Senate: GOPers differ on Defense bill. On one side, US Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Tom Coburn (R-OK) are opposing the inclusion of a major expansion of the national park system into the Defense authorization bill, calling it a land grab, reports The Hill. But on the other side, US Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, says “I’m OK with it.” A majority of Republican senators support the measure, which has passed the House and is expected to pass the Senate ……. Tennessee: Obama pitches immigration policies in Nashville. President Obama plugged his immigration policies in the Tennessee capital this week, noting that some people might find that “an odd place” to discuss immigration, But the President pointed out that Nashville has “one of the fastest-growing immigrant populations in the country.” That includes some 11,000 Kurds, reports the Washington Post ……. Georgia: Lewis attends “Selma” screening. US Rep. John Lewis (D), a veteran civil rights activist, was the guest of Oprah Winfrey in California last weekend at a screening of “Selma,” a movie about the 1965 voting rights marches from Selma, Alabama, to Montgomery. Winfrey is producing the film, along with Brad Pitt; it will open in a number of cities on Christmas Day, reports The Hill.