Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) sparred with Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) over efforts to ease requirements on hiring foreign high-skilled workers. 

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) urged a Senate panel on Tuesday to back his legislation that would pressure cable and satellite TV providers to allow their customers to pick and choose the individual channels they pay for. 

"Basically, I support a la carte — and, I believe, most Americans do — for the basic reason that consumers should not have to pay for television channels they do not watch and have no interest in watching," McCain said in testimony before the Senate Commerce Committee's subcommittee on Technology and the Internet. Most cable providers require customers to purchase a tier or bundle of channels.

"I truly believe that a lot of Americans are fed up with the size of their cable bill. They ought to be able to do the same thing we are able to do when we walk into a restaurant and not have to buy everything on the menu," he added.

Priebus said Holder had "egregiously violated the public trust," calling for his immediate resignation.

Activist investor Daniel Loeb is pressing Sony to spin off part of its successful entertainment arm, which includes its film studio and music label, according to The New York Times. Read more...

The news agency called the move a "massive and unprecedented intrusion."

THE LEDE: Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is scheduled to push for his "a la carte" cable TV bill at a Senate hearing on Tuesday.

His bill, the Television Consumer Freedom Act, would pressure cable and satellite TV providers to allow their customers to pick and choose which individual channels they pay for. He argues the legislation, which is opposed by the cable industry, would drive down prices.

The hearing of the Senate Commerce Committee's subcommittee on Technology and the Internet is intended to be an overview of federal video policy. It will focus on changes in the marketplace, satellite television reauthorization legislation, retransmission consent issues, the upcoming auction of broadcast spectrum licenses to cellphone carriers and consumer issues, according to a committee aide.

The other witnesses will be Michael Powell, the head of the National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA); former Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.), the CEO of the National Association of Broadcasters; Dish Network General Counsel R. Stanton Dodge; and Public Knowledge attorney John Bergmayer. 

Senate Judiciary Committee to debate high-skilled amendments to Gang of Eight bill: The Senate Judiciary Committee will continue its markup of the Gang of Eight’s sweeping immigration bill, with the focus turning to the section of the bill that covers reforming the rules for highly skilled and educated foreign workers. Ahead of the markup, a coalition of more than 50 national and local business groups urged committee members in a letter to make a set of "improvements" to the H-1B and L visa measures in the bill, which they warn could have "unintended consequences."

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Trade associations and local business groups that represent top American tech companies proposed a set of changes to the temporary worker visa measures in the Gang of Eight's immigration bill on Monday.

More than 50 influential national and local business groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Internet Association, outlined their proposed "improvements" to the bill in a letter sent to Senate Judiciary panel members on Monday.

The letter comes a day before the committee is set to consider a slate of amendments to the section of the Gang of Eight bill that would modify the immigration rules for highly-skilled and educated foreign workers. 

They argue all Internet traffic should be treated equally and major corporations should not be able to pay for preferential treatment.

The group is under fire from the left for TV ads that back the Keystone XL pipeline and Arctic drilling.