Top 5 Stories This Week
1.
President Obama authorized
expanded sanctions against Russia after Vladimir Putin signed a treaty annexing
Crimea, while the Ukrainian government announced plans to withdraw its troops and
relocate them to the mainland.
Look ahead: NATO is considering
deeper involvement in Ukraine, while the E.U. weighs additional sanctions.
Obama vowed the US will not mount a "military excursion" in the
country.
2.
Following its first meeting since
Janet Yellen took over as Federal Reserve chair, the Federal Open Market
Committee announced plans to reduce its monthly asset purchases by $10 billion,
as expected, and eliminated the 6.5% unemployment threshold from its forward
guidance on interest rates.
Look ahead: The Fed will rely on
additional metrics to gauge the economy's health.
3.
House Speaker John Boehner
described a bipartisan Senate deal to extend emergency unemployment benefits as
"unworkable" after the National Association of State Workforce
Agencies warned that some states could attempt to opt out due to the bill's additional
costs and strict requirements.
Look ahead: Senate Majority
Leader Harry Reid characterized the issues raised by NASWA as
"resolvable," and urged Boehner to work toward solutions.
4.
With two weeks remaining in the
open enrollment period that ends March 31, Health and Human Services Department
announced a "weekend wave" sent the total enrollment number over 5
million.
Look ahead: The White House
is pulling out all the stops to enroll as many young people in coverage as
possible before the deadline.
5.
The search continues for Malaysia
Airlines Flight 370, as authorities consider satellite footage of possible
debris from the aircraft, amid reports Malaysian officials waited days to
release information gleaned from British satellite company Inmarsat on the
plane's potential flight path.
Look ahead: Experts warn the items could be
unrelated to the jetliner, and even if a link can be established, the passage
of time since a crash would complicate efforts to find the rest of the wreckage.
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