Women to the Front: Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta is expected to announce today that he is lifting the ban on women in combat. It may take until 2016 to integrate women into all aspects of the military, including front line infantry. The line of prohibition has been shifting with America’s frontless wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Despite a so-called ban on being in combat, women in all kinds of positions from drivers, to helicopter pilot and military police have been involved in combat and been killed and wounded.

National: House Republicans passed a temporary hike in the national debt limit, avoiding a fight with the President for now, but it has a hitch. The law would withhold pay from any house of Congress that does not pass a budget by April 15^th. That’s a thumb in the eye to the Democratic controlled Senate, which has not approved a budget in four years.

• Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spent the day testifying about the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi. She became a little testy answering questions about early statements explaining how and why the incident happened. “Was it because of a protest, or was it because of guys out for a walk one night who decided they’d go kill some Americans? What difference, at this point, does it make?”

Gridiron Blues: The family of former San Diego linebacker Junior Seau, who committed suicide last year, is suing the NFL and helmet manufacturers claiming the league promotes violence and downplays the danger of head injuries. Autopsy results showed Seau had brain disease caused by repeated blows to the head.

Cold:, NYC +19, Boston +10,  Washington DC +24, Grand Forks, ND -8

Loose Shoes: About 15,000 crocodiles escaped from a farm in South Africa’s far north during flooding. The farmer had to open the gates for a storm surge. Many have been recaptured but thousands are still out there.

Passing: Linda Riss Pugach, who gained fame for marrying the man who paid attackers to throw acid in her face, has died in Queens, NY at age 75. She was 22 years old in 1959, having an affair with the married lawyer Burton Pugach, when she broke it off and became engaged to another man. Pugach spent about 10 years in prison for the attack that left Linda blinded. He pursued her even from behind bars, promising to get her a seeing-eye dog. Their marriage in 1974 caused as much of a stir as the crime. She is survived by her husband of 38 years, Burton Pugach.

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