The Morning Report -- Wednesday January 16, 2013

Assault Weapons Ban -- Gun Control-- Iraq Violence -- Sandy Relief -- Obama Cabinet -- Energy Drinks - Online Courses in UC/CSU

PRESIDENT SET TO UNVEIL GUN CONTROL PROPOSALS

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama's broad effort to reduce gun violence will include proposed bans on military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines as well as more than a dozen executive orders aimed at circumventing congressional opposition to stricter gun control. Obama was to announce the measures Wednesday at a White House event that will bring together law enforcement officials, lawmakers and children who wrote the president about gun violence following last month's shooting of 20 young students and six adults at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn. http://apne.ws/SJNXqh

NEARLY 60% FAVOR STRICTER GUN REGULATIONS

WASHINGTON (AP) - Nearly six in 10 Americans want stricter gun laws in the aftermath of last month's deadly school shooting in Connecticut, with majorities favoring a nationwide ban on military-style, rapid-fire weapons and limits on gun violence depicted in video games, movies and TV shows, according to a new Associated Press-GfK poll. A lopsided 84 percent of adults would like to see the establishment of a federal standard for background checks for people buying guns at gun shows, the poll showed. http://apne.ws/13D90wU

IRAQ VIOLENCE INCREASES; 31 DEAD

BAGHDAD (AP) - A suicide bomber driving a vehicle packed with explosives blew himself up outside the offices of a major Kurdish party in northern Iraq early Wednesday, the deadliest in a wave of morning attacks that killed at least 31 people across the country. The violence comes amid rising tensions among Iraq's ethnic and sectarian groups that threaten to plunge the country back into chaos nearly a decade after the U.S.-led invasion. While there was no immediate claim of responsibility, car bombs and coordinated attacks are favorite tactics of Sunni insurgents, such as al-Qaida's Iraq branch. They seek to exacerbate divisions within Iraq in an effort to undermine the Shiite-led government. http://apne.ws/ZXdvO5

MORE SUPERSTORM SANDY RELIEF TO COME

WASHINGTON (AP) - The political tempest stirred up by Superstorm Sandy appears to have moved on after wreaking havoc among congressional Republicans divided over how much aid to allocate to the victims. In a 241-180 vote Tuesday night, the House approved $50.5 billion in disaster relief for Sandy victims. The Senate is expected to accept the measure early next week and send it to President Barack Obama in spite of some Democratic concerns that it doesn't do enough. http://apne.ws/XDzmKN

ANOTHER OBAMA CABINET MEMBER FROM 1ST TERM LEAVES

WASHINGTON (AP) - Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who oversaw a moratorium on offshore drilling after the BP oil spill, will step down in March, Obama administration officials said Wednesday. Salazar has run the Interior Department throughout President Barack Obama's first term. http://apne.ws/Vl3uv1

CA GOVERNOR URGES COLLEGES TO EXPAND ONLINE COURSES

The UC Board of Regents meets with Governor Jerry Brown today. Among other things, he's expected to urge them to expand online course offerings. Brown's budget sets aside $17 million for community colleges and $10 million each for the UC and Cal State systems to boost digital instruction. On Tuesday, Brown paid a visit to San Jose State ... with the press corps in tow ... to tout the program they've developed there. Reporter: Peter Jon Shuler. http://bit.ly/XDzA4O

ESL CLASSES STRUGGLE AS BUDGETS ARE CUT

In a state with as many immigrants as we have, English class offerings at public schools are perennially popular. But budget cuts have decimated many of those programs. Reporter: Chris Richard. http://bit.ly/W6Xe7w