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January 8, 2013 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF Share | Sign up | Archive | Advertise National Pulse  With "X Date" looming, Democrats urge Obama to take action The "X Date" by which the U.S. will be unable to pay its bills could come as early as Feb. 15, according to a Bipartisan Policy Center report. The report came as House Democrats urged President Barack Obama to circumvent the crisis by claiming the legal right to unilaterally raise the debt ceiling, and to let the Supreme Court decide whether his decision was constitutional. "I would do it in a second," said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Politico (Washington, D.C.) (1/8) , The Hill (1/8)      Agenda Items  Gabrielle Giffords launches gun-control campaign    Giffords/Reuters Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, have launched a pressure group to raise funds and lobby lawmakers in support of tougher gun controls. Announcing the launch of the group, Americans for Responsible Solutions, the pair said they hoped to counter the influence of the National Rifle Association and make it politically feasible for lawmakers to take action. "We have experienced too much death and hurt to remain idle," Giffords and Kelly write in an op-ed. The Washington Post/Post Politics blog (1/8) , USA Today (1/8)      White House "insisted" fiscal deal include corporate tax breaks Reuters (1/7)      Could the GOP swallow its pride and nominate Chris Christie in 2016? The Daily Beast (1/7)      Who's who in Obama's second-term Cabinet National Journal (1/8)      Data Points  Poll: Obama won Pyrrhic victory in fiscal battle    Boehner/Reuters President Barack Obama was perceived as winning the fiscal showdown by 57% of Americans, according to a Pew poll, while just 20% of people thought Republicans had achieved more of their goals. That might prove a Pyrrhic victory, however: More than half of Americans believe the compromise deal will directly hurt them, and just 3 in 10 people believe it will help them. Pew Internet (1/7)      The Conversation  Tax campaigner Grover Norquist: Our anger makes us stronger Human Events (1/8)      Professor J.W. Verret: Why Citizens United must stand The Wall Street Journal (1/7)      Political scientist Jonathan Bernstein: Stop playing constitutional hardball Prospect.org (1/7)      Daily Chuckle  Small change you can believe in    Reuters Experts say President Barack Obama could legally circumvent the debt ceiling by issuing a single trillion dollar coin -- but Stephen Colbert isn't impressed. "All of this means nothing, because a 1 trillion coin doesn't solve anything," he says. "Our nation's debt is 16 trillion, and we can't make a 16 trillion coin -- that's just silly." Comedy Central (1/7)      SmartQuote  America is not just a power, it is a promise. It is not enough for our country to be extraordinary in might; it must be exemplary in meaning." --Nelson Rockefeller, former U.S. vice president        SmartBrief delivers need-to-know news in over 100 targeted email newsletters to over 3 million readers. All our industry briefings are FREE and open to everyone—sign up today! Accounting Advertising Automotive Aviation & Aerospace Biotechnology Business Chemicals Construction & Real Estate Consumer Packaged Goods Distribution Education Energy Finance Food Service Health Care Insurance Legal Manufacturing Media & Entertainment Nonprofit Retail Technology Telecommunications Travel & Hospitality   Subscriber Tools SIGNUP   SEND FEEDBACK   E-MAIL THIS BRIEF Today's Brief - Permalink  | Print friendly format  | Web version  | Privacy policy Advertise Sr. National Account Director:   Jim Pataki 212-450-1682   SmartBrief Community: Most Clicked Facebook LinkedIn Get this RSS Feed Search Archive About Download a SmartBrief Mobile app today     Recent SmartBrief on Business & Politics Issues: Monday, January 07, 2013 Friday, January 04, 2013 Thursday, January 03, 2013 Wednesday, January 02, 2013 Monday, December 31, 2012     Lead Editor: Jim Berard     Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 555 11th ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004     © 1999-2013 SmartBrief, Inc.® Legal Information