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First Word: Sequester time crunch is on

On Tuesday, President Obama ratcheted up his warning on the consequences of the upcoming sequester, saying many "people will lose their jobs." He said the
President Barack Obama, accompanied by emergency responders, a group of workers the White House says could be affected by the sequester cuts. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
President Barack Obama, accompanied by emergency responders, a group of workers the White House says could be affected by the sequester cuts.

On Tuesday, President Obama ratcheted up his warning on the consequences of the upcoming sequester, saying many "people will lose their jobs." He said the impact of the automatic spending cuts would be widespread and deep: “So these cuts are not smart, they are not fair, they will hurt our economy, they will add hundreds of thousands of Americans to the unemployment rolls.”

Now, it's crunch time; the cuts are scheduled to go into effect next Friday, so lawmakers would need to act fast on any changes.

Here's a look at more headlines that got our attention this afternoon:

  • Mitch McConnell pokes fun at possible Democratic Senate challengers
  • Mother turns in mentally ill son who was stockpiling guns