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In Case You Missed it - This week's lead stories focus on gun control measures proposed by the White House to curb gun violence. In addition, Colin Powell chided fellow Republicans for being intolerant and a questionable shirt sold at a Tea Party conference kicked off the next year in racist Obama attacks – and more. – Joyce Jones

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Do the Right Thing - Obama unveiled a sweeping gun control plan that includes executive orders and congressional action. The president urged Americans to find out where their lawmakers stand and Congress to examine its conscience. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

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Point-Counterpoint - Responding to critics of a National Rifle Association ad that targets the Obama children, the NRA said they are missing the ad's point that "we all act to keep our children safe." But White House spokesman Jay Carney said the ad was "repugnant and cowardly." (Photo: Courtesy NRASTANDANDFIGHT.COM)

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New ATF Chief - The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) hasn't had a full-time director in more than six years. But as part of his gun control mission, Obama has nominated B. Todd Jones, ATF's acting chief, for confirmation. Jones works at ATF part-time and also is the U.S. attorney general for Minnesota, the first African-American to hold the position in that state.(Photo: Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images)

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No Deadbeat - In the last press conference of his first term, Obama vowed that he will not negotiate with Congress on raising the debt ceiling. The president said the nation has an obligation to pay bills already racked up and that the U.S. is not a deadbeat nation. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

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Keeping It Real - Former Secretary of State Colin Powell slammed the Republican Party on NBC's Meet the Press on Jan. 13 for racial intolerance. He warned that if it represents only the far-right end of the political spectrum it will continue to lose presidential elections. (Photo: MSNBC)

Photo By Photo: MSNBC

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Not a White Thing? - Ann Coulter has not added stop making racially incendiary remarks to her 2013 resolutions list. The commentator recently blamed mass shootings on race — read minorities. “If you compare white populations, we have the same murder rate as Belgium,” Coulter said. “So perhaps it’s not a gun problem, it’s a demographic problem.” (Photo: Fernando Leon/Getty Images for TIME)

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Witchy - A big seller at a South Carolina Tea Party convention last week was a T-shirt that depicted Obama as an African witch doctor and the phrase, "Your New Doctor: Obamacare coming soon to a clinic near you!" The "artist" said "it's not racist, it's political." (Photo: Palmetto Public Record)

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Taking the Lead - The New York State Assembly this week passed the first gun control bill to be signed into law since the Sandy Hook Elementary shootings. The measure limits access to assault weapons and aims to prevent the mentally ill from accessing firearms. (Photo: AP Photo/Mike Groll)

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Careful What You Say - Former House speaker and Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich warned GOP lawmakers against trying to use raising the debt limit as a bargaining chip for spending cuts. "In the end, it's a threat they can't sustain," he said on CBS This Morning, because no one wants the government to default on its debt. (Photo: Jemal Countess/Getty Images for TIME)

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License to Protest - Obama is getting new license plates to protest the fact that the District of Columbia doesn't have a vote in Congress. His limousines' plates will soon read: "Washington, D.C. Taxation Without Representation." (Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Photo)

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Denied - The U.S. Supreme Court announced it would not consider a case filed by the Republican National Committee appealing an order that prevents minority voter intimidation. The order will stay in effect until 2017 as scheduled.(Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

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Dear President Obama - At a press conference to unveil gun control measures, Obama read snippets of letters he's received from children. "I think there should be some changes," wrote Grant. "We should learn from what happened at Sandy Hook. I feel really bad." (Photo: AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

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Scott Under Fire - Black members of Florida's state legislature had harsh words this week concerning Gov. Rick Scott. Criticisms ranged from how he handled the state's controversial new voting rules and to not appointing enough African-American judges. (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images