The Chicago City Council spent time Tuesday listening to a proposal to ban plastic bags in the city. The proposal comes a 13 year old girl who is worried about the environment, while retailers are worried that it will just cost them more money. 

Today in a speech at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, President Obama will call for a reduction in the world’s nuclear stockpiles, specifically a one-third reduction in U.S. and Russian warhead arsenals. 

The special session to deal with pension reform begins today in Springfield, but Gov. Pat Quinn and legislative leaders have agreed to form a bipartisan committee to hammer out a compromise and to reconvene the Legislature for another session in July. 

NSA Director Keith Alexander told a House committee Tuesday that snooping programs have foiled 50 terror plots worldwide, including 10 on US soil.  Attacks in the planning stages against the homeland, include; NY Subway system and attack on NYSE. 

The United States and Afghanistan will begin peace talks with the Taliban at an office in Qatar as early as next week. This new plan was announced as President Hamid Karzai and his country’s forces assumed full responsibility for Afghan security Tuesday.