The Fiscal Cliff's Winners And Losers (The Note) Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg/Getty Imag Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly spoke exclusively to "ABC World News" anchor Diane Sawyer about an important new initiative they are launching called "Americans for Responsible Solutions." ABC's Alyssa Newcomb reports that the first change the couple hopes to enact is to require a comprehensive background check for the private sale of firearms. Kelly, a recreational hunter, said he doesn't believe an extended magazine is necessary for the sport. Finally, the couple hopes to address the issue of how the mentally ill are treated in the United States. The full interview airs tonight on "World News" - two years to the day after Giffords was shot in a Safeway parking lot in Tucson, Arizona. READ: http://abcn.ws/VPYhbT WATCH: http://abcn.ws/ShKe3a PHOTO: http://abcn.ws/VIeMtE MORE ON THEIR NEW EFFORT: The couple writes, in a USA Today Op-Ed: "In response to a horrific series of shootings that has sown terror in our communities, victimized tens of thousands of Americans, and left one of its own bleeding and near death in a Tucson parking lot, Congress has done something quite extraordinary-nothing at all. I was shot in the head while meeting with constituents two years ago today. ... Special interests purporting to represent gun owners but really advancing the interests of an ideological fringe have used big money and influence to cow Congress into submission. ... Americans for Responsible Solutions, which we are launching today, will invite people from around the country to join a national conversation about gun violence prevention, will raise the funds necessary to balance the influence of the gun lobby, and will line up squarely behind leaders who will stand up for what's right." http://usat.ly/UDJN3P UPDATE ON GIFFORDS" RECOVERY: In their interview with Diane Sawyer, Giffords herself, acknowledges that while she has made a remarkable recovery since the Jan. 2011 shooting, she still has a long way to go. Giffords also has a new companion, a service-dog named Nelson. ABC's Arlette Saenz reports: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, one of the country's most outspoken proponent of new gun laws, told reporters today his office is advising Vice President Joe Biden's task force on gun control legislation. He is calling for legislation that would require criminal background checks on all gun sales, limit high capacity magazines and "military style assault" weapons, and make gun trafficking a felony. http://abcn.ws/Zz85NH Of the deal itself - which raised income tax rates on wealthy Americans but put off some tough choices on other fiscal matters for just a matter of months - 45 percent in today's ABC News-Washington Post poll said they approve of the agreement while 38 percent disapprove. Among Democrats, 81 percent approve of President Obama's handling of the talks, including 44 percent who approve "strongly." ABC's AMY WALTER: For those of us who are true political junkies, Richard Ben Cramer's tome on the election of 1988, "What It Takes," is our bible. Unlike political journalism of today, however, it focused more on the profiles of the men who wanted to be president and less on the process of campaigning. Cramer dug into their past, tracking their childhood scars and successes and reminding us of the humanity involved in this sometimes dehumanizing experience. ABC's RICK KLEIN: You can't understand Chuck Hagel or John Kerry without understanding Vietnam. And you can't understand President Obama's foreign policy and national security mission for his second term without understanding what Vietnam means to the two men who will (Senate-willing) be the most prominent parts of his team. It's not just the vision of Hagel and Kerry that the president is seeking - it's their credibility during a time of winding down wars, downsizing the military, and confronting new threats in what all three men hope will be non-traditional ways. That will be the clear subtext in confirmation hearings, particularly Hagel's, as Obama turns to two former colleagues for backup on Defense. INAUGURATION UPDATE: The Presidential Inaugural Committee announced today that Myrlie Evers-Williams, the widow of Medgar Evers, has been selected to deliver the invocation and Rev. Louie Giglio, the pastor of Passion City Church in Atlanta, has been selected to deliver the benediction at the Inaugural swearing-in ceremony of President Obama and Vice President Biden on Jan. 21. "Vice President Biden and I are honored that Myrlie Evers-Williams and Rev. Louie Giglio will participate in the Inaugural ceremony," President Obama said today. Their voices have inspired many people across this great nation within the faith community and beyond. Their careers reflect the ideals that the Vice President and I continue to pursue for all Americans - justice, equality, and opportunity. Now that President Obama has announced Hagel as his pick despite all the backlash against him, pushback from Israel and gay groups has begun anew. The Bill-Kristol-counded Emergency Committee for Israel posted a new website attacking Hagel - www.chuckhagel.com. The group's president, Abraham Foxman, released a statement that read, in part: "I trust that the confirmation process will provide an opportunity for Senator Hagel to address concerns about his positions, which seem so out of sync with President Obama's clear commitment on issues like Iran sanctions, isolating Hamas and Hezbollah and the president's strong support for a deepening of U.S. Israel strategic cooperation. I particularly hope Senator Hagel will clarify and explain his comments about the "Jewish Lobby" that were hurtful to many in the Jewish Community." Hagel's 1998 anti-gay comment about an ambassadorial nominee hasn't faded, either. The gay GOP group Lob Cabin Republicans took out a full-page A7 ad in today's Washington Post, surfacing a timeline of Hagel's anti-gay record. http://abcn.ws/Wp4afs The new Cabinet nominee has his supporters, detractors, and those in the middle. Colin Powell: ""I wholeheartedly endorse President Obama's nomination of former Senator Chuck Hagel to be the next Secretary of Defense." Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer: "Chuck Hagel, as a former colleague and a patriot with a decorated service record, has earned the right to nothing less than a full and fair process in the Senate. GOP House Majority Leader Eric Cantor: "Senator Chuck Hagel is the wrong man for the job at such a pivotal time." http://abcn.ws/ZzhXqT With the U.S. withdrawing troops from Afghanistan on its 2014 timeline, Afgha president Hamid Karzai will come to the White House on Friday. The White House announcement, via ABC's Devin Dwyer: "President Obama will host President Hamid Karzai and his delegation at the White House for bilateral meetings on Friday, January 11. President Obama looks forward to welcoming the Afghan delegation to Washington, and discussing our continued transition in Afghanistan, and our shared vision of an enduring partnership between the United States and Afghanistan. The Hill's Carlo Munoz reports: President Obama's pick to head the CIA could face a rough road to confirmation in the Senate due to his involvement in the "enhanced interrogation" techniques of the George W. Bush administration. The president on Monday announced he would nominate John Brennan, the White House's counterterrorism chief, to lead the top spy agency following the recent departure of David Petraeus. ... Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said he has "many questions and concerns" about Brennan's role in overseeing the interrogation programs, "as well as his public defense of those programs. I plan to examine this aspect of Mr. Brennan's record very closely as I consider his nomination," said McCain in a statement Monday." http://bit.ly/VQdg5K Via National Review's Jim Geraghty, the Elk Valley Times reports: "Jim Tracy, who currently represents state senatorial district 14, announced his candidacy for Congress Wednesday at the famed Reeves-Sain Pharmacy in Murfreesboro. Tracy, a small business owner and conservative state senator, said he was running for Congress because government is both financially and morally bankrupt, and in order to get America back on the right track, the country needs leaders of character and integrity with a core belief in conservative principles serving in Congress. "I am running for Congress because our government is broken-morally and financially," said Tracy (Rep., Shelbyville). I am a conservative in word and deed. I have lived my life both personally and professionally in a way that is consistent with my core conservative values." ... Tracy will face incumbent Dr. Scott DesJarlais in the August 2014 primary."http://bit.ly/XI6AMN The LA Times" Morgal Little reports: "Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton returned to work Monday, following a lengthy absence caused by a series of health-related concerns.Clinton will be leaving her post shortly, with Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) expected to take her place. But before that happens, the State Department confirmed that she intends to testify on the consulate attack in Benghazi, Libya, as the sitting secretary. "The expectation is that the sequence will work out such that she'll be able to testify," State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said Monday, emphasizing that Clinton's testimony will be delivered "while she is still sitting secretary of State."" http://bit.ly/XI6AMN @RonBrownstein: We will all remember the great Richard Ben Cramer who raised campaign reporting to a literary level never again equaled, not even close. @NKingofDC: Yep, "What It Takes" still awes. But Richard Ben Cramer also wrote one of the best baseball stories ever and won his Pulitzer overseas. @GarrettNBCNews: When I got the embed job I was told to read "What It Takes," and if I didn't love it, quit. A true classic. RIP Richard Ben Cramer @GovernorOMalley: I'm deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Richard Ben Cramer. He was a great American, great Marylander & a dear friend. @jdickerson: Just pulled down my copy of What it Takes in honor of Richard Ben Cramer. RIP pic.twitter.com/gRIMfFe0