Welcome to 'Sequestration'

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Welcome to 'Sequestration' ()

The leaders of both parties in both Houses of Congress met for less than an hour at the White House this morning, but there was no deal to prevent $85 billion in arbitrary, federal budget cuts go into effect today. As both parties and scores of Washington veterans have been saying for months, "Sequestration" was supposedly designed so it would never happen. President Obama says there was no way he could force Congress to negotiate. Republicans, of course, blame the President. We hear about the gradual impact of sequestration across the country. Is the US in a new period of austerity?

Guests:

• Nancy Cook: National Journal, @nancook
• Binyamin Appelbaum: New York Times, @BCAppelbaum
• Mark Vitner: Wells Fargo, @mvitner
• Leada Gore: Alabama Media Group, @LeadaGore
• E.J. Montini: Arizona Republic, @ejmontini
• Denis Davis: National Parks Service, @NatlParkService

Links:

• Bowles Simpson (TtP 'Notebook' on)

Reporter's Notebook

The Castros Pick Cuba's Next Leader ()

Fidel Castro led Cuba's Communist revolution in 1959, and served as president until anointing his brother Raul in 2006. This week, Raul Castro announced his retirement in 2018 and named the man he wants to take over when he retires five years from now. Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermudez is Cuba's first vice president.  Ann Louise Bardach is writer at larger for Newsweek/Daily Beast and the author of Without Fidel: A Death Foretold in Miami, Havana and Washington.

Guests:

• Ann Louise Bardach: journalist and author