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• Two votes to place the bill formally before the Senate and open for amendments each drew more than 80 votes Tuesday, reflecting a bipartisan desire to debate the legislation to remake the nation's immigration laws and open the door to citizenship to millions.
• Despite the lopsided votes, Republicans served notice they will seek to toughen the bill's border security provisions and impose tougher terms on those seeking to gain legal status. "This bill has serious flaws," said their party leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
• At the White House, President Barack Obama insisted the "moment is now" to give the estimated 11 million immigrants living in the United States illegally a chance at citizenship and prodded Congress to send him a bill by fall.
• At its core, the bill sets out a 13-year journey to citizenship for the millions of immigrants who arrived in the country illegally through the end of 2011 or who overstayed their visas. The bill also requires a tighter border to prevent future illegal immigration.
• ___

• LONDON (AP) -- British officials are hoping that the impending royal birth will produce a bouncing baby buoy for the economy.
• With the Duchess of Cambridge due to give birth to an heir to the throne next month, it's time for citizens and groups to consider how to best mark the moment.
• Happy occasions often boost consumer confidence, sparking a spring in the step that leads right to the shopping mall for street party snacks, summer frocks and suntan lotion. And happy national occasions with the royal family and a new heir hit an emotional jackpot in Britain -- boosting national pride along with tea, cakes and commemorative china.
• "Royal fever is more intense now, actually," said Pauline Maclaran, a professor of marketing and consumer research at Royal Holloway and the co-author of "Tiaras, Tea Towels and Tourism: Consuming the British Royal Family," which will be published by the University of California Press. "At a time of crisis, when there is financial depression, people look for something to lift themselves."
• Britain really could use some consumer confidence right now. The economy is so flat no one has any idea how to pick it up. It grew last quarter at the less-than-stunning rate of 0.3 percent.

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