National Pulse

Congress works on tax-code overhaul

Reuters

Bipartisan work on a comprehensive overhaul of U.S. tax law got under way in the Senate Finance Committee with Democrats and Republicans agreeing on one issue: The economy would benefit from eliminating tax breaks worth tens of billions of dollars, they said. They disagree, however, on what to do with the money saved. The Washington Post (3/14)

Coalition forms to push for territorial tax system
A coalition of business interests has formed to press for a territorial tax system that would limit U.S. taxation of offshore profit. The coalition, Let's Invest for Tomorrow, has members including Caterpillar, Cisco Systems, Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Coca-Cola. The Hill/On the Money blog (3/14)

Big companies work to eliminate health care fee
Major employers object to a fee in the U.S. health care law that will cost them $63 for every person they insure next year. The fee is aimed at covering the cost of insuring people with high medical bills. The Wall Street Journal (3/14)

Reader Polls

This week's poll results: Rubio rules!
Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida leads the pack of Republican 2016 presidential hopefuls, according to those who responded to this week's poll. Rubio was the choice of nearly a quarter of those responding, with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie close behind. Poll results are listed below. Some readers wrote in suggesting Republican Govs. Scott Walker (Wis.), Mitch Daniels (Ind.), Rick Snyder (Mich.) and Rick Perry (Texas). Next week: The Dems' turn.

Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.)	24.88%
Gov. Chris Christie (N.J.)	22.20%
Rep. Paul Ryan (Wis.)	13.20%
Former Gov. Jeb Bush (Fla.)	13.02%
None of the above/other	11.37%
Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.)	11.19%
Gov. Bobby Jindal (La.)	2.37%
Former Sen. Rick Santorum (Pa.)	1.76%

Agenda Items

GOP presidential hopefuls face "conservative litmus test" at CPAC

Ryan/Reuters

Republicans making a bid for the 2016 presidential nomination have to balance impressing key conservatives with promoting an expansion of the party a this week's Conservative Political Action Conference. Speakers include Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. "CPAC is where all 2016 candidates need to go to pass the conservative litmus test: Are they for freedom, or for something less?" Republican strategist Alex Castellanos said. However, people considered to be key players in the GOP nomination were not invited to the conference, including New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell. CBS News (3/15), CNN/PoliticalTicker blog (3/15)

Data Points

Friday fact-check: True, false and "pants on fire"

Politifact.com

From Rep. Paul Ryan's budget statements to Sen. Dianne Feinstein's evaluation of drones, fact-checking organization PolitiFact puts the latest political statements to the truth test. The results show that honesty and accuracy are not exclusively the province of, or totally absent from, either political party. PolitiFact.com (St. Petersburg, Fla.) (3/15)

The Conversation

Daily Diversion

Political cartoons of the day

Reuters

From the election of a gaucho as pope to the Statue of Liberty defending sugary soda, political cartoonists give their perspective on today's world. U.S. News & World Report (3/15)

SmartQuote

Our nation is built on the bedrock principle that governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed." -- Adrian Cronauer, former U.S. Air Force sergeant and radio personality Share: