The Note's Must-Reads for Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Compiled by ABC News' Jayce Henderson, Amanda VanAllen and Carrie Halperin

GUN CONTROL The Hills' Justin Sink and Jennifer Martinez: " Biden, NRA to meet on guns" Vice President Biden will meet with the National Rifle Association (NRA) and a range of other groups this week as President Obama's gun violence task force shifts into high gear. A flurry of meetings with Biden and other Cabinet members were announced on Tuesday that will include gun-safety and sportsmen's groups as well as Hollywood and video-game interests. LINK

The Los Angeles Times' Melanie Mason and Christi Parsons: " Groups mobilize to fight gun violence" As the White House prepares to unveil its recommendations this month to combat gun violence, advocates of reform are already working to generate public pressure for gun control policies that have long been stalled in Congress. On Tuesday, the second anniversary of a Tucson shooting that left six dead and 13 injured, including then-Rep.Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), several groups launched fresh offensives on the airwaves and in print. LINK

CHUCK HAGEL The Washington Times' Susan Crabtree: " Little enthusiasm on Capitol Hill for Hagel nomination" After making it past one "fiscal cliff" with more to come, it's an odd time for President Obama to be picking a fight with Congress over his choice to run the Pentagon. In many ways, Mr. Obama's choice, former Sen. Chuck Hagel, a Republican from Nebraska and a Vietnam veteran with two Purple Hearts, is a man without a party who has plenty of detractors on both sides of the aisle. LINK

NATIONAL SECURITY TEAM The New York Times' David Sanger: " In Step on 'Light Footprint,' Nominees Reflect a Shift" With the selection of a new national security team deeply suspicious of the wisdom of American military interventions around the world, President Obama appears to have ended, at least for the moment, many of the internal administration debates that played out in the Situation Room over the past four years. LINK

FOREIGN AFFAIRS The Washington Post's Ernesto Londono and Rajiv Chandrasekaran: " Some in administration push for only a few thousand U.S. troops in Afghanistan after 2014" Groups within the Obama administration are pushing to keep no more than a few thousand troops in Afghanistan after 2014, U.S. officials said, raising the prospect that the United States will be unable to keep its promise to fully train and equip Afghan security forces. As the debate over the size and scope of the post-2014 coalition mission nears its end, some in the administration are pressing for a force that could be as small as 2,500, arguing that a light touch would be the most constructive way to cap the costly, unpopular war. LINK

AIG Politico's Ben White and Anna Palmer: " Washington's jaw drops at possibility of AIG lawsuit" Remember when AIG took a $182 billion bailout only to turn around and hand out seven-figure bonuses to the same guys who tanked their company? Grab the pitchforks - it gets better. Now the insurance organization might join a lawsuit against the U.S. government over the terms of the bailout - saying the deal that saved the company cheated shareholders. LINK

CONGRESS The Boston Globe's Michael Levenson and Noah Bierman: " Media giants big donors to Rep. Ed Markey" The top donors to Representative Edward J. Markey, a leading contender to replace Senator John F. Kerry, are a who's who of multinational media conglomerates, including Time Warner, AT&T, Qualcomm, News Corp, Comcast, Sprint, Viacom, Walt Disney, and DISH Network. At the same time, Markey was either the chairman or the top Democrat on the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications, which oversaw the telephone, cable television, wireless and broadcast industries as they fought for dominance in an evolving world of digital commerce. LINK

NOMINATIONS The Wall Street Journal's " Challenges Grow for Nominees" Senators and outside groups opposed to Obama's choices for the Defense Department and the CIA begin laying our their strategies to block the nominations. LINK

INAUGURATION USA Today's Maria Puente: " Beyonce, James Taylor, Kelly Clarkson to sing for Obama" Beyoncé, James Taylor and Kelly Clarkson will perform the patriotic songs at the second inauguration of President Obama on Jan. 21, the inauguration committee will announce today Beyoncé, who's also starring at the Super Bowl halftime show next month, will sing the national anthem, always a tough tune to pull off well. LINK

ABC NEWS VIDEO " Hagel, Brennan to Face Tough Congressional Confirmation" LINK

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