memeorandum: Veterans Affairs boss: ‘No veteran should have to wait for claims’ (Kevin Liptak/CNN)

Michael Barbaro / New York Times:

Bloomberg's TV Blitz on Guns Puts Swing Senators on the Spot — The commercial is an unambiguous appeal to gun owners: a middle-aged hunter, rifle in hand, vows that he will fight to protect the Second Amendment. But in a sensible, father-of-the-house tone, he also urges voters …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and Politico

Politico:

NRA, Joe Manchin in talks on background checks — Sen. Joe Manchin and the National Rifle Association are quietly engaged in private talks on a proposal to broaden background checks on purchasers of firearms. — That the NRA is even talking with Manchin suggests there's at least some room …

Discussion: Washington Monthly and CNN

Christina Wilkie / The Huffington Post:

NRA Robocalls In Newtown Spark Outrage From Local Gun Control Group — WASHINGTON — The National Rifle Association came under fire late Thursday from members of a gun-control advocacy group in Newtown, Conn., after reports surfaced of Newtown residents receiving robocalls and pro-gun postcards from the NRA.

Discussion: ThinkProgress and Crooks and Liars

Reuters:
DOJ: $20M for background checks

Discussion: Associated Press

Michael Kranish / Boston Globe:

The story of Washington gridlock seen through the eyes of Bob Dole — WASHINGTON — It had been 16 years since Bob Dole stepped down as Senate Republican leader, ending a legislative career in which he earned a reputation as a master of bipartisanship. Yet there he was at the end of 2012, trying to close a deal.

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money

Kevin Cirilli / Politico:

Rand Paul: I don't promote marijuana — Sen. Rand Paul said Sunday that President Barack Obama and former President George W. Bush could have “conceivably been put in jail” for their drug use, ruining their lives and impacting their getting elected to office.

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's …

Kevin Liptak / CNN:

Veterans Affairs boss: ‘No veteran should have to wait for claims’ — (CNN) - The mountain of benefits claims at the Department of Veterans Affairs is a result of an outdated paper process and new levels of complexity in returning troops' cases, the agency's boss said in an interview Sunday.

Discussion: Politico

Michael Powell / New York Times:

Man Freed From Prison Has a Heart Attack — On his second day of freedom after serving 23 years in prison for a murder he did not commit, David Ranta suffered a serious heart attack Friday night, his lawyer said. — Mr. Ranta was taken to a New York hospital — his family did not wish …

Discussion: Gothamist and Daily Kos

Edward Cody / Washington Post:

French mother on trial for son Jihad's T-shirt — ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/AFP/GETTY IMAGES - Lawyer Gaelle Genoun, right, leaves Avignon's courthouse on Dec. 19, 2012, with her client, the mother of a three-year old named Jihad who was born on Sept. 11. The woman went on trial for sending …

Discussion: AMERICAblog and Althouse

Daniel Halper / Weekly Standard:

Senate Budget ‘Has Zero Real Deficit Reduction ... Never Balances’ — In a statement released at 5 a.m. today, Senator Jeff Sessions, the top Republican on the Senate Budget Committee, blasts the budget the Senate passed very early this morning. Sessions's main concern is that the budget …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

Discussion: The Hill, CNN, Talking Points Memo and Outside the Beltway

Micah Cohen / FiveThirtyEight:

Obama Has Lost Advantage Over G.O.P. on Economy — During the debate over the so-called fiscal cliff in December, public opinion surveys showed more Americans trusted President Obama than trusted Republicans in Congress when it came to handling the nation's economy.

BBC:

Russian exile Berezovsky dies in UK — Mr Berezovsky had made his fortune importing Mercedes cars into Russia in the 1990s — The exiled Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky has been found dead at his home outside London. — A police investigation has been launched into the death of the 67-year-old …

Discussion: Guardian, Gawker, The Gateway Pundit, Telegraph and MarketShadows

Victoria Taylor / NY Daily News:

Going rouge: Sarah Palin proudly wears a red Chick-fil-A shirt to Phoenix Suns game — Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin continued to show her support for the controversial chicken sandwich chain by donning a Chick-fil-A shirt at an NBA game in Phoenix on Friday.

Ramsey Cox / The Hill:

Senate votes 53-46 to stop US from joining UN Arms Trade Treaty — In the last batch of amendment votes to the budget, the Senate voted on several foreign policy proposals. — Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) introduced an amendment that would prevent the United States from entering …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and The Hill