Neosho Updates- T $

Iran
Deal Now
Iranian Long-Term Nuclear Deal will be reached in the Status Quo.
Rising 2/2
DAVID RISING, (Correspondent with The Associated Press in Germany), Iran says serious about
long-term nuclear deal, February 2, 2014, Yahoo news, google, http://news.yahoo.com/iran-
says-serious-long-term-nuclear-deal-122157235.html, 2/20/14, TL
MUNICH (AP) Iran's foreign minister said Sunday his country is prepared to move ahead in
negotiations over its nuclear program, assuring Western diplomats that Tehran has the
political will and good faith to reach a "balanced" long-term agreement. Mohamad Javad Zarif told
a gathering of the world's top diplomats and security officials that his country and Western nations were at a "historical
crossroads" and just beginning to build the trust necessary for a long-term agreement. "I think the opportunity is there, and I
think we need to seize it," he said. The comments came after Zarif met one-on-one with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on the
sidelines of the conference Sunday morning. Kerry reiterated to Zarif the importance of both sides
negotiating in good faith, and of Iran abiding by its commitments, according to the State Department. Zarif described it
as a "good meeting." Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency struck a deal Nov. 11 granting U.N. inspectors wider
access to Iran's nuclear facilities. The deal is parallel to an agreement reached with world powers Nov. 24 in Geneva to have Iran
halt its most sensitive uranium enrichment activities in return for an easing of Western sanctions over its nuclear program.
"That's an important beginning, it's not the end of the road," Zarif said of the two deals.
"There are important questions and we are prepared to address them."


No Long-Term Deal
A long term deal is not possible- senior officials on both sides agree
Hafezi and Charbonneau 2/17
PARISA HAFEZI AND LOUIS CHARBONNEAU, (Award-winning Reuters journalist), Iran and U.S.
agree final nuclear deal may be unreachable, Mon Feb 17, Reuters.com, google,
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/17/us-iran-nuclear-idUSBREA1G1EO20140217,
2/20/14, TL
(Reuters) - The United States and long-time arch-foe Iran agree on at least one thing ahead of
Tuesday's negotiations on a long-term nuclear deal - reaching an agreement will be very
difficult, if not impossible. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the man who has the
final say on all matters of state in the Islamic Republic, declared again on Monday that talks between
Tehran and six world powers "will not lead anywhere. Hours later a senior U.S. administration
official also played down expectations, telling reporters in the Austrian capital that it will be a
"complicated, difficult and lengthy process" and "probably as likely that we won't get an
agreement as it is that we will.
Econ
Up
Economy Up- financial indicators prove. Assumes trends
Crutsinger 2/20
MARTIN CRUTSINGER, (AP Economics Writer), Gauge of U.S. economy's health up 0.3 percent,
Feb 20, 2014, AP, google, http://www.komonews.com/news/business/Gauge-of-US-economys-
health-up-03-percent-246369371.html, 2/20/14, TL
A measure of the U.S. economy's health posted a moderate gain in January, suggesting that
the economy will continue to expand in the first half of this year. The Conference Board reported
Thursday that its index of leading indicators rose 0.3 percent last month following no change in December and a
solid 0.9 percent increase in November. The index is designed to signal economic conditions
over the next three to six months. Conference Board economist Ken Goldstein said the January advance
reflects an economy that is expanding moderately. But he said growth was held back over the past two
months by severe winter weather in many parts of the country. "If the economy is going to move on to a faster track in 2014
compared to last year, consumer demand and especially investment will need to pick up significantly from their current trends,"
Goldstein said. The advance in January was aided by fewer applications for unemployment
benefits and strength in financial indicators. This strength offset weakness from a decrease in applications for
building permits and fewer hours worked in manufacturing.
Down
Economy down now- Weather and Housing market prove
Lange 2/18
JASON LANGE, (Correspondent, Washington), More weak U.S. economic data puts cracks in
weather theory, Feb 18, 2014, Rueters, Google,
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/18/us-usa-economy-housing-nahb-
idUSBREA1H18R20140218, 2/20/14, TL
(Reuters) - U.S. homebuilder confidence suffered its largest one-month drop ever in February,
heightening concerns that recent signs of weakness in the economy reflect deeper problems
than the severe weather that has gripped much of the country. The National Association of Home
Builders said on Tuesday its Housing Market Index plunged by 10 points to 46 in February, with a
majority of builders seeing market conditions as poor. The NAHB, which produces the index together with
U.S. bank Wells Fargo, said cold temperatures kept potential home buyers out of the market across
much of the country. But the trade group said high costs were also holding back the housing
industry, and the data adds to worries the U.S. economy might actually be losing momentum
following a year of break-out growth. Poor weather usually drags on growth only temporarily as businesses and
consumers put off purchases. If the recent slowdown in the economy is weather related, economists expect that the trend will
reverse once temperatures turn higher and spur consumers to get back to spending. "This report will keep alive
concerns in the markets that the weakening in the data recently is not just due to weather,"
said Jim O'Sullivan, an economist at High Frequency Economics in Valhalla, New York. Worries over the outlook for
the economy have grown since reports showed weak hiring across the economy in
December and January, when much of the country experienced unusually frigid temperatures.
CIR
Will pass- Political Pressure from reform groups
Nowicki 2/12
Dan Nowicki, (The Arizona Republic writer), Immigration activists threaten GOP political
payback, February 12, 2014, USAToday, google,
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/02/12/immigration-reform-activists-
threaten-gop-payback/5414269/, 2/20/14, TL
Just a week earlier, Boehner, R-Ohio, had generated fresh optimism for action through the release
of principles that were to help guide the House Republican Conference step by step on the
issue. Members of the Fair Immigration Reform Movement, a national coalition of
immigrant-rights groups, said Tuesday that they have not completely given up on
immigration reform in 2014 but nevertheless have all but declared political war on the GOP. The
Democrat-controlled Senate last year passed a bipartisan comprehensive immigration-reform bill that Boehner said Republicans
had no interest in. During a news conference, FIRM members accused Boehner of caving to far-right
opponents despite national polls that indicate reform is popular and a belief among many
Republicans that their party needs to get the immigration issue off the table in order to be
competitive in future presidential elections. Obama won big among Latino voters in 2008 and 2012, at least
partly because Republicans alienated many in the demographic with hard-line rhetoric against "amnesty," or a pathway to
citizenship for many of the estimated 11million undocumented immigrants who have settled in the country. "Persuasion only
goes so far, and now, with Speaker Boehner casting doubt that he can actually deliver immigration reform, FIRM is
switching tactics from persuasion to punishment," said Kica Matos, director for immigrant rights and racial
justice at the left-leaning Campaign for Community Change. "So, let me just be clear about one thing: From now on, any
lawmaker who does not support comprehensive immigration reform should expect
relentless and constant confrontations that will escalate until they agree to support
immigration reform."
Wont pass- Congressmen on both sides agree
Jacobs 2/6
Ben Jacobs, (Ben Jacobs is a reporter for The Daily Beast. His journalism has also been published
in outlets like The Boston Globe, The New Republic, The Atlantic, Salon and Capital New York.),
Immigration Reform Dead In 2014 According To Boehner, 02.06.14, thedailybeast.com,
google, http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/02/06/immigration-reform-dead-in-2014-
according-to-boehner.html, 2/20/14, TL
In his weekly news conference on Thursday, Speaker of the House John Boehner threw cold water on the idea
that any immigration reform legislation might pass Congress this year, citing the GOP's lack
of trust in the Obama adminstration and all but acknowledged that there would be another
"do-nothing" Congress in 2014. Boehner's comments come just a week after the House GOP leadership unveiled its
"principles" on immigration reform to great fanfare at their annual retreat in Cambridge, Maryland. While the House Speaker
insisted that he "never underestimated the difficulty in moving forward this year," his statement comes just days after Senate
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters on Tuesday that he didn't see how the House
and Senate could resolve their differences on immigration reform in 2014.