memeorandum: HBO Hangs On to Universal's Movies (Peter Kafka/AllThingsD)

4:05 PM ET, January 6, 2013

Top Items:

Meghashyam Mali / The Hill:

Sen. Graham blasts Hagel pick as an ‘in your face nomination’ from Obama — Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Sunday expressed dismay at reports President Obama would tap former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) for Secretary of Defense, calling it an “in your face” selection. — “I like Chuck Hagel.

Discussion: Politico and Balloon Juice

Ben Armbruster / ThinkProgress:

Lindsey Graham Lobs Disingenuous Attacks On Chuck Hagel — Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) on CNN's State of the Union on Sunday attacked former Republican senator Chuck Hagel, reportedly President Obama's choice as the next Defense Secretary, calling him a “controversial pick” and suggesting that Hagel is out of the mainstream.

Discussion: Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes' and Talking Points Memo

Politico:

Obama to pick Chuck Hagel for Pentagon — President Barack Obama has settled on Chuck Hagel, a Republican and former U.S. senator from Nebraska, to succeed Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, with an announcement expected Monday, Democratic officials tell POLITICO.

Discussion: CNN, Gawker, The Week and The Fix

Kevin Liptak / CNN:

TRENDING: GOP senators: Hagel is in for a fight — (CNN) - Republican lawmakers voiced staunch opposition Sunday to their former colleague Chuck Hagel, who is expected to be nominated Monday to be President Barack Obama's next secretary of defense. — Hagel has taken withering criticism …

Sam Baker / The Hill:

McConnell: Tax issue ‘finished completely,’ focus now on spending — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Sunday said Republicans will demand steep spending cuts during the next round of budget negotiations. — McConnell, in an interview with ABC's “This Week,” …

Discussion: CNN, Politico and ABCNEWS

Meghashyam Mali / The Hill:

Durbin: Tax reform should be on table in debt-ceiling talks — Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) on Sunday pressed fellow lawmakers to look at tax reform, targeting loopholes and deductions in the code for closure in the next round of budget negotiations. — “I can tell you that there are still deductions …

Discussion: Politico

Felicia Sonmez / Washington Post:
GOP dissension over debt-ceiling strategy

Discussion: Booman Tribune, Prairie Weather, The Fix, Calculated Risk and The Hill

Reuters:
Republican Senator McConnell rules out more taxes in fiscal fight

Discussion: The PJ Tatler and Taegan Goddard's …

John Podhoretz / New York Post:
Conservatives gone wild

Discussion: The PJ Tatler, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Hill, Outside the Beltway and The Reality-Based Community

George Stephanopoulos / ABCNEWS:

Sen. Heidi Heitkamp: Reported Obama Gun Proposals ‘Way in Extreme’ — Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D, told me this morning on “This Week” that while all options should be on the table to address gun violence, President Obama's reported plans to curb shootings are “way in extreme” …

Discussion: Weekly Standard and Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes'

Philip Rucker / Washington Post:

White House weighs broad gun-control agenda in wake of Newtown shootings — Chip Somodevilla/GETTY IMAGES - Vice President Biden, center, leads the first meeting of the working group on gun violence on Dec. 20. From left, he's joined by Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. …

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Business Insider, Weasel Zippers, The Atlantic Online, AMERICAblog, No More Mister Nice Blog, Right Wing News, Washington Examiner, Daily Kos, Chicago Boyz, Balloon Juice and The Hill

Reed Abelson / New York Times:

Health Insurers Raise Some Rates by Double Digits — Health insurance companies across the country are seeking and winning double-digit increases in premiums for some customers, even though one of the biggest objectives of the Obama administration's health care law was to stem the rapid rise in insurance costs for consumers.

Discussion: Wonkblog, National Review, Hullabaloo and Weasel Zippers

Peter Kafka / AllThingsD:

HBO Hangs On to Universal's Movies — HBO has renewed a pact with Universal Pictures, which will keep the studio's movies, like “Ted” and “Bourne Legacy” on the pay-cable channel through 2022. — HBO, which normally plays up the value of its original productions like “Game of Thrones,” …

Discussion: Engadget, The Verge and TechCrunch, more at Mediagazer »

Annie Lowrey / New York Times:

G.O.P. Begins Soul-Searching After Tax Vote — Everett Wilkinson, a Tea Party leader, top left, says pressure will continue. Newt Gingrich, top right, has softened his views on same-sex marriage. Pat McCrory, bottom left, the new governor of North Carolina, emphasizes pragmatism.

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, Booman Tribune, Prairie Weather and Althouse

Kate Briquelet / New York Post:

Welfare recipients take out cash at strip clubs, liquor stores and X-rated shops — They're on the dole — and watching the pole. — Welfare recipients took out cash at bars, liquor stores, X-rated video shops, hookah parlors and even strip clubs — where they presumably spent …

Discussion: Power Line, Weasel Zippers and UrbanGrounds

New York Times:

Social Security: It's Worse Than You Think — CONGRESS and President Obama have pushed through a relatively modest stopgap measure to avoid the “fiscal cliff,” but over the coming years, the United States will confront another huge cliff: Social Security. — In the first presidential debate …

Discussion: JustOneMinute and Washington Examiner