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Automatic budget cuts have pushed Air Force bases to slash their flying budgets even though it means grounding pilots and reducing readiness. The cancellations are boosting the arguments of those who want the military excepted from sequestration cuts.

When it comes to the U.S. role in Syria's civil war, President Obama says he's weighing all options. Whatever he decides, he'll have to make his case to a public that hasn't been paying close attention.

The White House says it still needs to corroborate information it has received that suggests Syria's government has used chemical weapons. That act would cross a "red line" drawn by President Obama. At that point, the question becomes: What might the U.S. do in response? The Pentagon is already planning.

Bipartisan bonhomie broke out Thursday afternoon when four Democratic and four Republican senators made a case for their comprehensive immigration overhaul proposal. "America is an idea; nobody owns it," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. "We've got to create order out of chaos."

Adm. Samuel Locklear says the U.S. could intercept a ballistic missile launched at the U.S. homeland or Pacific allies.

Melissa Block talks to regular political commentators E.J. Dionne of The Washington Post and Brookings Institution, and Mary Kate Cary, former speechwriter for President George H.W. Bush and a columnist with U.S. °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ & World Report. They discuss the latest unemployment figures, Rand Paul's filibuster, and Jeb Bush.

Democratic Senators Harry Reid and Mo Cowan have joined Republicans John McCain and Representative Peter King to call for the pardon of former heavyweight boxing champ Jack Johnson. He was the first black fighter to win that title, in 1908. Another win in 1910 sparked race riots nationwide, and his relationships with white women only added to the controversy. He was convicted of taking women across state lines for "immoral purpose." Audie Cornish has more.

Republicans delayed a vote on President Obama's defense nominee, saying they wanted more answers about the attack in Benghazi, Libya, last year. In recent months, Benghazi has become a sort of catchword. To Republicans, it symbolizes everything bad about the Obama administration.

Constituents at a town hall were angry over a plan to legalize an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants. McCain, for his part, defended the plan, saying it was the right thing to do.

That means there will be only one carrier in the Gulf. For the past several years, the Pentagon has tried to maintain an overlap of two carriers because of regional tensions.