Some stories to catch up on while waiting for President Obama's gun regulation speech later today:

U.S. Sen Pat Toomey was in Pittsburgh for meetings yesterday and told the P-G's Jim O'Toole of his plans to re-introduce his debt bill next week amid hopes of forcing a spending showdown with the Obama team:

"This is too important an opportunity to make progress on the biggest problem the federal government faces," said the former chairman of the Club for Growth.

Mr. Toomey disputed the notion that a debt ceiling battle would do any significant lasting damage to the nation's economy. He argued further that Republicans should continue the effort to starve spending as Congress and the administration approach two more fiscal crossroads -- the postponed deadline for the appropriations sequester, or across-the-board cuts in military and discretionary spending negotiated as part of an earlier debt ceiling confrontation in 2011, and the late March expiration of the continuing resolution that authorizes government spending in the absence of traditional budget legislation.

"For the sake of our economy and the world economy, we have to get off the road to Greece," Mr. Toomey said. "If it takes an unpleasant battle over the debt limit to bring this president to the table, the president who is, I think, outrageously refusing to even have a discussion about this ... he needs to come to the table and have a discussion."

Karen Langley and Laura Olson covered the inaugurals of AG Kathleen Kane (above) and others yesterday.

Moriah Balingit has the story on Mayor Luke Ravenstahl announcing a public safety blitz on South Side revelry this weekend, though details were scarce.

Turns out Keith Rothfus was a trailblazer, not an outlier, when it comes to Republican opposition to Hurricane Sandy relief.

The Sewickley freshman took it on the chin for his first vote against emergency aid after the NJ/NY superstorm but by last night had two-thirds of the entire House GOP sharing his position and even pushing a bold but failed Tea Party-supported effort to cut billions in spending (including on defense) to offset one plank of the relief effort. Locally, Tim Murphy and Mike Kelly joined him in the votes. (The roll call is here.)

Only Republicans from the northeast joining with Democrats got the relief pushed by Chris Christie and others approved, in what presages more brutal fights the next time another part of the nation faces a natural disaster, along with related and ongoing fights on other spending plans.

In other words Washington really is getting as dysfunctional as Greece, just as Rothfus and others have lately been saying.

From my story:

The vote followed the unorthodox pattern of the tax deal that temporarily resolved the "fiscal cliff" dilemma in Congress two weeks ago, with every Democrat joining Republicans from areas affected by the October storm and a few GOP leaders to approve the relief package. Congress awarded the emergency aid notwithstanding complaints from conservatives who said the spending should have been balanced with cuts elsewhere in the federal budget.

. . . "Unfortunately, the package voted on today results in another $50 billion borrowed from our kids and grandkids. Moving forward, I will work with my colleagues to craft better ways to budget and pay for future natural disaster relief," Mr. Rothfus said.

Rob McCord spoke today at his second inauguration as state treasurer, but his remarks sounded as if he has a different office in mind.

Speculation abounds about which Democrat will challenge Gov. Tom Corbett in 2014. John Hanger, secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection in the Rendell administration, is the only announced candidate.

At his swearing-in today McCord spoke less of the business of the Pennsylvania Treasury -- though he did mention investment returns, spending stopped and money returned -- than of a broad vision of state government, one that emphasizes action and investment over living-within-our-means and which brought his audience to its feet.

After describing the life stories of his mother-in-law, who grew up in a working-class black household and attended college despite her own family’s expectations, and his stepmother, who as a young girl was imprisoned because of her Japanese ancestry but went on to earn a doctorate, McCord spoke of the role government has played since their childhoods in righting wrongs.

"All of us here need to remind people there can be something magnificent about government and politics," he said. "It's great to celebrate being a business leader, but it's also great to celebrate what's right and good about political leadership."

He said Pennsylvania can do a better job investing in roads, bridges and clean water systems, in creating jobs and supporting public education.

"We can do far better, and the time is coming when we need to replace a pinched pessimism with optimistic innovation," he said, as applause drowned him out from the Democrats crowding the room. "Thank you, thank you, thank you. Now, let's go get 'em."

Speaking with reporters afterward, he laughed when told his speech sounded like it was delivered from the campaign stump. (“Did it? I don’t know about that.”)

"I'm not the most coy guy in the world," he said. "I obviously disagree with some of the things going on in the current administration, and I will take a serious look at this. I've got to think more about it."

“You’re sort of seeing this evolve in a direction that makes it feel more probable,” he said a few minutes later.

McCord said he likely will make his 2014 decision within the next six months.

Pennsylvania's independently elected row officers -- state attorney general, auditor general, and treasurer -- were sworn in today, with Democrats now in each of those roles.

Your Harrisburg team was on the scene at each ceremony, including Attorney General Kathleen Kane's, during which her younger son appeared to faint and Gov. Tom Corbett walked over to offer a bottle of water.

From our breaking news page:

"The governor told me to let Zach know that he fainted on the altar of his sister's wedding when he was 16," Ms. Kane said later, adding that Zach was doing ok. "I said to him, well, then the handkerchief you provided me was from one fainter to another. ... That was very nice of him."

Ms. Kane was among three Democrats sworn in today after they swept the state row offices in the November election. Treasurer Rob McCord is beginning his second and final term, and taking over as auditor general is former state Rep. Eugene DePasquale of York.

"Tomorrow we get right back to work," Ms. Kane said. "Today was about ceremony and pageantry, and tomorrow it's all about substance for the next four years. It's about what we can do to make our streets safer, it's about what we can do to eradicate public corruption and everything that we talked about during the campaign, it starts tomorrow."