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• WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Obama administration is pleading with Congress to allow more time for diplomacy with Iran, but faces sharp resistance from Republican and Democratic lawmakers determined to further squeeze the Iranian economy and wary of yielding any ground in nuclear negotiations.
• Back from a week of nuclear talks in Geneva and tense consultations with nervous Middle East allies, Secretary of State John Kerry was to present the administration's case to his ex-colleagues in the Senate on Wednesday and ask them to hold off on a package of new, tougher Iran sanctions under consideration.
• A House committee, meanwhile, was holding a hearing to vent its frustration with Kerry and an Obama administration they believe should adopt a far tougher line with Tehran.
• "Sanctions remain the best way to avoid war and prevent a future of Iranian nuclear weapons," said Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., a key drafter of Iran legislation. "The American people should not be forced to choose between military action and a bad deal that accepts a nuclear Iran."
• President Barack Obama's disagreement with many if not most members of Congress concerns tactics, not substance: Each wants to stop Iran from reaching the capacity to produce nuclear weapons, and even hard-line hawks say they'd prefer diplomacy to U.S. military intervention. Almost everyone recognizes that Washington and its partners will have to offer some relief from the punitive measures that have crippled Iran's economy in exchange for concrete Iranian actions to roll back and dismantle elements of the nuclear program.
• ___

• CHICAGO (AP) -- As the buzzer sounded and his Michigan State teammates raced onto the court to celebrate, Gary Harris held his index finger aloft.
• No doubt about who's No. 1.
• For now, at least.
• Branden Dawson tipped in a miss with less than six seconds left, and the No. 2 Spartans hung on for a 78-74 victory over top-ranked Kentucky and its latest cast of

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