The Note's Must-Reads for Monday, January 28, 2013
Compiled by ABC News' Jayce Henderson, Amanda VanAllen and Jordan Mazza
HILLARY CLINTON ABC News' Mary Bruce and Dana Hughes: " President Obama, Hillary Clinton: From Bitter Rivals to Bosom Buddies" In something of a parting gift, President Obama is making abundantly clear his deep support and fondness for outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is leaving wide open a possible presidential run in 2016. Sitting together for their first joint interview, you could almost forget that they once politically bludgeoned each other in the 2008 Democratic primary. "I'm going to miss her," Obama told. LINK USA Today's Aamer Madhani: " Obama praises former nemesis Clinton as 'Strong friend'" During their battle for the Democratic presidential nomination more than four years ago, President Obama dismissed his political nemesis Hillary Rodham Clinton as "likable enough." But as Clinton prepares to depart from the State Department this week, Obama gushed about his outgoing secretary of State and predicted, the history books will remember her as one of the best to grace the office of America's top diplomat. LINK
FOREIGN POLICY The Hills' Julian Pecquet: " Obama signals focus on foreign policy with new chief of staff" President Obama's choice of a foreign policy expert and longtime aide to become his chief of staff is widely seen as evidence that the president plans to emulate his predecessors, who used their second terms to put their mark on the world. By tapping Deputy National Security Adviser Denis McDonough for the role, Obama is also picking a former House and Senate staffer who's known for keeping out of the spotlight. LINK
IMMIGRATION The Los Angeles Times' Brian Bennett and Lisa Mascaro: " Senators agree on immigration overhaul plan" A bipartisan group of senators has agreed on a plan to grant legal status to most of the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the U.S., which could form the basis for a far-reaching overhaul of immigration laws this year. The Senate blueprint, drafted during weeks of closed-door meetings by leading senators from each party, will probably set parameters for a contentious legislative battle over the next several months. LINK
The Wall Street Journal's Laura Meckler: " Immigration Debate Gears Up" Millions of illegal immigrants would be given a path to citizenship under provisions of an immigration overhaul fashioned by a bipartisan group of senators, an opening shot in what promises to be a fight in Congress this year. The legislative framework, to be released Monday, also would add federal agents and equipment to strengthen the borders and tighten work rules to ensure employers hire legally. The unveiling comes before President Barack Obama plans to set out his own, similar principles in a speech Tuesday in Las Vegas. LINK
The New York Times' Julia Preston: "Senators Offer a New Blueprint for Immigration" A bipartisan group of senators has agreed on a set of principles for a sweeping overhaul of the immigration system, including a pathway to American citizenship for 11 million illegal immigrants that would hinge on progress in securing the borders and ensuring that foreigners leave the country when their visas expire. LINK
PRESIDENT OBAMA The Washington Times' Stephen Dinan: " Ruling puts presidential power at risk" The federal appeals court ruling last week finding President Obama abused his recess appointment powers harkened back to a vision of the Constitution that many thought long dead, and could upend decades of practice by Republicans and Democrats. In the short term, the ruling by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia holds that Mr. Obama illegally bypassed Congress to name three members of the National Labor Relations Board - calling into question hundreds of decisions made by the board in the year since the appointments. LINK
Bloomberg's Tom Schoenberg: " Obama Picks Rejected as Court Casts Doubt on Recess Power" President Barack Obama violated the Constitution by making appointments to the federal labor board without Senate approval, a U.S. appeals court said in a ruling that calls hundreds of board decisions into question and may extend to the head of the new consumer finance agency. LINK
PAUL RYAN The Boston Globe: " Paul Ryan says GOP has to pick its fights with Obama" Representative Paul Ryan said Saturday that Republicans should stick together and pick their fights during President Obama's second term, rejecting some White House proposals outright and trying to infuse others with conservative principles. In a speech to conservatives, the GOP's 2012 vice presidential nominee said Obama would attempt to divide Republicans but urged them to avoid internal squabbles after a second straight presidential loss. LINK
GOP The Washington Post's Suzy Khimm: "Paul Ryan insists Republicans are ready to let the sequester happen" On Sunday morning, Rep. Paul Ryan reiterated a message that House Republicans have been trying to push since the fiscal cliff deal happened: The GOP is unafraid to let the sequester take effect. LINK
Politico's James Hohmann and John Bresnahan: "Big breaks for Republicans, but road to Senate still steep" Tom Harkin's Saturday retirement announcement is the latest early break for Republicans in their long-shot bid to seize control of the Senate in 2014. LINK
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