Here are the top overnight offerings in news, analysis and commentary from The Washington Post News Service, with Bloomberg News, which includes Slate, Foreign Policy, The Root (African-American perspectives) and The Japan News, Japan's leading newspaper. All stories have moved unless otherwise noted. For questions about stories, photos or graphics, please call 202-334-7666. Photos and graphics are available at www.wpbloom.com. * Follow us on Twitter: @WPBloom *
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The Washington Post
GOP — WASHINGTON — Congressional Republicans remain unsettled on their agenda for the remainder of the year. Immigration reform, tax reform, tweaks to the federal health-care law are among the measures likely to be shelved as they turn their attention to this year's midterm elections. 970 words, by Robert Costa (Post).
US-TALIBAN — WASHINGTON — The U.S. is trying to open new talks with the Taliban in hopes of arranging a prisoner exchange that would free longtime American captive Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. 1,125 words, by Anne Gearan and Ernesto Londono (Post).
LOANS — WASHINGTON — Burgeoning student loan debt may put the brakes on a housing recovery in the U.S., as first-time homebuyers find themselves unable to save for down payments or qualify for mortgages. 1,250 words, by Dina ElBoghdady (Post).
CYBERATTACKS — WASHINGTON — After a series of high-profile cyberattacks against retailers, there's a move in Congress to develop a federal standard of how companies should handle security breaches. 870 words, by Hayley Tsukayama (Post).
ECON — RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. — The White House began a fresh effort to defend the economic stimulus measure passed at the beginning of President Obama's tenure as Republicans branded the law a failure. 500 words, by Zachary A. Goldfarb (Post).
KERRY-SYRIA — JAKARTA, Indonesia — Secretary of State John Kerry blames Russia and Iran for the stalled Syria peace talks, accusing Moscow and Tehran of stepping up military support and aid to the government in Damascus, allowing Bashar Assad to press for a victory over opposition forces. 425 words, by Simon Denyer (Post).
LOBBYISTS — WASHINGTON — The mass retirement of lawmakers in Washington is forcing lobbyists to reinvent themselves, forging new relationships to stay relevant as the Capitol Hill contacts they relied upon for years leave town. 1,050 words, by Holly Yeager (Post).
OLY-PROTEST-1STLD-WRITETHRU — SOCHI, Russia — Beyond the friendly confines of the Olympic Village in Sochi, gay Russians are facing increased pressure under a repressive new law banning the spread of gay "propaganda" to minors. 1,200 words, by Kathy Lally (Post).
RUSSIA — SOCHI, Russia — A Russian television station breaks away from its Olympics coverage to air a documentary accusing the United States of waging psychological warfare against Russia, creating "traitors" among the Russian population. 650 words, by Will Englund (Post).
VIRGINIA-MEDICAID — RICHMOND, Va. — Just one day after House and Senate panels unveiled rival budget plans, House Republicans were predicting an impasse and blaming it on the Democrats' push for Medicaid expansion. 625 words, by Laura Vozzella (Post).
VIRGINIA-REGISTRY — CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — A Virginia man convicted in 2007 of a rape he did not commit has finally had his record cleared and his name removed from the state's sex offender registry. Edgar Coker Jr. served 17 months in detention before being released, but he was arrested and his family forced to move because he was still listed as a sex offender. 975 words, by Michael Laris (Post). Two photos.
CLASS-STRUGGLE — Why teens respond to challenging courses. 580 words, by Jay Mathews (Post).
IRAN-NUCLEAR-COMMENT — The U.S. has a chance to negotiate a durable agreement with Iran, but is failing to use its leverage as a superpower. 750 words, by Ray Takeyh (Post special).
DEFENSE-COMMENT — The George W. Bush era of massive defense spending holds lessons for President Obama and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel as they attempt to pare down the Pentagon budget. 975 words, by Walter Pincus (Post).
Bloomberg:
CABELA-OBIT — Richard N. Cabela, an avid hunter who co-founded the direct marketer and retailer of outdoor gear Cabela's, has died at age 77. 425 words, by Nancy Moran (Bloomberg).
PESEK — China, with $3.8 trillion of currency reserves, may be the dupe in a dangerous game if U.S. Treasuries plunge in value. 800 words, by William Pesek (Bloomberg).
FREUD-HYSTERIA — Scientists in Australia and England have found, using brain scans, that psychological stress may be to blame for unexplained physical symptoms, including paralysis and seizures. Their findings may validate Sigmund Freud's theory that repressed memories cause hysteria. 950 words, by Jason Gale (Bloomberg).
INDIA-WALLSTREET — MUMBAI — Investment banks from UBS to Morgan Stanley spent half a decade building their operations in India, betting that a growing economy would trigger a boom in mergers and stock sales. They've spent the last three years reversing that expansion. 1,300 words, by George Smith Alexander and Anto Antony (Bloomberg).
CONCUSSIONS — Players using current football helmets aren't adequately protected against hits to the side of the head, which can lead to sometimes-lethal concussions and brain swelling, researchers say. 620 words, by Elizabeth Lopatto (Bloomberg).
OLY-RUSSIA-GEORGIA — TBILISI, Georgia — On the first day of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, war broke out between Georgia and Russia. Today Georgia seeks to use the Sochi Olympics to revive ties. 1100 words, by Helena Bedwell (Bloomberg).
ITALY — ROME — Florence Mayor Matteo Renzi, Italy's youngest prime minister-designate, set to building a parliamentary majority by outlining a 100-day legislative burst, starting with a voting-law overhaul. 800 words, by Andrew Frye (Bloomberg).
UKRAINE — KIEV, Ukraine — Opposition groups plan to march on parliament to push lawmakers to curb President Yanukovych's powers even as they offer some concessions to end three months of deadlock. 1,200 words, by Aliaksandr Kudrytski, Daryna Krasnolutska and Kateryna Choursina (Bloomberg).
AFRICA-GAYS — LAGOS, Nigeria — Homosexuality is a crime in 38 of 54 sub-Saharan Africa nations, and Africa's gays face an unprecedented crackdown from Senegal, where a conviction for gay sex can mean five years in jail, to Sudan, where it means death. 1,000 words, by Yinka Ibukun (Bloomberg).
Foreign Policy
MILITARY-COMMENT — WASHINGTON — Empty chair? Top officer, Martin Dempsey, seen as slow to respond to ethics issues roiling military. 900 words, by Gordon Lubold (FP).
Slate
OLY-BOB-COMMENT — Bobsled is the worst-designed sport of all time. 600 words, by Ben Blatt (Slate).
SSUDAN-COMMENT — CHICAGO — Why cease-fires make it worse. They only give each side time to plan the next wave of attacks. 1,225 words, by John A. Stevenson (Slate).
The Japan News
SYRIA-AID — TOKYO — A Tokyo woman who has long been involved with efforts to aid areas stricken by the Great East Japan Earthquake is working to promote delivery of unused relief supplies to Syrian refugees in Turkey. Developing (Yomiuri Shimbun).
JAPAN-TRADE — TOKYO — Japan and the United States begin bilateral workinglevel talks over tariffs, a key issue that must be settled to conclude negotiations on the TransPacific Partnership multilateral trade agreement. Developing (Yomiuri Shimbun).
JAPAN-STEEL — TOKYO — A dramatic rise in anti-dumping duties and investigations prompted by a sharp increase of low-priced steel product exports from China may prove harmful to free trade, according to the Japanese government and Japan's steel industry. Developing, by Takeyuki Hitokoto (Yomiuri Shimbun).
JAPAN-PETS — TOKYO — Mobile phone operator NTT Docomo Inc. will offer a new service allowing smartphone-equipped dog owners to monitor the well-being of their pets and confirm their whereabouts, starting in March. 200 words (Yomiuri Shimbun). One photo.
JAPAN-ORGAN — MORIOKA, Japan — A rare reed organ that was damaged by the tsunami in the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011 has been successfully repaired and returned to its home at a city museum in Rikuzen-Takata. 320 words (Yomiuri Shimbun). One photo.
The Root
THUG-COMMENT — A new breed of thug in Florida: When the defense in the Michael Dunn trial talked about a "thug subculture" they meant teenager Jordan Davis and his friends, but the killer is the real thug. 880 words, by Stephen A. Crockett Jr. (The Root).
DUNN-RACE-COMMENT — A juror looked at Jordan Davis and saw a criminal; in order to buy Florida shooter Michael Dunn's claim of self-defense, some jurors must have seen Davis as a threat. 650 words, by Tonyaa Weathersbee (The Root). Moved Sunday.
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Coming up this morning: editorials and commentary from The Post, Bloomberg View and The Japan News.
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Editors: A features budget will move at 12:30 p.m. ET. The daily budget for tomorrow's editions will move at 3 p.m. ET.
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