Free Republic

The White House declared victory Wednesday over congressional Republicans in the budget negotiations that concluded lateTuesday night, saying Democrats beat back the GOP across the board. White House officials cited a long list of wins over majority Republicans on individual budget items ranging from funding for Planned Parenthood to an overall increase in spending beyond previous “sequestration” caps.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced the launch of TechGirls, an educational initiative for girls from Muslim countries interested in technology. "It will bring teenage girls from the Middle East and North Africa for an intensive month of educational activities here in the United States," Clinton said Wednesday. Clinton made the announcement at the closing luncheon honoring the first class of participants from TechWomen, a public-private partnership that brought emerging female leaders in technical fields from predominately Muslim countries to the United States for one month. The women were paired with 24 leading, U.S. technology companies in Silicon Valley...