

Today’s Important Step to Strengthen Retirement Security

Ed. note: This is cross-posted on the U.S. Department of Labor's blog. See the original post here.

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Today, we are taking the next step in President Obama’s historic push for the strongest consumer protections in America’s history. As the President called for in February, the Department of Labor is proposing to update rules to protect Americans saving for retirement and crack down on conflicts of interest in retirement advice that are costing middle-class and working families billions of dollars every year.

The President takes a backseat to no one when it comes to strengthening consumer protections. That’s why he fought to create the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), an independent watchdog that has already enhanced safeguards across mortgage, credit card, debt collection, and student loan servicing markets, while putting more than $5 billion back in the pockets of more than 15 million wronged consumers through enforcement actions. Recently, the CFPB took an important step toward cracking down on abusive practices in payday lending, yet another example of how this critical consumer watchdog is delivering for the American people.

The Department of Labor’s proposed rule adds to those protections, by reflecting a simple, commonsense principle: Retirement advisers should put their clients first and give advice that is in their clients’ best interest.

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White House Says It Will Remove Cuba From List Of State Sponsors Of Terrorism

The Obama administration announced Tuesday it will remove Cuba from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, a major step in normalizing relations between the two countries. The announcement comes just days after a meeting between President Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro at a summit in Panama.

A statement from White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said that "the Government of Cuba has not provided any support for international terrorism during the preceding 6-month period," and that Cuba's government has "provided assurances that it will not support acts of international terrorism in the future."

President Obama previously ordered a review of Cuba's place on the terrorism list, after he and Castro announced last December that they were ready to begin normalizing diplomatic relations. Last week, the U.S. State Department recommended that Cuba be removed from the list.

Cuba has been on the list of state sponsors of terrorism since 1982 because of "efforts to promote armed revolution by organizations that used terrorism." Cuba has always objected to their place on the list.

The Associated Press reports that Earnest "said that taking Cuba off the terror list does not change the fact that the U.S. has difference with the island nation's government," but that "concerns over a wide range of Cuba's policies and actions fall outside the criteria that is relevant to whether to rescind Cuba's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism."

Removing Cuba from the list is only one part of a larger push to normalize ties between the two nations. As we've previously reported, "the U.S. will ease travel and remittance policies; expand commercial sales and exports; and ease imports, including of tobacco products and alcohol. The U.S. will expand Cubans' access to the Internet and telecommunications."

How Candidates Announce Can Say A Lot About Their Campaigns

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Hillary Clinton announced her run for the president in a highly produced campaign video, as seen above. Hillary Clinton campaign announcement video hide caption

itoggle caption Hillary Clinton campaign announcement video

Hillary Clinton announced her run for the president in a highly produced campaign video, as seen above.

Hillary Clinton campaign announcement video

Now that Democrat Hillary Clinton has officially launched her presidential campaign, the 2016 race for the White House is underway.

The GOP got its third entrant in what is shaping up to be a crowded field when Florida Sen. Marco Rubio announced his bid Monday.

How and where a candidate chooses to roll out their campaign can say a lot about the type of race they intend to run, at least in the early going.

Rubio announced from his hometown of Miami at the Freedom Tower. This is not by coincidence. Rubio, a relative newcomer to national politics, will use this locale to underscore his biography as a son of Cuban immigrants who represents the new face of the GOP. On Monday, Freedom Tower was described by Morning Edition's Renee Montagne as "kind of Statue of Liberty for Cuban Americans." The site was used as a processing center for Cuban's fleeing the Castro regime in the 1960's.

Contrast Rubio's rollout with Clinton's foray into the 2016 race over the weekend. She used a highly produced video in which she proclaims, "I'm running for President." No need for a TV-ready backdrop for her announcement. She's been a household name for some 20 years. Her biggest hurdles are relatability and showing her Democratic base she's not taking anything for granted — ready to roll up her pantsuit sleeves to earn the party's nomination.

The first time you actually see Clinton comes more than 90 seconds into the video and after brief testimonials, including from a gay couple talking about their upcoming wedding, a black heterosexual couple preparing for the arrival of a newborn and a Latino mother moving to a new home so her soon-to-be kindergarten-age daughter can attend a better school. Viewers see Clinton, who has been in a protective Secret Service bubble for two decades, interacting with ordinary Americans, a nod to the stripped down, retail politicking campaign she plans to kickoff in Iowa starting Tuesday.

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Barack Obama speaks to a crowd of thousands who turned out on a cold February day in 2007 to hear him announce his candidacy for president. Scott Olson/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Scott Olson/Getty Images

Barack Obama speaks to a crowd of thousands who turned out on a cold February day in 2007 to hear him announce his candidacy for president.

Scott Olson/Getty Images

As NPR's Domenico Montanaro pointed out over the weekend, Clinton's video isn't terribly different from 2007 when said launched a web-only video where she said, "Let the conversation begin." Back then, she had stiff competition in then-Sen. Barack Obama. That year, Obama announced his candidacy in Springfield, Ill., on the grounds of the Old State Capitol, the same place where in 1858 Abraham Lincoln delivered his "house divided" speech.

In 2007, Mitt Romney announced his candidacy for president at The Henry Ford museum in front of cars and an airplane. Tony Dejak/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Tony Dejak/AP

Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican nominee, like Clinton, was making his second run for the White House. The former governor of Massachusetts opted to announce his first run in 2007 from the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich. He did so to highlight his ties to the state. His father was governor there and the senior Romney also ran unsuccessfully for the presidency in 1968. In an effort to counter the criticism that his wealth made him out of touch, Romney switched gears and went for a stripped-down approach in 2011. He announced on a farm in New Hampshire in an effort to cultivate support from voters in that early voting state.

The two other announced 2016 candidates, Republican Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ted Cruz of Texas also announced in two different types of places. One represents "home," the other the type of constituency the candidate would like to woo.

Paul announced in Louisville, Ky., a liberal-leaning city within his Republican-leaning state. NPR's Don Gonyea who covered the rollout said the libertarian-leaning conservative is running as a who is trying to broaden the GOP's appeal beyond its traditional base. Paul, whose father Ron is a congressman from Texas, grew up in the Lone Star State. He attended Baylor University in Texas before going to Duke Medical School in North Carolina. But afterward, Paul and his wife moved to Kentucky, where they started their family.

Ted Cruz launched his presidential campaign at a convocation at Liberty University, a Christian evangelical college in Virginia. Andrew Harnik/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Andrew Harnik/AP

On the other hand, Cruz chose Liberty University. He has no ties to the college, a Southern Baptist institution founded by Jerry Falwell. He went to school at Princeton and Harvard and grew up in Texas. But the backdrop is a beacon for any candidate interested in coalescing support among evangelicals or born-again Christians. And that's key in early states like Iowa and South Carolina, where more than half of Republican voters identify as white evangelical or born-again Christians.

Hezbollah denounces STL charges against Al-Jadeed reporter ahead of trial

BEIRUT: Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadallah offered his support Tuesday to Al-Jadeed TV and its editor Karma Khayat, who begin a trial this week at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon over charges of obstruction of justice and contempt of court.

The charges, filed last year, relate to a 2012 Al-Jadeed report that disclosed personal details of alleged witnesses in a case trying five Hezbollah members accused of plotting the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

“We see this trial as a scandalous breach of Lebanese sovereignty and an assault on the Lebanese people’s freedoms, constitution and laws,” Fadlallah, who heads Parliament's media and telecommunications committee, told a news conference. “It reveals one of the roles that this tribunal plays as a tool to exert pressure on Lebanon,” he added.

Hezbollah does not recognize the STL as a legitimate court, and has accused it of being an Israeli tool created to undermine the party.

Khayat, the deputy manager of Al-Jadeed TV’s news desk, is expected to attend the first day of the trial Thursday in a town outside The Hague.

“Journalist Karma Khayat’s appearance at the court in The Hague is an insult to the Lebanese state,” Fadlallah said. “It would not take place in this manner if we had a real state that defends its sovereignty and protect the freedom of its media.”

The Hezbollah official called on the Cabinet to intervene immediately to stop what he called an assault on media freedom, saying that tolerating such actions would pave the way for other foreign entities to violate Lebanon’s sovereignty.

“How can any honorable and free Lebanese accept that a Lebanese is taken outside the country’s borders and appear at a foreign tribunal to be tried for her freedom of saying the truth?," he wondered.

“This wouldn’t have happened even in the age of foreign colonization, but it seems today’s colonization is stronger.”

If convicted, Khayat and Al-Jadeed's parent company, New TV S.A.L., face a maximum penalty of seven years in jail, a fine of 100,000 euros, or both.

Ibrahim al-Amin, the editor-in-chief of Al-Akhbar newspaper, and the newspaper's parent company Akhbar Beirut S.A.L, face similar charges.

Lebanon defense minister hosts Armenian counterpart, Italy Army chief, STL head

BEIRUT: Defense Minister Samir Moqbel held separate meetings Tuesday with the Italian Army chief of staff, the head of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, and Armenia's defense minister.

Moqbel discussed with Lt. Gen. Claudio Graziano military coordination between the two countries and the activities of UNIFIL's Italian unit in south Lebanon, a ministry statement said.

Later in the day, Moqbel met with Ivana Hrdli?kov?, the newly-elected head of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon investigating the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Hrdli?kov? was accompanied by STL deputy chief Judge Ralph Riyashi, the statement added.

Moqbel’s last visitor was Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian, who was accompanied by the country's ambassador to Lebanon and a military delegation.

Ohanian told reporters that the meeting was “unique and very important,” saying the discussion was focused on a new defense pact between the two countries.

The Armenian official invited Moqbel to visit Armenia to continue talks over possible military cooperation.

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Senate Panel Weighs Bill Giving Congress Final OK On Iran Deal

A Senate panel could vote as soon as today on a measure that would give Congress a final approval on any nuclear deal with Iran — despite a veto threat from the White House.

The U.S. and five other world powers — Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia — are negotiating with Iran over its nuclear program, and are hoping to reach an agreement by the end of June that they say would prevent the Islamic republic from getting nuclear weapons. The White House fears that any congressional action could imperil those talks.

But as NPR's David Welna tells our Newscast unit every Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is expected to vote in favor of the bill; support from some Democrats is expected, too.

Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., who heads the panel, said late Monday that a vote could come today.

"There have been some tweaks," he said. "I'm hopeful that we're going to be successful tomorrow."

The Associated Press adds: "A new version would be an attempt to make the bill more palatable to lawmakers who have sought changes, such as shortening from 60 days to 30 days the length of time that Congress would have to review any final deal that's reached."

A similar House measure is expected to be introduced if the Senate acts on its version of the bill.

Many in Congress — both Republicans and Democrats — have criticized the talks with Iran; U.S. ally Israel has called it a bad deal.

'Clintonomics' Ruled The 1990s; 'Hillarynomics' Would Be Different

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Hillary Clinton begins to speak as her husband, former President Bill Clinton, moves to take a seat after introducing her at the Clinton Global Initiative, Sept. 22, 2014, in New York. Mark Lennihan/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Mark Lennihan/AP

Hillary Clinton begins to speak as her husband, former President Bill Clinton, moves to take a seat after introducing her at the Clinton Global Initiative, Sept. 22, 2014, in New York.

Mark Lennihan/AP

If you are under 30, this may be hard to imagine, but in the late 1990s, the economy was a job-generating machine.

In 2000, the final year of Bill Clinton's presidency, the unemployment rate fell as low as 3.8 percent. Then, within a decade of his White House departure, the rate was up to 10 percent.

Those two numbers explain why the name "Clinton" remains magic for many. People who got jobs, bought homes and invested money two decades ago associate "Clintonomics" with good times.

On Sunday, Bill's wife, Hillary Clinton, announced that she wants to make 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue her home address again "so you can do more than just get by, you can get ahead and stay ahead."

But to boost prosperity, can Hillary Clinton use the same formula as Bill? Or would his policies turn off today's Democratic voters?

Before considering all of that, let's look back at the context and key elements of Clintonomics.

Context

In the summer of 1992, when Bill Clinton was running for the presidency, the unemployment rate was a painful 7.8 percent.

Famously, Clinton's strategist James Carville came up with the campaign's de facto slogan, "It's the economy, stupid."

Starting in 1993, after Clinton took office, the economy turned around. During his second term, real economic growth averaged a robust 4.5 percent per year. Unemployment tumbled. Also in that second term, the government started running budget surpluses.

On June 9, 1997, Fortune Magazine ran an article titled "These Are The Good Old Days," saying:

"Job prospects are terrific. Unemployment is lower than it's been in nearly a quarter century. Business sales and profits are growing handsomely. Inflation has almost disappeared. The financial markets are booming. The U.S. is the world's preeminent industrial power and—even more important—the unchallenged leader of the technological revolutions of our age."

Clintonomics

Clinton's policies were regarded as a blend of "hard-headed" and "soft-hearted" reforms like these:

- To reduce budget deficits, Clinton pushed for and won higher taxes on upper-income taxpayers, but at the same time, expanded the Earned Income Tax Credit for low-income workers.

- To restrain spending, he adhered to a tight system of offsets, which allowed some tax cuts but only when balanced by spending cuts or increases in other taxes.

- To shift people from welfare to work, he signed a welfare reform bill, but also won an expansion of Head Start and other programs for the poor.

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- To boost trade, he signed the North American Free Trade Agreement, and to help displaced workers, he established the NAFTA-Transitional Adjustment Assistance Program.

- To spur lending and investment, he signed legislation reducing financial regulations.

- To reform agricultural subsidies, he signed the "Freedom to Farm Act."

The GOP And Clintonomics

Many Republicans argue that Bill Clinton was simply lucky to be in office when oil prices were falling, global trade was expanding and the Internet was suddenly bursting forth, creating job and investment opportunities.

Also, demographic forces were positive. That is, baby boomers were in their peak earning years and spending heavily on houses, SUVs and goods for their children, now known as millennials.

And they argue that it was House Republicans, such as Newt Gingrich and John Kasich, who pushed for reforms that led to lower deficits and welfare spending.

Hillarynomics

Hillary Clinton has not yet spelled out her economic approach. In her videotaped announcement, she said only that "Americans have fought their way back from tough economic times, but the deck is still stacked in favor of those at the top."

But with her video's emphasis on working parents, she appeared to be suggesting she would emphasize reform issues promoted by liberals, involving: child care; paid sick leave; maternal and paternal leave policies; student debt; worker scheduling reforms; a higher minimum wage and tax policies that penalize second earners.

Trade will be a tricky issue for her. Bill Clinton was a strong supporter of NAFTA, but unions are fighting legislation that would make it easier to approve similar trade deals.

Financial deregulation, which her husband supported, may be another difficult issue for the former senator from New York.

Minutes after she declared her candidacy, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka issued a statement making it clear what unions, a vital Democratic constituency, want from this Clinton. It's time, he said, to focus on the "urgent need to raise wages in America, and an equally urgent need to reject corporate-driven agendas that produce everything from tax breaks for the wealthy to destructive trade agreements."

IRS Budget Cuts Make For Nightmarish Filing Season

Audio for this story from Morning Edition will be available at approximately 9:00 a.m. ET.

People trying to get help from the IRS to file their taxes are finding long lines, long waits on the phone and not much help. The IRS blames staff reductions on budget cuts spearheaded by Republicans.

Senate Attempts To Revise No Child Left Behind Measure

A Senate committee begins work on a bill that would overhaul the education law. That measure — once considered a great uniter of politicians on the left and right — has since become a great divider.

Lebanon welcomes Egypt aid plane for Arsal refugees

BEIRUT: An Egyptian military plane carrying the first of three Egyptian aid packages to Syrian refugees in northeast Lebanon landed at Beirut’s airport Tuesday.

The shipment included tents, blankets, clothes, food, medicines and medical supplies.

Egypt’s charge d'affaires to Lebanon Mohammad Badreddine Zayed had announced last week that his government would donate three aid shipments to Syrian refugees in Arsal.

The contents of the first plane were estimated to be around 15 tons, a source from the airport said. The complete delivery will weigh a total of 50 tons, he added.

The next two shipments are scheduled to arrive in Beirut on Wednesday and Thursday, the source added.

Social Affairs Minister Rashid Derbas and Zayed were at the airport to welcome the aid plane.

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As Country Changes, Rubio, Republicans Try To Adjust

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A protester in front of Sen. Marco Rubio's Doral, Fla., office in 2013 urges Rubio to stop opposing the inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender families in the Senate's immigration bill. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Joe Raedle/Getty Images

A protester in front of Sen. Marco Rubio's Doral, Fla., office in 2013 urges Rubio to stop opposing the inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender families in the Senate's immigration bill.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Navigating cultural issues like same-sex marriage and immigration have proven tricky for Republicans.

The country has grown rapidly more accepting of gay and lesbian marriage and relationships. And despite a shrinking base of white support and a fast-growing Latino population, Republicans have struggled to adjust.

Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida on Monday — hours before announcing his run for the president — showed how he will try and chart a path through these choppy waters. He drew a fine line on gay rights when asked about his comments on the Indiana law allowing businesses to express their "religious freedom." And despite being one of the shepherds of comprehensive immigration reform in the Senate, he blamed his backing away from the measure on President Obama.

"I don't believe it's right for a florist to say, I'm not going to provide you flowers because you're gay," Rubio said in an interview with NPR's Steve Inskeep.

And yet, he still suggested there are proper grounds for a florist to refuse to serve a gay wedding.

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Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., announces his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination during an event at the Freedom Tower in Miami. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., announces his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination during an event at the Freedom Tower in Miami.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

"I think there's a difference between not providing services to a person because of their identity, who they are or who they love, and saying, I'm not going to participate in an event, a same-sex wedding, because that violates my religious beliefs. There's a distinction between those two things."

Rubio is trying to create a distinction, he said, between "people" and "events."

"It's immoral and wrong to say, I'm not going to allow someone who's gay or lesbian to use my restaurant, stay in my hotel, or provide photography service to them because they're gay," Rubio continued. "The difference here is, we're not talking about discriminating against a person because of who they are; we're talking about someone who's saying — what I'm talking about, anyway, is someone who's saying, 'I just don't want to participate as a vendor for an event, a specific event that violates the tenets of my faith.'"

Inskeep pressed the point for clarification: "What if two gay people get married and then they go that night to a hotel. Can the hotelkeeper refuse service to them?"

Rubio responded that a hotel, in that instance, could not.

"That's not part of an event," Rubio said. "Again, I mean, that's, there's a difference between saying, we're not going to allow you to stay in our hotel, common lodging establishment where people have a right to shelter, food, medical care, and saying we're not going to, what we're not going to do is provide services to an event, to an actual event, which is the wedding itself. And I think that's the distinction point that people have been pointing to, and, because mainstream Christianity teaches that marriage is between one man and one woman. People feel very strongly about that."

On immigration, Rubio, who speaks Spanish and is the son of Cuban immigrants, was one of the original Gang of Eight members of the Senate who crafted the bipartisan comprehensive immigration bill. It passed the Senate, would have tightened border security and provided a path to citizenship for the 11 to 12 million immigrants in the U.S. illegally.

Despite its overwhelming support in the Senate, it was unable to pass the more conservative House. Rubio has since backed away from support of a comprehensive bill. He blames the bill's failure on President Obama for, as he sees it, not enforcing immigration laws. Rubio cites the president's use of executive action as evidence. Obama and his supporters argue the president took unilateral action because of stalls in Congress.

Here, again, Rubio tries to draw a fine distinction, saying immigration remains "an issue we need to address," but it won't be done as long as Obama is president or in a comprehensive way.

"I still think we need to do immigration reform," Rubio told Inskeep. "I just don't think you can do it in a comprehensive, massive piece of legislation, given the lack of trust that there is today in the federal government. I honestly believe that the key to moving forward on immigration is to first and foremost prove to the American people that we are going to bring future illegal immigration under control — that if we legalize 12 million people, they won't be replaced by 12 million more who are here illegally."

Polls suggest as many as a third or more of Latinos are reachable for Republicans. A sizable portion consider themselves conservative, but they prefer Democrats, in large measure, because of the immigration issue. And that won't be something they can overcome by 2016 given the party's opposition to passing an immigration bill with a path to citizenship included while President Obama is in office.

But Rubio's not ceding any ground rhetorically on the issue. He took an unprompted swipe at Hillary Clinton, the Democratic favorite, who announced her candidacy Sunday.

"I've done more immigration than Hillary Clinton ever did," Rubio charged. "I mean, I helped pass an immigration bill in a Senate dominated by Democrats. And that's more than she's ever done. She's given speeches on it, but she's never done anything on it."

The question for Rubio is whether he can sell that message to a GOP primary electorate.

Republicans Are Making Foreign Policy The Obamacare Of The 2016 Election

It's All Politics

Transcript: NPR's Full Interview With Sen. Marco Rubio

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Senate Foreign Relation Committee member Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. questions Secretary of State John Kerry, left, in March on Capitol Hill. In an interview with NPR, Rubio reiterated his opposition to President Obama's dealings with Iran and Cuba. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

Senate Foreign Relation Committee member Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. questions Secretary of State John Kerry, left, in March on Capitol Hill. In an interview with NPR, Rubio reiterated his opposition to President Obama's dealings with Iran and Cuba.

Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

It's All Politics

7 Things You Should Know About Marco Rubio

It's All Politics

Rubio 'Very Confident' He's Ready To Be President On 'Day No. 1'

In 2012, Republicans unanimously made a vow. If their party captured the White House, they would totally repeal President Obama's signature achievement, the Affordable Care Act.

In 2016, they've added something else: the total reversal of Obama's signature foreign policy achievements, his outreach to hostile nations.

In his second term, Obama has been working to restore diplomatic relations with Cuba for the first time in more than half a century. His administration has also been negotiating a deal to limit Iran's nuclear program.

A number of GOP presidential contenders have vowed a U-turn on both policies, no matter what may happen between now and the next inauguration day.

That's why Obama's foreign policy may shape up to be the Obamacare of 2016. Republicans pledge to erase Obama's acts as soon as a Republican is again sitting behind the Oval Office desk.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is among those calling for a reversal. Rubio spoke with NPR on Monday, the day he announced his presidential campaign. Rubio, who's Cuban-American, made the announcement at Miami's Freedom Tower, where Cuban exiles fleeing Fidel Castro's regime once came to receive federal support. Rubio is a fierce critic of Cuba's government and of warming U.S. relations with it.

Would Rubio really re-break diplomatic relations with Cuba if elected?

"Absolutely," he says. He wants "free and fair elections" in Cuba, and says U.S. policy can provide "major leverage."

This was largely the approach that U.S. presidents took for generations — until December 2014, when Obama said that more than half a century of waiting was long enough.

Rubio is just as definite on Iran.

The U.S., other world powers, and Iran have negotiated a framework agreement under which Iran would accept limits on its nuclear program, in exchange for the lifting of global economic sanctions.

Rubio contends that what one president gives, the next may take away. "What [Obama] is banking on," Rubio says, "is that he is going to use a national security waiver to lift the sanctions," a move that allows the president to act without a vote in Congress. "We would simply re-impose the sanctions."

Rubio says he would make this move even if other world powers and the United Nations failed to follow suit, though he admits his move "wouldn't be as effective" that way.

Such a move could lead to a new confrontation with Iran. Rubio says he hopes to avoid war, and (as with Cuba) buy time until the regime changes.

The prospect of such dramatic foreign policy reversals raises many questions. The simplest is this: Could a President Rubio (or Walker, or Cruz, or...) really do these things?

Strictly speaking, yes.

A president can break diplomatic relations with Cuba, even if they've just been restored.

Supporters of Obama's Cuba policy, however, expect a different dynamic. The U.S. opening to Cuba may in time bring economic opportunities. American entrepreneurs won't be clamoring to rupture ties again: they will be clamoring to modify the longstanding economic embargo against Cuba that block U.S. business deals.

In theory, a president could also tear up an agreement made by his predecessor. George W. Bush did this in 2001, withdrawing from a climate treaty signed by Bill Clinton.

But when Republicans first floated the idea of walking away from the Iran deal — a notion mentioned in an open letter to Iran signed by 47 Republican senators — Iran's foreign minister insisted an agreement would be binding on the United States. Withdrawal from it would be a "blatant violation of international law."

Obama is just as scornful. In an interview this month, we asked him about GOP contender Scott Walker, who had promised to break the Iran deal on "day one." Obama replied that this was a "foolish" idea, which would undermine the presidency, and suggested that Walker agree "after he's taken some time to bone up on foreign policy."

Republicans are boning up. Most elections don't turn on foreign policy, and by 2016, this one may not either. But there's plenty of discussion of it.

Republicans are running against the retiring president's foreign policy legacy. That means they also get one more chance — one last chance — to run against Obama.

Future, Hezbollah meet amid war of words

BEIRUT: Senior officials from the Future Movement and Hezbollah will meet Tuesday in a new round of talks amid soaring tensions between the two rival parties, fueled by a bitter war of words over the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen, officials said Monday.

Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri paid a short visit to Doha Monday during which he held talks with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani focusing on the latest developments in the region, particularly the Saudi-led military airstrikes against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

During the one-hour meeting, the two leaders highlighted the “importance of Arab solidarity which manifested itself in the ‘Decisive Storm’ operation to bring the situation back to normal in Yemen, and the challenges facing the Arab region in general,” according to a statement released by Hariri’s office.

Hariri later left for Riyadh, where he met at his residence with Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk, one of three senior officials representing the Future Movement in the dialogue with Hezbollah.

Hariri stressed during the meeting the “importance of the achievements of the Internal Security Forces in the fight against terrorism, especially the latest accomplishment by the [ISF’s] Information Branch in the northern city of Tripoli,” said another statement released by the former premier’s office.

The ISF’s Information Branch, which falls under Machnouk’s prerogatives, dealt a major blow last week to Islamist militants, killing two and arresting an extremist preacher. Police shot dead notorious Islamist militant Osama Mansour and one of his partners in Tripoli Thursday night during an operation to arrest Sheikh Khaled Hoblos, a radical cleric accused of heading a militia based in the northern town of Bhannin that attacked the Lebanese Army.

Last month, Hariri held talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo on visits aimed at reaffirming support for moderation in the face of the Islamist extremism roiling the Middle East.

Meanwhile, Speaker Nabih Berri, who has been hosting the Future-Hezbollah dialogue at his Ain al-Tineh residence since last December, said he would call on the two sides to soften their tough rhetoric in addressing disagreements over the wars in Yemen and Syria.

“We will ask Hezbollah and the Future Movement to express disagreements in a less tense and calmer way to avoid tensions,” Berri said in comments published by Al-Hayat newspaper.

Berri said Future-Hezbollah dialogue was launched with the aim of defusing sectarian tensions between the Sunni and Shiite sects in Lebanon. “But the mutual campaigns are increasing this tension instead of reducing it,” he said.

However, despite the bitter war of words, Hariri and Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah have affirmed that dialogue between their two parties would go on, unaffected by their sharp differences over the conflicts in Syria and Yemen.

In addition to defusing sectarian tensions, the Future and Hezbollah officials have begun discussing a national strategy to fight terrorism and a mechanism to end the 10-month-old presidential vacuum.

Media reports said the two sides would discuss Tuesday a security plan for Beirut and its southern suburbs after they had supported a similar plan carried out in the northern Bekaa Valley region to crack down on kidnappings for ransom, wanted criminals, drug smuggling and car thefts.

The new tension arose after Nasrallah last month blasted Saudi Arabia for spearheading an Arab coalition in a military offensive against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. He also accused Riyadh of launching the war in an attempt to regain control over Yemen.

Nasrallah’s remarks drew quick rebuke from Hariri and Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awad Asiri, who said that the Hezbollah chief’s comments contained false allegations and reflected the confusion of his patron, Iran. Hariri also assailed Nasrallah over his anti-Saudi speech and denounced Iran over its role in Lebanon and Yemen.

Despite the escalating media campaigns, Berri said Hezbollah and the Future Movement have insisted on maintaining the dialogue.

Nasrallah is scheduled to address a Hezbollah rally Friday to protest the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen, according to a party statement.

Hezbollah MP Ali Fayyad said his party was committed to dialogue with the Future Movement despite their political differences on regional conflicts.

“Despite the escalation and offensive media remarks against us, we do not want to plunge the Lebanese arena again in complication and tension. There is a need for calm,” Fayyad said at a memorial ceremony in South Lebanon.

“We also uphold the dialogue because it is a Lebanese necessity and its function has not lost its significance despite the deep differences over the open regional issues,” he added.

Future official Mustafa Alloush called on his party to end dialogue with Hezbollah over anti-Hariri comments made by Nasrallah and bloc members.

“Dialogue between the Future Movement and Hezbollah must end in the wake of Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah and MP Mohammad Raad’s insistence on attacking Mr. [Saad] Hariri and the Future Movement,” Alloush said in remarks published by the Kuwaiti daily Al-Anbaa.

Assad considered Hariri’s conciliation a mockery

BEIRUT: President Bashar Assad considered one of Rafik Hariri’s final attempts to reduce tensions with the Syrian regime a “mockery,” Ali Hamade told the Special Tribunal for Lebanon Monday.

Hamade, a journalist, told the court that he served as an ad-hoc intermediary between Lebanon’s late former prime minister and the Syrian regime. On three occasions he met with his acquaintance, General Mohammad Nassif, a high-ranking Syrian intelligence officer close to the Assad regime, to convey a message of conciliation on behalf of Hariri.

The purpose of the meetings, Hamade said, was to “try and allow a different phase in the relations based on the respect of allies ... toward one another.”

After the first meeting, Nassif told Hamade that President Assad was “optimistic, positive” about the attempted thaw in relations.

By the third meeting in December 2004, just two months before Hariri’s assassination, Nassif said that Assad was no longer interested in Hariri’s tidings, Hamade told the court.

“President Bashar Assad considers that such messages are just mockery,” Hamade recalled Nassif saying.

“I can say that the tone changed, and the discourse had changed in Syria,” Hamade testified. “General Mohammad Nassif was very harsh in terms of political words [he used] toward Premiere Hariri” at the third meeting.

While five Hezbollah members stand accused of plotting Hariri’s murder and the ensuing cover-up, the focus of recent testimony at the U.N.-backed tribunal has shifted toward Hariri’s fraught relationship with the Syrian regime.

After Damascus orchestrated the extension of President Emile Lahoud’s term and Hariri resigned from office in October 2004, relations between the Future Movement leader and Damascus appeared to hit a nadir.

Hariri was plotting his return to politics through the upcoming elections where he hoped to win a sweeping majority in parliament that would force pro-Syrian Prime Minister Omar Karami out of office.

In early January 2005, however, Hamade said that there were signs that the relationship between Hariri and Assad was on the mend.

While Hamade was visiting Hariri’s residence in Paris, the former prime minister received a call from Taha Mikati, the brother of former Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who enjoyed a close relationship with the Syrian regime.

After a brief meeting, Hariri told his guest that Mikati had conveyed a message from the president of Syria: “That Bashar Assad had no hard feelings toward Mr. Hariri and that he [Assad] could change the government of Mr. Karami in order to allow Mr. Hariri to create a new government,” Hamade told the court.

Early on the morning of February 14, 2005, Hariri called Hamade into his office. “He told me ‘Get ready, you will be going to Damascus today to meet with Mohammad Nassif.’”

Hamade never learned what message he was to convey to the Syrians that day, however. Two hours before he and Hariri were scheduled to discuss the mission a bomb ripped through downtown Beirut killing the former prime minister and 21 others.

Defense attorney John Jones, who represents the interests of Hezbollah member Mustapha Badreddine, questioned Hamade about notes he took during these key meetings. Hamade admitted he could not find them.

Army demands law and order in Ain al-Hilweh camp

SIDON, Lebanon: Brig. Ali Shahrour, Chief of the Lebanese Army’s Intelligence Branch in the south, used harsh words in a weekend meeting with Palestinian officials, demanding they contain the security situation in the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp, political sources told The Daily Star. The Higher Palestinian Security Committee met with Shahrour at the Mohammad Zogheib Military Barracks in Sidon, after a member of the Resistance Brigades was killed in the camp last week.

Marwan Issa, a member of the Hezbollah-linked group, was found dead last Sunday. It is believed that he was in Ain al-Hilweh to complete an arms deal with Khaled Kaawash, a Palestinian national, and Rabih Serhal, a Syrian.

The two men have been turned over to Lebanese authorities, but two others, Shabab al-Muslim members Mohammad and Haitham al-Shaabi, are suspected of involvement.

Many of Shabab al-Muslim’s members, which include adherents of the extremist groups Fatah al-Islam and Jund al-Sham, reside in the Tawari quarter, located on the edge of the camp next to Taamir Ain al-Hilweh

Shahrour warned the committee that continued outbreaks of violence could put the stability of the camp at risk.

“Shahrour told us that the Ain al-Hilweh camp is a volcano that could erupt at any time,” said a source familiar with the content of the talks.

Shahrour told those present that assaults on members of the Hezbollah-linked Resistance Brigades were no longer acceptable, and that it was no longer possible to remain silent on their occurrence. Other members of the Resistance Brigades have reportedly met the same fate as Issa.

Shahrour said that statements of condemnation are no longer enough. “We will not allow for any fault after today – look at what happened to Tripoli,” a source said, quoting Shahrour. “It’s no longer acceptable to mess with Lebanon’s security.”

The committee was told they must save their camp before it’s too late.

“We want Mohammad Shaabi and his brother Haitham,” Shahrour told those present, according to sources. “You have to uproot these takfiri groups.”

The committee announced Friday that it will implement new security measures, erecting new checkpoints and boosting the numbers of the joint elite force from 225 to 375.

The measures, which are expected to be implemented from Tuesday, will focus on Ain al-Hilweh’s Tahtani Street and the borders of the Tawari neighborhood.

The joint elite force is expected to strengthen the Kifah checkpoint in the Tahtani neighborhood and the checkpoint at the Tawari entrance. The measures are part of an attempt to isolate Shabab al-Muslim from the heart of Ain al-Hilweh.

Palestinian sources fear that clashes could result if Shabab al-Muslim is besieged or prevented from communicating with the rest of the camp, encircled by the joint Palestinian force and the Lebanese Army in Taamir.

Shabab al-Muslim informed the Higher Palestinian Security Committee Monday that they will not allow for the installation of new checkpoints or the reinforcement of others and they will not allow themselves to be besieged. They said their members are currently on alert.

However, the door for negotiations with the group reportedly remains open.

After meeting with Shahrour, the Higher Palestinian Security Committee held a meeting Sunday at the camp headquarters of Palestinian National Security, headed by Maj. Gen. Sobhi Abu Arab. Various Islamic and nationalist factions participated.

Those present discussed how to implement the new measures on the ground, in order to put an end to killings and security incidents in the camp, of which Issa’s death is just the most recent example.

Salah Youssef, a member of the Palestine Liberation Front, said the committee has decided upon a series of measures to protect the camp.

“Today all lights are focused on Ain al-Hilweh, especially after the death of the brother Marwan Issa,” Youssef said. He added that the investigation into Issa’s death is ongoing and confirmed that camp checkpoints would be strengthened.

“Ain al-Hilweh will not be a safe haven for any terrorist group that can [jeopardize] Lebanon’s security and stability.”

Palestinian sources told The Daily Star that there are additional measures the joint elite force could consider besides isolating Shabab al-Muslim in Tawari. The Palestinian force could declare the neighborhood no longer be part of the camp, turning over responsibility for its security to the Lebanese military.

Osbat al-Ansar, an Islamist group present in Tawari, has condemned Issa’s murder, and has said it will move out of the neighborhood if clashes begin. But security could prove more difficulty to enforce in neighborhoods located further inside the camp, such as Safsaf, Sikah and Hittin.

The joint elite force could also increase public pressure to find the Shaabi brothers by highlighting the dangers they pose to the camp and its fragile security situation. Both a limited operation to find the men and a wider operation to take over the Tawari neighborhood completely are reportedly being considered. Both carry a risk of exacerbating the security situation even further.

Sources expressed fear that Hezbollah could take a lead role in any such operation, mobilizing members of the Brigades and Ansar Allah in Taamir and the rest of the camp, which could precipitate more violence between Ain al-Hilweh’s armed groups.

Speaking Saturday, the deputy head of the Hezbollah’s’ executive council, Nabil Qaouk, described Issa’s murder as an attack on the Lebanese resistance.

Sources said that they were concerned the situation could deteriorate into an episode reminiscent of the Abra clashes in the summer of 2013. There is a fear the Lebanese Army could be attacked from the Tawari neighborhood or from within the camp itself, prompting a military campaign to uproot the area’s armed groups.