The Note's Must-Reads for Monday February 4, 2013

The Note's Must-Reads are a round-up of today's political headlines and stories from ABC News and the top U.S. newspapers. Posted Monday through Friday right here at www.abcnews.com

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

GUN CONTROL USA Today's Aamer Madhani: " Obama visit highlights Minneapolis' strides on violence" This city has managed to shed the moniker of "Murder-apolis," the ugly nickname it was tagged with during the worst days of the crack and gang wars of the 1990s, when it had a homicide rate that rivaled New York City. The progress Minneapolis made reducing gun violence in the past few years has caught the attention of President Obama, who will visit the city Monday for his first trip outside the Beltway to tout his plan to overhaul the nation's gun laws. LINK

The New York Times' Michael Cooper: " From State to State, Varied Responses to the Issue of Gun Violence" Although the debate over curbing gun violence after the massacre in Newtown, Conn., is breaking down mostly along partisan lines in the nation's statehouses - with several Democratic governors calling for stricter gun laws and most Republicans urging tighter security or revamped mental health policies - the handful of exceptions show the political and geographical complexities of the issue. More than a dozen governors invoked the Newtown school shooting in their State of the State addresses in recent weeks, and most have weighed in on the shooting in other forums. LINK

IMMIGRATION REFORM

The Washington Post's Karen Tumulty: " Why immigration reform in 1986 fell short" When Ronald Reagan signed a comprehensive immigration overhaul in 1986, he confidently predicted: "Future generations of Americans will be thankful for our efforts to humanely regain control of our borders and thereby preserve the value of one of the most sacred possessions of our people - American citizenship." More than a quarter-century later, however, that law has not turned out to be the triumph that Reagan envisioned. Instead, those on both sides of the immigration debate see it as a cautionary lesson. LINK

The Los Angeles Times' Christi Parsons: " Obama to keep up the pressure for immigration reform " President Obama's public focus will be on gun violence this week, but behind the scenes he and key administration officials plan to keep pushing for immigration reform. As Obama heads to Minneapolis on Monday to talk about the fight against gun violence, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano will travel to San Diego and El Paso, Texas, to inspect border security operations at the Southwest border, an aide said Sunday. LINK

PRESIDENT OBAMA'S NEW TEAM

Politico's Darren Goode: " Obama's climate team appears primed for action" Who will help President Barack Obama meet his ambitious promises to tackle climate change? Eco-celebrities and tree-climbing protesters need not apply. This is a job for wonks. LINK

The Hill's Keith Laing: " Boy Scouts of America should allow gay members, says Obama " President Obama called Sunday for the Boy Scouts of America to open its ranks to those who are gay. Asked in a pre-Super Bowl interview if he thought the group should end its ban on gay scout leaders and members, Obama responded with a direct: "Yes." LINK

FOREIGN AFFAIRS Wall Street Journal's Yaroslav Trofimov: " Afghans Gird to Go It Alone As U.S. Shuts Down Bases" When the Taliban fired rocket-propelled grenades at a police outpost last fall, police chief Lt. Abdulrauf Faizi asked neighboring U.S. Marines for help. Tracking insurgents in the dark was near impossible for Afghan police. But the Marines had a highflying surveillance balloon, with sophisticated cameras that followed the attackers for miles, almost to their homes. As the insurgents came close to escape, the Marines launched a deadly Hellfire missile strike. LINK

The Washington Times' Ashish Kumar Sen: " Benghazi, Libya, deteriorating into security nightmare" Security in Benghazi, the eastern Libyan city where four Americans were killed Sept. 11 in a terrorist attack on the U.S. Consulate, has decayed to the point where Westerners are fleeing, assassinations and kidnappings are rife and residents worry that U.S. drone strikes on jihadist targets are imminent. LINK

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/notes-must-reads-monday-february-4-2013-083244847--abc-news-politics.html

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