PM NOTE - Super Bowl Politics, Obama in Former 'Murder-apolis,' Sec. Kerry's Big Heels
Mary Bruce reports President Obama signed the "No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013," suspending the debt limit for another three months.
Super Bowl Ads: Politics Upstage Products - http://abcn.ws/12o2FpT (Alisa Wiersema)
'Murder-apolis' No More? - President Obama took his plan to overhaul the nation's gun laws on the road today to Minneapolis, Minn., today. It's a Democratic-leaning state that exemplifies the complexities of reducing gun violence.
It was Obama's first trip outside the Beltway to tout his sweeping proposals to curb gun violence. In addition to urging lawmakers to adopt ""basic, common-sense steps" to reduce gun violence, the president praised city officials for the progress they have made a mentally ill man open fired at a north Minneapolis business, killing six people and himself in the deadliest workplace shooting is the state's history just four months ago.
Mary Bruce and Devin Dwyer have the wrap: http://abcn.ws/VFlljc
Boehner, GOP Pressure Obama to Balance Budget - As President Obama misses a deadline today to submit a budget proposal to Congress, Republicans are working to advance techniques that not only pressure the president to present a budget plan, but also to rein in federal spending. http://abcn.ws/14Nr3AT (John Parkinson)
New Secretary of State John Kerry: 'I Have Big Heels To Fill' - On his first day of work as Secretary of State, former senator John Kerry was greeted by cheers and applause of hundreds of state department employees.
Kerry pledged that politics would not stand in the way of recognizing the work done by the four Americans killed in Benghazi on Sept. 11. http://abcn.ws/USvtTg (Dana Hughes)
The Never Ending Tax Fight - In separate interviews over the weekend, Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid both said they will push for more revenue increases as part of another deal to avoid the looming "sequester" - automatic budget cuts that will take effect March 1, barring agreement on other deficit-reduction measures.
Both suggested closing tax "loopholes" as a way to raise more cash for the government. (Chris Good) http://abcn.ws/XGHDgp
Tagg Romney for Senate? No Way - Ready for another Romney run? Tagg Romney is not. http://abcn.ws/XSgPrN (Shushannah Walshe)
Conservatives Take on Obama Over Gay Scouts - The Family Research Council took out an ad urging the Boy Scouts not to cave to "political and financial pressure" and revoke their policy prohibiting gay scouts from joining, the day after President Obama went on television to criticize the ban. http://abcn.ws/VA1AEm (Sarah Parnass)
Another One Bites the Dust - Samantha Power, the White House's top human rights official, is leaving her post. http://abcn.ws/XSG25i (Jilian Fama)
Sen. John McCain Takes Fire for 'Racist' Tweet - Some social media users, including a member of Congress from his own party, called Sen. John McCain "racist" for a tweet comparing the president of Iran to a monkey sent from his account this morning. http://abcn.ws/VFrmMM (Sarah Parnass)
Heading Sports Injuries Off at the Pass - With concussions and brain damage from blows to the head taking center stage in football this year, Reebok and the electronics company MC10 have teamed up to create a mesh cap intended to measure the severity of blows to the head and alert people around them to check the athlete for possibly serious injury. http://abcn.ws/TBlEJW (Jim Avila & Serena Marshall)
This Week In History - George Washington was elected and the Mass. Supreme Court declared same-sex marriage legal. Check out some of the most important political events that happened this week in history. http://abcn.ws/WU0mH7 (Jilian Fama)
Meet Woody, the Bomb-Sniffing Dog - At Dulles International Airport just outside Washington, the Transportation Security Administration puts Woody, a black Labrador retriever, to the test as a bomb-sniffing dog. http://abcn.ws/14AxHJW (Pierre Thomas)
Power Outage Led to San Francisco Super Bowl Surge? Not So Fast - In the aftermath of the Super Bowl, one of the most repeated "insights" is that the power outage delay changed the momentum of the game and allowed a big comeback by San Francisco. ABC's Matt Dowd calls this "classic cause-and-effect attribution bias or error." http://abcn.ws/XSBOuE
Facebook After Death: Who Owns Your Pages When You Die? - Most people can't imagine life without Facebook - but what should happen to your profile when this life ends? States struggle to figure it out. http://abcn.ws/XG8Kbt (Jilian Fama)
Obama Goes for the Guns - Harry Reid's mouth may be all the legislative reality-checking we need on guns. http://abcn.ws/WpxCH7 (Michael Falcone)