The shut down of the U.S. Government was averted after the U.S. Congress gave its final approval to a $1 trillion spending plan that will keep the government doors open until September. September 30 is the end of the governments fiscal year.
A North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman, on Wednesday, promised "strong military counteraction" after the U.S. carried out it second fly-over of its nuclear payload capable B-52 on Tuesday during a training mission in the "Foal Eagle" joint training operations in South Korea.
President Obama and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel released statements honoring the sacrifices of U.S. servicemen, their families and the Iraqi people on Tuesday, the 10th anniversary of the the start of the war in Iraq. The rest of Washington is quiet.
WASHINGTON, March 19, 2013 – U.S. defenses are sufficient to stand up to current ballistic missile threats, but must continue to evolve because “the threat of ballistic missiles is not going down,†the commander of U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command told Congress today.