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Sen. Kay Hagan sent a letter to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel asking for a report on the steps he has taken to implement new laws to prevent combat sexual assault in the military.

Hagan, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said she received assurances from Hagel during his confirmation process that he would take steps to reduce the incidents of assault.

“We must take swift and meaningful action to address the military sexual assault crisis, and the National Defense Authorization Act directives passed by Congress last year are a good start,” Hagan said.

“Sexual assault cannot be accepted as part of the military culture, we owe it to our servicemen and women to ensure they don't have to worry about their personal safety,” she said

The provisions passed by the Senate in the defense bill include establishing a special victim supports unit, enhanced training and education for sexual assault prevention and two independent panels to review the systems used to investigate, prosecute and adjudicate sexual assaults.

Sen. Kay Hagan will attend a meeting today at the White House to discuss ways to prevent military sexual assault.

Hagan, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, will join a group lead by senior White House advisor Valerie Jarrett and Tina Tchen, the chief of staff to First Lady Michelle Obama.

“Military sexual assault is a crisis in our armed forces, and one that I have about first-hand from service members in North Carolina,” Hagan said in a statement. “That an estimated 26,000 incidents of sexual assault took place in our military last year is nothing short of alarming and completely unacceptable.''

During his confirmation process, Hagan said she talked to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel about how he planned to address the issue.

After the meeting, Hagan issued a statement saying: "I have heard first-hand from service members in North Carolina about the military sexual assault crisis in our armed forces, and today I spoke with some of the president’s top advisors about concrete steps we can take to address this problem.''

“It is appalling and unacceptable that an estimated 26,000 incidents of sexual assault took place in our military last year and even more alarming that so few victims actually reported them. Our servicemen and women should not have to worry about their personal safety on bases in the U.S. and around the world while they are bravely serving to protect our nation’s safety.”

North Carolina's two U.S. senators voted against the federal budget bill approved in the wee hours Saturday morning -- but for very different reasons.

Sen. Kay Hagan, a Democrat, voted against the spending plan put forth by her party because she was concerned about the cuts to the military. But Sen. Richard Burr, a Republican, cast a dissenting ballot because the federal spending cuts didn't go far enough to reduce the nation's debt.

N.C. AS A MODEL FOR THE NATIONAL GOP? For most Republicans, November was grim. But in North Carolina it was a happier story. “North Carolina could be a model for ‘red state’ resurgence,” says Marc Rotterman, a GOP strategist from Raleigh.

North Carolina Republicans will showcase their performance this week to the Republican National Committee, which starts its three-day winter meeting Wednesday at the Westin in uptown. A presentation scheduled for Thursday is called “Success in N.C.: A Blueprint for the Future.” But how much of that blueprint can be replicated is debatable.

***Welcome to the Dome Morning Memo -- the source for N.C. political news and analysis. Click below to read more.***

U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan is the target of a new TV ad campaign from an outside group seeking to block President Barack Obama's nomination of Chuck Hagel's for defense secretary.

The 30-second spot from Americans for a Strong Defense is targeting senators in five states, hoping to create political pressure on lawmakers to reject the former Nebraska senator's at his forthcoming confirmation hearing.

The Obama campaign is releasing a series of radio ads in seven states today.

The ad in North Carolina, "Big Decisions,"  focuses on GOP candidate Mitt Romney's VP pick, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, and two of Ryan's votes on military health spending.

State authorities are stepping up their campaign against home builder D.R. Horton in a bid to pressure the Texas company to return underground fracking rights to hundreds of homeowners in North Carolina.

Their concerns have gained urgency in recent weeks in the wake of the state legislature’s legalization of fracking, a controversial method of extracting natural gas from underground shale rock formations. More here.

More political headlines:

--Nearly 6,000 delegates are expected in September, representing the 50 states, U.S. territories and “Democrats Abroad.” From California to Maine, Puerto Rico to Sweden, delegates are looking toward Charlotte and their excitement is palpable. Again and again in interviews, Democrats used the same phrase to describe what the convention means to them: “The chance of a lifetime.”

Former GOP presidential candidate John McCain led a delegation of GOP senators Monday in urging Democratic President Barack Obama to reopen budget negotiations to avoid what he called “devastating” defense cuts.

Appearing near the sprawling Fort Bragg Army base, the senator said the president had an obligation to help to work out an agreement with Congress to avoid the deep cuts to the military that will automatically go into effect in January unless a deal can be found. Read the full story here.

More political headlines below:

--A busload of undocumented immigrants has departed for Charlotte, on its way to protest during the Democratic National Convention. The occupants will risk deportation to demonstrate in Mecklenburg County. The group will join hundreds of other illegal immigrants who could march during the convention, protest organizers said.

You might say former New Bern police chief and current congressional candidate Frank Palombo is stretching a bit when he in a news release ties North Carolina Republican U.S. Rep. Walter Jones to “left-wing radical George Soros.”
Here’s how he does it:
Jones joined Congressman and presidential candidate Ron Paul and liberal Rep. Barney Frank of Massachussetts in requesting a task force on military spending. A year and a half ago it recommended nearly $1 trillion in Pentagon cuts over 10 years.
Conservative talk-show host Glenn Beck helped out by coming up with a report that 11 of the 14 members of the task force represent groups that Beck says receive funding from liberal philanthropist Soros.
So, we have Jones and Soros as best friends forever. The only problem is, Jones didn’t agree with what the task force recommended. And the recommendations were pretty much dead on arrival.

His office released this statement today to Dome:

“The Sustainable Defense Task Force was created during the now defunct Simpson-Bowles Commission to give suggestions on where we need to cut waste all across the board.  The recommendations I received from the SDTF, like cutting strategic weapons systems instead of overseas bases and procurement reform, were simply unacceptable and I flat-out rejected all of the recommendations.”
Jones reports having raised $145,596 cash at the end of last year, while Palombo raised $19,496.

If you're saving money this week on Harris Teeter's triple coupon promotion, this could be a fine time to show a little charity.

Take some of your savings and turn it into smiles for some military families.

The grocer is selling $1 and $7 Smiles Over Miles donation cards through the end of the month. Smiles is a USO program that helps members of the military and their families send secure voice, text or video messages to each other from anywhere in the world.

Families and service men can get the Smiles Over Miles account cards — purchased with the money you donate — at USO centers.

You can learn more about the program here.