From NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh.

 

　　The Senate is moving forward with debate on sweeping gun legislation. NPR’s Elsa Chang reports in today’s vote, lawmakers beat back a filibuster by a group of Republicans who say they are against additional gun restrictions.

 

　　Sixty votes were needed and Senate leaders got several more than that. Sixteen republicans jointed them in voting to move towards a debate on expanding background checks and stiffening penalties for gun traffickers. Gun control supporters are also expected to offer amendments on banning assault weapons and limiting the size of ammunition magazines. This procedural vote was a victory for lawmakers who want to see new gun laws, but it’s only the first hurdle. Sixty votes will be needed again to end a debate on the legislation and although Democrats carry the majority in the Senate, some of them from Conservative states have already expressed problems with the proposals. Elsa Chang, NPR News, the capital.

 

　　Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is defending the administration’s budget proposal for the Pentagon. NPR’s Larry Abramson reports Hagel told members of Congress the president’s budget maintains key defense priorities.

 

　　A day after the release of the White House 2014 budget proposal, some Republicans said it would continue what they called “dangerous cuts in defense”. But Hagel defended himself against criticism from members of the House Armed Services Committee.

 

　　“The president did not instruct me to go over and cut the heart out of the Pentagon. That wasn’t his instruction.”

 

　　The White House proposes $527bn in defense spending for 2014. That will lead to a cut of $150bn in military spending over the next decade. But the administration says automatic spending cuts already approved by Congress would lead to much bigger reductions. Larry Abramson, NPR News, Washington.

 

　　President Obama says he’ll try to resolve the North Korean crisis diplomatically, but as reported by the Associated Press, will take necessary steps to protect the U.S.. This as North Korea continues to issue nuclear threats against Washington and Seoul.

 

　　A Roman Catholic priest, who served as an army chaplain during the Korean War, is laid as recipient of the Medal of Honor. Today President Obama bestowed the medal posthumously on Emil Kapaun, who died as a prisoner of war at the age of 35. But his story lived on through the troops he saved in various ways from braving enemy fire to caring for captured soldiers’ wounds. Obama said during a White House ceremony today that Kapaun showed a touch of divinity in the worst of circumstances.

 

　　“Father Kapaun has been called a shepherd in combat books. His fellow soldiers, who felt his grace and his mercy, called him a saint, a blessing from God.”

 

　　And there’s word that the Vatican is considering Kapaun for canonization as a saint.

 

　　Before the closing bell, Dow is up 63 points at 14, 865.

 

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　　The National Hockey League is taking steps to fight homophobia in the sport and embrace LGBT rights. NPR’s David Schaper reports that NHL officials say they want to become the most inclusive of the major American pro-sports leagues.

 

　　NHL and its Players Association are teaming up with the “You Can Play” project, an organization established to fight homophobia and promote equality in sports. In addition to hearing public service announcements, the group will conduct seminars for rookie players and LGBT issues and will make resources and personnel available to all players and teams wanna information or counselling about matters relating to sexual orientation. Project officials say anti-gay slurs remain common in professional team sports and that many gay athletes drop out of sports because they encounter homophobic environments in locker rooms, on the ice and in the stands. David Schaper, NPR News.

 

　　The storm that has generated twister, snow and ice across the mid-western and southeastern U.S. has now turned into a deadly one. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency is reporting today that one person was killed and several were injured following a suspected tornado in Kemper County in the eastern portion of the state.

 

　　The Labor Department is reporting a sharp weekly drop in new unemployment claims, claims filed by 42,000 to a seasonally adjusted 346,000, suggesting last month’s hiring slowdown may have been temporary. The four-week average, which smooths out week-to-week fluctuations, rose slightly to 358,000.

 

　　I’m Lakshmi Singh, NPR News in Washington.