What We're Reading – Jan. 10, 2013

During the Worst Flu Season in a Decade, Workers Across the Country Can’t Stay Home Sick: “40 percent of private sector workers and a whopping 80 percent of low-income workers do not have a single paid sick day. One in five workers reports losing their job or being threatened with dismissal for wanting to take time off while sick.” [ThinkProgress]

President Joe Biden, accompanied by Attorney General Eric Holder, on Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013, in Washington. Biden is holding a series of meetings this week as part of the effort he is leading to develop policy proposals in response to the Newtown, Conn., school shooting (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

In Campaign For Tougher Gun Laws, Obama and Allies Work to Tilt Public Opinion: “With President Obama preparing to push a legislative agenda aimed at curbing the nation’s gun violence, pillars of his political network, along with independent groups, are raising millions of dollars and mapping out strategies in an attempt to shepherd new regulations through Congress.” [Washington Post]

The ‘Hell No’ Caucus: “Freshman Rep. Tom Cotton, a veteran of two wars and with a pair of Harvard degrees, got a pleasant surprise last year that helped him win a very competitive Republican primary — and then a very easy general election. It was a FedEx envelope full of checks that he didn’t ask for, from a group he hardly knew — the Club for Growth.” [Politico]

NRA Lobbying Targets Courthouses: “Now, the NRA has added a lesser-known strategy to protect its interests: opposing President Barack Obama’s judicial nominees whom it sees as likely to enforce gun-control laws. In some cases, the group’s opposition has kept jobs on federal benches unfilled.” [Associated Press]

Six Facts You Need to Know About Jack Lew: “Jack Lew’s college adviser was … Paul Wellstone.” [The Washington Post]