Politics

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** FILE ** Vice President Joseph R. Biden gestures as he speaks at a gun-violence conference in Danbury, Conn., Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

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Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, unseen, in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Feb. 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

A resident leaves the polling station after casting her vote in the Eastleigh by-election in West End, Hampshire, southern England Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013. Britain's political parties are contesting a special election after a campaign overshadowed by scandals, including the criminal conviction of a former Cabinet minister and allegations of sexual misconduct against a party official. (AP Photo/Steve Parsons/PA)

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Senate Majority Whip Sen. Richard J. Durbin (above right) leads Sen. Charles E. Schumer, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Sen. Patty Murray out of a news conference after announcing that last-ditch efforts to avert spending cuts had failed. (Associated Press)

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Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is seen as someone who is “totally beholden to the White House” unlike the man he replaced this week, Leon E. Panetta. Mr. Hagel is seen saluting Marine Corp. Lt. Gen. Tom Waldheuser as he arrives at the Pentagon to be sworn-in. (Associated Press)

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** FILE ** In this Feb. 28, 2013, file photo, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada (right) and Sen. Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, meet with reporters on Capitol Hill. (Associated Press)

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associated press Secretary of State John F. Kerry, speaking with Syrian opposition coalition leader Mouaz al-Khatib at a conference Thursday in Rome, says the U.S. is looking for more tangible ways to support the Syrian rebels and bolster a fledgling political movement.

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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada (right) and Sen. Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, face reporters Thursday on Capitol Hill to talk about the automatic government spending cuts that take effect Friday. (Associated Press)