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:
Balloon Juice and Politico
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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, Algemeiner.com, Gawker, The Week and The Fix
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,” …
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Talking Points Memo:
McConnell: Debt And Spending, Not Guns, Are First Priority — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said Sunday that despite the White House's push to quickly enact a new round of gun laws, tackling spending and debt will be the top priority for the next three months.
Discussion:
Balloon Juice and Weasel Zippers
Meghashyam Mali / The Hill:
Durbin: Tax reform should be on table in debt-ceiling talks
Durbin: Tax reform should be on table in debt-ceiling talks
Discussion:
Politico
Felicia Sonmez / Washington Post:
GOP dissension over debt-ceiling strategy
GOP dissension over debt-ceiling strategy
Discussion:
Prairie Weather, The Fix, Calculated Risk and The Hill
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:
Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes'
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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:
Washington Examiner and JustOneMinute
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Jake Miller / CBS News:
Pelosi: “Not enough” revenue in “fiscal cliff” deal — House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., argued that additional revenue must be included in upcoming deficit reduction deals, calling the revenue secured by the “fiscal cliff” deal “significant” but “not enough.”
Discussion:
Michelle Malkin and The Raw Story
BuzzFeed:
Top Conservative Radio Figure Calls For “Nationalist” Third Party — Uniting the Tea Party. “Who's the King David?” — Michael Savage. — Image by John Storey / AP — The conservative radio host Michael Savage Sunday called for a third, “nationalist” American political party …
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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:
The Moderate Voice, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Booman Tribune and Althouse
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:
National Review, Wonkblog, Hullabaloo, Weasel Zippers and The Gateway Pundit
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