10 things you need to know today: March 4, 2015

1. Netanyahu warns of "bad deal" with Iran

Israeli Prime Minister told a joint session of Congress on Tuesday that President Obama was negotiating a "bad deal" with Iran to curb its nuclear program, which Tehran insists is peaceful but Netanyahu and other critics say is close to developing a nuclear weapon. Netanyahu said that Obama's efforts would "all but guarantee" that Iran would obtain nuclear weapons, and could "threaten the survival of my country." Obama said Netanyahu had said "nothing new" and offered no credible alternative strategy.

The New York Times

2. House passes Homeland Security funding bill

The House approved a measure Tuesday funding the Department of Homeland Security for the rest of the fiscal year, ending a three-month battle that had threatened to shut down the agency after funds ran out at the beginning of March. Conservatives opposed the funding bill because it had been stripped of provisions dismantling President Obama's executive actions delaying the deportations of millions of undocumented immigrants. Obama has said he would sign the bill into law.

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Reuters

3. High court hears ObamaCare challenge

The Supreme Court on Wednesday will hear a challenge to ObamaCare that could strip subsidies from millions of Americans who purchased health coverage in the 37 states that declined to set up their own insurance exchanges. The plaintiffs argue that the text of the law, which allows for subsidies on exchanges "established by the state," does not cover the federal exchange. ObamaCare supporters say if the challengers win millions could lose insurance and premiums could rise for others.

The Hill

4. Justice Department says Ferguson police discriminated against African Americans

The Justice Department released a report Tuesday accusing the Ferguson, Missouri, police department of using tactics that discriminated against African Americans. The conclusion renewed the anger of the department's critics, who have demanded reforms since the fatal shooting of unarmed black teen Michael Brown by a white officer last year. The federal investigation found that blacks accounted for 93 percent of the city's arrests from 2012 to 2014, although they make up 67 percent of the population.

The Washington Post

5. Ex-CIA chief Petraeus to plead guilty to leaking secrets

David Petraeus will reportedly plead guilty as part of a deal with the Justice Department, The New York Times reports. The plea deal will allow Petraeus, a retired four-star general, to avoid an "embarrassing" trial over whether he gave classified information to his mistress and biographer, Paula Broadwell, while he was director of the CIA. Petraeus, who has denied criminal wrongdoing, will plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge for mishandling classified information.

The New York Times ABC News

6. Alabama high court halts same-sex marriages in the state

The Alabama Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered a halt to gay marriages in the state. The move directly violated rulings by a federal judge in Mobile who told the local probate to start issuing same-sex couples marriage licenses last month. The state Supreme Court order said the U.S. Constitution could not override Alabama law, which "allows for 'marriage' between only one man and one woman." The state high court gave probate judges five days to submit responses arguing they should be allowed to continue granting same-sex couples licenses.

AL.com

7. Indonesia moves condemned foreign inmates to execution site

A group of death-row inmates known as the Bali nine were transferred under heavy military guard Tuesday to the island in Java where they are to be executed by firing squad. The condemned inmates include Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran of Australia. The Indonesian government has rejected pleas from international human rights activists and the Australian government to spare the prisoners, who were convicted of drug trafficking in 2005.

Sydney Morning Herald

8. Jury seated in Boston Marathon bombing case

After an arduous two-month selection process that included a request to move the case out of Boston, a 12-member jury was seated Tuesday in the trial of alleged Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. The 21-year-old Tsarnaev faces 30 charges and a potential death sentence for allegedly detonating two bombs during the 2013 marathon that killed three people and injured more than 260 others. Tsarnaev pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. Opening statements in the trial are scheduled for Wednesday.

The Associated Press The Boston Globe

9. Snowden's lawyer says he is considering returning to face charges for leaks

Edward Snowden's lawyer says the former National Security Agency contractor is prepared to return to the United States from Russia to face trial for allegedly leaking secret documents. Anatoly Kucherena, Snowden's Russian lawyer, said Snowden "is thinking about it," but will only go home if he believes he will get a fair trial. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said Snowden "absolutely can and should return" to face the charges, and that he would be treated fairly.

CNN

10. Thousands evacuate as volcano erupts in Chile

The Villarrica volcano in southern Chile erupted on Tuesday, spewing lava and ash hundreds of yards into the air and sending rivers of lava down the 9,000-foot volcano's sides. Authorities evacuated thousands of people. The heat melted snow, raising the danger of mudslides. "It was the most amazing thing I've ever seen," Australian tourist Travis Armstrong, 29, said in a telephone interview from Pucon. "Lightning was striking down at the volcano from the ash cloud that formed from the eruption."

The Associated Press