memeorandum: Sen. Heidi Heitkamp: Reported Obama Gun Proposals ‘Way in Extreme’ (George Stephanopoulos/ABCNEWS)

3:00 PM ET, January 6, 2013

Top Items:

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

Gregory Wallace / CNN:
Don't call it gun control, says Democrats' point person on the issue

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

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

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: ThinkProgress, CNN, Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes', The Week and The Fix

Kevin Liptak / CNN: TRENDING: GOP senators: Hagel is in for a fight

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

Felicia Sonmez / Washington Post:

GOP dissension over debt-ceiling strategy — Video: In President Barack Obama's weekly address he says, “will not compromise” over his insistence that Congress lift the federal debt ceiling. The nation's credit rating was downgraded the last time lawmakers threatened inaction on the ceiling, in 2011.

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

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

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

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's … and The PJ Tatler

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

Scott Keyes / ThinkProgress:

Republican Congressman Insults Nancy Pelosi's Appearance: 'There's No Facelift With John Boehner' — An outspoken Republican congressman castigated House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi's looks during a radio interview Friday. — Speaking with guest host Larry O'Connor on the Dennis Miller Show …

Discussion: The Democratic Daily, The Political Carnival, The Moderate Voice and msnbc.com

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

Kevin Gosztola / Firedoglake:

The Only CIA Officer Scheduled to Go to Jail Over Torture Never Tortured Anybody — John Kiriakou interviewed by Truthout's Jason Leopold — Reporter for the New York Times, Scott Shane, wrote a feature story on the case of former CIA agent John Kiriakou, who is the first from the agency to face jail time for a classified leak.

Discussion: The Agonist, Truthdig, The Moderate Voice and New York Times, 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

Climate Guest Blogger / ThinkProgress:

Silence Of The Lambs 3: Media Coverage Of Climate Mixed In 2012, But Still Down Sharply From 2009 — by Douglas Fischer, via the Daily Climate — Widespread drought, Superstorm Sandy, and a melting ice cap failed to revive the media's interest in climate change in 2012 …

Discussion: TomDispatch and The Agonist

Kyle Balluck / The Hill:

Obama to draw on public support in new round of economic battles — President Obama intends to take a confrontational approach with Republicans in future economic battles by using the same campaign-style events the White House saw as effective in the “fiscal-cliff” fight.

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit