American citizens who become leaders in al-Qaida or other terrorist organizations overseas and pose "an imminent threat" to Americans may be killed with drone strikes even when there's no evidence that they have specific plans to attack Americans or U.S. interests, according to a Justice Department memo that surfaced Monday.

NPR's Carrie Johnson tells our Newscast Desk that:

A liberal group is attacking Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell in a new television ad over his opposition to gun control measures.

The group Progressive Change Campaign Committee is launching the commercial, which will air in Kentucky and Washington, D.C. area. It features gun owner and former military marksman Rodney Kendrick from Berea, calling on McConnell to support a ban on assault weapons and background checks on gun purchases.

Watch:

"On pretty much every major issue Mitch McConnell sides with his big campaign contributors over everyday people in Kentucky," PCCC co-founder Adam Green told WFPL. "Right now the gun debate is front and center, and therefore we’re elevating the fact that after the gun industry has spent (hundreds of thousands of dollars) to elect Mitch McConnell. He is opposing the will of the people in Kentucky and basic things like background checks to buy a gun."

In response McConnell campaign manager Jesse Benton condemned the commercial, adding PCCC is far outside the mainstream of Kentucky voters and is backed by liberal billionaire George Soros.

Recommendations from the hearing officer—who acts as judge—assigned to Metro Councilwoman Barbara Shanklin's ethics case have been submitted and are expected to be accepted by the Louisville Metro Ethics Commission this afternoon.

FRANKFORT — Efforts to reform Kentucky's laws for more than 1,000 special taxing districts—such as library boards, fire districts and sewer districts— are quickly moving this week  in the General Assembly.

The reforms were filed Tuesday as House Bill 1—which typically denotes a top priority for legislative leaders— and would create an online registry to list the special districts and their required financial paperwork. It stems from a partnership between  between state Auditor Adam Edelen and House Speaker Greg Stumbo.

(We updated the top of this post at 1:30 p.m. ET.)

Looking to head off deep, automatic spending cuts set to kick in on March 1, President Obama on Tuesday afternoon said that to avoid the negative economic effects that come with "political disfunction," Congress should move quickly to pass "a smaller package of spending cuts and tax reforms" that won't hurt the economy.

WFPL is having transmitter issues Tuesday afternoon; some listeners may have trouble hearing us on air at 89.3.

If that's you, engineers are working to fix the issue. 

Until then, you can listen to the broadcast streaming online at WFPL.org.

Louisville Gas and Electric could pay up to $250,000 to settle alleged safety violations that stemmed from a natural gas explosion in southern Jefferson County a year ago.

President Obama will hold a news conference Tuesday to discuss fiscal matters. WFPL will carry NPR's live special coverage  starting at 1 p.m.

NPR says:

Officials tell the White House press corps that the president "will call on Congress to pass a smaller package of spending cuts and tax reforms to avoid the economically harmful consequences of the sequester for a few months." He's scheduled to issue that call around 1:15 p.m. ET.

FRANKFORT — Advocates for more wireless and broadband options in Kentucky will once again push a bill reforming the state's telecommunications laws—specifically, removing language that requires old-school land-line service throughout the state.

Citizens for a Digital Future unveiled the legislation today, which is sponsored by state Sen. Paul Hornback, a Republican from Shelbyville.

Even Twitter users are divided on whether or not social media has a place during live arts events. 

The National Endowment for the Arts is leading a conversation on Twitter (#2TweetorNot2Tweet) about mobile social media use during performances. Are so-called Tweet Seats a fun engagement with a plugged-in audience of influencers, or are they a distraction from the events on stage? 

Some say bring it on—the more conversation the better: